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HB 2524KANSASSession 2025-2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Kansas HB 2524 regulates family foster home licensure exceptions and establishes foster home appeal process

Original title: AN ACT concerning child care facilities; relating to licensure of family foster homes; requiring the secretary for children and families to allow maintenance of licensure of family foster homes when certain persons with convictions or adjudications reside in such homes; permitting the secretary, when not required, to license or allow maintenance of licensure when certain persons reside in such homes; creating an appeal process for family foster homes; amending K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 65-516 and repealing the existing section.

Last action · April 9, 2026: Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Kansas HB 2524 requires or permits the secretary for children and families to license or maintain the license of family foster homes when certain individuals with past convictions or adjudications reside there, and creates a formal administrative appeal process for denied licenses.

Why it matters

The law alters foster home licensing mandates for households where a resident has specific criminal convictions or juvenile adjudications, and establishes a new appeals avenue for affected foster parents whose license applications are rejected.

Background
  • Kansas Statutes Annotated (K.S.A.) 65-516 governs background check requirements and disqualifications for operating or working in child care facilities and family foster homes in Kansas. context

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Family foster homes

Licensing requirements and exceptions are modified for foster homes housing individuals with specific past convictions or juvenile adjudications.

Directly affected

Child care facility employees

Employees are subject to mandatory national criminal history record checks and fingerprinting requirements.

Directly affected

Child placement agencies

Agencies receive state criminal history information for fitness assessments and are bound by confidentiality rules.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

When must the secretary grant or maintain a foster home license despite a resident's past conviction?
The secretary must grant or maintain a license when the applicant qualifies and a resident with a conviction or juvenile adjudication was placed in the home by the secretary as a child, is between 18 and 26 years old, and resides in the home or was adopted by a resident.
What recourse do foster home applicants have if a license is denied under these provisions?
Applicants and licensees may appeal to the secretary for children and families for review, whose decision upon review is final.
Who administers the child care criminal background and fingerprinting fund?
The fund is administered by the secretary of health and environment to pay local and state law enforcement agencies for processing fingerprints and background checks.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

19 actions
  1. Apr 9, 2026HouseEnrolled
    Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026
  2. Mar 26, 2026House
    Enrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, March 27, 2026
  3. Mar 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Final Action - Passed
  4. Mar 18, 2026Senate
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  5. Mar 18, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed
  6. Mar 16, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed by
Show 13 earlier actions
  1. Mar 11, 2026Senate
    Hearing: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 8:30 AM — Room 142-S
  2. Feb 26, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare
  3. Feb 25, 2026House
    Engrossed on Monday, February 23, 2026
  4. Feb 25, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Received and Introduced
  5. Feb 19, 2026HouseFloor
    Final Action - Passed as amended
  6. Feb 18, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  7. Feb 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
  8. Feb 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
  9. Feb 11, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
  10. Feb 2, 2026House
    Hearing: Monday, February 2, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 152-S
  11. Jan 28, 2026House
    Hearing: Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 152-S — CANCELED
  12. Jan 22, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced
  13. Jan 22, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care

Version history

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View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Foster Care Licensing Exceptions

The legislation introduces mandatory and discretionary exceptions allowing foster home licensure when household residents have certain past convictions or juvenile adjudications, specifically targeting youth who aged out of state custody.

Kansas Department for Children and Families

Connected Entities

Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Department for Children and Families and 1 more
OrganizationKansas Department of Health and Environment“State department handling health background checks and facility regulations”Map →
OrganizationKansas Bureau of Investigation“State law enforcement agency maintaining criminal history records”Map →
OrganizationKansas Department for Children and Families“State agency administering child abuse registries and foster care placements”Map →
OrganizationHouse Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care“House committee that sponsored HB 2524”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.kslegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy25
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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