Senator Michael Murphy said he was largely dissatisfied with the outcome of the Kansas Legislature’s regular session, citing limited progress on property tax relief, debate over school cell phone restrictions and ongoing concerns about proposed data centers near residential areas.
Speaking this week on the BW Morning Show, Murphy said lawmakers fell short of delivering the type of property tax reform many Kansans want, even though a property valuation measure is now awaiting action from Gov. Laura Kelly.
Murphy said the bill that passed would allow local taxpayers to petition against proposed increases that exceed certain limits tied to inflation, but he said the threshold for doing so is high.
Under the measure, Murphy said, residents would need signatures from 10% of registered voters in the affected district, whether it is a school district, county or township, to challenge a proposed increase.
“That’s kind of a high bar,” Murphy said, noting it can be difficult to mobilize that many voters.
Murphy said he had introduced his own property tax proposal earlier in the session, but acknowledged it was unlikely to advance because of the scale of change it would require.
He said he views property taxes as unsustainable, particularly for homeowners on fixed incomes.
“We’ve got especially people on fixed incomes that are unable to pay their taxes,” Murphy said. “Their taxes today are more than what their taxes, insurance and house payment were 10 years ago.”
Murphy said rising property valuations alone are not the only issue. He said the mill levy imposed by local taxing entities often has the greatest impact on tax bills, especially when levies are increased after valuations rise.
He said lawmakers will spend the next year studying broader tax alternatives through a newly created committee that emerged from the property tax debate.
Murphy said more data is needed to evaluate options, including potential consumption taxes and a review of tax exemptions currently on the books.
He said Kansas has roughly $5 billion in sales tax exemptions and about $1 billion in property tax exemptions, figures he said contribute to the pressure placed on other taxpayers.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to capture from the people who aren’t paying anything, and that takes the pressure off the ones who are,” Murphy said.
Murphy also addressed legislation involving restrictions on cell phones, smart watches and other personal electronic devices in public schools.
He said schools had asked lawmakers to step in because some districts were reluctant to act alone, and he criticized the Kansas State Board of Education for not establishing clearer standards.
Murphy said the proposal would set basic statewide guidelines while still allowing schools flexibility in how they enforce them.
He said accredited private schools would also be included under the measure, though schools could choose to forgo state accreditation if they objected.
Murphy dismissed concerns raised by some districts about the cost of implementation, saying lawmakers in Topeka often encounter inflated fiscal estimates that can be used to derail legislation.
“We have in Topeka what we call death by fiscal note,” Murphy said.
Murphy said he did not believe it would cost schools as much as some estimates suggested simply to ensure devices are inaccessible to students during the school day.
The senator also reiterated his support for a temporary moratorium on new data centers, aligning himself with Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi’s push for a three-year pause.
Murphy said his concerns are not about permanently blocking data centers, but about giving lawmakers and communities time to better understand their potential impacts, particularly near neighborhoods.
He pointed to questions about “infrasound,” a low-frequency sound he said has been associated in some reports with health complaints among people living within a few miles of certain facilities.
Murphy said more study is needed before large-scale data centers are placed near homes.
“Until we can say this is safe, I don’t think we should be putting them around near people,” Murphy said. “They ought to be in an industrial park somewhere.”
Kansas lawmakers are scheduled to return to Topeka for the veto session beginning April 9.