HOUSE DELIBERATIONS
It was Conference Committee Week, as it was the last week before First Adjournment. During this week the House of Representatives and Senate vote on bills that have passed out of both chambers. Said bills usually have been amended by at least one of the two chambers and so requires negotiation, but not always, through conference committee to reconcile the resulting different versions of the bill.
Below I have detailed a sample of five bills from the 65 that were considered.
· First is House Bill (HB) 2040. This bill, which I have described before in this newsletter, extends the deadline for the Kansas Corporation Commission to make decisions on applications by electric utilities for line siting from 120 to 180 days. Only one amendment from the Senate was made, to change the date of effect for the law from publication of the Statute Book to publication of the Kansas Register—which is published earlier than the Statute Book.
· Second is HB 2107. This legislation would establish a two-year statute of limitations for wildfire-related claims against electric public utilities, authorize the recovery of certain damages, limit the recovery of punitive damages from said claims at $5 million, require the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to convene a workshop on wildfire risks and utility mitigation efforts by July 1, 2026, and authorize the KCC to open a general investigation or convene additional workshops to further assess wildfire risk and mitigation in the future. The Senate only made one amendment, extending the statute of limitations for some damages to 10 years.
· Third is HB 2031, which like HB 2040 has already been covered in a previous newsletter. This bill would amend law by making valid driver licenses issued in other states sufficient for acquiring a driving instructor license in Kansas. The Senate only made one amendment to the bill, to change the date of effect from publication of the Statute Book to that of the Kansas Register.
· Fourth is House Bill 2311. This legislation would alter state law regarding the Department for Children and Families in two different ways. First it would prohibit the agency from requiring potential adoptive parents and potential custodians from affirming government policy regarding sexual gender and identity, if it conflicted with sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. Second it would prohibit the selection, licensure, or appointment of individuals based upon their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs regarding sexual gender and identity. The only amendment made by the Senate was to adjust the date of effect, from publication of the Statute Book to publication of the Kansas Register.
· Last is Senate Bill 42. This bill would establish a web-based system for online verification of motor vehicle insurance, which would serve as the only electronic system used for verifying motor vehicle liability insurance in the state. The bill would also task the Commissioner of Insurance with creating this system and coordinating with motor vehicle insurers to maintain the registry of said insurance files, with some exceptions for insurers with less than 1,000 vehicles covered. The House only amended the bill, as you might guess, on its date of effect, from publication of the Statute Book to the Kansas Register.
Each of these listed bills passed their concurrence votes in the House, and I voted yes on each of them.
SENATE BILL 125 UPDATE
One of the 65 bills from the first page that I did not mention was Senate Bill (SB) 125. Originally intended as the trailer budget bill for this session it became the sole budget bill after the contents of House Bill 2007 were added to it. Detailed below is an update on some of the budget items from the bill that were negotiated in conference committee a brief overview of its effect on the state’s finances.
First would be the Economic Development Initiatives Fund (EDIF) line items. The House’s version funded the vast majority, 33, of the usual items in EDIF, from the Mainstreet Program to the Summer Sunflower Program, but the Senate’s did not, which only funded five. During the conference committee the House succeeded in persuading the Senate to accept its positions and save these programs, many of which impact the 109th District.
Second was the State Water Plan Fund (SWPF), which allocates funds to state agencies for the purpose of coordinating efforts at conserving and improving water in Kansas. Here the House and Senate were able to compromise and increase funding to the SWPF by $15 million, and by using maturing treasury bills save State General Fund (SGF) dollars.
Third was $10 million SGF for special education in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, which through maintenance-of-effort requirements will continue indefinitely. Here again the Senate had allocated no funds, but the House was able to persuade the Senate into adding these dollars, thus helping school districts across the state.
Through several rounds of negotiations, the House and Senate were able to produce a state budget to fund the rest of FY 2025, at $10.846 billion SGF, and upcoming FY 2026, at $10.635 billion, while spending $65.5 million SGF less than the Governor’s proposed budget; just as important, the legislature’s budget funds the vital services of the state, from our state hospitals to improving our highways. The budget passed the concurrence vote by 89 in favor to 35 against, with bipartisan support.
As the carrier of the bill and one of the conferees that drafted it, I voted in favor.
COFFEES CALENDAR
Given this is the last week of session before First Adjournment I figured this is a good time to announce my schedule for coffees during the interim period between now and Veto Session.
On April 2, a Wednesday, at 9:00 a.m. Senator Tori Arnberger-Blew and I will host a coffee for Ellsworth County at Hattie Jo’s. On April 3, a Thursday, at 10:30 a.m. Senator Elaine Bowers and I will host a coffee at the Cross-Eyed Cricket for Smith County. Later that same day at 2:00 p.m., Senator Bowers and I will host a coffee at the Hideout for Osborne County.
The week after that on April 8, a Tuesday, at 9 a.m. Senator Bowers and I will host a coffee for Lincoln County at the Feedlot Bar & Grill. The fifth and last coffee will be held later that same day at 11 a.m., again between Senator Bowers and I, at the Southwind Bank for Russell County. I look forward to attending these coffees and answering any questions you may have regarding the 2025 Session.
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.
Contact My Office
Representative Troy L. Waymaster
300 SW 10th Street Topeka, Kansas 66612
[email protected]
www.kslegislature.org
www.troywaymaster.com