Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB491

Introduced
2/5/26  
Refer
2/6/26  
Refer
2/19/26  

Caption

Enacting the Haylee Weissenbach protecting students act to establish the office of education inspector general, authorize the education inspector general to conduct audits, investigations and reviews of educational institutions, require reporting of suspected professional and criminal misconduct by school employees and agents, require certain individuals to register on an educator misconduct registry, require criminal history record checks of school employees and agents and provide for civil penalties for violations of this act.

Impact

This bill is poised to significantly impact state laws regarding the governance of educational institutions. By creating an Education Inspector General, the measure empowers a dedicated authority to address misconduct and ensure that schools operate within structured legal and ethical frameworks. It directly addresses issues related to student safety and professional conduct within educational settings, ensuring that any violations are reported and appropriately addressed. As such, the bill will likely lead to higher standards of accountability among school staff and institutions.

Summary

SB491, known as the Haylee Weissenbach Protecting Students Act, seeks to enhance oversight and accountability within educational institutions across the state. It establishes the office of an Education Inspector General, whose responsibilities include conducting audits, investigations, and reviews of schools to ensure compliance with educational standards and the safety of students. A core component of the bill is the mandatory reporting of suspected professional and criminal misconduct by school employees and agents, which aims to promote transparency and accountability in the education system.

Contention

Discussions around SB491 have garnered both support and criticism. Proponents argue that the bill is crucial for safeguarding students by ensuring strict oversight and clear accountability mechanisms for educators. They believe that such measures are essential for restoring public trust in educational institutions. However, some critics express concerns that implementing this bill may lead to overreach, potentially criminalizing minor infractions and creating an adversarial environment within schools. Additionally, the requirement for criminal history checks may raise privacy concerns among staff, indicating a need for a balance between accountability and personal rights.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 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 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 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 SB3

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

KS SB4

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

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.

Similar Bills

DC B26-0029

Institution of Higher Education Sexual Misconduct Reporting and Resource Accessibility Act of 2025

PA HB1279

In sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking education, prevention and respo nse at institutions of higher education and private licensed schools, further providing for scope of article, for definitions, for education program and for follow-up and providing for staff training and for enforcement and penalties; in postsecondary institution sexual harassment and sexual violence policy and online reporting system, further providing for definitions, for policy for postsecondary institution sexual harassment and sexual violence and for online reporting system, providing for sexual misconduct climate surveys, establishing the Task Force on Postsecondary Sexual Misconduct and providing for confidential resource advisors, for waivers for student victims, for data reporting requirements and for enforcement and penalties; and making editorial changes.

VA HB369

Sexual misconduct policies; SCHEV to convene task force on combating violence, civil penalty.

OR HB3731

Relating to reporting by institutions of higher education; and declaring an emergency.

MN HF2008

Higher education campus sexual misconduct provisions modified.

MN SF1035

Provisions modification related to campus sexual misconduct

HI HB2441

Relating To Campus Safety.

CA AB2212

Postsecondary education: sexual harassment, harassment, intimidation, and bullying policies: student orientation and training.