Board of County Commissioners adopts 2025 legislative platforms

On Thursday, Dec. 5, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the 2025 legislative platforms, used to provide direction on legislative issues.
Each year, the Board develops state and federal legislative platforms, which allows the Board to convey its position on issues it sees as important – notably issues to be considered by the legislature in the given year, or standing positions.
In addition to conveying the Board’s stance on key issues, the legislative platform also helps direct county staff and the county’s contract lobbyist about how to advocate for these issues.
The 2025 Johnson County State Legislative Platform identifies five priorities:
- Continued expansion of eligibility of Homestead Act, Senior and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Relief and SAFESR, Kansas Property Tax Relief for Low Income Seniors
- Medicaid expansion
- Policies that increase childcare availability while maintaining quality childcare
- Child access prevention (CAP) laws, which impose criminal and/or civil penalties on adults who intentionally or negligently allow children to have unsupervised access to firearms
- Increasing the county portion of the motor vehicle fee
- Encourage the state’s support for the 2026 FIFA World Cup via mutual aid and honoring appropriations already made with an emphasis on transportation and public safety assistance
The 2025 Johnson County Federal Legislative Platform identifies five priorities:
- Support federal investment in security, transportation, and tourism initiatives for 2026 FIFA World Cup host regions, particularly the Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act of 2024
- Support expanding the scope of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to ensure that there is a national consistent, comprehensive review of the national security implications of foreign economic development
- Support federal investment across the housing continuum, including affordable housing, shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing.
- Support federal investment to increase childcare availability while maintaining high quality childcare
- Support the reauthorization and increased funding for the Older Americans Act
Find more information on the county's legislative platforms.