And they’re off!  The Kansas Legislature 2023 session began 1/9/23 with new House members and new Senators taking an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas Constitution.  It is a good reminder for us all.

Committee Work:  Kansas operates on a two-year bill cycle.  Bills that did not become law last year died and so we start over in odd years.  There have been several bill introductions which include those I requested, such as removing state income tax on Social Security and increasing standard deductions based on inflation (much like the federal income tax code).  This session appears to be lining up to help the people of Kansas.

Property Tax Relief:  During the 2022 session, there were several changes to tax law.  One change is a first step in a property tax freeze for low income seniors and disabled veterans.  There are restrictions on property taxes in the KS Constitution and so the program is a rebate program administered by the KS D:epartment of Revenue (KDOR).

Applications for property tax relief can be found at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/pdf/k-40svr.pdf.  To qualify for the ‘freeze’ a household annual income must be $50,000 or below, a homeowner must be 65 years or older, and the value of the home cannot be above $350,000.  A disabled veteran must be at least 50% disabled.  Property taxes are still paid to the county and then a homeowner may apply to KDOR for a refund on their increase, resulting in a freeze.  Applications must be submitted by April 18, 2023.  The legislature will take another look at the program this year to allow more seniors to qualify.

Another property tax cut was a slight decrease for all homeowners on the K-12 20 mil obligation.  That reduction increases every year based on inflation.  There is no application required for this reduction.

To help small storefront businesses shutdown or negatively impacted by the Governor’s shutdown during COVID, the legislature established a program to provide some property tax relief.  Details of the program can be found at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/taxnotices/notice22-04.pdf.  Applications can be found by going to the KDOR website www.ksrevenue.gov and scrolling down to the application link Kansas Department of Revenue Home Page www.ksrevenue.gov Official Website of the Kansas Department of Revenue (https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/Misc/PropTaxAssistance/StoreFront).

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn