Topeka Buzz 🐝
Thursday, February 26, 2026

• Top Stories

  • Legislature Moves to Cap Property Taxes From Both …

  • House Rejects Three Straight Education Amendments …

• New Bills Introduced

  • Senate

  • House

• Floor Votes

  • Wednesday, February 25

    • House (4)

    • Senate (3)

• Committee Actions

  • Public Health and Welfare

    • Bills Referred

  • Taxation

    • Bills Reported Out

  • Ways and Means

    • Bills Re-referred

Top Stories

Legislature Moves to Cap Property Taxes From Both Directions in a Single Day

The Kansas House and Senate each advanced major property tax measures Wednesday: one a statutory cap on how much local governments can collect, the other a constitutional cap on how fast property values can grow for tax purposes.

HB 2745 passed the House 87 Yes, 22 No, 16 Absent, replacing Kansas's current "revenue neutral rate" transparency framework with a hard cap on local property tax revenue growth. Under the bill, most local governments—counties, cities, townships, and special districts, but not school districts—could raise total property tax revenues by no more than 3% per year (plus revenue from new construction, expiring tax abatements, and a few other defined categories). To go above that, a jurisdiction would need voter approval at an election, and the approval would only last one year. Citizens could also force an over-limit budget back down through a protest petition signed by 10% of qualified electors.

Meanwhile, the Senate passed SCR 1616 on a 30 Yes, 10 No vote, sending a proposed constitutional amendment to the ballot that would cap annual increases in taxable assessed value at 3% for virtually all real property and residential mobile homes.

The Senate rejected two amendments along the way. Sen. Marci Francisco (D) offered a "truth-in-advertising" amendment that would have added a warning to the ballot's explanatory statement: capping assessed value "may not prevent higher property taxes" because county clerks can adjust mill rates upward to compensate for lost assessed value. That amendment failed 11 Yes, 28 No, 1 Absent, but notably drew two Republican crossover votes from Sen. Stephen Owens (R) and Sen. Michael Fagg (R), joining all nine Senate Democrats.

Separately, Sen. Tory Marie Blew (R) offered an amendment pushing the baseline rollback year from 2022 to 2019—making the measure more aggressive, not less. That amendment was also rejected without a recorded vote. The two failed amendments tell an interesting story about the pressure dynamics: the only challenges to SCR 1616 on the floor came from opposite directions, and neither found traction.

Why it matters: Together, these two measures represent a belt-and-suspenders approach to property tax restraint. HB 2745 limits how much revenue local governments can collect; SCR 1616 limits how fast the underlying tax base can grow. If both ultimately take effect, local governments would face constraints on both sides of the property tax equation simultaneously.

The fiscal stakes are significant. HB 2745 creates a new Property Tax Relief Fund backed by a $60 million annual transfer from the State General Fund (SGF)—rising 2% each year starting in 2027—distributed to counties and eligible jurisdictions that stay within the cap. That's a permanent new SGF commitment. And the mechanism has teeth: jurisdictions that try to exceed the limit lose their share of the fund. The bill also includes a notable failsafe: if the state doesn't make the $60 million transfer, the entire cap-and-voter-approval regime suspends until payments resume, effectively tying the mandate to the money.

SCR 1616 carries its own aggressive feature: a transitional rule tying 2027 capped values back to tax year 2022 assessed values (plus up to 3% per year for the intervening years). In counties that saw rapid property appreciation since 2022, this isn't just a cap on future growth…it's a rollback. That provision is likely to draw the sharpest opposition from local government groups.

The school district wrinkle: School districts are explicitly exempt from HB 2745's revenue cap. But SCR 1616's assessed value cap applies to all real property subclasses, which means the tax base that school districts levy against would still grow more slowly. Schools dodge the revenue limit but still feel the valuation squeeze, a tension that could fuel debate in both chambers as these measures advance.

HB 2745 now heads to the Senate. SCR 1616, as a constitutional amendment, needs two-thirds approval in both chambers before going to voters at a special election on the August primary ballot.

House Rejects Three Straight Education Amendments to Mega Budget Bill…but the Minority Gained Ground

The House beat back three consecutive Democratic amendments to HB 2434, the omnibus appropriations bill covering state spending and policy for FY2026-2029. All three failed, but the minority picked up incremental support with each vote.

Rep. Jo Ella Hoye (D) went first with $2.5 million to reduce school lunch copays, paid for by lapsing money from a state employee pay increase account. It drew the widest defeat: 44 Yes, 71 No, 10 Absent. Then Rep. Jarrod Ousley (D) tried twice on special education. His first attempt—$40.6 million with a State General Fund backstop if leftover federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds couldn't cover it—narrowed the gap to 48 Yes, 69 No, 8 Absent. He came back with a cleaner $14.6 million version using ARPA funds only (no SGF exposure) and came closest of the day at 52 Yes, 64 No, 9 Absent. Dropping the state-dollar backstop appears to have made a difference.

A fourth amendment from Rep. Steven Howe (R) was rejected without a recorded vote. Howe's proposal would have required legislators to disclose nondisclosure agreements involving state contracts (including STAR bonds and economic development projects) to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission, with the commission required to post them publicly and notify the Kansas Press Association.

The underlying bill is a sprawling package mixing large State General Fund transfers and federal fund allocations with policy riders: CHIP expansion to 250% of the federal poverty level, mental health pilot programs, Kansas Highway Patrol and Kansas Bureau of Investigation funding, water plan allocations, and conditions tying university funding to administrative certifications related to DEI programs. HB 2434 has not yet received a final passage vote.

New Bills Introduced

Senate

• 🐝🐝 SB 520: SB520 makes it a crime to use force, threats, or block people at places of worship, and to damage worship property. It adds tougher penalties when a weapon is involved and lets victims sue for damages or get $5,000 per violation.

• 🐝🐝 SB 519: SB519 bars cities and counties from enforcing building codes and other local rules at registered agritourism sites that are agriculture-only and open only by specific invitation. Many farm businesses that allow public access or sell unrelated goods won’t qualify.

• 🐝 SB 518: Transfers an 11.97-acre Johnson County historic site to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation with a ban on gaming; the Nation pays transfer costs, grants a preservation easement, consults other tribes, and reports every two years for 10 years.

House

• 🐝🐝 HB 2786: Validates Ellsworth County’s Nov. 4, 2025 vote to add a 0.25% county sales tax and allow bonds to pay for a law enforcement center and courthouse upgrades. The revenue must stay with the county and be used only for those projects.

• 🐝 HB 2787: Event organizers can now clearly get up to 12 temporary permits a year to sell or serve alcohol, fixing conflicting language in the law. Fees, application steps, and what permits allow remain unchanged.

Floor Votes

Wednesday, February 25

House (4)

• HB 2745: PASS — Final Vote (87 Yes, 22 No, 16 Absent). Most Kansas local governments must get voter approval to raise property tax revenues above a set limit. The bill creates a $60M+ yearly relief fund for counties that stay within the limit and adds a citizen petition process to block over‑limit budgets.

• HB 2434: FAIL — Amendment (52 Yes, 64 No, 9 Absent). Imposes major FY2027 spending, transfers, and policy rules across state agencies. Affects schools, health care, public safety, water, housing, and higher education with new programs, reporting rules, and funding limits.

• HB 2434: FAIL — Amendment (48 Yes, 69 No, 8 Absent). Imposes major FY2027 spending, transfers, and policy rules across state agencies. Affects schools, health care, public safety, water, housing, and higher education with new programs, reporting rules, and funding limits.

• HB 2434: FAIL — Amendment (44 Yes, 71 No, 10 Absent). Imposes major FY2027 spending, transfers, and policy rules across state agencies. Affects schools, health care, public safety, water, housing, and higher education with new programs, reporting rules, and funding limits.

Senate (3)

• SB 402: PASS — Passage (39 Yes, 1 No). SB402 changes how Kansas counts household income for homestead tax refunds, raises home-value limits, and lets some homeowners who must live away for health or hardship keep eligibility. It also narrows the state senior tax credit with a new age and income cutoff.

• SCR 1616: PASS — Passage (30 Yes, 10 No). Limits yearly taxable assessed value growth for real property and residential mobile homes to 3% (or a lower rate set by law), with exceptions for new construction, transfers, and corrections. If the Legislature approves, voters decide on Aug 4, 2026.

• SCR 1616: FAIL — Amendment (11 Yes, 28 No, 1 Absent). Limits yearly taxable assessed value growth for real property and residential mobile homes to 3% (or a lower rate set by law), with exceptions for new construction, transfers, and corrections. If the Legislature approves, voters decide on Aug 4, 2026.

Committee Actions

Public Health and Welfare

Bills Referred

• SB 497: Kansans who possess, sell, or make kratom products could face criminal penalties under SB 497, which adds mitragynine and 7‑hydroxymitragynine to Schedule I. The bill also reenacts broad THC/isomer language that may affect delta‑8 depending on hemp exceptions.

Taxation

Bills Reported Out

• HB 2644 (bill be passed as amended): If your property valuation was reduced on appeal, county appraisers must monitor it for up to five years (two years for certain older commercial cases). If value rises more than 5% year-to-year, the appraiser must adjust the value or order an independent appraisal.

• HB 2234 (substitute bill be passed): Lets Junction City Main Street, Inc. (a 501(c)(3)) buy goods and services for downtown revitalization without paying Kansas sales tax, lowering project costs for the nonprofit and slightly reducing state/local sales tax revenue.

• HB 2475 (bill be passed as amended): Radical Life Inc. would no longer pay Kansas sales tax on goods and services it buys, lowering the nonprofit’s operating costs. The change adds a named exemption to state law and could slightly reduce state and local sales tax revenue.

Ways and Means

Bills Re-referred

• SB 439: Creates a statewide process for utilities to cross or run near railroad rights-of-way. Sets 30-day notice/permission timelines, limits fees (one-time $1,250 outside public ROW), sets insurance and safety rules, and gives the KCC a dispute role.

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