Kansas Legislature Overrides Veto, Enacts SB 363 Limiting School Vaccine Mandates

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature on April 9, 2026, during its veto session, overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of SB 363 (Sub for HB 2731) with the minimum 84 votes in the House, enacting it into law despite fierce opposition from health advocates. Initially reported by the Wichita Eagle, the bill curtails school districts' authority to impose certain vaccine mandates, emphasizing parental rights amid lingering post-pandemic health debates. REACH Healthcare Foundation noted the tenacious advocacy against it but confirmed its passage, marking a significant shift in Kansas K-12 policy where state law currently requires proof of 10 specific vaccines for enrollment under KSA 72-6262 et seq.

Under existing rules, students must provide certification from a licensed physician or local health department for vaccines deemed necessary by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary, with exemptions for medical conditions or religious beliefs via parental statement. Schools can exclude non-compliant students after notice and hearing opportunity per KSA 72-6265. SB 363 builds on failed 2023 efforts like SB 20, SB 314, and SB 315, which sought broader exemptions without sincerity inquiries and COVID-19 bans but died in session.

Separate from the vetoed SB 522—known as the Kansas Medical Freedom Act, which would have banned vaccine requirements for schools, daycares, and public healthcare facilities and ultimately failed—SB 363 specifically targets educational mandates. Kansas aligns with the national median of nine required vaccinations, mandating ten for children, fewer than Rhode Island's 13 but more than Alabama's seven. The law arrives as education bills like the CHIP fix passed unanimously and were signed April 9, contrasting the divisive vaccine measure.

Supporters frame the legislation as empowering parents in districts from Wichita to Lawrence, where prior bills like 2022's Senate Bill 541 limited local emergency powers and barred vaccination status documents in schools. Critics, including REACH, argue it endangers immunocompromised children and wellness vaccines essential for enrollment.