1.1.25 – Topeka Capital-Journal – Jason Alatidd
The start of a new year is also ushering in the start of new laws going into effect in Kansas.
While it is far more common for new laws to take effect on July 1 following legislative sessions in the spring — there were 101 new laws from the 2024 legislative session that went into effect July 1 — there are a handful of laws taking effect Jan. 1, 2025.
Here are five of those new laws, all of which were bipartisan when they were passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.
Kansas food sales tax cut
Grocery shoppers will pay less sales tax starting Jan. 1, when the state sales tax on food is full eliminated.
House Bill 2106, which was passed in 2022, has gradually reduced the state’s 6.5% sales tax as applied to grocery food. Under the law, the state rate hits 0% on Jan. 1, 2025. Local sales taxes still apply.
Pay raise for Kansas lawmakers
Legislators are getting a big pay raise starting in January with the new legislative session thanks to Senate Bill 229, which was passed in 2023.
While Kansas lawmakers didn’t technically give themselves a pay raise, they did set up a mechanism where a commission would decided on a pay raise unless the Legislature took action to stop it, which it didn’t.
The starting base salary for the 165 lawmakers is now $43,000 a year, with more for leadership, extra compensation for meetings outside of session and a subsistence allowance to cover expenses.
While comparison with prior compensation are imperfect and estimates vary, the new base salary is nearly double the previous compensation.
New specialty license plates
Senate Bill 359 authorizes several new distinctive license plates that Kansas drivers can pick from. While the law technically went into effect on July 1, the new license plates weren’t allowed to be issued until Jan. 1.
The new license plates are for the Topeka Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City Current, Support the Troops and First City of Kansas.
Restricted driving privileges
Senate Bill 500, which deals with restricted driving privileges, takes effect Jan. 1.
The new law is intended to prevent drivers who can’t afford to immediately pay a ticket for a traffic infraction from having their driver’s license suspended.
Under the old law, an unpaid ticket could lead to a suspension after 30 days, while the new law allows for a restriction instead so that Kansans can still drive to work, school or church as they pay off the fine.
Money transmission oversight
House Bill 2560 updates several state financial laws. That includes provisions effective Jan. 1 related to money transmission and oversight by the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner.
Other provisions went into effect on July 1, such as updates to the banking code, allowing children in foster care to get bank accounts without a cosigner and establishing state regulation of earned wage access services that provide employers and employees with pay-on-demand instead of waiting for pay day.
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.