• Rich States Poor States: Kansas ranked 39th in economic performance

    Rich States Poor States: Kansas ranked 39th in economic performance0

    While other states’ economies grow, Kansas’s continues to stagnate. In the recently released Rich States Poor States study for 2023, Kansas ranked 39th across all states on economic performance from 2011 to 2021. The most glaring issue was that Kansas ranked 42nd in non-farm employment growth. Over the decade, Kansas’s growth in this metric was

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  • Bill prohibiting state investment in ESG moves forward

    Bill prohibiting state investment in ESG moves forward0

    Kansas’s months of discussing legislation regarding ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, criteria towards state governmental investing is on its way to Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk in the form of HB 2100. While the vote was a veto-proof majority in the Senate, it wasn’t in the House. Governor Kelly hasn’t given any indication of whether

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  • Kansas ranks 38th nationwide for earnings growth

    Kansas ranks 38th nationwide for earnings growth0

    Kansas keeps slogging on through four decades of economic stagnation. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s recently released data, Kansas ranked 38th in the country in private non-farm earnings growth between 2021 and 2022. Of Kansas’s neighbors and nearby states with similar economies like Iowa and Arkansas, Kansas ranks at the bottom of the

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  • Kansas conference week round-up

    Kansas conference week round-up0

    This week, members of the Kansas House and Senate were in conference committees debating appropriations for the next fiscal years. Those committees involve relevant members of both chambers consolidating differences on similar bills they passed separately. The bills involved include the House substitutions for SB 169, SB 8, and HB 2184. Legislators are adjourned until

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  • 2022 valuation spikes led to big property tax increases in some counties

    2022 valuation spikes led to big property tax increases in some counties0

    The Truth in Taxation revenue-neutral law continues to save taxpayers money in some counties, but elected officials elsewhere took advantage of valuation spikes to impose large property tax increases last year. Actions taken last year by education entities (local school boards, community colleges, etc.) for 2023 budgets resulted in increases below 3% in 30 counties;

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  • 3 ways Truth in Taxation empowers taxpayers

    3 ways Truth in Taxation empowers taxpayers0

    Since 2021, Kansas’s Truth in Taxation laws have been a strong tool for taxpayers to voice their opinion and oppose tax increases in their community. Here’s three ways that citizens are empowered to keep property taxes affordable. 1. Local officials must be transparent with their communities. Truth in Taxation requires that taxing authorities within a

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