Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB344

Introduced
1/20/26  
Refer
1/21/26  
Report Pass
2/4/26  
Engrossed
2/13/26  
Refer
2/13/26  

Caption

Authorizing animal shelters to place certain animals needing treatment or care in foster homes and requiring shelters to display photographs of animals at a location other than the shelter during a holding period.

Impact

The enactment of SB344 is expected to bring significant changes to the operations of animal shelters across the state. By facilitating the use of foster homes, the bill aims to alleviate overcrowding in shelters, allowing for a more supportive and less stressful environment for animals in need of care. This could lead to improved outcomes for many animals, and bolster efforts toward adopting and rescuing animals with medical or behavioral challenges.

Summary

SB344 proposes to authorize animal shelters to place certain animals requiring treatment or care into foster homes. The intention behind this legislation is to create more opportunities for the recovery and rehabilitation of animals that may not thrive in a traditional shelter environment. Additionally, the bill mandates that shelters display photographs of these animals at locations other than the shelter during their holding period, which could enhance visibility and increase adoption chances.

Contention

Despite the potential positive impact of SB344, there may be points of contention regarding its implementation. Advocates for animal welfare might support the bill for its focus on animal care and the expansion of adoption avenues, while some may raise concerns about the adequacy of oversight for foster homes. There may also be discussions around the resource allocation necessary for shelters to effectively manage these new requirements, including the need for training and support for foster caregivers.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings 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 HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

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 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 SB6

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

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 SB8

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

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 HB2002

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

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.