Legislative Update by State Senator Caryn Tyson

January 17, 2025

 

With the inauguration of our new president, President Trump, our country is entering into a great period of patriotic renewal.  A return to constitutional government as our forefathers envisioned.  Things are going to change quickly on the federal level.  I am also working with our State Senators to change some things on the State level.

 

Session 2025 has begun, and the Senate didn’t let any “grass grow under their feet”.

There have been over 40 pieces of legislation introduced.  After bills and resolutions are introduced in the Senate, the Senate President assigns them to committees.  Committee work is the focus the first weeks of session.  All bills, hearings, and floor debates can be found at www.KSLegislature.gov.

 

Property Taxable Value Limit, Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1603, is a Constitutional Amendment that would limit increases of your taxable value each year to 3% or less.  It doesn’t limit the appraised value, but creates another variable, “taxable value”, that would be used to calculate your property taxes.  Defined triggers such as selling, remodeling, or adding on to the property would trigger the taxable value to be reset.  These are all current triggers for valuation adjustments.  A Constitutional Amendment is a heavy lift because it must pass both chambers by 2/3 majority and then by a majority of voters.  Currently, the appraised value, also referred to as fair market value or valuation, is used to calculate your property tax bill with no assessment limit.  Over half the states have some type of assessment limit and Kansas would be the 27th state to implement such a limit if SCR 1603 were to become law.  There is opposition to the SCR.  Some say it shifts the property tax burden to different subclasses.  However, if you look back there are years in which the limit would help each subclass.  Others say it moves the system away from fair market value.  How fair is it when your neighbor sells or remodels his property and you must pay higher property taxes as a result?

 

Illegal Immigration is a national issue that is costing taxpayers and putting our security at risk.  Citizens have been attacked and have lost their lives at the hands of people who disregard national law to enter the country and continue to break our laws.  The Committee on Federal and State Affairs, referred to as Fed and State, heard testimony on SCR 1602.  It is a resolution that would strongly encourage the Governor to cooperate and enforce policies and federal law of the Trump Administration.

 

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

Caryn

One thought on “Legislative Update by State Senator Caryn Tyson”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *