SENATE HAPPENINGS
FEBRUARY 5, 2024
This week, the Senate standing committees continued to hold hearings and bring forward legislation. Over 440 bills have been introduced in the Senate to date for this two-year session. Senate Ways and Means Committee is starting to work the budget bill with subcommittee meetings to report to the full committee in a few weeks as well as standing committees preparing to send bills out to the Senate floor for debate and votes.
SNAPSHOT OF THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE 2024
The Kansas Senate consists of forty Senators – twenty-eight Republicans, eleven Democrats, one Independent with sixteen women and twenty-four men. Eleven Senators live in cities of 100,000+ population, ten with 20,000 to 100,000, six with 5,000-20,000 and six with 2,000-5,000 and seven with 0-2,000 (this is an increase of one over last year). The Kansas House of Representatives consists of one-hundred twenty-five members with eighty-five Republicans and forty Democrats with thirty-three women and ninety-two men.
SENATE FLOOR ACTION
Senate extends Disability Employment Act – SB15
On Wednesday, the Kansas Senate voted to extend a critical program providing tax credits to certain businesses who employ individuals with disabilities. The program was included in SB 8 last year that was vetoed by the governor, and thus expired at the end of 2023, necessitating the legislature taking quick action to ensure the program could continue.
The Senate passed SB15 34-0.
NATIONAL UNCLAIMED PROPERTY DAY – FEBRUARY 1
STATE TREASURERS’ OFFICE - Senate District #36 has over $1.3M in unclaimed funds.
Feb. 1 is marked as National Unclaimed Property Day, and the Kansas State Treasurers’ Office says there is quite a bit of money left unclaimed in Kansas. “Our office currently holds more than $525 million in unclaimed property for Kansans,” Kansas Treasurer Steven Johnson said in a news release. “It is estimated that one in 10 people nationwide has unclaimed property – so it’s worth checking regularly to see if you, your family, or friends have funds available to claim. The news release says the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) estimates that nearly 33 million people in the United States have unclaimed property. This amount could be in financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for a number of years. When the company cannot locate the owner, the assets are given to the state. Some of those assets could be unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, and unused rebate cards. It is free for Kansans to search for and claim unclaimed property, and the news release says to be wary of third-party individuals offering to assist in filing claims for a fee. While some operate legally, there are also bad actors who use the promise of assistance as a hook for scams. Feel free to call my office in Topeka to check for your name or visit https://www.Kansasstatetreasurer.com.
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Kansas Turnpike’s conversion to cashless tolling is on schedule for mid-2024 expecting to be fully functional in July. In preparation for the change, the KTA Board established a simplified toll structure that keeps the Kansas Turnpike at the bottom of toll rates across the country. You can order K-TAGs at no charge at www.myktag.com.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE – A NEW PROPERTY TAX TOOL
A new app for Kansans will make property value data easily available as the Department of Revenue continues its quest for transparency and accountability. Additionally, KDOR indicated the project will feature the Kansas Property Valuation Division Data Portal, a public, open-data website that will display up-to-date and easily accessible property value information. Revenue officials noted they wanted to streamline the property appraisal process and increase transparency as well as accountability. With the data publicly available, the hope is to empower Kansans to make informed decisions about their property and community. “We believe that transparency is key to building trust between government and citizens, and this site is an important step in that direction.” KDOR said the open data portal will feature appraised value data on all property types from each county. Kansans will be able to view the most up-to-date data in easily readable charts and graphs. Kansas PVD Data Portal (ksrevenue.gov).
As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the last few weeks before turn-around. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.
Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E300
SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
785-296-7389
www.kslegislature.orgwww.elainebowers.com
Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas, which includes:
Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties
Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer, Logan, Marysville, Oketo, Walnut and Waterville
Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Greenwood, Kirwin, Phillipsburg, Plum, Rushville, Solomon(part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut