Committee hears debate over HB 25-78 as farmers, agencies clash over "antique farm vehicle" rule

The House Committee on Transportation heard testimony on House Bill 25-78, which would create a statutory definition of "antique farm vehicle," require a decal for such registrations and extend certain exemptions so owners may register eligible trucks and tractors as antiques rather than as farm or commercial vehicles.

Supporters, including the Kansas Farm Bureau, said the bill addresses inconsistent county practices and restores prior interpretations. John Donnelly of the Kansas Farm Bureau told the committee the bill’s intent is "to basically go back to how it was on 07/07/2025" and said stakeholders were willing to work with agencies on necessary tweaks. Donnelly also said the Department of Revenue's recent guidance memo had the practical effect of increasing costs for farmers, describing the memo as having "plopped a $6,000,000 tax increase on Kansas agriculture."

Young farmers and small operators described personal impacts. Jeremy Erickson of McPherson County said retitling and registration changes would impose high up-front costs on small farms and offered alternatives such as grandfathering existing antique tags or mileage restrictions to limit highway use while preserving antique status for low-mileage farm work.

Department of Revenue and transportation officials opposed or cautioned about the bill on legal and fiscal grounds. Donald Lee of the Division of Vehicles said the July 8 memo clarified existing statute (citing KSA 8-143m) and that enforcement—not a change in law—was the reason county practice shifted. Lee explained the fiscal note scenarios underlying the committee materials: roughly 52,000 vehicles currently registered as farm (under 26,000 pounds) could be eligible to become antique plates under the bill; if a large share converted, recurring registration revenue could fall by millions. Lee summarized the registration math: heavier vehicles are assessed higher, weight-based fees fund highways and related programs, and converting those vehicles to one-time or much smaller antique fees would reduce those user-based revenues.

Representatives of the Kansas Department of Transportation reinforced the funding concern. Joel Skelly said the weight-based registration structure exists because heavier vehicles cause more road damage and therefore pay higher fees; shifting many vehicles off that structure creates a potential shortfall for highway maintenance and projects.

Opponents also flagged administrative complications. Revenue staff said the state moved away from decals in its plate system and that reintroducing a registration identifier would require system and vendor work. Federal heavy-use tax and auditing obligations were raised as additional complexity for the Department of Revenue.

Committee members asked for more detailed data. Multiple legislators requested historic conversion rates from prior antique-plate changes and county-level information to refine fiscal estimates. Chair encouraged stakeholders and agencies to pursue a subcommittee or interagency discussion to resolve conflicts before the committee acts.

The committee closed the hearing on HB 25-78 with no formal committee vote recorded; members were urged to continue stakeholder work and bring proposals back to a future meeting.