2023 Senate Scene Week 4
Senate Happenings
Last week, the Senate standing committees continued to hold hearings and bring forward legislation. Over 440 bills have been introduced in both Chambers. Senate Ways and Means Committee is starting to work the budget bill with subcommittee meetings to report to the full committee in a few weeks as well as standing committees preparing to send bills out to the Senate floor for debate and votes.
SNAPSHOT OF THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE 2023
The Kansas Senate consists of 40Senators – 28 Republicans, 11 Democrats, one Independent with 16 women and 24 men. Eleven Senators live in cities of 100,000+ population, ten with 20,000 to 100,000, six with 5,000-20,000 and six with 2,000-5,000 and seven with 0-2,000 (this an increase of one over last year). The Kansas House of Representatives consists of 125 with eighty-five Republicans and 40 Democrats with 33 women and 92 men.
JOINT RULES APPROVED
Last week, the Kansas Senate adopted Joint Rules for the 2023-24 biennium, which combined with chamber-specific rules, govern how the legislature operates and processes legislation, including various deadlines for bills to make it through the process. With the Kansas House having previously adopted the joint rules, the legislature is now fully operational for the next two sessions.
Tax Committee – SB 60
Over the summer, I was approached by constituents asking about sales tax at locker plants. I asked for SB 60 to be drafted. If passed, it would provide a sales tax exemption for service of slaughtering, butchering, custom cutting, dressing, processing, and packaging of an animal for human consumption when the animal is owned by and is intended for consumption by the customer. The sales tax exemption would go into effect on July 1, 2023. This bill would be a continued cost savings on food as we discuss food sales tax reductions and also note - Nebraska does not tax processing of meat so an extra boost to our companies along the northern border of Kansas. A hearing was held on February 2nd in the Senate Tax Committee with Farm Bureau and Kansas Livestock Association testifying in favor as well.
Kansas Tourism – Kansas Department of Commerce
In honor of the state’s 162nd birthday, Kansas Tourism Kansas Department of Commerce released a video that showcases the values and essence of the Sunflower State set to lyrics penned 150 years in the past. The video pays tribute to the state song, Home on the Range, originally penned 150 years ago near Athol in Senate District #36. The Department indicated that the Kansas Day video, set to the famous song, highlights the uniqueness of the state. From scenic prairies and large night skies to urban and vibrant moments. The video showcases how the lyrics still ring true a century-and-a-half later.
APEX – Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion Act – 2023 MEGAPROJECT APPROVED
Last year, the Republican legislature adopted the “APEX Bill” that allows the Department of Commerce to negotiate a megaproject once a year as long as the policy is in place. APEX stands for Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion, and allows for incentives to be offered to attract targeted
industries that plan to invest more than $1 billion to the Kansas economy by expansion or relocation of their business anywhere in Kansas.
Near this time of last year, Panasonic decided to build a battery plant in De Soto. This week, it was announced that Integra Technologies will build a new semiconductor factory in Wichita as a result of an incentive package offered under the APEX bill. According to the Department of Commerce, it is the second largest economic development project in state history – with the first being the Panasonic project. The agreement with Integra was approved by the State Finance Council on Thursday. Integra Technologies is the largest U.S. OSAT Company providing semiconductor back-end services to companies worldwide.
The employee-owned company’s headquarters is in Wichita. Benefits to the project include $1.8 billion in capital investment, 2,000 high-quality jobs paying around $51,000 in wages, a boost to an important sector of the Kansas economy, and assisting reducing recent risks identified in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain.
Integra was founded in Wichita 40 years ago and is an employee-owned company (ESOP) with operations in Wichita and Silicon Valley, providing high-quality OSAT services for more than 500 active customers, including many from critical infrastructure sectors such as the military, aerospace, medical, aviation, automotive, commercial, and industrial.
Tax Reduction for existing Kansas Corporations
This newest project will also result in the reduction of taxes for all Kansas businesses. Under the APEX bill, upon the successful location of an APEX project, the corporate income tax in Kansas will be reduced by 0.5%. So, as a result of both the Panasonic and Integra projects, the corporate tax rates will drop a total of 1% - which will benefit all corporations in Kansas.
KANSAS 988 – SB 19 FROM 2022- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
In June 2022, Governor Kelly signed Senate Bill 19, bipartisan legislation to create the state’s three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. A press release on February 1st noted that since the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was launched in July, it has seen a nearly 27% increase in call volume compared to the previous six months. Based on national projections, it indicated Kansas is expected to reach 120,000 calls in the first full year of operation.
The hotline has been backed by federal funds, with the idea that just like 911 – 988 is easier to remember in a crisis. The 988 line can also accept text messages. Those who call or text will be connected to a local crisis center for help and also online https://988lifeline.org/chat/.
STATE TREASURERS’ OFFICE - Senate District #36 has over $1.3M in unclaimed funds
Feb. 1st is marked as National Unclaimed Property Day, and the Kansas State Treasurers’ Office says there is quite a bit of money left unclaimed in Kansas. “Our office currently holds more than $500 million in unclaimed property for Kansans,” Kansas Treasurer Steven Johnson said in a news release. “It is estimated that one in 10 people nationwide has unclaimed property – so it’s worth checking regularly to see if you, your family, or friends have funds available to claim. The news release says the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) estimates that nearly 33 million people in the United States have unclaimed property. This amount could be in financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for a number of years.
When the company cannot locate the owner, the assets are given to the state. Some of those assets could be unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, and unused rebate cards.
It is free for Kansans to search for and claim unclaimed property, and the news release says to be wary of third-party individuals offering to assist in filing claims for a fee. While some operate legally, there are also bad actors who use the promise of assistance as a hook for scams. Feel free to call my office in Topeka to check for your name or visit https://www.kansasstatetreasurer.com.
KANSAS ATTORNEY CONSUMER ALERT – Consumer Protection
Keep your defenses up when shopping for Super Bowl fan gear, ticket packages.
The Kansas Attorney General’s office advises consumers to protect themselves against purchasing counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise. “We are of course proud of the Kansas City Chiefs’ success this season and excited to see them once again in the Super Bowl,” Deputy Attorney General Fran Oleen from the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division said. “Chiefs’ fans should keep up their guard against scammers selling fake merchandise or bogus tickets, looking to make a quick buck off the team’s success.”
Oleen offers the following tips for making a purchase related to the Super Bowl:
Buying tickets: Purchase tickets through a verified source. Consumers can purchase guaranteed tickets and travel packages through the Kansas City Chiefs’ official website. Additionally, the National Football League (NFL) uses the platform TicketMaster, and guarantees the authenticity of the tickets sold through that retailer as well. The NFL also provides an official ticket resale marketplace called the NFL Ticket Exchange, also provided through TicketMaster.
Be wary of purchasing tickets from someone you don’t know on Craigslist, eBay, or other similar person-to-person marketplace or auction sites. Do not pay for tickets with cash, wire transfer, gift cards or pre-paid money transfer, as these payment methods are difficult to trace or recover. If you pay by credit card and the tickets turn out to be fake, you can dispute the charge. If you plan on using a mobile wallet or peer-to-peer payment service, be sure you understand the protections the service provides before making a transaction. Beware of phone scams. Scammers may use numbers that appear local offering discounted tickets sold online. Be sure to purchase tickets through a verified source. As always, be wary of advertisements with very low prices.
Check the tag: All officially licensed NFL products will bear the league’s shield on the tag. If the tag on the merchandise doesn’t have the shield, it may be counterfeit. A good indication of official merchandise includes where it is manufactured and the quality of the logo on the item.
Door-to-door and ‘pop-up stand’ sales. According to Kansas law, consumers have three days to cancel any purchase made for merchandise over $25 if the purchase is made at the consumer’s home, or any location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business or local address. Kansas door-to-door statutes regulate sales, for example, from "pop-up" sidewalk stands and tents in parking lots. Kansas law requires the sales receipt to be in the same language as the sales presentation, be dated, show the name and address of the seller, be in a large legible font, and explain the consumer’s right to cancel. The seller must provide written and verbal notice of this right to cancel, along with the seller’s contact information, at the time of the purchase. Consumers who cancel the transaction should do so by certified mail for tracking purposes. Sellers are required to refund the consumer’s money within 10 days of receiving the cancellation.
Consumers who believe they may have fallen victim to a Super Bowl-related scam, or any scam, should contact their local law enforcement, or call the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 800 432-2310. File complaints at www.InYourCornerKansas.org.
Local Award-Winning Student from Senate District 36 –State Winner – Jocelyn Leanna!
Jocelyn Leanna, Agra, was chosen as the north-central regional and overall state winner of the League of Kansas Municipalities’ “My City, My Home” essay contest. She attended the Mayor’s Luncheon with her teacher Kelsi Blew and her parents, and was honored in an awards presentation in Topeka for Local Government Day on January 25th. She received an award plaque and a check for $250. You can find her essay at https://www.facebook.com/LeagueofKansasMunicipalities.
As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the last few weeks before turn-around. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.
Thank you for the honor of serving you!
Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
785-296-7389
https://elainebowers.com/
www.kslegislature.org
Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas which includes:
* Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties
* Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer and Logan
* Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Greenwood, Plum, Rushville, Solomon (part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut