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09 Apr

Posted at 09:46h in Advocacy
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April 3 – 6 was the final week of the regular portion of the 2023 Kansas legislative session. It was a busy four days of winding down legislative business with dozens of bills to monitor, punctuated by a marathon session of House and Senate floor debate on bills beginning in the morning on Thursday, April 6 and running overnight before adjourning around 4:45 a.m., on Friday, April 7. The legislature passed an adjournment resolution calling them back to Topeka on April 26 to begin a short Veto Session, where it is anticipated that final action will be...

31 Mar

Posted at 16:39h in Advocacy
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The House and Senate debated dozens of bills over three days this week at the Kansas statehouse. A few bills received final approval from both chambers and are on their way to the Governor, but most of the bills still being debated will be referred to conference committees next week to discuss their potential content and passage. The legislature will continue its work through Thursday, April 6, before taking its first adjournment. Also, this week, the Governor signed four mostly non-controversial bills. There is much work left to be done for lawmakers as they deliberate on bills concerning...

26 Mar

Posted at 17:15h in Advocacy
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There was frenzied committee activity inside the Kansas statehouse this week as the 2023 legislature reached its March 24 deadline for committees to meet and evaluate bills. Next week will include hours of floor debate in the House and Senate. With the legislature’s first adjournment scheduled for April 6, lawmakers contemplated numerous bills concerning rail infrastructure, personal and commercial tax policy, the state budget, public health, and much more.  Annual Personal Property Tax Rendition Senate Bill 8 would reduce statutory penalties for the late filing, or failure to file, of personal property renditions to the county appraiser. Kansas Grain and...

19 Mar

Posted at 12:21h in Advocacy
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As the number of available days for committee work winds down in the 2023 Kansas legislative session, lawmakers put in extra hours this week ushering bills out of their respective committees and spending more time on the House and Senate floor to pass preliminary state agency budgets for fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026. With little more than a week remaining before extended floor debate to close the session, numerous bills are being considered. _______________________ Annual Personal Property Tax Rendition Senate Bill 8 would reduce statutory penalties for the late filing, or failure to file, of personal property renditions to the...

11 Mar

Posted at 13:29h in Advocacy
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This week, the legislature continued its consideration of bills that had passed in the opposite chamber and began finalizing work on general agency budget bills for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026. Most committees only have two weeks remaining this session to meet and consider bills before the full House and Senate begin deliberation. Annual Personal Property Tax Rendition Senate Bill 8 would reduce statutory penalties for the late filing, or failure to file, of personal property renditions to the county appraiser. Kansas Grain and Feed Association testified in support of the measure and explained its importance to our industry...

10 Mar

Posted at 10:13h in Advocacy, Industry News
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Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) joined like-minded agribusiness trade associations on both the state and national level to sign a federal coalition letter to congressional leaders aimed at providing sufficient budgetary resources to write a new bipartisan, multi-year, comprehensive, and meaningful piece of legislation. Among other things, the letter stressed the need for protecting and enhancing crop insurance to assist with volatile weather and crop loss, improving access to voluntary conservation incentives, addressing rural development needs, investing in research for innovation and competitiveness, providing opportunities to help the nation become more energy independent and...

05 Mar

Posted at 10:54h in Advocacy
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This week was the first week following legislative turnaround. Dozens of bills that passed their chamber of origin were read into the opposite chamber and then referred to committees. Following a long weekend, hearings were held on a few bills on Wednesday and Thursday. The legislature will return to work in earnest next week. One major item this week concerned a two-day informational hearing in the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs on the likely negative impacts that would come from the legalization of marijuana in Kansas. Key to this issue is that the House is waiting...

28 Feb

Posted at 10:29h in Advocacy, Industry News
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Kansas Grain and Feed Association’s (KGFA) legislative efforts in 2020 of including grain shippers and other owners of rail siding adjacent to short line rail in the Eisenhower Transportation Plan have again paid dividends as Governor Laura Kelly announced nearly $5 million for nine short line rail projects on Tuesday. “When we successfully helped pass this legislation in 2020, we knew everyone will benefit from this program for many years to come,” Seeber said. “Farmers will see improved rail service to ship their crops and receive inputs to grow them. Rail and shipper employees receive improved safety. Our underserved...

28 Feb

Posted at 10:27h in Advocacy, Industry News
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Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) joined like-minded agribusiness trade associations on both the state and national level to sign a federal coalition letter to congressional leaders aimed at improving supply chain function by aiding truck transportation through the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking Act (SHIP IT). SHIP IT aims to bolster our nation’s driver workforce with two years of tax incentives for qualified drivers, grants to help cover driver schooling costs, and additional options for obtaining commercial drivers’ licenses. The bill also provides authorization for additional parking facilities to help improve drivers’ quality of life. The bill...

25 Feb

Posted at 08:13h in Advocacy
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This was ‘Turnaround Week’ in the Kansas legislature where any bill that was not passed by its chamber of origin, or is not otherwise exempt, will no longer be an active bill this session. The House and Senate debated and passed dozens of bills before adjourning late on Thursday evening. The legislature will return to work next Wednesday, March 1, to begin consideration of the bills passed by the opposite chamber. The major issues remaining for the session include various bills on utility rates, sales taxes on food, a single rate for individual income taxes, and debate on...

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