Committee Minutes — HB2343
Tue, Mar 3, 2026

Chair Alley opened the hearing on HB2343.  

Staff provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment 4)

Tanner Tempel, Deputy State Director, Americans for Prosperity testified in support of the bill. (Attachment 5)  He stated home based businesses play a vital role in Kansas's economy.  For many families, they are the first step toward financial independence, upward mobility, and long-term job creation. Kansas should be encouraging this kind of innovation, not discouraging it through unnecessary red tape.  

Andrew Weins testified in support of the bill on behalf of FGA Action. (Attachment 6)  He said this bill creates the no-impact home-based business fairness act to limit the ability of municipalities to over regulate such business. Entrepreneurs should not have to ask permission from the government just to work inside their own homes. 

Brian Norman, Director of State Affairs, Goldwater Institute testified in support of the bill. (Attachment 7)  He said this bill protects homeowners operating no-impact home-businesses against lengthy, uncertain and expensive licensing and permitting processes that bog down people's ability to work from home instead of in a traditional office.

Jeff Shaw, Staff Attorney with the Kansas Justice Institute testified in support of the bill. (Attachment 8)  He said far too many municipalities restrict home-based businesses based on faulty reasoning and that these restrictions infringe on the constitutional right to earn an honest living.

Written only proponent testimony was submitted by:

  • Eric Stafford, Vice President Government Affairs, Kansas Chamber (Attachment 9)
  • Dan Murray, Kansas State Director, National Federation of Independent Business (Attachment 10)

Rod Hoffman, attorney, testified in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 11)  Mr. Hoffman provided sample covenants from four different homeowners associations in four different counties in the state in his written testimony and he said they all uniformly state that residences in these neighborhoods must be used for single family purposes. He asked the committee to defer to local control in homeowners associations. 

Nathan Eberline, Executive Director of the League of Kansas Municipalities testified in opposition to the bill.  (Attachment 12)  He said the League of Kansas Municipalities has significant concerns with this bill and that their concern is with broad, statewide preemption that removes locally elected officials from decisions that have always been part of community governance. 

Dan Warner, Planning and Development Director for the City of Topeka testified in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 13)  He said the City of Topeka has taken proactive steps to provide additional flexibility for entrepreneurs and small business owners operating true no-impact businesses and that while the city has demonstrated flexibility for truly no-impact businesses, licensing remains an important and reasonable safeguard.

Aaron Mays, Kansas Association of Counties testified in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 14)  He said local zoning authority exists to balance individual property rights with the rights of surrounding property owners. A one-size-fits-all state mandate does not account for the diversity of residential settings across Kansas.

Written only opponent testimony was submitted by:

Mark Engholm, State Fire Marshal provided neutral testimony on the bill. (Attachment 18)  He said the current language of this bill would inadvertently prohibit municipalities from requiring fire sprinklers in any residential buildings - including large apartment complexes - if a resident claims to have a home-based business.  He said in talking with the author of the bill, that was not the intent and Mr. Engholm highlighted the language of concern in his written testimony.  

Chair Alley closed the hearing on HB2343.

The next meeting will be March 4, 2026.  The meeting was adjourned at 2:20 pm.