Category: Gov. Laura Kelly

Gov. Kelly signs bill cutting property taxes for veterans and elderly

Gov. Laura Kelly spoke at a Topeka home today while signing a bill to cut property taxes. The bill provides tax relief for Kansas veterans and the elderly through property tax refunds and gives tax credits to teachers who purchase school supplies from their own pockets. (Photo from Gov. Kelly’s office)

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly today ceremonially signed legislation at a Topeka home to celebrate the bipartisan passage of House Bill 2239, which cuts property taxes.

It provides additional tax relief for Kansas veterans and the elderly through property tax refunds and gives tax credits to teachers who purchase school supplies out of their own pockets.

“I know inflation is hurting everyone’s wallet, and costs are going up,” Gov. Kelly said. “So today, we’re celebrating a bipartisan tax cut for families to put money back into Kansans’ pockets. Families will now have more money to buy food, school supplies, or pay the bills – every bit helps. We’ll continue to make fiscally responsible decisions to provide relief to Kansans across the state.”

“It has always been a dream of mine to make it easier for fixed income seniors and disabled veterans to stay in their homes,” State Sen. Tom Holland, the ranking minority member on the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, said. “Seniors and veterans have contributed so much to our communities, our state, and our country, and this bill gives everyone another reason to live out their golden years in their home right here in Kansas.”

“I was proud to work with legislators from both parties on legislation that provides needed tax relief for homeowners and encourages growth and re-investment in two of our largest industries—agriculture and aviation,” Rep. Adam Smith, chair of the House Taxation Committee, said. “The investments and tax credits that we are making this year are designed to promote economic growth throughout the state for many years to come while keeping taxes property taxes low for homeowners.”

Residential property taxes for up to the first $40,000 of assessed value will be exempt. This property tax cut will save Kansans more than $133.5 million in residential property taxes and apply to more than one million properties across the state.

In addition, HB 2239 provides Kansans 65-plus years of age, surviving spouses, or disabled veterans a new Homestead Property Tax refund program beginning with the 2022 tax year. This program will refund based on the change in property tax rates. Property tax relief was highlighted in the final report presented by the Governor’s Council on Tax Reform which looked at a broad approach to balancing sales, income, and property taxes to make Kansas a more attractive place to live and work.

More information about HB 2239 can be found at http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/summary_hb_2239_2022.

  • Information from Gov. Kelly’s office

Kansas Senate backs gradual elimination of sales tax on food by 2025

Democrats push for immediate elimination

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — A Kansas bill providing a multiyear, staggered elimination of the state sales tax on food moved a step closer Wednesday to becoming law.

Kansas’ current sales tax on food is 6.5%, among the highest in the nation, and for years has been among top reform issues for Gov. Laura Kelly, legislators and advocates. But despite the bipartisan support for the change, Republican leadership in the Kansas House and Senate did not entertain a debate during the regular session.

On Wednesday, Senators for the first time debated the issue on the floor, approving a compromise between both chambers without opposition. The plan would take a year-by-year approach to scale down the food sales tax, dropping from 6.5% to 4% on Jan. 1, 2023, then 2% the following year and eliminating the tax altogether in 2025.

While the vote was 39-0, Democrats argued the Legislature should eliminate the sales tax entirely or begin the reduction in July. Senators rejected an effort by Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, to force a debate on a plan proposed by Kelly to eliminate the tax immediately.

“This is not a stunt. This is to get some immediate food sales tax relief to people now,” Sen. Holland said.

House Democrats also tried to force a debate on the governor’s plan with a similar approach but lacked the votes to support the procedural action.

Republicans argue the phased in approach is more fiscally responsible, but Democrats called it a political move aimed at denying Kelly something positive in an election year. The House could take up the bill on Thursday. Kelly hasn’t indicated if she would sign it into law.

Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, Kansas, said many people in his district go to Missouri for large purchases, hurting Kansas grocery stores and other vendors.

“I’m sure each of you can talk about some wins in your district, but I don’t know what else to tell them we have done this year that affects us this year,” Sen. Haley said.

Democrats voted in favor of the bill while pointing out the Legislature was not capitalizing on a rare budget surplus and an increasingly optimistic revenue projection.

Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, expressed frustration with how long it took to get several tax policy items approved but said the approach to cutting the food sales tax over three years via House Bill 2106 wasn’t political. She said immediately lowering the tax to zero was unrealistic and did not provide enough time for vendors to prepare.

“If it was the Tyson plan, we would have had food sales tax done in 2012,” Sen. Tyson said. “I’m going to take what I can get. It’s not perfect, but we’re going to get this issue started and get it going in the right direction for Kansas consumers.”

Sen. Tyson and other Republicans frequently point out that Gov. Kelly vetoed a bill in 2019 that would have eliminated the food sales tax over several years. In her veto message for that measure, which included tax breaks for multinational corporations and other tax changes, Gov. Kelly said she would sign a thought out policy but not a rushed attempt with tax cuts Democrats viewed as harmful to the state’s bottom line.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Gov. Kelly’s presumptive GOP gubernatorial opponent, said in a news release earlier this week he would have signed the bill. Schmidt has supported a plan to reduce the sales tax on food and saw this year as a prime opportunity to pass the tax cut.

“In this time of raging inflation, this tax relief will bring much-needed help to so many Kansans throughout our state,” Schmidt said following the Senate vote. “After repeated false starts in years past, now is the time to finally get this done, and I urge the House of Representatives to pass this as well before adjourning this week.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/04/27/kansas-senate-backs-gradual-elimination-of-sales-tax-on-food-by-2025/

KU men’s basketball team honored by governor

Gov. Laura Kelly met with KU basketball coach Bill Self and the KU men’s basketball team on Monday at the Statehouse. The governor proclaimed April 25 as KU Men’s Basketball National Championship Victory Day. (Photo from Gov. Kelly’s office)
The national champion KU men’s basketball team met with Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday at the Statehouse. (Photo from Gov. Kelly’s office)

The national champion University of Kansas men’s basketball team visited the Statehouse on Monday.

The team was honored by Gov. Laura Kelly, who proclaimed April 25 as KU Men’s Basketball National Championship Victory Day.

“It is my great pleasure to welcome the 2022 NCAA Champions, our very own Kansas Jayhawks, to the Statehouse,” Gov. Kelly said. “After an incredible season, we all saw this talented team’s grit, determination, and triumph, and I know it wasn’t easy. But, hours of practice, energy, and sacrifice paved the way for a remarkable season full of games that captivated a nation. The entire state of Kansas is so proud of these young men. They’ve brought great pride to Kansas – and so many young players across the state are looking up to them.” 

The team also attended a reception after the ceremony.

  • Information from governor’s office