2025/12/06 13:04:23
- the Topeka City Council has approved its legislative priorities for 2026 to guide state lawmakers.
- Key public safety priorities include expanding Medicaid, addressing homelessness and legalizing medical marijuana.
- The city opposes state-imposed limits on local taxing authority and supports modernizing property tax valuation laws.
From marijuana, minimum wage, firefighter helmet cameras and expanding Medicaid, Topeka leaders have weighed in on their legislative views.
The Topeka City council approved its legislative agenda for 2026 on Dec. 2.
Each year, the city council develops a list of “legislative priorities,” outlining its positions on state legislation.This informs state officials about the preferences of municipalities like Topeka as they prepare for the upcoming legislative session.
The Kansas legislative session begins in early January and lasts several months.
What are Topeka leaders’ legislative priorities for public safety?
The city’s public safety priorities address housing, mental health, Medicaid expansion, homelessness, firefighter helmet cameras, law enforcement officer age requirements and minimum wage.
The council is urging state officials to expand Medicaid.
“Kansas is one of only 11 states that has not expanded Medicaid eligibility, which is supported by seven out of 10 Kansas voters,” the document reads. “We urge the Legislature to do so to provide health care to individuals who cannot afford to access these services.”
The priority list states that Topeka supports legislation allowing cities to require mandatory inspections for landlords accepting public funds, strengthening protections for enforcement and giving cities additional tools to deal with vacant and abandoned properties.
It also lists support for mental health services, a desire to create a state mental health facility in Topeka, allocating state funds for municipalities to address homelessness and allowing municipalities to raise the minimum wage within their communities.
The city wants to lower the age of police academy candidates. This effort continued from the previous legislative session. They also wont to regulate how and when helmet cameras are used by law enforcement.