Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2043

Introduced
1/21/25  
Refer
1/21/25  
Report Pass
1/30/25  
Engrossed
2/10/25  
Refer
2/11/25  
Report Pass
3/5/25  

Caption

Providing a protest petition to contest certain increases in property tax revenues and continuing reimbursements from the taxpayer notification costs fund for an additional five years.

Summary

HB2043 revises Kansas property tax law to give taxpayers a new protest-petition process when a taxing subdivision proposes to budget for property tax revenues above a specified prior-year adjusted amount. The bill sets out how county clerks, county treasurers, county election officers, and the Department of Administration must provide notice, make petition forms available, and certify petition sufficiency. If at least 10% of qualified electors in the affected taxing subdivision sign a valid petition by the deadline, the proposed increase is deemed disapproved and the local government must limit property tax revenues to the statutory cap. The bill also amends the state’s revenue neutral rate framework. It requires more detailed taxpayer notices, public hearing procedures, and roll-call votes before a taxing subdivision may exceed its revenue neutral rate, and it adds a protest-petition notice and signature page to the annual revenue neutral rate notice. It further requires refunds or levy reductions if a governing body fails to comply, allows complaints to the State Board of Tax Appeals, and directs the state to publish budget and rate information online. The bill excludes school districts from the new protest-petition section, though school districts remain subject to the revenue neutral rate provisions with a specific adjustment for certain school tax revenue increases.

Impact

HB2043 would significantly expand procedural limits on property tax increases for Kansas taxing subdivisions by tying budget authority to a prior-year revenue benchmark and creating a formal voter protest mechanism. It amends K.S.A. 79-2988 and 79-2989, repeals the existing versions, and extends state reimbursement for county printing and postage costs related to revenue neutral rate notices through additional years. The bill affects county clerks, county treasurers, county election officers, the Department of Administration, the Secretary of Revenue, and all political subdivisions that levy ad valorem property taxes, while expressly excluding school districts from the new protest-petition section.

Sentiment

The voting history suggests the bill had broad but not unanimous support. It passed the House 97-14 and the Senate 39-0, indicating strong bipartisan approval at final action. The later conference committee report also passed both chambers, though with more opposition in the House (87-35) and some dissent in the Senate (27-13), suggesting that the compromise version remained generally acceptable but drew more concern than the original final-action votes.

Contention

The main points of contention appear to center on local taxing authority, taxpayer notice burdens, and the practical administration of the protest-petition system. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a taxpayer protection measure that gives residents a direct way to challenge property tax revenue increases and increases transparency around local budgeting. Potential concerns would come from taxing subdivisions and local officials who may see the bill as restricting budget flexibility, adding administrative steps and deadlines, and creating the risk of mandatory levy reductions or refunds if notice and hearing requirements are not followed. The exclusion of school districts from the protest-petition section, while leaving them under the revenue neutral rate rules, may also reflect a policy compromise or a separate area of sensitivity.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 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 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 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 SCR1603

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for residential property.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS SB6

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

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