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Legislative sessions continue moving forward at full speed in both Kansas and Missouri, and we have plenty to report back on. Here, I’ll focus on legislation and actions we know will impact Black, Latino, and rural communities across our service area.
Health Forward Foundation has remained busy and focused this past month, hosting our annual Advocacy Days at the Capitol in Topeka and Jefferson City. There, our partners — Kansas Action for Children and Missouri Budget Project — helped us kick off the visits with an overview of the legislative priorities and process for each respective state. We also hosted panels on each state’s Rural Health Transformation Plan, bringing together partners, policymakers, and community leaders to discuss plans to expand care.
Recently, Health Forward released two briefs: one covering the cuts, anticipated local impacts, and policy recommendations for federal budget bill (H.R. 1), and the other covering the connections between housing and health. These briefs provide our partners with valuable information to aid in their advocacy efforts.
We’re thankful for our partners’ shared commitment to a healthier region, and Health Forward is proud to remain a resource for those who want to stay engaged and informed throughout the 2026 legislative sessions and beyond.
In Missouri, Health Forward is continuing to support efforts led by the People NOT Politicians Missouri campaign to challenge the legislature’s illegal, super-gerrymandered congressional maps. This fall, voters will have the chance to vote on a ballot question to overturn the maps adopted during last year’s special legislative session.
We are also supporting the Protect Majority Rule campaign, focused on safeguarding Missouri’s citizen-led ballot initiative process. Voters will be asked to vote on a legislature-led ballot question that would make it harder for citizens to pass laws that protect their rights.
Both campaigns are fundamental for protecting voter power and ensuring that Missouri residents can continue to advocate for themselves and their communities.
This past month, Health Forward has provided testimony in support of measures that invest in rural housing development, implement a food as medicine program, restore voting rights, and exempt food from the state sales tax — and in opposition to legislation that would allow ballot summary language that distracts and misleads voters.
In Kansas, the focus largely remains on the budget process. The Kansas FY 2026-27 budget is now in “conference committee,” where lawmakers are reconciling the House and Senate budgets. As of the end of February, both proposals increase funding to administer SNAP and Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and for technical schools and community colleges, while also cutting spending to universities that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Health Forward is tracking over 80 health-related bills and has submitted testimony on several. Our testimony included support for measures to expand housing, broadband, and affordability while opposing policies that increase administrative burdens, overhaul the state Supreme Court judicial nominating process, or limit civic participation.
