6 April 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas Legislature officially passed a bill removing state agency fees for concealed carry licenses.
The Senate voted 27-10 to adopt the Conference Committee Report for House Sub for SB 116 on Wednesday, sending it to the governor’s desk. The amended legislation passed the House 86-37 Wednesday morning.
The bill would eliminate $100 from the total concealed carry license issuance fee, which is currently set at $132.50.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach released a statement praising legislators for taking action to pass the bill.
“Kansans should not have to pay the state a fee in order to exercise a constitutional right. We don’t have to buy a license to exercise our right to speak. Churchgoers do not pay the state in order to attend church, and lawful gun owners shouldn’t have to pay for the privilege of bearing arms in a manner that is the most common way of carrying in the 21st Century,” Kobach said.
Kobach proposed the elimination of the $100 fee charged by the Office of the Attorney General to process the application for a CCL during his 2022 campaign for attorney general. He said the vote fulfills that campaign promise, making Kansas the second state in the U.S. to eliminate the CCL fee.
“Eliminating the fee also will encourage more Kansans to obtain training and get their CCL. When Kansas became a constitutional carry state, many worried that doing so would reduce the number of people who go through the training to get their CCL. Eliminating the $100 fee will do much to encourage more people to do so. County sheriffs will continue to collect a $32.50 fee for their part in the CCL process.”
Kansas Attorney General’s Office
The proposal would also remove a $16 fee paid to the Kansas Department of Revenue for the issuance and renewal of the concealed carry license card. It also gets rid of the $25 fee paid to renew the license and a $15 late fee for failure to renew the license.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly will have just a few weeks before veto session on April 26 to decide whether to veto the bill.
The House would need 84 votes to override a veto, and 27 votes is needed in the Senate.