Committee advances amendments to Star Bonds bill, delays final vote until noon tomorrow

A Kansas Senate committee on Senate Bill 197 advanced a package of amendments to the Star Bonds Financing Act and postponed a final vote until a noon session the following day.

The committee agreed to extend the Act’s sunset date to July 1, 2030; to remove a statutory grant of eminent-domain authority specifically for Star Bond districts; to change when and how information about Star Bond projects must be posted on the Kansas Department of Commerce website; to require quarterly visitor ZIP-code reporting from entities in Star Bond districts; and to bar state general funds from being pledged to repay Star Bond debt while allowing use of federal funds under certain committee changes.

The items matter because they touch on how local governments acquire property for large development projects, how much project and fiscal information is publicly available, which revenue sources may be used to repay Star Bond debt, and what oversight the state has over deals anchored by the Department of Commerce.

On the bill's sunset and eminent-domain authority, an advisor to the committee summarized the effect: “Senate Bill 197 would extend the sunset [of the Star Bonds Financing Act] to 07/01/2030,” and explained that one amendment would remove the specific 2007 statutory grant that allowed cities and counties to use eminent domain to acquire property for Star Bond districts. The advisor told members…