BY: ANNA KAMINSKI
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Friday she had signed into law 11 bills, meeting a deadline and cementing public education funding, tax incentives for major data centers and a new crime for possessing, creating or distributing AI-generated child pornography.
The bills were bipartisan, Kelly said, as she signed them before the end of the 10-day period she has to take action after the Legislature delivers them to her.
Crime and law enforcement
Senate Bill 186 crafted first-time, clear protections for those who are the subject of AI-generated imagery without their consent. It’s an effort to mitigate the harms caused by technology, “in both the digital realm and the physical world,” Kelly said in a news release.
“Given the rise of AI-enabled crime, enhancing public safety for our fellow Kansans is crucial,” Kelly said.
The law applies to the alteration of real photos or generating new material from scratch, said Rep. Brad Barrett, an Osage City Republican who sat on the House committee that heard and negotiated the original bill.
“This legislation strengthens our child exploitation laws to protect kids from this evolving threat and also updates our breach of privacy law to shield adults from having their images maliciously altered to appear nude or sexually explicit when they have an expectation of privacy,” he said.
The law adds to the definition of sex crimes within the Kansas Criminal Code to include AI-generated material. It also modifies existing criminal bond-setting procedure to hike up bond rates for any defendant with prior convictions of sexually violent crimes. The minimum bond for those defendants is now $750,000, which Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes said addresses patterns of “predatory behavior.”
“This part of the bill ensures the safety of victims comes first,” Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said. “By requiring the consideration of similar prior acts when setting bond, we can alleviate some of the fear for victims.”
Senate Bill 156 increases the amount of money inmates can receive from the Kansas Department of Corrections for losses, personal injury or property damage.
Senate Bill 204 seals criminal and juvenile cases — meaning information is kept secret — until an arrest warrant is executed. It also creates a new appointment process for trustees of county law libraries.
Senate Bill 237 empowers law enforcement officers to investigate violations of the Scrap Metal Theft Reduction Act, which targets scrap metal dealers. It was initially proposed by the Wichita Police Department.
Industry and development
Kelly said a new law that incentivizes major data center projects in Kansas gives “the state another tool in the toolbox to bring jobs, infrastructure, and prosperity to Kansas communities through economic development.”
Senate Bill 98 creates a 20-year sales tax exemption for data centers investing at least $250 million within five years of opening. The exemption could include land acquisition, development and construction, equipment acquisition and permitting, design, engineering, labor for installing and maintaining data center equipment, and lease payments.
Businesses that receive the exemption must by law conserve, reuse, and replace water, pay for electricity from a public utility for 10 years and maintain at least 20 new jobs at the data center within two years of launching.
Kelly also signed into law House Bill 2289, which was championed by Stilwell Republican Rep. Sean Tarwater and enacts limits on housing tax credits. Over time, the law eventually will dismantle the state’s affordable housing tax credit program.
Taxes and government
House Bill 2125 reauthorized the 20-mill statewide school property tax levy to finance public schools through the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. The bill also sets strict deadlines on local taxing entities, enabling county clerks to use a taxing jurisdiction’s budget and tax levy from the previous year if it doesn’t submit budget information by Oct. 1.
House Bill 2231 shifts Kansas to a corporate income tax calculation method that aligns with the majority of states. Kelly said the law evens “the playing field for Kansas-based businesses, making the state more attractive for capital investment, and encouraging job creation.”
House Bill 2335 creates, beginning in January, a new license plate for members of hunting organization Hunter Nation.
House Bill 2007 cleans up statutes that were amended multiple times during the 2025 session.
House Bill 2275 enables a handful of Kansas counties to ask voters whether they favor a sales tax proposal to fund projects. It also creates a tax exemption for custom meat processing sales.
In Finney County, county commissioners want to impose a 0.5% sales tax to finance construction or remodeling projects in the county courthouse, jail, law enforcement center or other administrative building.
In Jackson County, commissioners want to ask voters if they would favor a 0.25% sales tax to support hospital services.
In Pawnee County, commissioners can ask voters if they want to pay an up to 1% sales tax for providing health care services and “furnish” and “equip” public safety operations.
In Seward County, voters will decide if they want to pay a 0.5% sales tax to fund road and bridge projects.