March 7, 2025
Work continues as we have 7 working days left for committees to meet for the 2025 session. The Senate passed property tax legislation early in session. Hopefully, we will see movement on this important legislation in the next week or two. All legislation can be found at www.KSLegislature.gov.
Electing State Supreme Court Justices passed the Senate in Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1611, a constitutional amendment that passed on a vote of 27 to 13. If SCR 1611 passes the House with a two-thirds majority, voters will have an opportunity to decide if they want to change the selection process for state supreme court justices. Currently, the governor appoints a nominating committee that provides three candidates, from which the governor makes the final appointment. SCR 1611 would create a process where the voters would elect state supreme court justices. It was reported 22 states currently have some type of election process. For several years debate has continued over changing the process. The Court of Appeals selection process changed with Senate approval, and it’s proven to be a good thing. A few years ago, the Governor nominated a person that didn’t get one Yes vote – not a single one. I voted Yes on SCR 1611.
Child Support would include retirement accounts when attempting to collect child support if Senate Bill (SB) 237 becomes law. These are never easy decisions, but the bill passed the Senate unanimously.
Ballots will be due on election day, doing away with the three-day grace period after election day if SB 4 passes into law. The bill passed the Senate and was sent to the House, where it was amended to delay the start until 2026 elections instead of 2025. While this delay is disappointing, the Senate opted to concur instead of having a conference committee negotiate the start date. The Senate passed the change 30 to 10. I voted Yes to send the bill to the Governor.
The Property Tax Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) currently charges for some appeals. Some tax protesters must pay a filing fee each year until the case is heard. SB 269 would change this so that the fee is good until the case is heard, no matter how many years it takes, resulting in a one-time filing fee. It is just common-sense. The bill passed the Senate unanimously.
BOTA also needs more staff to deal with all the appeals. SCR 1603 would help decrease the number of appeals, limiting taxable valuation increases to a maximum of 3% each year. The Senate passed this measure in February. I spoke with some constituents this week who want the opportunity to vote on on this measure since it is a constitutional amendment. First, it must pass the House with a two-thirds majority before appearing on the ballot for voters. If it passes, it would take effect January 1st, 2026.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn