Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: To Executive

SB 18 — Providing for the hunter nation distinctive license plate.

Last action — No motion to reconsider vetoed bill; Veto sustained

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 16, 2025. It awaits signature.

Vetoed by Governor Laura Kelly (Democratic) on April 11, 2025.

Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • To Executive

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

73 added · 155 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendments to Bill SB 18 introduce a new "hunter nation" distinctive license plate for Kansas residents who own or lease passenger vehicles or trucks weighing 20,000 pounds or less, starting on January 1, 2026. To obtain this plate, applicants must follow registration procedures and pay a logo use royalty fee ranging between $25 and $100 to Hunter Nation, Inc., which can then be displayed on the license plates. This change allows for more personalized vehicle registration options while also supporting the Hunter Nation organization financially.

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Latest
{As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} As Amended by House Committee As Amended by Senate Committee Session of 2025 SENATE BILL No.
SENATE BILL No.
18 By Committee onAssessment and Taxation 1-16 AN ACT concerning motor vehicles;
18 AN ACT concerning motor vehicles;
providing for the hunter nation distinctive license plate;
providing for the hunter nation distinctive license plate.
decreasing the guarantee number of distinctive plates required for production;
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
amending K.S.A.
Section 1. (a) On and after January 1, 2026, any owner or lessee of one or more passenger vehicles or trucks registered for a gross weight of 20,000 pounds or less who is a resident of Kansas, upon compliance with the provisions of this section, may be issued one hunter nation license plate for each such passenger vehicle or truck.
2024 Supp.
8-1,141 and repealing the existing section;
also repealing K.S.A.
2024 Supp.
8-1,141a.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
New Section 1. (a) On and after January 1, 2026, any owner or lessee of one or more passenger vehicles or trucks registered for a gross weight of 20,000 pounds or less who is a resident of Kansas, upon compliance with the provisions of this section, may be issued one hunter nation license plate for each such passenger vehicle or truck.
SB 18—Am.
(e) The director of vehicles may transfer a hunter nation license plate from a leased vehicle to a purchased vehicle.
by HCW 2 (e) The director of vehicles may transfer a hunter nation license plate from a leased vehicle to a purchased vehicle.
(i)  The collection and remittance of annual royalty payments by the county treasurer shall be subject to the provisions of K.S.A.
(i) The collection and remittance of annual royalty payments by the county treasurer shall be subject to the provisions of K.S.A.
8-1,141(h), and amendments thereto, except that payments from the hunter nation license plate royalty fund shall be made on a monthly basis to hunter nation foundation, inc.
8- 1,141(h), and amendments thereto.
Sec.
SENATE BILL No.
2. K.S.A.
18—page 2 Sec.
2024 Supp.
8-1,141 is hereby amended to read as follows:
8-1,141.
(a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any new distinctive license plate authorized for issuance on and after July 1, 1994, shall be subject to the personalized license plate fee prescribed by K.S.A.
8-132(d), and amendments thereto.
This section shall not apply to any distinctive license plate authorized prior to July 1, 1994.
(2) On and after January 1, 2025, any distinctive license plate may be a personalized license plate subject to the provisions of K.S.A.
8-132, and amendments thereto.
Any personalized distinctive license plate shall be subject to a fee that is double the amount prescribed by K.S.A.
8-132(d), and amendments thereto.
(b) The director of vehicles shall not issue any new distinctive license plate unless there is a guarantee of an initial issuance of at least 250 100 license plates.
(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to distinctive license plates issued under the provisions of K.S.A.
8-177d, 8-1,145, 8-1,163, 8- 1,166, 8-1,185, 8-1,186, 8-1,187, 8-1,188, 8-1,194, 8-1,195, 8-1,196, 8- 1,197, 8-1,198, 8-1,199, 8-1,204 or 8-1,205, and amendments thereto, or K.S.A.
2024 Supp.
8-1,221 or 8-1,222, and amendments thereto, except SB 18—Am.
by HCW 3 that such distinctive license plates may be personalized license plates pursuant to subsection (a)(2) if an applicant pays the personalized license plate fee prescribed by K.S.A.
8-132(d), and amendments thereto.
(d) The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to distinctive license plates issued under the provisions of K.S.A.
8-1,146, 8-1,148, 8- 1,153, 8-1,158 or 8-1,161, and amendments thereto, except that such distinctive license plates may be personalized license plates pursuant to subsection (a)(2) if an applicant pays the personalized license plate fee prescribed by K.S.A.
8-132(d), and amendments thereto.
(e) The provisions of subsection (f) shall not apply to distinctive license plates issued under the provisions of K.S.A.
8-1,160, and 8-1,183, and amendments thereto, and K.S.A.
Show all 73 changed rows (33 more)
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Latest
2024 Supp.
8-1,211 and 8-1,219, and amendments thereto, except that the division shall delay the manufacturing and issuance of such distinctive license plate until the division has received not fewer than 100 orders for such plate, including payment of the personalized license plate fee required under subsection (a).
Upon certification by the director of vehicles to the director of accounts and reports that not less than 100 paid orders for such plate have been received, the director of accounts and reports shall transfer $4,000 from the state highway fund to the distinctive license plate fund.
(f) (1) Any person or organization sponsoring any distinctive license plate authorized by the legislature shall submit to the division of vehicles a nonrefundable amount not to exceed $5,000, to defray the division's cost for developing such distinctive license plate.
(2) All moneys received under this subsection shall be remitted by the secretary of revenue to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A.
75-4215, and amendments thereto.
Upon receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of the distinctive license plate fund which is hereby created in the state treasury.
All moneys credited to the distinctive license plate fund shall be used by the department of revenue only for the purpose associated with the development of distinctive license plates.
All expenditures from the distinctive license plate application fee fund shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts, upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the secretary of the department of revenue.
(g) The director of vehicles shall discontinue the issuance of any distinctive license plate if:
(1) Fewer than 250 100 plates, including annual renewals, are issued for that distinctive license plate by the end of the second year of sales;
and (2) fewer than 125 50 license plates, including annual renewals, are issued for that distinctive license plate during any subsequent two-year period.
SB 18—Am.
by HCW 4 (h) An application for any distinctive license plate issued and the corresponding royalty fee may be collected either by the county treasurer or the entity benefiting from the issuance of the distinctive license plate.
Annual royalty payments collected by the county treasurers shall be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A.
75-4215, and amendments thereto.
Upon receipt of each such remittance the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of a segregated royalty fund which shall be administered by the state treasurer.
All expenditures from the royalty fund shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the state treasurer or the state treasurer's designee.
Payments from the royalty fund shall be made to the entity benefiting from the issuance of the distinctive license plate on a monthly basis.
(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for any distinctive license plate, the division shall produce such distinctive license plate for a motorcycle upon request to the division by the organization sponsoring the distinctive license plate.
(j) In addition to any residency requirements for all distinctive license plates, any person not a resident of Kansas, serving as a member of the armed forces stationed in this state shall be eligible to apply for any distinctive license plate as if the individual was a resident of this state.
Such person shall be eligible to renew the distinctive license plate registration as long as the person is still stationed in this state at the time the registration is renewed.
Sec.
3. K.S.A.
2024 Supp.
8-1,141 and 8-1,141a are hereby repealed.
Sec.
4.
I hereby certify that the above ILLoriginated in the SENATE, and passed that body __________________________ SENATE concurred in H OUSE amendments _______________________ _________________________ President of the Senate.
_________________________ Secretary of the Senate.
Passed the H OUSE as amended _________________________ _________________________ Speaker of the House.
_________________________ Chief Clerk of the House.
A PPROVED _____________________________ _________________________ Governor.
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Action History

  1. No motion to reconsider vetoed bill; Veto sustained

  2. Enrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, April 4, 2025

  3. Vetoed by Governor; Returned to Senate on Wednesday, April 9, 2025

  4. Concurred with amendments in conference; Yea 28, Nay 10, Absent 2

  5. Motion to accede adopted; Rep. Shannon Francis, Rep. Robyn R. Essex and Rep. Henry Helgerson appointed as conferees

  6. Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 83, Nay 39, Absent 3

  7. Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed Sen. Mike Petersen, Sen. Rick Kloos and Sen. Ethan Corson

  8. Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted

  9. Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Pat Proctor

  10. Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Pat Proctor was adopted; Yea 75, Nay 43, Absent 7

  11. Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended

  12. Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Transportation

  13. Received and Introduced

  14. Referred to House Committee on Transportation

  15. Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 39, Nay 1

  16. Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted

  17. Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended

  18. Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Senate Committee on Transportation

  19. Referred to Senate Committee on Transportation

  20. Introduced

Sponsors

  • Committee on Assessment and Taxation · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 164 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • Committee on Assessment and Taxation

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (164)

164 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 164 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Subjects

public-safety transportation
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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 18?
SB 18 is sponsored by Committee on Assessment and Taxation.
What is the current status of SB 18?
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 16, 2025. It awaits signature.
Where can I track SB 18?
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