Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2416

Introduced

1/12/26

Refer

1/12/26

Report Pass

2/2/26

Engrossed

2/16/26

Refer

2/17/26

Report Pass

3/4/26

Enrolled

3/26/26

Passed

4/9/26

Caption

Creating the Kansas motorsports venue protection act to provide immunity to motorsports venues from civil actions for nuisance, taking or similar legal theories.

Summary

HB2416 creates the Kansas motorsports venue protection act, which gives qualifying racetracks and racing facilities immunity from civil lawsuits based on nuisance, taking, or similar legal theories. The protection applies when the motorsports venue was established in Kansas before a nearby property owner bought the property or built residential or commercial structures on it. The bill defines a surrounding property owner as someone owning property within five miles of the facility. The immunity is not absolute. The bill preserves lawsuits alleging a material violation of state or local law, or a condition expressly prohibited by a valid permit for the facility. It also does not protect a venue that has not hosted a competitive vehicle or motorsport race in the four years before the neighboring owner acquired the property. The measure further states that it does not affect unrelated civil actions or limit state or local enforcement authority for other legal violations. In practical terms, the bill changes Kansas civil liability law by limiting certain private claims against long-established motorsports venues, while leaving regulatory enforcement intact. It is aimed at reducing exposure to nuisance and takings litigation from nearby development that occurs after a track is already operating. The bill also includes a severability clause and takes effect upon publication in the statute book. The overall sentiment around HB2416 appears strongly favorable and largely noncontroversial in the recorded votes. It passed the House 118-0, the Senate 38-2, and the House concurrence vote 122-0, indicating broad bipartisan support. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to show detailed arguments in favor or opposition. The main point of contention, based on the bill text itself, is the balance between protecting existing motorsports venues and preserving remedies for neighboring property owners. Supporters likely view the bill as shielding long-standing tracks from nuisance and takings suits tied to later development, while critics may be concerned that it narrows private legal recourse for noise, traffic, or other impacts. The exceptions for legal violations and inactive venues appear designed to address some of those concerns.

Impact

HB2416 amends Kansas civil liability law by creating a specific immunity for motorsports venues and racetracks against nuisance, taking, and similar claims brought by nearby property owners under defined conditions. It does not change general tort law outside that narrow context, and it expressly preserves enforcement actions by the state and local governments for unrelated violations. The bill primarily affects racetrack operators, neighboring landowners within five miles, and courts handling property-rights and nuisance disputes.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition in the recorded votes. It passed the House unanimously, the Senate with only two dissenting votes, and the House concurrence vote unanimously. With no committee transcript available, the public record here suggests the measure was viewed as a targeted protection for motorsports venues rather than a highly contentious policy change.

Contention

The central policy tension is between protecting established racing facilities from lawsuits and preserving the rights of later-arriving neighboring property owners. Opponents, if any, would likely focus on the bill’s restriction of nuisance and takings claims for residents or businesses near tracks, especially where noise, vibration, or traffic are at issue. Supporters would emphasize that the bill is limited to preexisting venues, excludes facilities that have been inactive for four years, and does not block claims based on law or permit violations.

Latest KS HB2416 Activity

View All Events: KS 2025-2026 Regular Session HB2416

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 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 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 SB8

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

KS SCR1602

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

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 SB6

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

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.