Looser qualifications for nursing instructors become law without Kansas governor’s signature

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly appears at a ribbon cutting on April 2, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday allowed loosened academic expectations for college nursing faculty to become law.

She declined to sign the legislation or veto it, letting Senate Bill 334 become law after it was lauded as a way to fix the state’s persistent nursing shortage.

Kelly said she understood the need to address the workforce challenges.

“However,” she said, “I have concerns that the lowered educational requirements for educators in Senate Bill 334 would result in a decreased level of rigorous academic training that would leave prospective nurses unprepared to deliver the standard of care Kansans trust nursing professionals to provide.”

Currently, the Kansas Board of Nursing requires college faculty to obtain a graduate nursing degree. A bachelor of science in nursing is allowed under certain circumstances.

SB 334 forbids the board from requiring instructors have credentials more than one level above the degree sought by the students they teach. Individual nursing schools can adopt standards above the new baseline.

“Nurses are on the frontlines of caring for Kansans in medical situations ranging from simple preventive care to emergency trauma response, and we should honor the responsibility of these roles by ensuring they receive the highest quality education possible,” Kelly said.

A contingent of legislators warned of harming Kansans by allowing lowered education standards for nurse instructors. A group of Republicans who backed the legislation said it could reinvigorate the field, encourage more graduates and open up admissions.