In Re Kan. Legislative Actions in 2024

• Year: 2024
• Citation: Vol. 93 No. 5 Pg. 38
• Pages: 38
• Date: 01 October 2024

Overview of Kansas Legislative Actions in 2024 No. 93 J. Kan. Bar Assn 5, 38 (2024) Kansas Bar Journal October, 2024

September 2024

By Joseph N. Molina III, KBA Director of Legislative Services

kansas legislative actions

The Kansas Legislatures 2024 session was marked by significant debates concerning taxes. So much so that a Special Session was called after Governor Kelly and the legislature were unable to agree on how much to spend on those taxes.

The 2024 session will also be viewed as the year of the veto with the governor using her Article 2 powers more than a dozen times. However, the Kansas Legislature were able to muster the necessary votes to override her on more than one occasion.

Other interesting issues centered around foreign ownership of property in Kansas, cybersecurity, health of the states critical infrastructure, STAR bond usage, election integrity, and healthcare. Some of these items that impact lawyers in Kansas are summarized below.

Tax Cuts and Economic Measures

In a bid to provide relief to Kansans, the legislature passed SB 1 during a Special Session which contained several tax cut proposals. Three notable examples include:

1. Income Tax Reduction: The bill restructures the Kansas individual income tax brackets to a two-bracket system, beginning in tax year 2024. For married individuals filing jointly, taxable income of SO to $46,000 is to be taxed at 5.2%, and taxable income of $46,001 and above is to be taxed at 5.58%. For all other filers, taxable income of $0 to $23,000 is to be taxed at 5.2%, and taxable income of $23,001 and above is to be taxed at 5.58%.

2. Property Tax Relief: The bill increases, beginning in tax year 2024, the amount of residential property exempts from the statewide uniform school finance levy to $75,000 of appraised value.

3. Social Security Benefit Exemption: Beginning in tax year 2024, all Social Security benefits are exempt from Kansas income tax.

Governor Kelly's Vetoes

Governor Laura Kelly exercised her veto power on several occasions during the 2024 session. Two significant bills that were vetoed include:

1. House Sub for SB 233 — Enacting the forbidding abuse child transitioning act: Governor Kelly vetoed the controversial bill, stating that "This divisive legislation targets a small group of Kansans by placing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to best raise and care for their children. I do not believe that is a conservative value, and it's certainly not a Kansas value."

The legislature attempted to override the veto, but the effort fell short of the required two-thirds majority.

2. HB 2648 — Requiring the director of budget to independently determine costs of compliance and implementation of all proposed rules and regulations: The governor also vetoed the bill imposing stricter voter ID requirements and limiting mail-in voting. Governor Kelly stated that "House Bill 2648 would insert bureaucratic red tape intended to legislatively interfere with the timely implementation of necessary and important rules and regulations. Many of these regulations are for the protection and safety of Kansans." "Kansans voted no to giving the legislature veto power over rules and regulations in the November 2022

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election. This is yet again another attempt by the legislature to undermine the will of the voters."

The legislature successfully overrode this veto, enacting the bill into law despite significant opposition.

2024 Legislative Highlights ^[1]

The Kansas Legislature was highly active in 2024, introducing a total of 1,200 proposals. These...