There will several new laws in Kansas come the end of this week.
One bill passed last year has a fresh start on New Year’s Day. Senate Bill 4 is significant because it ends the three-day grace period for election mail ballots, meaning advance ballots have to be at Election Offices across the state by 7 pm on a given Election Day.
Other bills approved last year add to laws that started going into effect this past July. Among them:
*Watercraft are now exempt from personal property taxes, as are off-road vehicles and certain motorized bikes, scooters and trailers
*Statewide property taxes for education building funds will be replaced by state general fund dollars
*House Bill 2334 made several changes to insurance laws that went into effect last summer. Details about reduced insurance company premium tax rates and discontinued tax remittance payments begin Thursday
*HB 2122 increases vehicle registration fees. License fees for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles go up Thursday, depending on the category, while there are now new license fees for all-electric motorcycles, electric trucks and electric truck tractors weighing up to 12,000 pounds
*HBs 2201 and 2235 set up new license plate options for Kansas FFA Foundation, Route 66 Association of Kansas and Hunter Nation, as well as a new blackout option. The Route 66 plate will be available later this year.
*HB 2359 developed the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act and the Kansas Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and Protective Arrangements Act. References to electronic signatures in the Global and National Commerce Act take effect Thursday
*HB 2025 raises the age for marriage consent to 18 and ends exceptions
*Senate Bill 236 lets victims of substantiated abuse and/or neglect investigations access all records in their cases
*SB 239 adds 100 months to sentences for fentanyl distribution leading to a child’s death
Among the things to be determined this year is how Kansas Supreme Court justices are elected. A constitutional amendment through Senate Concurrent Resolution 1611 would end the merit-based appointment system, replacing it with popular elections and six-year terms for justices starting in 2028. The amendment will be voted on during the primary election cycle.
