Sen. Rick Billinger Newsletter
February 11, 2025
Topeka
Senate President Ty Masterson announced that he is establishing the Senate Select Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The select committee will meet as necessary, studying issues and processing legislation related to veterans. As a U.S. Army veteran, I am proud to serve on the new select committee as Vice Chairman.
We’ve all seen “government shutdown politics” paralyze Washington, where politicians practice brinkmanship, using the ongoing operation of the federal government as a tool during budget negotiations, with everyday Americans’ livelihoods hanging in the balance.
The same possibility exists at the state level.
Every year, the fiscal year ends on June 30, and if a budget is not adopted, the state government would shut down. This potentially would cause havoc for those who rely upon funding from the state.
In years past, budget negotiations have sometimes lasted into June, so the potential exists for politicians to use the June 30 deadline as a threat in a similar type of brinkmanship we’ve seen all too often in Washington.
This week the Kansas Senate passed SB 14, which would remove that possibility by requiring that if a budget was not adopted by the beginning of a new fiscal year, state operations would continue to go forward using the previous fiscal year’s funding level until a new budget was adopted.
SCR1603: Under current law, local governments often rely on revenue from skyrocketing valuations that drive up property taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, around 19 states currently have assessment limits like SCR1603, if it were to become part of the Kansas constitution.
Kansans are tired of seeing their property taxes soar due to an appraisal process which results in annual sticker shock for Kansas homeowners.
This amendment still allows for reasonable growth while requiring local officials to simply cast a vote to raise more revenue beyond the 3% valuation limit. SCR1603 reforms a key leg in the broken property tax system.
Most Kansans agree that the appraisal process is broken, with property valuations greatly exceeding the rate of inflation, pushing property taxes higher and pricing people out of the market. While the Truth in Taxation law forces local governments to vote to exceed the revenue-neutral rate, SCR1603 goes another step by ensuring they can’t rely on valuation increases if they want to grow government more than 3%. They must vote to raise the mill levy, providing more transparency to the process.
By limiting valuation hikes (for the purposes of taxation) to 3%, SCR1603 allows Kansans to plan more for the future. SCR1603 limits the automatic taxing of unrealized gains.
Kansans who remain in their homes and are taxed on higher valuation means they’re being taxed on assessed value that they have not realized via selling the house. That means Kansans are being taxed on gains they have not experienced or may never experience.
SCR1603 essentially places a lid on the automatic growth of government. Currently, local governments can keep growing without ever voting to increase the mill levy by simply relying upon appraisals which greatly exceed the rate of inflation. This places a lid on the automatic growth of government by requiring local entities to cast a vote to raise the mill levy. The amendment was approved in a bi-partisan vote of 28-11 and has been passed to the House for consideration.
My office has several dates available for 6th graders through high school to serve as a page. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. If your child is interested in being a page for my office the following dates are available: February 17, March 3 and March 10.
I am honored and grateful to represent the 40th Senate District in Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email: [email protected] or call me with your concerns.
My office number is 785-296-7399 or my cell number is 785-899-4700. If you are in Topeka stop by my office, room 545-S.
Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, is the 40th District senator.