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Legislative sessions are well underway in both Kansas and Missouri. Many proposals align closely with Health Forward’s core priorities across housing (Place), civic participation (Power), health access (People), and equity and civil rights (Platform).
As is common in election years, many bills were introduced solely to signal positions and values, with little chance of passage. We will continue to closely track legislation and focus our advocacy efforts on measures most likely to advance and most impactful for Black, brown, and rural communities across our service area.
Take a look at our policy agendas for Kansas and Missouri, to get a sense of how the action in Kansas and Missouri impacts the outcomes we seek to advance through Health Forward’s purpose plan.
It will be a busy year. We’re grateful for our partners and remain ready to lend our voice and support where it matters most.
In Missouri, the legislative pace is brisk, with more than 2,500 bills filed. Major debates are emerging around eliminating the state income tax, redistricting challenges, Medicaid work requirements, voting access, maternal health, health care workforce, and English-only driver’s license testing. Health Forward has testified in support of measures that reduce voting barriers, improve maternal health outcomes, and expand dental care access — and in opposition to legislation that would restrict Medicaid access or increase barriers for non-English speakers.
Legislation being monitored: Property tax and property tax assessments and rural workforce housing (SB 1105).
Legislation being monitored: Safeguarding students’ political and ideological expression at public schools (SB 909, HB 2682) and protections against discrimination and antisemitism.
Lawmakers have introduced bills addressing workforce housing, property taxes, tenants’ rights, DEI, immigration, voting access, health care, Medicaid work requirements, and more. Of note, Kansas was awarded $222 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program to advance primary prevention, local access to care, workforce sustainability, value-based payment models, and data-driven outcomes. Funding opportunities to implement the plan will soon be available through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
We saw movement on legislation that could create new barriers to voting and civic participation, including a proposed constitutional amendment requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote and a bill requiring citizenship status on driver’s licenses. Health Forward submitted testimony in opposition to both measures.
Legislation being monitored: Updating income eligibility requirements for the state children’s health insurance program (SB 271), prohibiting people who are undocumented from receiving any state or local public benefits (SB 254), and requiring the state to comply with written, data-sharing requests from federal agencies (SB 428).
Legislation being monitored: Disclosure of rental fees and restrictions on late payment fees under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (SB 369).
Legislation being monitored: Prohibits undocumented students from getting in-state tuition rates at Kansas public colleges and universities, implements presumption of flight risk for undocumented individuals in the criminal justice system (SB 254), establishing a civil cause of action for violations of students rights to exercise political and ideological beliefs (SB 419), and DEI-related courses and content in postsecondary education institutions (HB 2426).
