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The 🐝 Rating System
Each bill is evaluated based on four key factors: Scope of Impact, Financial Impact, Urgency, and Controversy. These factors are weighted to reflect their influence on the bill's overall importance. Here's how the ratings break down:
🐝 Minimal Impact: Legislation with limited reach or lower urgency and controversy.
🐝🐝 Moderate Impact: Proposals with a broader or more notable influence, addressing issues of medium urgency or financial significance.
🐝🐝🐝 High Impact: Bills with widespread consequences, urgent needs, or significant public and political attention.
Daily Legislative Update 🐝
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
Senate Passes “Help Not Harm Act”
Correction: the initial write-up on SB63 indicated that it was a party line vote. This is incorrect; Senator Haley (D) voted for the bill.
On a mostly party line vote, the Kansas Senate passed a bill that would prohibit healthcare providers from offering gender transition treatments to minors. It goes now to the Kansas House, where it will likely be passed and sent to the governor (for an inevitable veto). We can expect to see this bill return later, when the legislature reconvenes to respond to vetoed bills.
State Budget Process Overhaul
Historically, the legislative and executive branches have been required to come to some sort of negotiated agreement about the overall Kansas budget. It’s been a central point of storytelling (and leverage) in Topeka for decades, and often serves as one of the only available tools for the minority party to participate in the democratic process.
SB 14 significantly weakens this leverage, by instituting a “continuous state budget.” With a continuous budget, appropriations continue on indefinitely at whatever level their current budget is established at unless modified by a new law. This removes the pressure of time from the negotiation process, and allows the supermajority to essentially freeze the budget as-is without any risk.
Proposed Property Tax Amendment
A proposed constitutional amendment, SCR 1603, aims to cap property valuation increases in Kansas, but beneath its promise of tax relief lies a serious risk to public services and local governance. By locking in limits on property value growth, the measure could starve schools, emergency services, and infrastructure projects of the revenue they need to keep up with rising costs.
Property taxes are a primary funding source for local governments, and restricting their growth could force cities and counties to either cut essential services or shift the burden onto other revenue streams, such as raising sales taxes. While supporters argue this measure would prevent unexpected tax hikes for homeowners, it could instead lead to an uneven system where new homeowners or businesses end up shouldering more of the tax burden.
In states where similar measures have passed, such as California’s Proposition 13, public schools and local infrastructure have suffered from long-term underfunding, and disparities between older and newer property owners have widened.
Bills and Resolutions
UPDATE: Summaries of these bills are now published on DataHive. The links below go directly to each bill’s writeup.
House Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval):
HB 2037: Increasing the membership of the Council on Travel and Tourism, updating legislative committee assignments, and modifying grant allocation rules for tourism promotion.
HB 2004: Providing Seward County the ability to levy a countywide retailers' sales tax for financing roadway and bridge projects.
General Orders (Bills Under Consideration):
SB 63 – Help Not Harm Act: Prohibiting healthcare providers from treating a child whose gender identity is inconsistent with the child’s sex.
Senate Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
SB 5 – Elections & Funding: Prohibiting the use of funds provided by the United States government for the conduct of elections and election-related activities unless approved by the legislature.
SB 6 – Elections & Voting Methods: Prohibiting the use of any form of ranked-choice voting methods in conducting elections.
SB 14 – State Budget: Providing for a continuous budget until amended, lapsed, or eliminated by the legislature; temporary reallocations; establishing conditions and limitations therefor.
SCR 1603 – Property Taxation: Proposing a constitutional amendment limiting valuation increases for real property and for personal property classified as mobile homes used for residential purposes.
SB 4 – Advance Voting: Requiring the return of advance ballots by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval):
SB 8 – Traffic & Roadway Safety: Providing a penalty for unlawful passing of stationary emergency and service vehicles.
General Orders (Bills Under Consideration):
HCR 5003 – Legislative Rules: Adopting joint rules for the Senate and the House of Representatives for the 2025-2026 biennium.
New Bills Introduced
House Bills
Education:
🐝 HB 2139: Increases minimum expenditure limit for school contracts.
🐝 HB 2140: Establishes a D.A.R.E. educator in Kansas.
🐝🐝 HB 2141: Allow parental objection to educational materials, activities.
🐝🐝 HB 2142: Mandates independent review for school bullying complaints.
🐝🐝 HB 2156: Introduces school choice tax credits for non-public education.
🐝🐝 HB 2154: Authorization of tax collection increases for higher education initiatives.
Government, Elections & Local Affairs:
Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice:
🐝 HB 2155: Sheriffs' liability for jail management defined.
Health & Social Services:
Agriculture, Environment & Wildlife:
Labor & Employment:
🐝🐝 HB 2151: Increases Kansas minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Tax & Finance:
🐝🐝 HB 2152: Regulates public deposits and investments in Kansas.
Senate Bills
Resolutions
House Concurrent Resolutions:
🐝🐝 HCR 5008: Legislative oversight of executive branch regulations.
Senate Concurrent Resolutions:
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House of Representatives
Session Highlights for January 29, 2025
The House, presided over by Speaker pro tempore Carpenter, introduced legislative measures across education, elections, taxation, and public safety.
Session convened at 11:00 a.m. and again at 5:00 p.m. before adjourning for the day.
Roll Call:
115 members were present.
Excused for illness: Reps. Alcala, Collins, Helgerson, Johnson, Lewis, Neelly, Roeser, and Simmons.
Excused by the Speaker: Reps. Poetter, Parshall, and Sawyer.
Bill Actions:
HR 6005 – Recognizing the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year team (adopted).
HB 2114, HB 2095, HB 2111 – Reassigned from Water Committee to Agriculture and Natural Resources.
HB 2037 – Approved by committee, placed on Consent Calendar.
SB 63 – Received from the Senate.
Other Business:
Celebration of Kansas Day – House members sang Home on the Range in honor of the state’s 164th birthday.
Tribute to Rep. Marvin S. Robinson II – A memorial acknowledged his contributions to Kansas, including efforts to preserve the Quindaro Ruins.
Recognition of Wichita JROTC & Leadership Program – Acknowledged for 30 years of service.
Governor’s Message – Executive Directive No. 25-593 regarding personnel transactions and federal fund establishment.
Kansas Commissioner of Education Report – The 2023-2024 Annual Report was filed.
Committee Assignment Changes – Rep. Ballard replaced Rep. Weigel (Transportation Committee, Jan. 29). Rep. McDonald replaced Rep. Ohaebosim (Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications Committee, Jan. 30).
Senate
Session Highlights for January 29, 2025
The Senate convened at 2:30 p.m., presided over by President Ty Masterson.
The session included a prayer by guest chaplain Father Will Stuever and a rendition of “Home on the Range” for Kansas Day.
Roll Call: 40 senators were present. No excused absences were reported.
Bill Actions:
SB 10 – Passed (37-3), exempts certain personal property from taxation.
SB 35 – Passed (38-2), moves education funding from tax levy to general fund.
SB 63 – Passed (32-8), prohibits gender transition treatments for minors.
SCR 1602 – Passed (31-9), encourages cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Committee Actions:
Special Recognitions:
Senator Pettey recognized Wyandotte High School’s carpentry class.
SR 1705 was adopted, recognizing the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year, Elizabeth Anstine.
Other Business:
Upcoming Actions (January 30, 2025)
House
Session Time: 11:00 AM
Committee Updates:
Appropriations (9:00 AM): Budget reports for Kansas Department of Labor, Kansas Insurance Department, KPERS, University of Kansas, KU Medical Center, Kansas 911 Coordinating Council, KBI, and State Fire Marshal.
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications (9:00 AM): Hearing on HB 2040 regarding extending time for transmission line siting applications.
Veterans and Military (9:00 AM): Presentation on Annual Veterans Strategy Summit by Rep. Pat Proctor.
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2088 (fast-track permits act for local government deadlines).
Corrections and Juvenile Justice (1:30 PM): Guest speaker Stephanie Smith from Office of Judicial Administration.
Education (1:30 PM): Presentations from Leslie Rudd Foundation, Kansas Board of Regents, AGC’s College Scholarships, and Kansas Dept. of Education Financial Assistance Progress Report.
Health and Human Services (1:30 PM): Presentations from Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, Oral Health Kansas, and Kansas Dental Association.
Higher Education Budget (1:30 PM): Discussion on previously heard budget recommendations.
Judiciary (3:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2131 requiring prosecutors to disclose jailhouse witness testimony intent.
K-12 Education Budget (3:30 PM): Presentation on Children's Cabinet Budget by Melissa Rooker.
Social Services Budget (3:30 PM): Public testimony continuation for Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services.
Transportation and Public Safety Budget (3:30 PM): Budget hearings for Kansas Highway Patrol and recommendations for Kansas Department of Corrections, Lansing, Norton, Topeka, and Winfield correctional facilities.
Senate
Session Time: 2:30 PM
Committee Updates:
Agriculture and Natural Resources (8:30 AM, Room 144-S): Hearing on SB 58 regarding modifying the requirements and allocations for multi-year flex accounts.
Public Health and Welfare (8:30 AM, Room 142-S): Hearing on SB 31 updating Kansas dental practice act provisions.
Transportation (8:30 AM, Room 546-S): Hearing on SB 18 regarding the Hunter Nation distinctive license plate.
Assessment and Taxation (9:30 AM, Room 548-S): Hearing on SB 26 providing a sales tax exemption for certain purchases by bowling centers.
Financial Institutions and Insurance (9:30 AM, Room 546-S): Presentation on paid family and medical leave by Tracy Russell (Nurture KC) and Jan Marrs (Mize CPA's); Hearing on SB 28 regarding updates to public adjuster and insurance agent statutes.
Government Efficiency (9:30 AM, Room 144-S): Presentation on agency operations by Kansas Insurance Commissioner.
Local Government, Transparency and Ethics (9:30 AM, Room 142-S): Hearing on SB 37 repealing three-mile extraterritorial planning and zoning authority for cities.
Federal and State Affairs (10:30 AM, Room 144-S): Hearing on SB 38 regarding the Defend the Guard Act.
Judiciary (10:30 AM, Room 346-S): Hearing on SB 61 requiring electric public utilities to pay landowner attorney fees in certain eminent domain appeals.
Ways and Means (10:30 AM, Room 548-S): Presentation on Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.
Commerce (1:30 PM, Room 159-S): Hearing on SB 51 providing a sales tax exemption for construction or remodeling of qualified data centers.
Education (1:30 PM, Room 144-S): Confirmation hearing for Kathy Wolfe-Moore (State Board of Regents); Presentation on Leslie Rudd Scholarship Program.
Utilities (1:30 PM, Room 548-S): Presentation on Kansas State University research reactor by Dr. Hans Coetzee; Update on Kansas electric cooperatives by Reagan McCloud.
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