Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2040

Filed/Introduced
 
Introduced
1/21/25  
Refer
1/21/25  
Report Pass
2/4/25  
Engrossed
2/17/25  
Refer
2/18/25  
Report Pass
3/6/25  
Enrolled
3/27/25  

Caption

Extending the time in which the state corporation commission shall make a final order on a transmission line siting application.

Summary

HB2040 amends Kansas law governing electric transmission line siting permits by giving the Kansas Corporation Commission more time to issue a final order on an application. Under current law, the commission must issue a final order within 120 days after an application is filed; the bill extends that deadline to 180 days. The rest of the permitting framework remains the same, including the requirement that an electric utility obtain a siting permit before beginning site preparation, construction, or eminent domain activity related to a transmission line. The bill affects K.S.A. 66-1,178, which sets out the application contents, hearing requirements, and decision timeline for transmission line siting permits. By lengthening the final-order deadline, the bill gives the commission additional time to review applications, hold hearings, and evaluate the necessity and reasonableness of proposed transmission line locations. It does not change the underlying permitting standard or the notice requirements to affected landowners. The overall sentiment around HB2040 appears strongly favorable. It passed the House 116-2, the Senate 39-1, and the House later concurred with Senate amendments 123-2, indicating broad bipartisan support. The lack of committee transcript material limits insight into detailed debate, but the vote margins suggest the bill was viewed as a practical administrative adjustment rather than a controversial policy change. Any contention appears to have been limited and likely centered on whether extending the decision deadline could delay transmission projects or, conversely, whether the commission needed more time to complete a thorough review. Because the bill concerns utility siting and potential impacts on landowners, transmission developers, utilities, and property owners along proposed routes are the most directly affected parties. The narrow number of dissenting votes suggests only modest opposition to the change.

Impact

HB2040 changes K.S.A. 66-1,178 by increasing the Kansas Corporation Commission’s deadline to issue a final order on an electric transmission line siting application from 120 days to 180 days. This affects the permitting timeline for electric utilities seeking to construct transmission lines and may lengthen the review period before site preparation, construction, or eminent domain actions can proceed. The bill leaves intact the existing application, hearing, and landowner-notice requirements.

Sentiment

The bill was received positively overall, with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers and only a handful of dissenting votes. The vote totals suggest lawmakers generally agreed that the commission needed additional time to complete transmission line siting reviews. No committee discussion was provided, but the final actions indicate the measure was treated as a technical or process-oriented adjustment rather than a major policy dispute.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the tradeoff between giving the Kansas Corporation Commission more time to evaluate transmission line applications and the possibility of slowing utility infrastructure projects. Landowners and local communities along proposed routes may favor a longer review period for scrutiny and participation, while utilities and project proponents may prefer faster decisions. The very small number of no votes suggests these concerns did not generate significant opposition in the legislature.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS SCR1604

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for real property and personal property mobile homes.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.