Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2744

Introduced
2/6/26  

Caption

Encouraging school districts to annually designate a Linda Brown and family walk to school day.

Impact

The legislation is designed to enhance educational awareness surrounding the civil rights movement and encourage schools to celebrate this important historical milestone. By formally recognizing a day for walking to school in honor of the Brown family, the bill seeks to instill a sense of pride and history among students, educators, and the community. Schools are seen as instrumental in teaching the significance of desegregation, and this initiative aims to ensure that students understand the importance of equal access to education.

Summary

House Bill 2744 proposes that school districts in Kansas should annually designate a specific day, referred to as 'Linda Brown and family walk to school day,' in honor of the legal battles that led to the desegregation of schools in the United States. This initiative pays tribute to Linda Brown and her family for their critical role in the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education, which was pivotal in ending racial segregation in public schools. The bill acknowledges the broader legacy of the Brown family and aims to foster community engagement through school participation in this designated day.

Contention

While the bill encourages positive recognition of an important historical event, some might argue that merely designating a day does not address ongoing issues of inequality in education. Critics could contend that real, actionable steps toward equity in schools should be the focus, rather than symbolic gestures. The discussion may involve whether the implementation of such a day will yield meaningful discussions and activities that address current educational disparities or if it becomes a token recognition without substantial follow-up.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SR1703

Recognizing November 14, 2024, as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.

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 SB6

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

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 HB2002

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

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 SB3

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

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.