Rural Attorney Shortage Forces Kansas Supreme Court to Launch Statewide Solutions

House Bills Target Social Media Harms to Children and Mandate Sheriff Compliance with Federal Immigration Detainers

State Overrides Local Water Controls as House Shifts Transfer Authority to Chief Engineer, 116-6

House Advances Restrictions on Third-Party Voter Registration Websites in Near Party-Line Vote

Pharmacists Flood Kansas Capitol as Middleman Pricing Forces 83% of Prescriptions Filled at a Loss

Rural Attorney Shortage Forces Kansas Supreme Court to Launch Statewide Solutions

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court is championing new initiatives to address a deepening rural attorney shortage after a court-appointed committee confirmed that 80% of licensed attorneys practice in the state's five most urban counties while roughly 45% of Kansans live in rural areas. Former Chief Justice Marla Luckert created the Rural Justice Initiative Committee in 2022 after judges statewide reported difficulty appointing counsel in criminal cases — a constitutional guarantee — and appointed Justice K.J. Wall as chair. The committee's first report, released in 2024, quantified the crisis, and Wall said the bottom line is clear: there are simply not enough attorneys to serve a significant portion of the state.

Kansas Reflector

House Bills Target Social Media Harms to Children and Mandate Sheriff Compliance with Federal Immigration Detainers

TOPEKA — The House Committee on Federal and State Affairs introduced two wide-ranging bills addressing national flashpoint issues at the state level. HB 2772, the "Kansas Age-Appropriate Design Code Act," would require social media companies to mitigate risks of compulsive use among minors and ban deceptive chatbot practices aimed at young users. Separately, HB 2771 would require county sheriffs to enforce U.S. immigration detainers and mandate that municipal insurance pools provide coverage to law enforcement agencies carrying out those federal orders, effectively preventing any county from adopting sanctuary-style policies.

State Overrides Local Water Controls as House Shifts Transfer Authority to Chief Engineer, 116-6

TOPEKA — The House passed HB 2433 by a 116-6 vote, clarifying authority over water appropriation and transfers by shifting certain hearing powers to the chief engineer — a state official who heads the Division of Water Resources within the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The bill effectively preempts some local county zoning and moratorium powers over water transfers, drawing broad bipartisan support but sharp dissent from Reps. Rebecca Schmoe and Gary White, who argued the measure undermines Edwards County's local authority and sets a dangerous precedent by allowing the state to bypass community input on non-domestic water transfers tied to energy infrastructure and industrial development.

House Advances Restrictions on Third-Party Voter Registration Websites in Near Party-Line Vote

TOPEKA — The House passed HB 2438 on an 86-36 vote, imposing new restrictions on websites that accept and transmit voter registration applications to the state. Supporters said the measure is necessary to ensure registration data flows through state-sanctioned channels and to safeguard election integrity, while opponents — largely from the minority caucus — argued the bill erects unnecessary barriers to voter engagement and could suppress registration among younger and digitally reliant Kansans.

Pharmacists Flood Kansas Capitol as Middleman Pricing Forces 83% of Prescriptions Filled at a Loss

TOPEKA — Hundreds of pharmacists wearing white coats filled the Capitol rotunda last week to push lawmakers for greater oversight of pharmacy benefit managers, the middleman companies that set prescription reimbursement rates. Lawrence pharmacist Will Anderson illustrated the crisis with a color-coded binder showing that 83% of the roughly 26,000 prescriptions his independent pharmacy, Orchards Drug, filled in a year were reimbursed at or below the cost of the medication itself — with about 20% filled at an outright loss. Only 17% of prescriptions generated enough revenue to cover the average $15.85-per-prescription overhead Kansas independents face, Anderson said, adding that pharmacies have turned to offering vaccines and selling retail goods just to stay open.

Kansas Reflector

Sources

1. Kansas Reflector — https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/09/kansas-supreme-court-justice-champions-solutions-to-rural-attorney-shortage/
2. Kansas Reflector — https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/10/kansas-pharmacists-fight-for-better-oversight-of-pharmacy-middleman-companies/

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