For Immediate Release:
December 31, 2025
Contact:
Grace Hoge
[email protected]
Year in Review: Governor Kelly Celebrates
2025 Administration Accomplishments
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday highlighted signature successes from the third year of her second term as 2025 comes to a close.
“My administration worked hard to make significant progress for Kansans in 2025,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “From centralizing our early childhood services and tackling Kansas’ water challenges to bringing the Chiefs to Kansas, I’m proud of all we achieved through collaboration with the Legislature, our state agencies, key stakeholders, and Kansans from every corner of the state. I look forward to continuing to build on this success during my final year as governor.”
Bipartisanship: In 2025, Governor Kelly signed 107 bipartisan bills into law, including:
- Groundbreaking legislation establishing the Kansas Office of Early Childhood. House Bill 2045 is the most consequential early childhood education and care legislation enacted in Kansas in 15 years, consolidating nearly 20 existing state programs into a single entity and expanding access to child care services.
- Legislation creating the water program task force, which will evaluate current funding for water and the state’s water planning statutes and create a long-term investment program for water with a dedicated revenue source, similar to the state’s rolling 10-year transportation programs.
Economic Development: Throughout 2025 alone, the Kelly-Toland administration attracted more than 270 committed economic development projects, bringing in more than $9.5 billion in new business investment into Kansas, and creating and retaining more than 12,306 jobs.
Earlier this month, Governor Kelly and Lieutenant Governor Toland announced an agreement on plans for the Kansas City Chiefs to build a state-of-the-art domed stadium and a mixed-use entertainment district, as well as a new team headquarters, training facility and mixed-use development in Kansas. The project will be a massive economic win for the state, with the construction phase alone creating over 20,000 jobs and $4.4 billion in economic impact for Kansas. From there, the stadium will bring over $1 billion in annual impact.
In July, Governor Kelly celebrated the grand opening of Panasonic Energy’s EV battery manufacturing facility in De Soto. Panasonic’s $4 billion investment is the largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in the United States.
Early Childhood and Education: This year, Governor Kelly fully funded Kansas public schools for the seventh consecutive year. Senate Bill 125, the state budget, also invests an additional $10 million in special education state aid and $1.25 million to expand rural child care access.
In January, Governor Kelly announced an innovative public-private partnership between the State of Kansas and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to open a licensed child care center in Topeka.
Water: In addition to creating the water program task force, the budget Governor Kelly signed in April added another $6 million annual investment to safeguard Kansas’ water supply. Governor Kelly also signed a bipartisan bill that increases the cap on the amount of money conservation districts can receive from the division of conservation and increases the amount of matching dollars the state can provide conservation districts.
Fiscal Responsibility: During the fall, Governor Kelly and Adam Proffitt, Director of the Budget/Secretary of the Kansas Department of Administration, traveled to eight communities across the state and spoke with nearly 820 Kansans on ‘The People’s Budget’ tour. Governor Kelly emphasized the need for responsible budgeting and also hosted food drives at the final seven stops of the tour, where Kansans donated more than 2,300 pounds of food to local food banks.
Tax Relief: On January 1, 2025, the state sales tax rate on groceries dropped from 2% to zero, in accordance with the “Axe the Food Tax” legislation Governor Kelly signed in 2022. The total elimination on qualifying items saved Kansans $156 million this year, with the average family of four saving $500 per year at the grocery store.
Child Welfare: In January, Governor Kelly signed Executive Order 25-01, a first in the nation executive order to reform the allocation of federal benefits to foster youth. Under the executive order, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) will stop using children's benefits to reimburse itself for the cost of providing their basic needs while in the agency’s care. Instead, the agency will first screen for eligibility and apply for federal benefits on behalf of children in care. If DCF acts as the fiduciary, they will deposit children’s funds in accounts suitable for preserving their benefits.
Infrastructure: During Fiscal Year 2025, the Kansas Department of Transportation repaired 1,804 miles of roads and 110 bridges, enhancing Kansas’ infrastructure so Kansans can safely and smoothly travel the state.
The Kansas Office of Broadband Development deployed a total of $186.3 million in 2025 to address the digital divide and increase Kansans’ access to reliable high-speed internet.
Modernizing State Office Buildings: In March, Governor Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment celebrated the opening of the new state-of-the-art Kansas Health and Environment Laboratories (KHEL). In October, Governor Kelly joined the Kansas Department of Administration to celebrate the opening of the new Docking State Office Building.
The cutting-edge KHEL houses high-tech clinical and environmental equipment, which staff use to conduct critical functions for the state, including the Newborn Screening Laboratory, Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Radiochemistry Laboratory, and more.
The new Docking State Office Building is among the most energy efficient buildings in the country and honors the original building by displaying and reusing key historic features. The project was paid for in cash, and no new debt was incurred, making the reconstruction one of the most fiscally responsible projects in Kansas history.
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