Sunflower State Journal

State economic forecasters on Wednesday boosted their tax revenue estimates by $760 million over two years, leaving Kansas with an ending balance of $3.1 billion and firing up the debate over how fast the food sales tax should be eliminated. The state is anticipated to roll up about $9.3 billion in taxes for the current fiscal year ending in June, up from last fall's estimate of about $8.9 billion. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Gov. Laura Kelly signed new budget Tuesday that brings an end to the "irresponsible practice" of using hundreds of millions of dollars in state highway funds to bankroll other parts of state government. The new $15.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2023 does not call for moving any money out of the highway fund, a practice Kelly started to end after she became governor. Over the years, dating as far back as 2001, the state has used billions from transportation to help backfill other parts of the state budget. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed a bill offering a package of tax credits and property tax cuts that's estimated to cost  $310 million over three years. The tax package included 25 provisions, including tax credits for teachers buying school supplies, a credit for donations to community colleges for capital improvements and a sales tax exemption for replacing fencing destroyed in wildfires. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday vetoed a bill barring local governments from regulating plastic grocery bags and other material, saying it was an issue that should be left in the hands of local government. “This issue is a local decision, and it should be left to local governments based on what’s best for their constituents, stakeholders, and businesses in their community,” Kelly said in a statement. “As this bill advanced through the process, no evidence was provided demonstrating why the Legislature had a compelling public interest to repeal city and county local control and home rule over these matters. The Legislature [...]

The Kansas Legislature took a significant step toward authorizing sports wagering Wednesday when the House passed a bill bringing a new form of electronic gaming to the Kansas market known as historic horse racing. The House voted 88-36 to approve what was portrayed as a "grand compromise" that's been vigorously negotiated behind the scenes for the last several months and had support from three of the state's four casinos. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Gov. Laura Kelly is getting behind efforts of a broad coalition of business and government interests to get the Legislature to approve $50 million to help solve a rural housing shortage. The governor announced a $50 million budget amendment on Tuesday that would be transferred to the State Housing Trust Fund administered by the Kansas Housing Resource Corp. Source: Sunflower State Journal

The Senate on Monday agreed to expand a development incentive enticing residents to move from urban parts of the Kansas to rural areas as part of program intended to keep  the state from draining population. The chamber approved a bill extending the state’s rural opportunity zone program to Kansans who move from Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte counties to rural areas that have lost population. The program has already been under scrutiny with a 2020 study suggesting it has not boosted the state’s population like it had been hoped while lawmakers have expressed concern that it has gotten overly [...]

The first major piece of tax legislation cleared the state Senate on Monday, offering a package of tax credits and property tax cuts that are believed to be worth $157 million in the first year. The Senate tax package included elements of several bills tied together, including tax credits for teachers buying school supplies and a general tax break on school taxes. Source: Sunflower State Journal

These should be good times for Norton County. It’s got four companies ready to invest $6 million in expansions, adding about three dozen jobs. Plus, area businesses have posted another 185 job openings. All welcome news in this northwest Kansas county with a population of 5,459. But there’s a catch. The county has so few homes available that it’s not only struggling to attract employees to fill existing openings, but fighting to meet the demands of new development. It’s a problem facing all parts of the state especially western Kansas, which has prompted a broad coalition of business and government interests [...]

A bill barring local governments from regulating plastic grocery bags and other material easily cleared the Senate on Wednesday. The Senate passed the bill 27-13, answer calls for the Legislature to bring consistency to state regulations for so-called “auxiliary containers,” which include bags, cup, packages, containers and bottles. The bill now goes to the House. Supporters of the legislation said that when cities try to limit or ban certain types of containers it leads to a “hodgepodge” of regulations that vary from one jurisdiction to the next and cause confusion for businesses. “This does not prohibit anyone from choosing to use [...]