Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Provisos topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves star bond and abortion‑funding provisos, shifts some Meals on Wheels dollars and rejects housing loan expansion
Summary
Lawmakers passed a proviso tightening oversight on STAR bond issuances and another barring state taxpayer funds for abortions not eligible for federal matching. The panel also approved directing part of new Meals on Wheels funding directly to providers and rejected an expansion to use $20 million of an existing housing loan authorization for an impaired multifamily project.
The subcommittee took several policy and budget technical actions late in the day.
Star bond oversight: A proviso from Senator Erickson prevents projects that pay off STAR bonds early from automatically 'piggybacking' additional projects under the same district. If a bond is paid off early, a new tax increment base must be established and issuance must be approved in writing by the Secretary of Commerce and the governing body that created the district. The language applies beginning FY27 and does not disrupt existing multi‑project districts.
Abortion funding restriction: The committee approved a proviso that prohibits KDHE and other agencies from spending state funds to provide, refer for, counsel on, train for, or otherwise promote abortions that are not eligible for federal matching under the Hyde Amendment. Sponsors said the language prevents taxpayer funding for abortions; opponents raised concerns about whether medical training or emergency care would be affected. The sponsor clarified the proviso bars only taxpayer-funded support and does not prohibit private or alternative funding for training.
Meals on Wheels distribution: Senators approved a $3,000,000 SGF add and a distribution proviso directing at least $5,000,000 of total annual funding be distributed directly to service providers rather than routed only through area agencies on aging. The proviso includes quarterly reporting by providers and area agencies showing meals delivered, cost per meal, and wait‑list counts. Supporters said this was a temporary fix for distribution problems identified last year; skeptics raised concerns about reporting burdens and whether the change fully addresses underlying allocation issues.
Housing loan expansion rejected: A motion to allow up to $20,000,000 of an existing $60,000,000 housing loan authorization to be used for an impaired multifamily dwelling in South Central Kansas failed after members raised concerns about precedent, local vs. state responsibility, and the potential for many similar requests statewide.
Other items: The committee approved a rental‑car data request to the Department of Revenue to evaluate whether vehicle purchase sales‑tax exemptions for rental fleets warrant policy change, and adopted language extending a prior FTE vacancy clawback provision into FY27 clarifying 'part of the year' as 60 calendar days.
Next steps: The passed provisos are in the subcommittee package to be reconciled in conference; failed items may be revisited in other forums.
