Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2149

Introduced
1/29/25  
Refer
1/29/25  
Refer
2/17/25  
Refer
2/20/25  
Report Pass
3/12/25  
Engrossed
3/13/25  
Refer
3/13/25  
Report Pass
3/18/25  
Enrolled
4/10/25  

Caption

Substitute for HB 2149 by Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications - Requiring distributed energy retailers to disclose certain information to residential customers who are offered or seeking to install a distributed energy system, requiring the attorney general to convene an advisory group to develop, approve and periodically revise a standard form for such disclosures and requiring publication thereof, establishing requirements for interconnection and operation of distributed energy systems, increasing the total capacity limitation for an electric public utility's provision of parallel generation service and a formula to determine appropriate system size.

Summary

HB 2149 creates a new consumer-protection and interconnection framework for residential distributed energy systems in Kansas, especially rooftop solar and similar customer-owned generation. It requires distributed energy retailers to provide a detailed, separate disclosure document before contract signing, covering system components, expected life, production guarantees, total contract cost, financing terms, tax credits and incentives, maintenance obligations, transferability, liens, and the retailer’s lack of affiliation with utilities or government. The bill also requires the attorney general to convene an advisory group to develop and publish a standard disclosure form, and it imposes registration requirements on retailers doing business in Kansas. The bill also expands and revises utility obligations for parallel generation and net metering. Electric utilities must disclose interconnection rules and historical compensation information to retailers, and the bill sets new criteria for sizing systems based on a customer’s historic usage or conditioned space. It increases aggregate export-capacity limits over time, establishes timelines for utility review of applications, allows utilities to require witness tests and certain safety equipment, and sets rules for compensation, disconnection, abandonment, repairs, and rebuilding of systems. It also amends existing statutes governing parallel generation and net metering, and repeals the prior versions of those sections.

Impact

HB 2149 would substantially amend Kansas law governing distributed energy systems by adding new disclosure duties for retailers, new information-sharing duties for utilities, and a standardized state disclosure form overseen by the attorney general. It modifies K.S.A. 66-1,184 and 66-1268 to change interconnection, compensation, system-sizing, and operational rules for customer-owned generation, while also increasing the total capacity available for parallel generation service and clarifying when utilities may disconnect or require testing. The bill affects residential customers, solar and other renewable-energy retailers, electric public utilities, cooperatives, municipal utilities, and the Kansas Corporation Commission’s oversight of interconnection disputes.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported. It passed the House 123-0, the Senate 40-0, and the House later concurred with Senate amendments 122-0. That unanimous voting pattern suggests strong bipartisan agreement on the need for clearer consumer disclosures and updated interconnection rules for distributed energy resources.

Contention

No committee transcript was provided, and the recorded votes show no formal opposition. Based on the bill text, the most likely areas of concern are the scope and detail of mandatory disclosures, the civil penalties and contract voiding remedies for retailer noncompliance, the new utility disclosure obligations, and the revised capacity and compensation rules for parallel generation. Utilities may also have concerns about administrative burden, export-capacity limits, and required timelines, while consumer advocates would likely focus on transparency and protection from misleading sales practices.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB6

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

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 SB8

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

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 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 SB4

Requiring all advance voting ballots be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

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 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 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.

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