This week the House and Senate spent the majority of their time on their respective chamber floors debating bills previously passed out of committee in advance of Thursday’s “turnaround” deadline.
All non-exempt bills must be passed out of their house of origin by the turnaround deadline in order to remain viable for the remainder of the session. To be exempt from the deadline the bill must have been introduced or assigned to an exempt committee.
Exempt committees in the Senate are Federal and State Affairs; Ways and Means and Assessment and Taxation. Exempt committees in the House are Appropriations; Taxation; Calendar and Printing and Federal and State Affairs.
Despite the deadline, there are other ways legislation can remain active, but the turnaround deadline does help give lawmakers and lobbyists some insight as to what legislation lawmakers consider to be priorities for the session.
Lawmakers will take a couple of days off and return to Topeka next Wednesday. Crafting a budget will take center stage upon their return.
Here is the latest on a few key pieces of legislation we’ve been tracking:
Transportation Plan – the House and Senate versions of this plan are exempted from procedural deadlines so work on these bills to create a new long-term transportation plan will continue. Hearings were recently held in the Senate and the House, and there is a lot of support for a new plan so look for this issue to receive significant attention in the coming weeks.
Property Taxes – the Senate approved SB 294 on a 39-0 vote. The bill eliminates the current property tax lid and replaces it with a formula that holds revenue steady while automatically adjusting mill levies. It is modeled after Utah’s Truth-In-Taxation legislation and, according to proponents, is a much-needed boost for transparency. Supporters of the bill have worked with opponents to address concerns while the bill was in committee and additional amendments were added on the Senate floor.
Some organizations and municipalities that initially opposed the legislation have welcomed the changes which could pave the way for them to reconsider their opposition to the bill as the debate switches over to the House.
The Senate also approved SB 264 on a 40-0 vote; SB 272 on a 40-0 vote and SB 295 on a 38-1 vote. The first bill, SB 264, relates to county appraisers and their eligibility to remain on a listing of persons eligible to be appointed as an appraiser. SB 272 restricts valuation increases during property tax appeals while SB 295 prohibits valuation increases based solely as a result of normal repair and maintenance to real property.
Lastly, SB 266 passed the Senate on a 29-11 vote. This bill requires that courses for county appraisers and Board of Tax Appeals members be courses approved by the Kansas Real Estate Appraisers Board. These bills are now on their way to the House for additional consideration.
Economic Development and Workforce Development
STAR Bonds - HB 2529 extends the sunset provision on the STAR Bonds program to July 1, 2025 and makes substantive changes to the program. The changes include increases in minimum capital investment before the program can be utilized and a change in how feasibility studies are conducted to provide greater impartiality.
The bill was not debated before the deadline, but leadership has moved the bill to an exempt committee to keep the bill alive for additional work and consideration.
Angel Investors – HB 2689 extends the sunset provision on this program to 2026 and makes additional programmatic changes. The bill was unable to be debated before Thursday’s deadline, so it has been moved to an exempt committee allowing for additional work and consideration at a later date.
HPIP/KIT/KIR – HB 2702 passed the House on a 125-0 vote and advances to the Senate for consideration. The bill decouples these popular incentive programs, providing greater efficiency for each program.
School and Workforce-Based Learning Programs – HB 2507 was introduced to clarify responsibility for liability when high school students are engaged in a work-based learning program. The bill is designed to remove barriers for employers who wish to offer high school students hands-on, work-based training by shielding them from certain liability claims. The bill passed the House 97-27 and advances to the Senate for additional consideration.
Licensure Reciprocity – HB 2506, a bill by
Rep. Chris Croft, was introduced to expedite the approval process for individuals intending to relocate and work in Kansas who need licenses and/or certifications to perform their jobs. Kansas currently offers a streamlined process for military spouses and this bill extends that process to other individuals.
Applicants must prove residency and provide proof that they hold valid credentials from another state, district or territory of the United States. Applicants would be provided the necessary credentials to work in Kansas provided they meet criteria established under the bill. The bill passed 123-2 although supporters of the bill have made it clear that additional work is still needed on the bill to address concerns that have been raised.
Supporters of the bill believe the licensing reciprocity with other states creates a more inviting business climate and provides a creative solution to workforce shortages in our state. A similar bill, SB 366, was discussed in the Senate Commerce Committee.
Taxation. As previously reported, there are numerous tax proposals under consideration including discussions on lowering the food sales tax, offering low-income Kansas a tax credit for food sales taxes, and proposals addressing internet retailers and remote sales. These proposals will receive more attention in the coming weeks as lawmakers grapple with the budget and revenue projections that are due in April.
Looking Ahead. Lawmakers will return to Topeka on Wednesday, March 4. Committees will take up bills that have been sent over from the other chamber as well as addressing bills that received a procedural exemption from legislative deadlines.
As previously noted, the focus will be on creation of a budget for the new fiscal year and a long-term transportation plan. Of course, lawmakers are still working to break the logjam that has a constitutional amendment regarding abortion pitted against expansion of the state’s Medicaid program.
It’s still anyone’s guess on how that plays out, but it is clear the politics of that faceoff are impacting other work under the dome.
Upcoming Events:
Public Policy Committee Meeting. The next meeting of the
Public Policy and Advocacy Committee will be noon-1:30 p.m. on Friday,
March 13 at the Chamber. Our guest will be Overland Park Representative Chris Croft discussing legislation making its way through tax and commerce committees. To register,
click here.
Legislative Policy Series. Get more sleep on weekends! We're switching formats for the remainder of our Policy Series from breakfast to lunch. The
#3 event in our series is a
weekday lunch held in conjunction with the Johnson County Public Policy Council, at noon on Tuesday,
April 7. Panelists will be Senators
Molly Baumgardner,
Barbara Bollier and
John Skubal and Representatives
David Benson,
Tom Cox,
Jarrod Ousley and
Jerry Stogsdill. To register,
click here.
