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26 Mar

Posted at 17:16h 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. Water Bank Participation in MYFA Senate Bill 205 would amend the Kansas water banking act to authorize certain water rights in a water...

19 Mar

Posted at 12:24h 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. Senate Advances Budget Bill On Thursday evening, the Senate advanced its initial budget bill (Sen Sub for Senate...

11 Mar

Posted at 13:31h 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. Water Bank Participation in MYFA Senate Bill 205 would amend the Kansas water banking act to authorize certain water rights in a water bank to temporarily participate in multi-year flex accounts. In a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Big...

10 Mar

Posted at 10:14h in Advocacy, Industry News
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Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association Association (KARA) 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...

05 Mar

Posted at 10:53h 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...

28 Feb

Posted at 10:31h in Advocacy, Industry News
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Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) 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...

25 Feb

Posted at 08:14h 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...

19 Feb

Posted at 09:34h in Advocacy
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Most committee work for the first half of the 2023 Kansas legislative session wrapped up this week. Some committees will still meet Monday, Feb. 20 and Tuesday, Feb. 21, before legislators finish out the week debating bills on the floor. This week saw advancement of a water policy bill and a water funding bill from the House Water Committee. Next week, the House and Senate Utilities committees look to take final action on multiple bills seeking to provide lower costs of electric utilities. Water Policy Bill Placing New Requirements on GMDs This...

11 Feb

Posted at 13:40h in Advocacy
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This week was the last week for new bills to be introduced in either chamber in 2023, unless brought forward through an “exempt committee,” such as tax or appropriations. Committees will be busy holding hearings next week, as all hearings and other action on most bills must be completed by Tuesday, Feb. 21. A water policy bill was heard in the House Water Committee this week, to be followed by a water funding bill next week. Utilities committees in both the House and Senate were very busy this week, and next,...

04 Feb

Posted at 09:30h in Advocacy
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2023 Legislative Session Continues Legislative committees held many hearings on bills this week as new legislation continues to be introduced. A water bill was introduced and quickly scheduled for hearing. Utilities committees in the House and Senate have scheduled hearings on numerous bills concerning utility rates. Committees have also begun to review agency budgets, and the Senate held a hearing this week on a bill seeking to transfer another $1 billion into the budget stabilization fund. Next week, the House Committee on Agriculture will hold a hearing on a Senate Resolution...

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