Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB197

Introduced
2/5/25  
Refer
2/6/25  
Report Pass
2/18/25  
Engrossed
2/25/25  
Refer
2/25/25  
Report Pass
3/19/25  
Refer
3/21/25  

Caption

House Substitute for Substitute for SB 197 by Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development - Setting visitor origin requirements for STAR bond projects and providing for enforcement of such requirements, expanding transparency of such projects, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue bonds for such projects, making certain other changes and extending the expiration date of the STAR bonds financing act.

Summary

SB 197 extends the sunset date for Kansas’s STAR bonds financing act. Under current law, the STAR bonds program was scheduled to expire on July 1, 2026; this bill changes that expiration date to July 1, 2030. The bill amends K.S.A. 12-17,179 and repeals the existing version of that statute, while preserving the ability of certain previously approved redevelopment districts to elect application of the act. STAR bonds are a state economic development financing tool used for large tourism, entertainment, and redevelopment projects. By pushing the program’s expiration out four additional years, the bill keeps the statutory framework in place for new and existing STAR bond projects that qualify under the act, and it continues the legal authority for cities and related project sponsors to use this financing mechanism during the extended period.

Impact

The bill directly amends Kansas law governing STAR bond projects by revising K.S.A. 12-17,179 and extending the program’s expiration date from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2030. This affects cities, developers, and other public-private project sponsors that rely on STAR bonds to finance tourism and redevelopment projects, and it preserves the option for certain earlier approved districts to elect coverage under the act. The extension keeps the state’s STAR bonds financing authority available for several more years and delays the program’s sunset.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill had meaningful but not unanimous support. It passed the Senate on emergency final action by a 32-8 vote and later passed the House on emergency final action by an 82-38 vote, with the House conference committee report also adopted by a 74-49 vote. That pattern indicates broad support for continuing the program, but with a substantial minority of legislators opposed or skeptical of extending STAR bonds.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to be whether Kansas should continue and extend the STAR bonds financing program at all, and for how long. Supporters likely viewed the extension as necessary to preserve an economic development tool for tourism and redevelopment projects, while opponents likely questioned the effectiveness, transparency, or fiscal risk of the program. The bill caption also references additional STAR bond changes—such as visitor-origin requirements, enforcement, transparency, and bond issuance authority—suggesting the broader STAR bonds package may have drawn debate over accountability and program oversight, even though the text provided here focuses on the expiration-date extension.

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 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 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 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 SCR1602

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

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

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 SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS SB8

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

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.