Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2145

Introduced
1/29/25  
Refer
1/29/25  
Report Pass
2/11/25  
Engrossed
2/19/25  
Refer
2/20/25  
Report Pass
3/10/25  
Enrolled
3/21/25  

Caption

Substitute for HB 2145 by Committee on Local Government - Establishing the Butler county fair board to consist of 15 members, providing for the appointment of members to such board and allowing up to five members of such board to be appointed from the county at large.

Summary

HB 2145 amends Kansas law governing county fair boards to create a special membership structure for the Butler County Fair Board. The bill sets the Butler County board at 15 members, requires an annual December appointment meeting conducted by the presiding county commissioners, and directs that, if possible, one member be appointed from each county commissioner district. It also allows up to five members to be appointed from the county at large, and makes any legal voting-age county resident eligible to serve. The bill also retains and clarifies the existing special provision for Cloud County, which has a 12-member fair board appointed in a similar manner, with one member from each commissioner district if possible and one at-large member. For both counties, members serve three-year terms beginning January 1, may serve unlimited consecutive terms, and vacancies are filled by the remaining board members for the unexpired term. The boards elect their own officers from among their members. In addition to these county-specific changes, the bill amends K.S.A. 2-128, which governs fair association board elections more generally, and repeals K.S.A. 19-2699. The practical effect is to replace or update prior statutory language so Butler County’s fair board composition and appointment process are expressly set out in state law, rather than left to older or more general provisions. The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. It passed the House 118-1 and the Senate 39-0, indicating broad bipartisan support. The lack of committee transcript discussion suggests the measure was likely viewed as a routine local-government or administrative update rather than a contested policy change. There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. Any potential issue would likely have centered on the local governance design—specifically, the number of at-large appointees and the balance between commissioner-district representation and countywide appointments—but the overwhelming votes suggest no significant opposition remained by final passage.

Impact

HB 2145 changes state law by creating a county-specific statutory framework for the Butler County Fair Board and confirming the existing framework for Cloud County. It amends K.S.A. 2-128 and repeals K.S.A. 19-2699, thereby updating the statutes governing fair association boards, appointment procedures, board size, term lengths, and officer selection. The bill directly affects county commissioners, fair board members, and county residents eligible for appointment, while leaving the broader fair-board structure in place for other counties.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been viewed as a straightforward local-government measure with broad support. It passed both chambers by large margins, with only one dissenting vote in the House and unanimous approval in the Senate. No committee testimony or recorded debate is available in the provided materials, but the voting history suggests a generally positive and uncontentious reception.

Contention

No major controversy is evident in the available record. The only plausible point of discussion would be the local appointment structure for the Butler County Fair Board—particularly the decision to set the board at 15 members and allow up to five at-large appointees, which affects how much representation comes from commissioner districts versus the county as a whole. However, the near-unanimous votes indicate that any such concerns were minimal or resolved before final passage.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 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 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 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 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 SB8

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

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.

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.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.