Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2244

Introduced
2/4/25  
Refer
2/4/25  
Refer
3/4/26  
Refer
3/5/26  
Refer
3/13/26  
Refer
3/13/26  
Refer
3/17/26  

Caption

Modifying the composition of the board of pharmacy and prohibiting the board of pharmacy from adopting rules and regulations that would limit or condition the use of telepharmacy.

Summary

HB 2244 would change Kansas pharmacy law in two main ways. First, it would restrict the State Board of Pharmacy from adopting rules that limit or condition telepharmacy based on population, distance from a physical pharmacy, or network adequacy. The bill also preserves and defines telepharmacy operations, including remote pharmacist supervision, electronic counseling, and the use of telecommunications and automated technologies at telepharmacy outlets. Second, the bill would substantially restructure the State Board of Pharmacy beginning January 1, 2026. Instead of the current board makeup, the new board would be composed of seven members intended to reflect different types of pharmacy interests in Kansas: three pharmacists appointed by the Kansas Pharmacists Association, two pharmacists employed by chain drug stores or retailers appointed by the commissioner of insurance, one pharmacist employed by an insurer, specialty pharmacy, or mail-order pharmacy serving the state employee health plan, and one public non-pharmacist prescription drug purchaser member appointed by legislative leaders on an alternating basis. Existing board terms would expire at the end of 2025, and the bill updates related appointment and term provisions accordingly.

Impact

The bill would amend K.S.A. 74-1603 and 74-1604 and K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 65-16,130, while repealing the existing versions of those statutes. Its practical effect would be to limit the board’s regulatory discretion over telepharmacy and to replace the current board structure with a more industry-diverse appointment model. The changes would affect pharmacists, pharmacy chains, insurers, specialty and mail-order pharmacies, telepharmacy outlets, and the public member role in pharmacy regulation.

Sentiment

Based on the bill caption and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to reflect a policy preference in favor of expanding telepharmacy access and revising pharmacy board governance. The overall framing suggests support for remote pharmacy services and for a board composition that includes a broader mix of pharmacy-sector perspectives. No formal vote history or transcript evidence is available here to show organized support or opposition.

Contention

The main point of contention likely concerns the telepharmacy restrictions and the board reorganization. Opponents of the telepharmacy language may argue that removing population, distance, and network-based limits could weaken the board’s ability to regulate patient safety, service quality, or market saturation. Supporters would likely view those limits as unnecessary barriers to access, especially in rural or underserved areas. The board changes may also be controversial because they shift appointment authority and representation away from the current structure toward pharmacists tied to chains, insurers, and mail-order or specialty pharmacy interests, which could raise concerns about regulatory capture or, conversely, about better reflecting the modern pharmacy marketplace.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SCR1601

Informing the Governor that the two houses of the Legislature are organized and ready to receive communications.

KS SCR1604

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for real property and personal property mobile homes.

Similar Bills

KS HB2551

Enacting the Kansas pharmacy services administrative organization act.

MS HB1125

Pharmacy services; prohibit insurers and PBMs from requiring persons to obtain exclusively through pharmacies that they own.

MS HB558

Pharmacy services; prohibit insurers and PBMs from requiring persons to obtain exclusively through pharmacies that they own.

AR SB593

To Amend The Arkansas Pharmacy Benefits Manager Licensure Act; And To Create The Pharmacy Services Administrative Organization Act.

NJ S2345

"Patient and Provider Protection Act."

AR SB475

To Establish The Pharmacy Services Administrative Organization Act; And To Regulate Pharmacy Services Administrative Organizations.

MS HB1119

Pharmacy benefit managers; revise provisions related to.

AZ HB2429

Pharmacy benefits; pharmacy management networks