Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2213

Introduced
2/3/25  

Caption

Prohibiting certain conduct and improper collection of veterans benefits fees.

Summary

HB 2213 would regulate paid assistance in veterans benefits matters in Kansas. The bill defines a "veterans benefits matter" broadly to include preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting with claims or applications involving benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the Kansas Office of Veterans Services. Except where federal law allows otherwise, the bill prohibits anyone from receiving compensation for providing those services or for referring a person to someone else who provides them. The bill also states that any violation is a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. In addition, anyone who is paid to assist with veterans benefits matters would be held to the same ethical standards as an attorney under Kansas rules of professional conduct for advertising, solicitation, confidentiality, duty of care, honesty, and zealously pursuing the client’s best interests. The bill includes a severability clause and would take effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.

Impact

HB 2213 would add a new state-law restriction on paid veterans benefits assistance and referral fees, while tying enforcement to the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. It would affect individuals and businesses that market themselves as veterans benefits advisors, claims consultants, or similar service providers, and it would also create a legal standard for their conduct that mirrors attorney ethics rules. The bill does not change federal veterans benefits law, but it would regulate conduct in Kansas involving claims before federal and state veterans agencies.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to have a protective, consumer-focused purpose and is framed as a veterans and military issue rather than a partisan policy fight. The request came from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, suggesting support from veterans advocates for curbing improper fees and misleading claims assistance. No committee transcript or vote record is available here, so there is no documented opposition or floor debate to indicate broader sentiment beyond the bill’s apparent intent.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the breadth of the compensation ban: the bill bars payment for a wide range of assistance and also prohibits referral fees, which could affect non-attorney veterans advocates, claims consultants, and other paid representatives. Another possible issue is the requirement that compensated helpers follow attorney-like ethical standards, which may be seen as protecting veterans from predatory practices but could also be viewed as imposing legal-professional obligations on non-lawyers. The bill expressly preserves attorney fee division that is otherwise lawful, indicating an effort to avoid interfering with traditional legal practice.

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 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 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 HB2002

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

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 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 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.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.