Rep. Leah Howell

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to amend the Kansas Constitution to create a new "Freedom from Taxes Fund" and a temporary Citizens Freedom Review Board. The fund would be divided into three parts to pay for the elimination of motor vehicle taxes, state property taxes, and state income and privilege taxes. Additionally, the bill establishes a board with the power to review existing tax exemptions and decide whether to keep or remove them. If passed by the legislature and approved by voters, these changes would legally end the specified taxes and allow the state to use the new fund to cover the resulting budget shortfalls.

Maddy summaryHB 2670 requires video streaming services operating in Kansas to ensure commercial advertisements are not louder than the main video content they interrupt, effective July 1, 2026. It adopts the federal CALM Act standards (originally for TV broadcasts) to set volume limits for ads. The law applies specifically to internet-based streaming services targeting Kansas consumers, excluding cable operators, broadcasters, and ad-free platforms. It does not create private lawsuits for violations.

Maddy summaryHB 2454 requires landlords in Kansas to accept partial rent payments from tenants and consider all types of income (like wages, government benefits, or pensions) when evaluating rental applications, excluding federal housing assistance like Section 8. It prohibits landlords from refusing partial payments or unfairly disqualifying applicants based on income sources. Violations would be treated as deceptive practices under Kansas consumer protection law, allowing tenants to seek remedies through that enforcement system. The bill directly affects landlords and renters under the state's residential landlord-tenant law.

Maddy summaryHB 2503's title claims to repeal Kansas' mail ballot election act, but the bill text actually modifies statutes related to county extension councils (agricultural and educational programs), not election procedures. The bill rewrites sections about how county extension councils are elected, their membership requirements (e.g., representatives for agriculture, home economics, 4-H), and budget processes. It specifically removes provisions allowing mail ballots for these council elections (which were never about voter mail ballots for public elections) and replaces them with in-person election requirements. This bill directly affects county extension councils and their election processes across Kansas, not voters or general election systems. The title appears inconsistent with the actual content of the bill text.

Maddy summaryHB 2599, known as the "Kansas lemonade stand law," exempts minor-owned businesses (operated solely by individuals under 18) from paying state sales tax and local taxes, licenses, or permits on the first $10,000 of annual sales of goods. It specifically applies to small, seasonal or intermittent businesses like lemonade stands, where minors make under $10,000 yearly in gross sales. The law removes both state-level sales tax obligations and local government fees for qualifying businesses. This policy directly supports young entrepreneurs by reducing startup costs for small-scale, temporary ventures.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific segment of K-5 highway in Wyandotte County (from the junction of K-5 and N. 18th Street west to N. 38th Street) as the "Representative Marvin S. Robinson II Memorial Highway." It also redesignates a portion of Interstate 635 (from the Kansas-Missouri border south to its junction with K-5 highway) as the "Harry Darby Memorial Highway." The bill requires the Kansas Secretary of Transportation to install highway signs marking both routes, following standard procedures. This is a procedural memorial designation with no substantive policy changes to transportation law.

Maddy summaryThis resolution expresses support for federal funding and authorization of a program designed to research and develop affordable, domestically made drones for public safety use. It specifically encourages the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund projects that create small, uncrewed aerial systems in the United States to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers. The document also endorses the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025, which restricts the federal government and its grant recipients from purchasing or operating DJI drones. Additionally, the resolution supports a provision requiring the Department of Defense to assess and potentially ban DJI drones within a year due to security concerns.