Caryn Tyson
April 2, 2021
Property tax transparency – GOOD NEWS FOR TAXPAYERS
Senate Bill 13, which aims to stop automatic property tax increases due to higher valuations, has been signed into law. Local real estate tax authorities are not required to inform and vote on a proposed fund increase until after hearing public comments at an announced meeting in order to proceed with the increase. The new law provides for initial payments for required notices and software changes, removing any excuse for tax increases due to an unfunded mandate. It also allows for normal maintenance of your property without increasing ratings, removes the property tax cap that has not worked due to all the exceptions, and allows the district treasurers to create property tax payment plans. It won't stop the property tax from increasing. However, taxpayers and tax authorities are given the opportunity to be heard before any increases.
I worked diligently for a couple of years on this piece of legislation and other bills to improve the property tax system. I had meetings in places outside of Topeka where I and other lawmakers heard concerns about the property tax that Kansans was paying from across the state. Senate Bill 13 is the result of these concerns. It's a victory for Kansas.
Power plants close
Talk about a Trojan horse – the Senate Substitute for House Bill (S Sub HB) 2072 is definitely one. On the surface, the bill looks like it is helping utility customers. However, it will ultimately lead to much higher electricity bills and set us on the path to a similar disaster in Texas. The bill consisted of two parts. First, some natural gas companies can tie the cost of the extremely high rates during the record stop earlier this year and pass the cost on to customers. Second, utilities can tie up the cost of plant shutdowns and pass them on to retail customers, including the closure of nuclear or coal-fired power plants. Think about it, ongoing debts and costs of plant closure are paid by customers "on behalf of the bondholders, an assignee and other funding parties" until paid in full. It literally says that in the bill. It's a trojan horse that looks good but guarantees higher electricity bills in the long run.
I did what I could to block it. Even more disappointing, the chairman of the committee put the language on a house bill and the house approved the changes. The bill was passed 33 to 7 by the Senate. I voted no.
Reject a veto of SB 50
The governor is considering vetoing SB 50. Members of her tax study group issue messages saying that Biden's version of the Cares Act will require Kansas to repay federal funds when the bill goes into effect. Twenty-one attorneys general (AG) have signed a letter in which they take action against this federal transgression, including our KS AG. Most of the items in SB 50 have been voted on several times since 2018, before Biden's legislation. The main components of SB 50 are: it deals with state income tax increases resulting from the 2017 federal tax cuts, it increases the standard state deduction by $ 500, it provides a language for collecting online sales taxes (which It will stop any income tax liability arising from the stolen identity, align the Kansas income tax filing deadline with federal data, and extend corporate filing by 30 days.
Too many bills
Over 40 bills were passed in the Senate last week – too many to cover in this update. All laws are published online at www.kslegislature.org.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Senator for the 12th county state.
Caryn
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