Kansas House Committee on Water reviews bill status, reservoir funds and renewed push for dedicated sales-tax funding

At a recent meeting, the Kansas House Committee on Water reviewed the status of several pending bills affecting water policy, discussed reservoir contract funds that currently exceed anticipated obligations and renewed calls for a dedicated sales-tax funding mechanism for statewide water projects.

Committee Chair (name not specified) told members that office records show the book value of the reservoir contract fund is "about 56,634,000," and that the committee earlier set aside $50,000,000 in 2023 to cover reservoir contract payments. The chair said the change from compound to simple interest on contracts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has caused the account to grow, and staff are exploring whether some of the excess could be returned to the state general fund or redirected to water programs.

The funding discussion came alongside updates on multiple bills the committee has tracked. The chair noted the status of the following measures as discussed at the meeting: House Bill 2,085 (extension of water pollution control permits from five to 10 years), House Bill 2,111 (crop acreage cap to 60,000 acres), House Bill 2,112 (operator certification), a funding bill referenced as "20 13" described by the chair as a $22,500,000 appropriation to increase a program referred to as "2,302" funding, House Bill 2014 (watershed district rules and inspections), House Bill 2153 (irrigation districts), and House Bill 2,345 (state agency reorganization). The chair said some bills remain in House agriculture, several are in the Senate, and one—House Bill 2,085—was on the Senate consent calendar.

Representative Bohm argued for a dedicated funding source and suggested several alternatives during discussion. "I would love to legalize weed and then we can use, money from an agricultural product in order to support, our water resources in Kansas," Bohm said, adding that the Blue Ribbon Task Force had recommended a sales-tax carve‑out and that a constitutional amendment could make a dedicated fund more politically feasible.

Representative Stocksdale emphasized bipartisan support for water policy. "I think water is our number 1 issue in the state of Kansas," Stocksdale said, noting that both urban and rural legislators have supported additional attention to water resources.

Representative Pickert urged stronger public education on conservation, noting the state water office has added a position to oversee education. "People are so clueless, really," Pickert said, arguing education should be a larger component of conservation efforts.

Members discussed municipal examples to illustrate funding disparities. The chair highlighted the City of Hays, saying the city reported $3,908,000 in sales-tax revenue in 2023 and has set aside about $35,000,000 toward a project to bring water from the R9 Ranch to Hays and Russell. The chair contrasted that capacity with smaller municipalities receiving reimbursement grants, which must submit invoices and are reimbursed quarterly for approved expenditures.

Committee members also touched on pending task force legislation being considered in the Senate Agriculture Committee; one member noted a Senate amendment reduced the number of task force members to 12 and that additional amendments had been filed. The committee was told Senate Bill 58 was scheduled for a House floor hearing the same day and was not expected to be conferenceable because the committee had not amended it.

Looking ahead, the chair said staff have requested one or two days this summer for a field trip to Tuttle Creek Reservoir to view a sedimentation reduction plan and high‑pressure injection project, pending approval. Members were also reminded of recurring learning opportunities, including the Kansas Geological Survey field tour (planned for the Hutchinson/Wichita area) and the governor's water conference in November in Manhattan.

The committee did not record formal votes or motions on the discussed items during this meeting; members framed the session as an update and planning discussion with follow-up to appropriations staff and the task force expected.

The meeting concluded with committee members thanking staff for their work and agreeing to continue coordination on funding priorities and outreach.