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Committee adds $11 specialty plate fee for FY27, carves out Medal of Honor plates and directs KU parking funds; creates taxpayer advocate
Summary
The Assessment and Taxation Committee approved an $11 specialty plate fee proviso for FY27 to cover license-plate production and mailing costs, exempted Medal of Honor plates, approved moving $5 million toward KU Medical Center employee parking, and directed the Department of Revenue to develop a taxpayer advocate within existing resources.
The Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee moved a set of budget provisos and motions tied to the Kansas Department of Revenue's revenue budget, focusing on recovering the costs of recent license-plate production and distribution.
Committee discussion began with a KLRD fiscal overview and a presentation on the Division of Vehicles' operating fund. Fiscal analyst Jacob Crespi said license-plate production rose during an ARPA-funded modernization project and has not returned to historical levels; production averages about 65,000 plates per month now versus roughly 44,000 previously, creating higher operating costs. Secretary of Revenue Mark Burkhart told the panel that production for a standard plate is "a little under $5" and mailing costs average "a little over $5," saying "just a little over $10 would cover the production and mailing costs for plates."
Senator Francisco moved to add a budget proviso for FY27 imposing an $11 plate fee on personalized and specialty plates so the department could recover production and mailing costs. After discussion about one-year provisos versus statutory changes and how proceeds would be handled administratively, the committee approved the proviso.
The committee separately approved a motion to exempt Medal of Honor recipient plates from the fee. It also approved a motion to redirect $5,000,000 (from amounts covered by the fee change) toward employee parking costs at KU Medical Center; members debated whether state statute prohibits the state from paying for parking and whether KU or KU Medical Center is the owner of the parking facilities, and noted the item will be carried to Ways & Means for further action.
Separately, Senator Peck moved — and the committee approved — a direction for the Department of Revenue to develop a taxpayer-advocate position using existing FTEs and resources (no new appropriation). The committee then discussed broader agency line items and, after questions about restorations and FTEs, laid the remainder of the budget over to allow members more time for review.
The committee's actions were procedural votes recorded in the hearing; the budget discussion will continue at a subsequent meeting.
