Chair Alley opened the hearing on SB 418.

Staff provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment 2)

Senator TJ Rose spoke in favor of the bill. (Attachment 1) The main objective of this legislation is to enable more Kansans to own a single family residence home. The bill will have  positive social effects by strengthening Kansas families.

Emily Amin, State Policy Counsel, Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), spoke in favor of the bill. (Attachment 3) The bill combines several complementary reforms designed to make the housing development process more predictable and efficient; that way more homes can reach the market sooner.  

Samuel Hooper, Legislative Counsel, Institute for Justice, appeared in favor of the bill.(Attachment 4) The provisions of the bill promote housing supply and affordability without sacrificing public safety. It ensures that rules adopted through the democratic process are applied consistently, that property owners can rely on those rules, and that the permitting process serves the public rather than obstructing it. 

Tanner Tempel, Deputy State Director, Americans for Prosperity, spoke in favor of the bill. (Attachment 5) The bill would increase housing supply and property rights for homeowners without sacrificing Kansans' well-being.

Andrew Wiens, on behalf of Wichita Affordable Housing LLC, appeared in support of the bill. (Attachment 6) By making the development process more predictable and efficient, the bill will encourage investment, reduce construction costs, expand housing options, and help more Kansans find a place they can afford to live. 

Will Ruder, Executive Vice-President, Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City, on behalf of the Kansas Building Industry Association, provided testimony in support of the bill. (Attachment 7) Narrowing the code language in the bill to provide relief to the energy code requirements would align with the bill's affordability goals, while preserving the ability  to adopt more modern life-safety standards that protect homeowners and communities.

Joe Woodward, BelAire, Kansas, spoke in support of the bill. (Attachment 8) The bill addresses the problem of overly restrictive local regulations by making accessory dwelling units permitted by right.

Proponents Written Only:

Senator Ty Masterson (Attachment 9)

Martha Smith, Executive Director, Kansas Manufactured Housing Association (Attachment 10)

Eric Stafford, VP Government Affairs, Kansas Chamber (Attachment 11)

Neutral

Michael Koss, City of Overland Park, testified as neutral with proposed amended language on the bill. (Attachment 12) The bill is an important step toward achieving the goal of offering attractive, attainable, and safe housing options for current and future residents. If the proposed amended language is adopted the City of Overland Park would support this legislation.

Neutral written only

Katie Killen, Director of Advocacy and Community Collaboration Habitat for Humanity (Attachment 13)

Kristy Baughman, Executive Director, United Community Services (UCS)  (Attachment 14)

Opponents

Nathan Eberline, Executive Director, League of Kansas Municipalities, spoke in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 15) The bill mandates risk undermining infrastructure planning, increasing legal exposure, reducing predictability for developers, and eroding public trust - outcomes that ultimately make development more difficult rather than easier. 

Amanda Stanley, Deputy City Attorney, City of Olathe, opposes the bill. (Attachment 16) The City of Olathe opposes the bill because of its most consequential provision - treating all land inside a city as "zoned for single-family residential use" in addition to its existing zoning - undermines comprehensive planning, creates long-term land use conflicts, and threatens the fiscal balance that helps cities maintain stable service levels with a lower overall tax burden. 

Opponents written only:

Nick Gregory, City Manager, City of Maize, Kansas (Attachment 17)

Randy Frazer, City Manager, Arkansas City, Kansas (Attachment 18)

City of Wichita (Attachment 19)

Kiel Mangus, City Manager, City of Derby (Attachment 20)

Braxton Copley, Deputy City Manager, City of Topeka (Attachment 21)

Danielle Burke, Deputy City Manager, City of Garden City on behalf of Southwest Kansas Coalition (SKC) (Attachment 22)

Mallory Lutz, Cities of Prairie Village, Mission, Merriam, Roeland Park, and Westwood Hills (Attachment 23)

Jay Hall, Kansas Association of Counties (Attachment 24)

Josh White, President, Kansas Chapter of the American Planning Association (KSAPA) (Attachment 25)

David Dillner, City of El Dorado (Attachment 26)

Jim Benage, Mayor, City of Bel Aire Kansas (Attachment 27)

Chair Alley stated due to lack of time for all questions he would leave time at the beginning of the next Senate Commerce meeting. 

Chair Alley closed the hearing on SB 418.

The next meeting is 2-4-26. The meeting was adjourned at 2:28 pm.