Kansas Senate Bill SB13

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/16/25
• Refer: 1/17/25
• Report Pass: 2/6/25
• Engrossed: 2/25/25
• Refer: 2/25/25
• Report Pass: 3/18/25
• Enrolled: 3/25/25
• Passed: 4/10/25

Caption

Eliminating requirements for filings, registrations and licenses related to labor organizations, educational facility agreements, annual tax reports, river bank easements and bonded warehousemen with the secretary of state.

Summary

SB 13 is a housekeeping and deregulation bill that removes a series of filing, registration, reporting, and licensing requirements from the Secretary of State’s duties and related statutes. It eliminates the requirement for labor organizations to file constitutions, bylaws, annual reports, and associated fees; removes filing requirements for certain reciprocal agreements involving the state board of regents; and ends the requirement that the secretary of revenue file certain annual tax-indebtedness and abatement reports with the secretary of state. The bill also repeals the requirement that certain riverbank easements be filed with the secretary of state and eliminates the licensing framework for bonded warehousemen. In addition to removing filing obligations, the bill amends several labor-related statutes to conform to the deletion of labor-organization filing and licensing provisions. It also updates provisions governing agricultural employee organizations, state payroll dues deductions, tax abatement records, and conservation easements on state river property. Several sections are repealed outright, including older provisions tied to labor organization registration and warehouse licensing, and the bill directs that the revised act take effect upon publication in the statute book. The bill’s practical impact is to reduce administrative filings and public-record obligations across multiple subject areas, shifting some information away from the Secretary of State’s office and, in some cases, eliminating state-level recordkeeping requirements altogether. Affected parties include labor organizations, agricultural employee organizations, the state board of regents, the secretary of revenue, the Kansas water office, bonded warehouse operators, and taxpayers subject to certain abatement reporting rules. The bill does not create new regulatory programs; instead, it pares back existing ones and updates cross-references to match the reduced filing structure. The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history was strongly favorable and bipartisan. The Senate passed the bill 40-0, and the House passed it 121-2, indicating broad agreement that the measure was largely technical or administrative in nature. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate substantial opposition. The main points of potential contention are the policy choices to eliminate public filing and reporting requirements in areas involving labor organizations, tax abatements, and warehouse licensing. Those changes could be viewed as reducing transparency or public access to records, while supporters likely see them as unnecessary paperwork reduction and statutory cleanup. The near-unanimous votes suggest any concerns were limited and did not prevent broad legislative support.

Impact

SB 13 amends and repeals multiple Kansas statutes to remove or narrow filing, registration, reporting, and licensing requirements administered by the secretary of state and related agencies. It affects labor organization filings and business-agent licensing, agricultural employee organization reporting, reciprocal higher-education agreements, tax abatement reporting, riverbank easement filings, and bonded warehouseman licensing. The bill also repeals several obsolete or duplicative sections, reducing statutory duties for state agencies and regulated parties and changing what records must be maintained as public records.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been viewed as a broadly acceptable administrative cleanup measure. It passed the Senate 40-0 and the House 121-2, showing overwhelming bipartisan support. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into detailed debate, but the vote totals suggest little controversy and a general consensus in favor of simplifying or eliminating outdated filing requirements.

Contention

The likely areas of contention are the bill’s removal of public filing and reporting requirements, especially for labor organizations and tax-related abatements, because those changes can reduce transparency and public oversight. Labor-related provisions may also draw attention because they alter long-standing registration and licensing rules. However, the recorded votes show that any objections were minimal, and no specific opposing arguments were captured in the provided materials.