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28 Apr

Posted at 16:52h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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Renew Kansas Biofuels Association coordinated efforts with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly to urge President Joe Biden and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to grant an emergency waiver lifting the restriction on 2023 summer sales of E15 fuel. E15 is a lower cost, high-octane fuel offering environmental benefits through lower emission and a reduction on foreign oil dependence. “We extend our sincerest gratitude to Governor Kelly for doing her part in honoring her commitment to the Kansas biofuels industry,” Renew Kansas Biofuels Association President and CEO Ron Seeber said. “Nearly 100 stations...

21 Apr

Posted at 19:27h in Advocacy
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This week marked the second of two interim weeks the Kansas Legislature took off between the end of the 2023 regular session and what is likely to be a short veto session beginning Wednesday, April 26. During the veto session, the legislature will take final action on a few remaining bills, pass an omnibus budget bill for the remainder of fiscal year ’23 and fiscal year ’24, and possibly attempt to override a few bills vetoed by Governor Laura Kelly. Please find below, action on some bills over the last...

19 Apr

Posted at 22:01h in Advocacy, Industry News
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Renew Kansas Biofuels Association's legislative efforts in 2023 have resulted in Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signing House Bill 2335, a bipartisan bill resulting in an annually dedicated $10 million from the state highway fund for maintenance and improvement of short line rail infrastructure. “We are incredibly pleased Governor Kelly and the overwhelming majority of our state legislature supports our members and their need for reliable, safe and enhanced rail transportation,” Renew Kansas President and CEO Ron Seeber said. “As it already has in its previous iterations, this critical legislation will bring...

09 Apr

Posted at 16:49h in Advocacy
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April 3 – 6 was the final week of the regular portion of the 2023 Kansas legislative session. It was a busy four days of winding down legislative business with dozens of bills to monitor, punctuated by a marathon session of House and Senate floor debate on bills beginning in the morning on Thursday, April 6 and running overnight before adjourning around 4:45 a.m., on Friday, April 7. The legislature passed an adjournment resolution calling them back to Topeka on April 26 to begin a short Veto Session, where it...

31 Mar

Posted at 23:37h in Advocacy
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The House and Senate debated dozens of bills over three days this week at the Kansas statehouse. A few bills received final approval from both chambers and are on their way to the Governor, but most of the bills still being debated will be referred to conference committees next week to discuss their potential content and passage. The legislature will continue its work through Thursday, April 6, before taking its first adjournment. Also, this week, the Governor signed four mostly non-controversial bills. There is much work left to be done...

31 Mar

Posted at 15:19h in Advocacy
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Renew Kansas Biofuels Association efforts in urging Kansas Governor Laura Kelly to request the United States Environmental Protection Agency use an emergency waiver to allow the sale of E15 products this summer paid off as the governor submitted a letter to administrator Michael Regan yesterday. The emergency waiver, which the EPA granted last summer, would help prevent potential fuel shortages and save Kansas money at the gas pump. "Our association is pleased Governor Kelly has chosen to request an emergency waiver, standing by her previous words of support for the biofuels industry,"...

27 Mar

Posted at 00:18h in Advocacy
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There was frenzied committee activity inside the Kansas statehouse this week as the 2023 legislature reached its March 24 deadline for committees to meet and evaluate bills. Next week will include hours of floor debate in the House and Senate. With the legislature’s first adjournment scheduled for April 6, lawmakers contemplated numerous bills concerning rail infrastructure, personal and commercial tax policy, the state budget, public health, and much more. Annual Personal Property Tax Rendition Senate Bill 8 would reduce statutory penalties for the late filing, or failure to file, of personal property...

19 Mar

Posted at 19:26h in Advocacy
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As the number of available days for committee work winds down in the 2023 Kansas legislative session, lawmakers put in extra hours this week ushering bills out of their respective committees and spending more time on the House and Senate floor to pass preliminary state agency budgets for fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026. With little more than a week remaining before extended floor debate to close the session, numerous bills are being considered. Eminent Domain Approval This week, Senate Bill 312 was introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Local...

11 Mar

Posted at 20:32h in Advocacy
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This week, the legislature continued its consideration of bills that had passed in the opposite chamber and began finalizing work on general agency budget bills for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026. Most committees only have two weeks remaining this session to meet and consider bills before the full House and Senate begin deliberation. Required Property Valuation Methodology for Grain Elevators and Special Purpose Properties Senate Bill 274 would require the use of the cost approach for valuing special purpose property for property tax valuation purposes. The bill specifically includes grain elevators...

05 Mar

Posted at 17:51h in Advocacy
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This week was the first week following legislative turnaround. Dozens of bills that passed their chamber of origin were read into the opposite chamber and then referred to committees. Following a long weekend, hearings were held on a few bills on Wednesday and Thursday. The legislature will return to work in earnest next week. One major item this week concerned a two-day informational hearing in the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs on the likely negative impacts that would come from the legalization of marijuana in Kansas. Key to this...

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