The tempo in Topeka has picked up. With this week’s bill introduction deadlines, an avalanche of legislation was officially entered into the record for consideration. Committees will be in full swing for the next two weeks as lawmakers work toward the unofficial halfway point of the session later this month.

Education Takes Center Stage

Debates over K-12 education funding and academic outcomes have become as commonplace as student tour groups in the Capitol. This session is no different.

The bottom line: More than 50% of the state’s general fund budget is allocated to K-12 education so it’s easy to see why lawmakers continue to look carefully at the spending. Many lawmakers argue the state’s taxpayers aren’t getting a good ROI for the large investment of tax dollars invested. Public school advocates challenge that assertion and believe our schools do a good job educating the state’s youth despite the myriad of challenges they face.

How we got here: After years of lawsuits, many legislators have grown weary of the amount of K-12 spending resulting from the legal rulings. Legislation allocating public dollars to private schools, authorizing open transfers, and other proposals have increased clashes between school advocates and concerned lawmakers over the past few years.

Here’s a quick look at some of the education legislation pending this session:

Taxes

We told you in earlier editions of this report that one of the big issues of the year would be taxes. The first major tax bill that has advanced would eliminate taxes on social security income.

Why it matters: Lawmakers are concerned that outmigration is hurting Kansas and our current tax structure is harmful to retirees. The provisions of SB 33 would make the full amount of Social Security income free from taxation in Kansas. Currently, taxes are assessed on Social Security income exceeding $75,000.

What’s next: Numerous other tax proposals have been introduced so it is likely that SB 33 and the other tax proposals will be combined into one or more bundled tax bills later in the session.

What's next: Lawmakers will likely look at other ideas including a back-to-school sales tax holiday, accelerating the food sales tax reduction, and more. While the state sits on a cash balance of more than $2 billion, lawmakers are evaluating the proposals carefully. The goal is to ensure that tax cut proposals are balanced with prudent spending decisions to avoid future budgetary shortfalls.

Here’s a look at a few of the more notable tax proposals:

Legislation We’re Tracking

Deadlines for individual and committee bill introductions both occurred this week. There are a handful of exempt committees where essential legislation can still be introduced, but the heavy flow of bills is about to wind down.

By the numbers: As of this writing, 244 bills have been introduced in the Senate and 409 have been introduced in the House.

Looking Ahead

For the next two weeks, legislative committees will focus on bill hearings. Committee chairs yield tremendous power so their decisions on which bills will have a hearing in their committee can make or break a piece of legislation.

These deadlines keep the legislative process moving forward. There are exceptions to the deadlines, but, these key dates signal the end of the line for most of the introduced bills that haven’t passed these legislative hurdles.

What’s next: Here’s a look at a few important bill hearings scheduled for next week.

One fun thing: The Super Bowl is upon us and this is the first time that legal bets can be made on the big game in Kansas. The American Gaming Association predicts that more than 50 million bets will be made on the Chiefs v. Eagles game with wagers exceeding $16 billion.

KS Lottery officials predict that the State will take in approximately $10 million from sports betting by 2025.

Good luck to the Chiefs and to readers who may have placed a wager!