Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB235

Introduced
2/6/25  

Caption

Making it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, use or distribute certain seeds coated with a pesticide that contains a neonicotinoid unless otherwise ordered by the governor.

Summary

SB 235 would prohibit, beginning January 1, 2028, the sale, offer for sale, use, or distribution in Kansas of seeds coated or treated with certain neonicotinoid pesticides. The listed active ingredients are clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, dinotefuran, and acetamiprid. The bill is aimed at seed treatments rather than broader pesticide use, and it applies statewide to any person handling such treated seed. The bill also creates a limited exception mechanism. The governor, after consulting with the secretary of agriculture, may suspend the prohibition for up to one year by executive order if there is no commercially available untreated seed or if requiring untreated seed would create undue financial hardship for agricultural producers. Any suspension must identify the specific type of seed covered. The measure is supplemental to existing Kansas agriculture law in chapter 2, article 47 and would take effect upon publication in the statute book.

Impact

SB 235 would add a new restriction to Kansas agricultural and pesticide law by making certain neonicotinoid-treated seeds unlawful to sell, offer, use, or distribute after the effective date. It would directly affect seed suppliers, distributors, retailers, and farmers who purchase treated seed, while also giving the governor temporary emergency authority to waive the ban for specific seed types under defined conditions. The bill would likely influence seed sourcing, crop planning, and pesticide-use practices across the state.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the materials supplied. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a precautionary approach to pesticide regulation, with a built-in flexibility provision intended to address supply shortages and producer hardship. The structure suggests an attempt to balance environmental or public-health concerns with agricultural practicality.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely to be whether Kansas should prohibit neonicotinoid-treated seed at all, given concerns about pesticide impacts versus the agronomic benefits of seed treatments. Potential supporters may emphasize environmental protection, pollinator health, and reduced pesticide exposure, while opponents may focus on crop protection, seed availability, and costs to producers. The governor’s waiver authority and the hardship exception indicate that access to untreated seed and economic impacts on farmers are likely the central issues in any debate.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB6

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

KS SB8

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

KS SCR1601

Informing the Governor that the two houses of the Legislature are organized and ready to receive communications.

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 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 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 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 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 HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.