Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed the first bills for the 2026 legislative session.
The governor has signed House Bill 2347, which amends certain laws and adds others for crimes of theft, criminal use of a financial card, buying sexual relations and unlawful use of a laser pointer:
*Buying sex is now punishable by a $2,000 fine, double the prior amount, with stronger educational and treatment programs for convicted offenders.
*Gift cards are now included for criminal use prosecution
*Motor vehicle theft involving vehicles valued between $500 and $1,500 is now a level 10 nonperson felony
*Unlawful use of a laser pointer “when knowingly directing light at an on-duty officer or an aircraft in flight” can now be subject to assault or battery charges
Governor Kelly has also signed HB 2183, continuing state policy on judicial deference to state agencies when it comes to interpreting rules and regulations.
Meanwhile, the Kansas Senate now has in front of it Senate Bill 471, which is designed to bring the state’s minimum wage up from $7.25 an hour to $16 an hour for both employers and employees covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The bill was introduced by Overland Park Democrat Cindy Holscher, one of several people on both sides of the aisle who have either declared or filed intent to run for governor with Kelly’s final term in office ending this upcoming January.
Stats from the US Department of Labor indicate Kansas enacted a $1.60 minimum wage in 1979, raised it to $2.65 in 1991 and bumped it again to $7.25 in 2010.
