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Minutes for HB2483 - Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications
Short Title
Enacting the transparency and reform of utility expenditures act.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 10, 2026
Vice Chairman Wilborn opened the hearing on HB2483.
Nick Myers, Office of Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment1) Mr. Myers responded to questions from the committee members.
Proponents:
Paul Snider, Kansans for Lower Electric Rates (Attachment2) explained the bill, known as the TRUE Act, would be a transformational energy bill that positions Kansas for the future and delivers affordability benefits. He added the bill focuses on four areas, controlling transmission costs, increasing transparency, opening the door to nuclear and enhancing customer generation options.
Eric Stafford, Kansas Chamber (Attachment3) stated Kansas legislature has taken some steps through policy changes that help, but more could be done. He added the most immediate and effective way to control costs is to eliminate the transmission delivery charge, established nearly 20 years ago used by utilities to recover cost for building and maintaining transmission infrastructure.
Jessica Lucas on behalf of Clean Energy Business Council (Attachment4) supports a specific part of the third party power purchase agreement language in the bill that would be a market based tool that could lower electricity costs, expand consumer choice and introduce much needed competition into a system currently dominated by monopoly utilities.
Mack Morris on behalf of Americans for Prosperity (Attachment5) stated the bill would be important for ratepayers, families and businesses facing increasingly noncompetitive electricity costs, would provide the comprehensive reforms needed to reverse the trend and secure a more affordable, transparent, and innovative energy future for our state.
Opponents:
Justin Grady, Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) (Attachment6) opposes the bill in its current form due to several of its Sections are contrary to one of Kansas' energy policy goals of improving regional rate competitiveness by growing the electricity user base and spreading existing fixed costs over more billing determinants to be benefit of all electricity customers.
Chuck Caisley, Evergy (Attachment7) explains the bill would eliminate the transmission deliver charge (TDC) that was implemented two decades ago to address concerns in Kansas about lack of new investment transmission as well as reliability of the transmission systems. He added those investments has benefited the state of Kansas by enabling the development of major new multi-billion dollar industry in wind generation and begin the refreshing of the aging backbone of Kansas' electric grid.
Whitney Damron on behalf of Liberty Utilities (Attachment8) objects to several sections of the bill. He added the extensive new reporting requirements the bill would impose on the KCC beyond the current regulatory requirements and restrictions on the KCC authority to be involved with decision making process for certain transmission lines.
Kimberly Gencur Svaty, Kansas Municipal Utilities (Attachment9) explained the bill would inject political decision making into an apolitical transmission planning and construction processes, constrain needed regional system coordination and preempt local control over sighting of nuclear facilities.
Reagan McCloud, Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (Attachment10) the bill would impact our distribution level members, the smaller co-ops serving rural communities across the state. He added multiple provisions in the bill certainly would trigger costly litigation, requiring legislative approval of transmission lines and instructing state oversight of Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decisions raise serious constitutional and jurisdictional concerns.
Ron Coker, Burns and McDonnell (Attachment11) explained their company works as a market leader in the design and implementation of transmission and distribution infrastructure projects across the United States. He added the bill would impose arbitrary cost controls and additional approval requirements that would extend project schedules and put critical transmission and distribution infrastructure projects at risk in the State of Kansas.
Neutral:
Joseph Astrab, Citizens' Utility Ratepayer Board (Attachment12) stated others have observed the absence of state specific measurements and data from SPP's transmission planning process, data is measured by regions at utility level. He added stakeholders want to know more about the costs and benefits flowing through our state.
Dorothy Barnett, Climate+Energy Project (Attachment13) explained the bill would potential provide some relief to Kansas ratepayers, mandating any new transmission project, the KCC must ensure it provides the maximum benefit to Kansas ratepayers at the least cost that could open a host of opportunities to lower bills.
Conferees responded to questions from the committee members.
WRITTEN ONLY TESTIMONY:
Randy Stookey, Kansas Grain and Feed, Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association and Renew Kansas Bio-fuels (Attachment14)
Jason Watkins on behalf of Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce (Attachment15)
Patrick Woods, ITC Great Plains (Attachment16)
Damian Levings, MidAmerican Carpenters Regional Counsel (Attachment17)
Shahira Stafford, on behalf of NextEra Resources (Attachment18)
Patrick Parke, Midwest Energy, Inc.(Attachment19)
Kevin Noblet, KEPCo and Sunflower Electric Power Corporation (Attachment20)
Wade Kiefer, IBEW 124 (Attachment21)
Alan Anderson, Polsinelli Energy Practice Group (Attachment22)
Jeremy Ash, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (Attachment23)
Ashley Sherard, Lenexa Chamber of Commerce (Attachment24)
Greg Kindle, Kansas Economic Development Alliance (Attachment25)
Mike Kelly, Johnson County Commissioners (Attachment26)
Stacie Eichem, City of Wamego (Attachment27)
Brogan Jones, City of Neodesha (Attachment28)
Taggart Wall, City of Winfield (Attachment29)
Tim Holverson, DeSoto Chamber of Commerce (Attachment30)
Kevin Walker, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce (Attachment31)
Rhiannon Friedman, Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce (Attachment32)
Nathan Eberline, League of Kansas Municipalities (Attachment33)
Olathe Chamber of Commerce (Attachment34)
Debra Teufel, Hutchinson/Reno Chamber of Commerce (Attachment35)
Katrina Abraham, Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (Attachment36)
Vice Chairman Wilborn closed the hearing on HB2483.
Vice Chair announced the next committee meeting would be Thursday February 12 and adjourned the meeting at 10:32am
