Governor Laura Kelly Cuts Property Taxes

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly signed bipartisan House Bill 2239, cutting property taxes and giving tax relief to many Kansans. HB 2239 amends property, sales, and income tax laws.

“Our fiscal responsibility has put Kansas back on track,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “We’ve been able to fully fund our schools, fix our roads and bridges, balance the budget, and cut property taxes, providing relief for Kansans. 

“We have the opportunity to help Kansans who are feeling the impact of pandemic-induced inflation. With the largest budget surplus in decades, we can do both – provide property tax relief and finally eliminate the state sales tax on food,” Governor Laura Kelly said.

HB 2239 increases the residential property tax exemption, prorates some personal property taxes, provides homestead property tax refunds to eligible taxpayers, and broadens the property tax reduction authority of county commissioners for property destroyed by disaster.

It also provides tax credits for graduates of aerospace and aviation-related educational programs and employers of program graduates, school and classroom supplies purchased by teachers, contributions to community colleges and technical colleges, and qualified railroad track maintenance expenditures of short line railroads. The bill provides additional personal income tax exemptions for disabled veterans.

The bill also creates a sales tax exemption for the purchase of necessary supplies to reconstruct or repair fencing for agricultural land damaged or destroyed by natural disaster, providing important tax relief to farmers and ranchers impacted by recent wildfires.

More information about HB 2239 can be found here.

Governor Kelly also signed the following bills:

HB 2005 
Excludes hot water supply boilers that have a nominal water capacity not exceeding 120 gallons from the provisions of the boiler safety act; creates the Elevator Safety Act to require safety standards, permit requirements, and insurance coverage for elevator contractors; requires inspections of elevators and licensure for persons installing, repairing, and inspecting elevators; creates an elevator safety advisory board and establishes duties for the state fire marshal.

HB 2087 
Limits the review of certain rules and regulations by the director of the Division of Budget.

HB 2109
Prohibits the disclosure of personal information about a person’s affiliation with a nonprofit organization and continues the of existence certain exceptions to the disclosure of public records under the Open Records Act.