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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas bill establishes commercial land application rules for biosolids and organic waste
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
Commercial land spreaders must obtain a permit from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and follow strict testing, setback, and operational rules before applying or organic waste to land. The bill excludes bona fide farmers conducting normal farming operations on their own land. Violations can result in criminal misdemeanor charges, cease and desist orders, and civil penalties of at least $1,000 per day.
Commercial waste handlers face mandatory testing for , pathogens, and heavy metals, adherence to a 1,000-foot buffer from residences, and concurrent county enforcement, while local residents gain nuisance protections against odors, dust, and runoff.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Commercial land spreaders
Commercial land spreaders must obtain state permits, pay for mandatory laboratory testing of waste, abide by 1,000-foot residential setbacks, and face potential civil penalties or misdemeanor charges for violations.
Counties
Counties are granted concurrent authority to investigate complaints, conduct inspections, collect samples, enforce the act, issue cease and desist orders, and adopt additional non-conflicting zoning restrictions.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
The department is responsible for issuing permits, adopting implementing regulations, conducting independent confirmation testing at the spreader's expense, and issuing cease and desist orders or civil penalties.
Bona fide farmers
Farmers conducting normal farming operations on owned or leased land are explicitly exempt from the act's permitting and testing requirements.
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
Are local farmers affected by these new permit and testing requirements?
What tests must commercial land spreaders perform before applying waste?
What penalties can counties and the state issue for violations?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2026HouseDied in Committee
- Feb 4, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
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.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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