Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2151

Introduced
1/29/25  

Caption

Increasing the Kansas minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Impact

If enacted, HB2151 would significantly alter Kansas labor law by repealing existing minimum wage rates and instituting a new benchmark of $15 per hour. This change would broaden the financial security for employees currently earning less, potentially boosting consumer spending and stimulating the economy. However, it may also challenge employers, particularly small businesses, who may struggle with the increased payroll costs. The bill is positioned within a broader national trend of states and localities looking to enhance minimum wage standards.

Summary

House Bill 2151 proposes to increase the minimum wage in Kansas to $15 an hour, amending existing labor-related sections of state law. This ambitious measure aims to address wage stagnation and improve the living standards of low-income workers across the state. By raising the minimum wage, the bill seeks to ensure that full-time employees can earn a sustainable income, reflecting the cost of living and providing a pathway towards economic stability for many households.

Contention

There are likely points of contention surrounding this bill. Proponents argue that the increase is long overdue and necessary to combat rising living expenses, while opponents express concerns that it could lead to job cuts, reduced hours, or increased prices for consumers as businesses adapt to higher labor costs. Discussions surrounding the bill may highlight disparities between differing sectors, especially those heavily reliant on low-wage employment, such as hospitality and retail.

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 HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

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 SCR1602

Approving the creation of a port authority in Wyandotte County Kansas.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

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 SB6

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

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