Legislative Update
March 11, 2022
CEP has a rich history of advocacy. We respond to rapidly evolving climate and energy issues by mobilizing Kansans to take action through advocacy, coalition building, legislative action, and regulatory intervention.
We’re nearing the end of committees’ time to meet and work bills. Next week is the last week for Committees to meet. If bills don’t get a hearing by the end of the week, they will not move out of committee.
This week, the Senate Utilities Committee held a hearing Wednesday for SB 478 and worked the bill Thursday. The bill was tabled in committee.
The House Commerce Committee had a hearing Wednesday on HB 493, the preemption bill that prohibits local governments from banning plastic bag use, other food & beverage containers, and transportation or protection of merchandise, food or beverages.
- Introduced by Senator Olson.
- Original and current bill sponsor: Committee on Federal and State Affairs.
- Passed the Senate 27-13.
- House received and introduced Mar. 1.
- Referred to House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development.
- Hearing Mar. 9 at 1:30 p.m. in room 346-S. Recording available here.
HB 493 has not been worked by the committee, but we anticipate that will happen next week.
View last week’s legislative update on our website.
Live and recorded hearings can be viewed on the Statehouse Live & Archive Page.
Bills We’re Watching
SB 374 – Discontinuing the property tax exemption for new developments of renewable energy resources. Introduced Jan. 24 by Senator Mike Thompson. Bill sponsor: Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs. Referred to Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation.
- Hearing scheduled Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 9:30 AM Room 548-S. CEP will be providing written testimony.
HB 2689 – Limiting cost recovery of replacing coal-fired electric generation facilities in rates, requiring public utilities to purchase certain electricity generated from coal-fired facilities and exempting certain coal-fired electric generation facilities from regulation. Introduced Feb. 10 and sponsored by the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs. Referred to House Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications. No hearing has been set.
HB 2696 – Establishing electric generation requirements for certain renewable energy resources that provide baseload generation supply to public utilities. Requested for introduction by Representative Barker (R-District 70). Introduced Feb. 11 and sponsored by the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs. Referred to House Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications. No hearing has been set.
Live and recorded hearings can be viewed on the Statehouse Live & Archive Page.
Support Safe & Welcoming Wyandotte
Our friends and neighbors in Wyandotte need help with preemption bill HB 2717! Below are suggested actions from the Safe & Welcoming Wyandotte Coalition.
HB 2717 was introduced in the Kansas legislature at the behest of Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt shortly after the passage on February 10th by the Wyandotte County Board of Commissioners of the Safe and Welcoming City Act. The Act will provide a municipal photo ID to the thousands or residents of Wyandotte County who have no ID and to others who would like an ID showing they live in Wyandotte County. The ordinance also strictly limits Unified Government employees including police from compromising public trust in them by cooperating with ICE unless they are presented with a judicial warrant or the public safety is at risk.
A few Kansas legislators are trying to undermine the Coalition’s victory in passing Safe and Welcoming Wyandotte.
Sign up today to support Safe and Welcoming efforts using this link!
The hearing is this Tuesday, March 15th at 9:00 AM Room 346-S. There are multiple actions you can take with us in this effort:
- Attend training on delivering testimony. This online training will happen Saturday, March 12, 9-10am.
- Deliver in person testimony. The Federal and State Affairs committee in the Kansas House of Representatives will hold a hearing on Tuesday, March 15, beginning at 9am.
- Deliver written testimony. If you can’t be at the committee hearing, you can still submit written testimony, which must be submitted by 9am Monday, March 14.
- Attend the committee hearing. Even if you can’t give testimony, our collective presence send a strong message that Kansas wants to be a safe and welcoming state. Show up to the state capitol and wear yellow!
Kansas Rural Center Policy Watch
CEP is a 2022 co-sponsor of the Kansas Rural Center’s Policy Watch weekly e-updates. KRC monitors the state legislature for decisions affecting a diversified agriculture, the environment, our natural resource base, rural communities, and our local and regional food systems. The weekly e-updates also provide information about upcoming hearings, so constituents can contact legislators or attend.
Issue No. 10 Covered: public water supply, income and housing tax credits, food sales tax update, employment requirements for food assistance, redistricting pause, energy bill updates, and introduced constitutional amendments.
Read and subscribe to their latest issues on their website.
