Top 5 Kansas news stories
February 10 2026
Committee Downgrades School Phone Ban From Mandate to Recommendation
Parents' Sextortion Testimony Fuels Kansas Push for Sweeping Online Child Safety Laws
Kansas Committee Targets Noncitizen Driver's Licenses at Polls
GOP Supermajority Pushes Charlie Kirk Free Speech Resolution Through Kansas House
Kansas Ends No. 1 Arizona's Undefeated Season
Committee Downgrades School Phone Ban From Mandate to Recommendation
The Kansas House Education Committee voted Monday to transform a proposed statewide school cellphone ban into a recommendation, replacing the word "shall" with "may" in House Bill 2421 after a marathon session of eight amendments exposed deep resistance to a one-size-fits-all mandate. The bill had rare bipartisan support — Gov. Laura Kelly endorsed the concept, 28 lawmakers co-sponsored a Senate companion and advocates cited a January 2026 JAMA study finding teens spend 70 minutes per school day on phones — but superintendents from public and private schools argued elected boards should set device policy, and Rep. Sherri Brantley, R-Hoisington, successfully amended the bill after an earlier effort to exempt private schools failed 7-9. The committee also added liability protections for schools storing devices and a ban on two-way communication between district employees and students; the amended bill now heads to the full House.
Kansas Reflector
Parents' Sextortion Testimony Fuels Kansas Push for Sweeping Online Child Safety Laws
Kansas lawmakers advanced a widening set of measures to protect children online this week after three parents told House committees their teenage sons died by suicide when scammers targeted them with sextortion schemes — including one case in which just 35 minutes elapsed between the first threat and a 14-year-old's death. The Senate introduced SB 499, an omnibus bill bundling the Kansas Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, the Stopping Digital Likeness Abuse Act and the Saving Human Connection Act, which would require businesses to mitigate compulsive-use risks in products aimed at minors, create a private right of action for nonconsensual digital likeness abuse and impose liability on chatbot providers. The House Judiciary Committee separately heard testimony on HB 2537, which would increase penalties for sextortion targeting children, and HB 2594, which would close a loophole that currently excludes minors from the state's blackmail statute and extend coverage to AI-generated images. No opponents testified against any of the bills.
Kansas Reflector
Kansas Committee Targets Noncitizen Driver's Licenses at Polls
The House Elections Committee on Monday recommended passage of HB 2448, which would require any voter who presents a driver's license listing them as a noncitizen to cast a provisional ballot if they claim to be a citizen, closing a gap in Kansas law that does not currently address what happens when an ID indicates noncitizen status. The measure would give election officials time to verify citizenship before counting the vote, fitting into the GOP's broader push to tighten election security — a priority that has accelerated since former Secretary of State Kris Kobach's proof-of-citizenship efforts — though Democrats have historically argued such requirements risk disenfranchising eligible voters with paperwork errors on their licenses.
Kansas Legislature
GOP Supermajority Pushes Charlie Kirk Free Speech Resolution Through Kansas House
A Republican-sponsored resolution designating a day honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk sparked sharp partisan debate on the Kansas House floor Monday when Democrats offered amendments — including one to add language recognizing Malcolm X — that were defeated largely along party lines. Rep. Ford Carr, D-Wichita, proposed inserting references to Malcolm X's legacy, his founding of the Muslim Mosque, Inc., and his assassination in 1965, but the amendment failed 33-82 after Republicans held firm; an earlier Democratic motion to add the word "debate" to SCR 1615 also failed 35-83. The resolution, which cites the Kansas Bill of Rights' language on the responsibility not to abuse free speech, was then adopted and now goes to the Senate.
Kansas Legislature
Kansas Ends No. 1 Arizona's Undefeated Season
Kansas knocked off No. 1 Arizona 82-78 in an instant classic at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night, ending the Wildcats' undefeated season despite losing freshman star guard Darryn Peterson — a potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick — to flu-like symptoms less than 30 minutes before tipoff. Sophomore center Flory Bidunga, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, carried the short-handed Jayhawks with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a physical game that head coach Bill Self called a showcase for the best environment in college basketball.
KWCH / KCTV
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