Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2211

Introduced
2/3/25  

Caption

Providing funding for STAR bond districts to replace lost food sales tax revenue.

Impact

The implementation of HB2211 is expected to have significant implications for local economic development in Kansas. By compensating for lost revenues, the bill aims to support the economic stability of STAR bond districts, which often rely on sales tax to fund municipal services and infrastructure. This act also creates the STAR bonds food sales tax revenue replacement fund within the state treasury, ensuring a dedicated source for the financial transfers necessary for the districts. The provision of ongoing assistance is seen as a means to sustain local business environments while encouraging potential future developments in targeted areas.

Summary

House Bill 2211 establishes a framework to replace lost food sales tax revenue for STAR bond districts that were created before December 31, 2022. It is designed to assist local governments by providing funding that compensates for reductions in sales tax revenues associated with the sales of food and food ingredients. The bill mandates that starting from July 15, 2025, the Kansas Secretary of Revenue will certify the amount of revenue lost, providing critical data for funding decisions moving forward. This data will inform the extent of financial assistance that eligible districts will receive from the state government.

Contention

Despite its intended benefits, the bill may face scrutiny regarding its implications for taxpayer resources. Critics may argue about the responsibility of the state to cover these lost revenues, questioning whether this financial support diverts funding from other pressing state needs or programs. There may also be debates about the long-term effects of maintaining such a revenue replacement system and whether it could create dependency among local governments on state intervention. Overall, the key contention will be about balancing local fiscal responsibility with state-level assistance aimed at fostering development.

Notable_points

The bill is part of a broader strategy to enhance economic development through the use of STAR bond financing, a mechanism designed to capture future tax revenues generated by property development to finance bond repayments. HB2211 modifies the definition of tax increment to include sales tax revenues that would have been generated from food sales, thus expanding the scope of financial considerations for STAR bond districts. This amendment highlights the growing focus on ensuring that local economies can adequately fund essential services while fostering growth through targeted investments.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 SB6

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

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 SB8

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

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 HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS HB2002

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

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.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.