CHAPTER 85
Senate Bill No. 325
An Act concerning motor vehicles; relating to vehicle registrations; creating the vehicle services modernization task force; directing such task force to study, evaluate and recommend improvements for vehicle services provided by state agencies or entities on behalf of the state; providing certain limitations on the expenditure of county treasurer motor vehicle fee funds; authorizing county treasurers to charge certain increased fees for vehicle registration transactions; amending K.S.A. 8-145d and K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 8-145 and repealing the existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
New Section 1. (a) There is hereby established the vehicle services modernization task force. The task force shall consist of:
(1) The following nine voting members:
(A) The chairperson of the senate committee on transportation or the chairperson’s designee;
(B) the chairperson of the house of representatives committee on transportation or the chairperson’s designee;
(C) the ranking minority member of the senate committee on transportation or the ranking member’s designee;
(D) the ranking minority member of the house of representatives committee on transportation or the ranking member’s designee;
(E) one member of the senate appointed by the president of the senate;
(F) one member of the senate appointed by the majority leader of the senate;
(G) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(H) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the majority leader of the house of representatives; and
(I) one member of the senate or the house of representatives jointly appointed by the minority leaders of the senate and the house of representatives; and
(2) the following six nonvoting members:
(A) The director of vehicles;
(B) one county treasurer from a county with a population under 15,000 people appointed by the Kansas county treasurers association;
(C) one county treasurer from a county with a population between 15,000 and 100,000 people appointed by the Kansas county treasurers association;
(D) one county treasurer from a county with a population over 100,000 people appointed by the Kansas county treasurers association;
(E) one member appointed by the Kansas automobile dealers association; and
(F) one member appointed by the Kansas motor carriers association.
(b) Members of the task force shall be appointed by September 1, 2026. Any vacancy in the membership of the task force shall be filled by appointment in the same manner prescribed by this section for the original appointment.
(c) The chairperson of the senate committee on transportation or the chairperson’s designee and the chairperson of the house of representatives committee on transportation or the chairperson’s designee shall serve as co-chairpersons of the task force.
(d) (1) Meetings of the task force shall be held in Topeka. The task force may meet at any time upon call of either co-chairperson of the task force. The first meeting of the task force shall be held on or before December 15, 2026.
(2) A majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum of the task force. All actions of the task force may be taken by a majority of members present when there is a quorum.
(3) Members of the task force shall not receive compensation, except that members of the legislature attending task force meetings shall be paid compensation, travel expenses and subsistence expenses or allowances as provided in K.S.A. 75-3212, and amendments thereto.
(4) The staff of the office of revisor of statutes, the legislative research department and the division of legislative administrative services shall provide such assistance as may be requested by the task force.
(e) The vehicle services modernization task force shall:
(1) Evaluate vehicle services related to vehicle registrations and titling provided by the division of vehicles, county treasurers and contractors of the division of vehicles;
(2) make recommendations for methods to modernize such vehicle services, including improvements to fee structures and payments, procedures for such services and the technology needed to administer such services;
(3) make recommendations for any statutory or regulatory changes necessary for implementation of such modernization methods; and
(4) study, evaluate or make any other recommendations related to vehicle services provided by state agencies or other entities on behalf of the state.
(f) The task force shall prepare and submit a report on or before January 10, 2028, to the senate committee on transportation and the house of representatives committee on transportation concerning the findings and recommendations of the task force pursuant to subsection (e).
(g) The provisions of this section shall expire on January 31, 2028.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 8-145 is hereby amended to read as follows: 8-145. (a) All registration and certificates of title fees shall be paid to the division of vehicles, a contractor of the division or the county treasurer of the county in which the applicant for registration resides or has an office or principal place of business within this state. The division, contractor or the county treasurer shall issue a receipt to the applicant for such fees paid.
(b) (1) The county treasurer, division or contractor shall deposit $.75 out of each license application, $.75 out of each application for transfer of license plate and $2 out of each application for a certificate of title, collected under this act, in a special fund, which fund is hereby appropriated for the use of the county treasurer, division or contractor in paying for necessary help and expenses incidental to the administration of duties in accordance with the provisions of this law. The county treasurer shall receive extra compensation for the services performed in administering the provisions of this act, which compensation shall be in addition to any other compensation provided by any other law, except that the county treasurer shall receive as additional compensation for administering the motor vehicle title and registration laws and fees, a sum computed as follows: The county treasurer, during the month of December, shall determine the amount to be retained for extra compensation not to exceed the following amounts each year for calendar year 2006 or any calendar year thereafter: The sum of $110 per hundred registrations for the first 5,000 registrations; the sum of $90 per hundred registrations for the second 5,000 registrations; the sum of $5 per hundred for the third 5,000 registrations; and the sum of $2 per hundred registrations for all registrations thereafter. In no event, however, shall any county treasurer be entitled to receive more than $15,000 additional annual compensation.
(2) If more than one person shall hold the office of county treasurer during any one calendar year, such compensation shall be prorated among such persons in proportion to the number of weeks served. The total amount of compensation paid the treasurer together with the amounts expended in paying for other necessary help and expenses incidental to the administration of the duties of the county treasurer in accordance with the provisions of this act, shall not exceed the amount deposited in such special fund. Any balance remaining in such fund at the close of any calendar year shall be withdrawn and credited to the general fund of the county prior to June 1 of the following calendar year.
(3) The special fund created for county treasurers pursuant to this subsection shall be expended in accordance with any policies related to expenditures for personnel or pay plans and other purchasing policies approved by the board of county commissioners.
(c) The county treasurer, division or contractor shall remit the remainder of all such fees collected, together with the original copy of all applications, to the secretary of revenue. The secretary of revenue shall remit all such fees 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 the state highway fund, except as provided in subsection (d).
(d) (1) Three dollars and fifty cents of each certificate of title fee collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $3.50 to the Kansas highway patrol motor vehicle fund. Three dollars of each certificate of title fee collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $3 to the VIPS/CAMA technology hardware fund.
(2) For repossessed vehicles, $3 of each certificate of title fee collected shall be retained by the contractor or county treasurer who processed the application.
(3) Three dollars and fifty cents of each reassignment form fee collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $3.50 to the Kansas highway patrol motor vehicle fund. Three dollars of each reassignment form fee collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $3 to the VIPS/CAMA technology hardware fund.
(4) Four dollars of each division of vehicles modernization surcharge collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $4 to the state highway fund.
(5) Two dollars of each Kansas highway patrol staffing and training surcharge collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $2 to the Kansas highway patrol staffing and training fund.
(6) One dollar and twenty-five cents of each surcharge collected and remitted to the secretary of revenue pursuant to K.S.A. 8-1,177, and amendments thereto, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit such $1.25 to the state general fund.
(7) Fees collected in K.S.A. 8-135 and 8-145, and amendments thereto, that are collected by the division for commercial motor vehicles or vehicles that are part of a commercial fleet, shall be remitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit such amounts to the commercial vehicle administrative fund.
(8) Fees collected in K.S.A. 8-135 and 8-145, and amendments thereto, that are collected by the division for vehicles that are part of a fleet rental pursuant to K.S.A. 8-1,189, and amendments thereto, shall be remitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit such amounts to the fleet rental vehicle administration fund.
(9) Fees collected in K.S.A. 8-143, and amendments thereto, for those motorcycles that are all-electric motorcycles pursuant to K.S.A. 8-143(a)(3), and amendments thereto, for those motor vehicles that are electric hybrid vehicles pursuant to K.S.A. 8-143(a)(4)(C), and amendments thereto, for those motor vehicles that are plug-in electric hybrid vehicles pursuant to K.S.A. 8-143(a)(4)(D), and amendments thereto, for those motor vehicles that are all-electric vehicles pursuant to K.S.A. 8-143(a)(4)(E), and amendments thereto, and for those truck or truck tractors that are all-electric, an electric hybrid or a plug-in electric hybrid with a gross weight of 12,000 pounds or less pursuant to K.S.A. 8-143(b)(1), and amendments thereto, shall be remitted to the state treasurer who shall credit to the state highway fund amounts specified in K.S.A. 79-34,142, and amendments thereto, and amounts specified in K.S.A. 79-34,142, and amendments thereto, to the special city and county highway fund to be apportioned and distributed in the manner provided in K.S.A. 79-3425c, and amendments thereto.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 8-145d is hereby amended to read as follows: 8-145d. (a) (1) In addition to the annual vehicle registration fees prescribed by K.S.A. 8-143, 8-143b, 8-143c, 8-143g, 8-143h, 8-143i, 8-143l, 8-167, 8-172, 8-195, 8-1,103 and 8-1,108, and amendments thereto, and K.S.A. 8-143l, and amendments thereto, any applicant for vehicle registration or renewal thereof for registration shall pay a service fee in the amount of $5 to the county treasurer, the division of vehicles or a contractor of the division at the time of making such application.
(2) (A) In addition to such service fee, the county treasurer may charge any applicant for vehicle registration or renewal thereof for registration, a registration transaction fee as follows: (1) In an amount not to exceed $5 per vehicle registration or renewal thereof for registration, when such application is made at a registration facility in a county with multiple vehicle registration facilities as established by the county treasurer; and (2) in an amount not to exceed $2.50 per vehicle registration or renewal thereof for registration, when such application is made at a registration facility in a county with a single vehicle registration facility as established by the county treasurer in an amount of not to exceed $5.
(B) From January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2029, upon recommendation of a county treasurer and subject to approval by the board of county commissioners, such transaction fee provided by subparagraph (A) may be increased to an amount greater than $5 but not more than $10. Any recommendation by a county treasurer for an increased transaction fee shall be approved, rejected or modified by the board of county commissioners on or before October 1 of the year before such increased transaction fee shall take effect. All increases in transaction fees approved by the board of county commissioners pursuant to this subsection shall take effect on January 1 and remain in effect for the entire calendar year. The provisions of this subparagraph shall expire on January 1, 2030.
(C) On and after January 1, 2030, such transaction fee shall not exceed $5 as provided in subparagraph (A).
(D) On or before January 10, 2028, the Kansas county treasurers association shall submit a report to the senate committee on transportation and the house of representatives committee on transportation detailing the implementation of any transaction fee increases pursuant to this subsection, the impact on county treasurer budgets and the budget of the entire county, and the usage of any increased transaction fees implemented by county treasurers, including any improvements or achievements for customer service in vehicle services transactions resulting from the increased revenue.
(b) The county treasurer, division or contractor shall deposit all amounts received under this section in the special fund created pursuant to K.S.A. 8-145, and amendments thereto, and such amounts shall be used by the county treasurer, division or contractor for all purposes for which such fund has been appropriated by law, and such additional amounts are hereby appropriated as other amounts deposited in such fund.
Sec. 4. K.S.A. 8-145d and K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 8-145 are hereby repealed.
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the statute book.
Approved April 9, 2026.
