Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2528

Introduced
1/23/26  
Refer
1/23/26  
Report Pass
2/17/26  
Engrossed
2/25/26  
Refer
2/26/26  
Report Pass
3/18/26  
Enrolled
4/9/26  

Caption

Requiring all state board of nursing actions related to certain nonpractice violations be void, allowing for late license renewal for professional, practical and advanced practice registered nurses, setting fees for late license renewal, limiting unprofessional conduct to acts related to the practice of nursing, prohibiting the board from taking retaliatory action against a licensee based on certain lawful actions and creating a civil cause of action for violation thereof, requiring termination of current board members on January 1, 2027 and requiring the governor to appoint interim board members subject to senate confirmation and requiring the board to issue refunds for overpayment or duplicate payment.

Impact

The proposed changes are expected to have significant implications for the Kansas nursing practice landscape. By allowing for the late renewal of licenses, the bill provides a more flexible framework for practicing nurses who might face challenges in maintaining their licenses due to administrative or personal circumstances. The bill also aims to streamline processes within the board of nursing by defining unprofessional conduct more narrowly, which can lead to a fairer disciplinary process, focusing solely on relevant nursing activities rather than unrelated administrative issues. Moreover, the requirement for senate confirmation of board members ensures higher accountability and oversight of board actions.

Summary

House Bill 2528 focuses on various aspects of the Kansas state board of nursing, aiming to amend its powers, duties, and responsibilities. Key highlights of the bill include the nullification of previous board actions related to nonpractice violations, provisions for late license renewal for nurses, the establishment of fees for such renewals, and the definition of unprofessional conduct specifically as acts related to nursing practice. Additionally, the bill prohibits retaliatory actions from the board against licensees based on lawful acts and establishes a cause of action for violations of this prohibition, thereby enhancing protections for nurses.

Sentiment

The sentiment around HB 2528 seems to involve a mix of support and concerns. Advocates of the bill are generally positive, emphasizing the benefits of increased protections for nurses and the potential for a more accessible licensing process. However, critics express concern that defining unprofessional conduct too narrowly could undermine the board's ability to regulate nursing standards effectively. The language around retaliation is also seen as a significant improvement, yet there are apprehensions about its practical implementation and the board's ability to uphold these protections without bias.

Contention

Notably, one of the points of contention is the potential impact of the bill on the disciplinary authority of the board. By limiting the scope of unprofessional conduct to acts directly related to the practice of nursing, there is concern that this could weaken the board’s regulatory power concerning ethical standards and patient safety. Furthermore, the proposal to mandate refunds for overpayments or duplicate payments highlights administrative changes that some may view as necessary reform, while others might argue that it will impose an additional bureaucratic burden on the board's operations.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 SB4

Requiring all advance voting ballots be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

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 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 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 SB3

Clarifying the procedures and restrictions on accepting a nomination for an elected office.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.