Kansas Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Tax Cuts
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas's Democratic governor on Wednesday vetoed a broad package of tax cuts for the second time in three months, describing it as “too expensive” despite the bipartisan support it enjoyed in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Governor Laura Kelly and her staff had signaled that she had misgivings about a package of income, sales and property tax cuts worth $1.5 billion over the next three years. Her chief of staff said before it cleared the Legislature this month that it was larger than Kelly thought the state could afford in the long term. The governor also told fellow Democrats that she believes Kansas' current three personal income tax rates ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share. The plan would have moved to two rates.
The governor immediately proposed new tax cuts worth roughly $1.3 billion over the next three years, but the Kansas House's top Republican immediately said the governor “isn't serious” about tax relief. The Legislature was set to reconvene Thursday following a spring break and wrap up its work for the year in just six days. “While I appreciate the bipartisan effort that went into this tax cut package and support many of the provisions included, I cannot sign into law a bill that jeopardizes our state’s future fiscal stability," Kelly wrote in her veto message. “This bill is too expensive."
Top Republican legislators have wanted to move Kansas to a single personal income tax rate, which at least five other GOP-led states have done since July 2021, according to the conservative Tax Foundation. But their dispute with Kelly over that idea has meant that Kansas hasn't enacted big tax cuts, even as surplus funds have filled its coffers.
In January, Kelly vetoed a plan to cut taxes by $1.6 billion over three years that Democrats largely opposed. It would have moved Kansas to a single-rate personal income tax, and Kelly argued it would have benefited the “super wealthy,” which Republicans disputed. “Kansans need and deserve tax relief, and Governor Kelly isn’t serious when she says she wants to provide it," House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement.
Democrats were split over the bill Kelly vetoed. In the Senate, they largely opposed it for the same reasons Kelly did, while in the House, no members voted against it.
Overriding a veto requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers. The House's top Democrat, state Rep. Vic Miller, of Topeka, said he likes Kelly's new plan but doubts Republicans will embrace it, making the bill Kelly vetoed possibly the best that Democrats can expect. “I’m not sure I want to risk what she’s willing to risk," he said of the governor.
Kelly isn't the only governor at odds with lawmakers over taxes. In neighboring Nebraska, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said he'll call a special legislative session over rising property taxes. The conservative Legislature there adjourned last week without passing Pillen’s plan to fund property tax relief by raising the state’s sales tax and applying it to more goods and services, including candy, soda and digital advertising.
The bill Kelly vetoed also would eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits, which kick in when a retiree earns $75,000 a year. It would reduce the state’s property taxes for public schools and eliminate an already-set-to-expire 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.
In moving Kansas from three personal income tax rates to two, it would drop the highest top rate from 5.7% to 5.55%.
Kelly's new plan includes the same sales tax and Social Security provisions, as well as a version of the property tax cut. Her plan would keep all three personal income tax rates and lower them. Her highest rate would be 5.65%.
Last week, a new fiscal forecast provided a stable picture for state government through the end of June 2025. A separate projection from legislative researchers said that even with extra spending approved by lawmakers this year and the tax cuts Kelly vetoed, the state would end June 2025 with more than $3.7 billion in surplus. Kelly argues that problems would arrive in future years, though Republicans strongly disagree.
Kelly won the first of her two terms in 2018 by running against the fiscal policies of a Republican predecessor, Gov. Sam Brownback. Big budget shortfalls followed large income tax cuts in 2012 and 2013 and continued until most of the cuts were repealed in 2017 over Brownback's veto.
But Republicans argue that warnings from Kelly hearkening back to Brownback's policies have lost credibility as surplus revenues have piled up. “It’s far past time for the governor to put her worn-out Brownback rhetoric on the back burner and finally make our Kansas families the top priority,” House Taxation Committee Chair Adam Smith, a western Kansas Republican, wrote in a column Tuesday in the Kansas City Star.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Kansas Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Tax Reform Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Democratic Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan tax reform bill she says is not sustainable. The Kansas News Service reports that in her veto message, Kelly made a counter-offer that would cost the state about $90 million less per year. It keeps many key provisions from the other bill, like state property tax relief and eliminating the food sales tax, but it differs on income tax. The plan Kelly vetoed would have combined the state’s three income tax brackets into two. Instead, she says she wants to keep the three brackets but lower all their rates. The bill had unanimous support in the House but needs more votes in the Senate if lawmakers hope to override the veto.
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Ahead of Veto Session, Governor Laura Kelly Again Pushes Lawmakers to Expand Medicaid
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is urging Kansas lawmakers to debate Medicaid expansion when they return to the Statehouse later this week. The Kansas News Service reports that the expansion is just one of several policies on the agenda. Forcing a vote on Medicaid expansion would require 24 votes in the 40-member Kansas Senate. At a Wichita town hall this week, Kelly said she’s hopeful, despite strong opposition from Republican leaders, who say the policy is too expensive. “I’m fairly optimistic that those votes are there if the legislators feel empowered to buck leadership,” she added. Kansas is one of 10 states that has not yet expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers are also expected to try to override Kelly’s vetoes of laws that would direct more money to anti-abortion counseling centers; further restrict advance voting; and ban gender-affirming care for trans minors.
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Kansas Legislature Commits Millions to Aid Public Universities with Deferred Maintenance Needs
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Legislature has committed nearly $200 million over the next six years to help public universities address deferred maintenance. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill signed by Governor Laura Kelly allocates $30 million a year to state universities and $2.7 million a year to community and technical colleges to address a backlog of building maintenance, repairs or demolition. Chad Bristow is director of facilities for the Kansas Board of Regents. He says the state funds — plus a required dollar-for-dollar match from universities — will help tackle about $1.2 billion worth of projects. “A lot of maintenance and a lot of needs have accrued, but the big idea here is, don’t keep adding to that. Get to a point where you’re not deferring maintenance," he explained. The plan encourages schools to reduce their campus footprint and to focus on mission-critical buildings.
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Kansas Hospital Employee Turnover Remains at Record-High Levels
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Turnover for hospital employees in Kansas remains at record high levels. That's according to the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA), in its annual Health Care Workforce Report. More than 100 hospitals participated in the survey. KSNT reports that the vacancy rates were the highest for ultrasound technologists, nursing assistants and X-ray techs. The overall employee turnover rate in Kansas averaged 19%.
The KHA says enrollment in public schools, colleges and universities has continued to decline, which has led to fewer students seeking health care credentials, licenses and degrees. That, in turn, has led to fewer healthcare employees working in Kansas.
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Kansas Accountant Accused of Embezzling Client's Money to Build House
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — A certified public accountant in Colby is accused of defrauding his clients, taking their money and using it to build a home. Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Quintin Flanagin made his first appearance Wednesday in federal court in Wichita.
He's facing various charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud, making false statements and money laundering. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Flanagin created a fake business called "Middle Finger Ranch" and then used that company to allegedly steal more than $400,000 from one of his clients, Diamond M. Farms in Thomas County. Prosecutors say Flanagin used the stolen money to build a house.
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Kansas Creates Office of the Child Advocate as Independent State Agency
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has approved a bill codifying the state’s foster care oversight office. The Kansas News Service reports that the Office of the Child Advocate is now an independent state agency. Kelly created the Child Advocate position through an executive order in 2021. But that meant she or the next governor could remove it at any time. Now that it has been written into state law as a formal state agency, the position of Child Advocate will be appointed by the governor and requires Senate confirmation. The individual will serve a five-year term. The position independently reviews complaints about the Kansas child welfare system.
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New Law Reforms Kansas Civil Asset Forfeiture Process
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill into law that strengthens protections for people whose property has been seized by law enforcement. KSNT reports that Kelly signed Senate Bill 458 Tuesday. The legislation establishes new guidelines for asset forfeiture, aiming to improve due process for property owners and increase accountability for law enforcement. The bill introduces several reforms to the asset seizure and forfeiture process, making it easier for Kansans to recover property that has been improperly seized. It also imposes limitations on requests by law enforcement for property seizures, ensuring those requests are made only under specific circumstances related to joint investigations or serious public safety concerns.
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Valley Center High Baseball Team's Season Suspended Due to Animal Cruelty Allegations
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A Wichita-area high school has suspended its baseball team’s season because of an investigation into possible animal cruelty. The Kansas News Service reports that police in Valley Center say they are investigating reports that a chicken was killed on the baseball diamond at Valley Center High School. School officials said earlier this week that they suspended the varsity baseball team’s season after they were alerted to possible animal cruelty involving the team and coaching staff. Police say they’re talking with players and coaches and working to determine if other adults may have been involved. The Valley Center baseball team is 4-12 with 10 games left in the season. The district said in its email that a decision about the rest of the season will be made pending the outcome of the police investigation.
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Kansas Marine Corps Veteran Pleads Guilty to January 6th Charges
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – A Marine Corps veteran from Kansas pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from his part in the January 6th insurrection. KCUR reports that online court records say 44-year-old Chad Suenram pleaded guilty to entering a restricted building, a misdemeanor. Suenram originally faced four misdemeanor charges after being arrested in Haysville, just south of Wichita. Charging documents say when Suenram entered the Capitol he was wearing an American flag facemask and had an American flag painted on his head. Court records show he’ll be sentenced in August and faces up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
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Oklahoma Prosecutors Charge Fifth Member of Anti-Government Group in Kansas Women's Killings
GUYMON, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma prosecutors charged a fifth member of an anti-government group on Wednesday with killing and kidnapping two Kansas women.
Paul Jeremiah Grice, 31, was charged in Texas County with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder.
Grice told an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent that he participated in the killing and burial of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the case.
Grice is being held without bond at the Texas County Detention Center in Guymon, a jail official said. Court and jail records don't indicate if Grice has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Four others have been charged in connection with the deaths and are being held without bail: Tifany Adams, 54, and her boyfriend, Tad Cullum, 43, of Keyes, and Cole, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, of Texhoma, Oklahoma.
Butler and Kelley disappeared March 30 while driving to pick up Butler’s two children for a birthday party. Adams, who is the children's grandmother, was in a bitter custody dispute with Butler, who was only allowed supervised visits with the children on Saturdays. Kelley was authorized to supervise the visits, according to the affidavits.
A witness who spoke to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents said all five suspects were part of “an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation,” according to the affidavit. Investigators learned the group called themselves “God’s Misfits” and held regular meetings at the home of the Twomblys and another couple.
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Wichita Asks Influencers to Label Paid Social Media Content
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The city of Wichita is asking local influencers to label social media and digital content that the city has paid for. The Kansas News Service reports that the move comes after a video from a local influencer about the city’s work to patch potholes went viral on TikTok. The video was paid for by the city, but not labeled as such. Paid content labels are required by the Federal Trade Commission, according to recently issued guidelines. City spokesperson Megan Lovely says the city is learning as it grows its partnership with influencers in an effort to share information with the public. “We all know the fractured state of media, if everyone was getting their news in one place that would make our job a whole lot easier,” she added. In 2023, the city spent nearly $26 thousand dollars working with influencers. It’s likely to match or exceed that expenditure this year.
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New Youth Sports Facility Opens in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KC Star) – A new youth sports facility is now open as part of a major redevelopment project underway in Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas City Star reports that the facility’s owners and investors gave local leaders a tour of the $60 million KCK Showcase Center facility Tuesday. The 150,000 square-foot indoor sports arena features 10 basketball courts and 12 volleyball courts for young athletes, a parent’s lounge, food vendors, and a physical therapy center. The project is part of a $838 million development on the former site of the Schlitterbahn water park. In addition to the indoor youth sports arena, the development will also offer eight synthetic-turf baseball fields, a Margaritaville Hotel and a golf entertainment venue.
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Survey: Laura Kelly in Top Ten of Most Popular Governors
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A new survey shows Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is ranked as one of the most popular governors in the nation. The business consulting firm, Morning Consult, says Kelly ranks in the top ten for most popular governors. KSNT reports that the consultants surveyed thousands of registered voters. Kelly had a 62% approval rating, compared with a 30% disapproval rating. Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott was ranked in the number one spot as the nation's most popular governor.
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Topeka Continue Clean-Up Efforts in Homeless Camps
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Crews in Topeka continue clean-up efforts around homeless encampments along the Kansas River. KSNT reports that in February, city crews cleaned up more than 175 tons of trash in one cleanup effort. The city is also working with social service agencies to help people get back on their feet and into more suitable housing. Topeka officials have contracted with an Illinois-based consulting firm to come up with a long-term plan to deal with the issue. The consultants are expected to present their report to the city council next month.
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Kansas Farm Animals Killed in Monday's Barn Fire
LYON COUNTY, Kan. (KSNT) — Several farm animals were killed when a fire broke out inside a barn in Lyon County. The barn, near the town of Allen, became engulfed in flames Monday. Fire officials say a brush fire started by a farmer in the area over the weekend had spread to the barn by Monday. KSNT reports that several pigs died in the blaze. Firefighters had difficulty putting out the blaze due to Monday's powerful winds. The fire and high winds also led to local power outages near the town of Allen.
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New Federal Rule Bars Transgender School Bathroom Bans, but It Likely Isn't the Final Word
UNDATED (AP) – A new rule from President Joe Biden's administration blocking blanket policies to keep transgender students from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity could conflict with laws in Republican-controlled states.
The clash over bathroom policy and other elements of a federal regulation finalized last week could set the stage for another wave of legal battles over how transgender kids should be treated in the U.S.
In recent years, transgender people have gained visibility and acceptance in the U.S. — and some conservative officials have pushed back.
Most GOP-controlled states now have laws reining in their rights. Measures include laws to keep transgender girls out of girls school sports, limiting which school bathrooms transgender people can use, requiring school staff to notify parents if their student identifies in school as transgender, and barring school staff from being required to use the pronouns a transgender student uses.
Most of those policies have been challenged in court.
Here's a look at the new regulation, the states' laws and what could happen next.
WHAT'S THE HEART OF THE REGULATION?
The 1,577-page regulation finalized last week seeks to clarify Title IX, the 1972 sex discrimination law originally passed to address women's rights and applies to schools and colleges that receive federal money. The regulations, which are to take effect in August, spell out that Title IX bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, too. Many Republicans say this wasn't the intent of the law. The new rules also provide more protections to students who make accusations of sexual misconduct.
RULE CONTRADICTS BATHROOM LAWS
At least 11 states have adopted laws barring transgender girls and women from using girls' and women's bathrooms at public schools. The new regulation opposes those sweeping policies. It states that sex separation at schools isn't always unlawful. However, the separation becomes a violation of Title IX's nondiscrimination rule when it causes more than a very minor harm on a protected individual, “such as when it denies a transgender student access to a sex-separate facility or activity consistent with that student’s gender identity.” The laws are in effect in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee. A judge’s order putting enforcement on hold is in place in Idaho. A prohibition in Utah is scheduled to take effect July 1.
RULE ALLOWS PARENTAL NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
At least seven states have laws or other policies calling for schools to notify parents if their children are transgender. The regulation seems to authorize those requirements, stating that “nothing in these final regulations prevents a recipient from disclosing information about a minor child to their parent who has the legal right to receive disclosures on behalf of their child.” The requirements are already law in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana and North Carolina. The Arizona law requires schools to provide information to parents but does not specifically include details about students' gender expression or sexuality. Virginia asked schools to provide guidance to the state's school districts to adopt similar policies, though they're not written into state law.
ARE PRONOUN RESTRICTIONS LEGAL? IT DEPENDS
At least four states — Florida, Kentucky, Montana and North Dakota — have laws intended to protect from discipline teachers and/or students who won't use the pronouns transgender or nonbinary students use. The regulations wrestle with this, finding that “harassing a student — including acts of verbal, nonverbal, or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on the student’s nonconformity with stereotypical notions of masculinity and femininity or gender identity — can constitute discrimination on the basis of sex under Title IX in certain circumstances. ”But they also spell out that “a stray remark” does not constitute harassment and seek to protect the right of free speech.
THE BIG DEBATE: SPORTS PARTICIPATION
The new rules don't specifically mention whether states can ban transgender girls from girls sports competitions. The Biden administration has put on hold a policy that would forbid schools from having outright bans. State laws that contain such bans have been adopted in at least two dozen states in the name of preserving girls sports. But judges have paused enforcement of some of them, including in a ruling last week that applies only to one teenage athlete in West Virginia. While the new rules are not specific to sports participation, advocates on both sides believe they could apply.“ They may be saying that this doesn't address it, but through the broad language they’re using, the ultimate result is you have to allow a boy on a girls team,” said Matt Sharp, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom, falsely identifying transgender girls as boys. Alliance Defending Freedom is a conservative group that has represented female athletes challenging sports participation by transgender women and girls.“ This document gives a good sense that says you can’t have a rule that says, ‘If you’re transgender, you can’t participate,’” said Harper Seldin, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Lawsuits, probably. After the rules were unveiled last week, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti posted on X that “TN is prepared to defend Title IX & protect against unlawful regulations that redefine what sex really means.” “We absolutely plan to challenge this betrayal of women in court,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement Monday. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond submitted comments critical of the rule before it was finalized. Over the last two decades, attorneys general have frequently sued the opposing party's president over rules and executive orders. Sharp of Alliance Defending Freedom said his group is still dissecting the federal rules but does represent groups that could be affected, including female athletes and religious schools and could sue over aspects of the rules. He expects states to do the same thing. “I don’t think a lot of states want to wait until the federal government enforces this,” he said. The ACLU's Seldin said his organization will watch carefully how the rules play out. “What do theses laws and regulations mean in terms of transgender youth and transgender students who find themselves attacked in every aspect of their lives?” he asked.
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U.S. Figure Skating Championships Headed to Wichita Next Year
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place in Wichita next year, in what should amount to a preview of the names to watch for the American team headed to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy. The national governing body announced its calendar of domestically held international events Tuesday, along with awarding the U.S. championships to Wichita. The event will run from January 20-26 at INTRUST Bank Arena.
The Grand Prix season begins October 18 with Skate America, which will take place for the second straight year at Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. It is the first event in the six-stop international Grand Prix schedule. The U.S. also will host the 2025 world championships from March 23-30 at TD Garden in Boston.
U.S. figure skaters topped the medal table with two golds and a bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and they could do even better at the next Winter Games. Ilia Malinin recently won his first world title with a record-setting free skate, Madison Chock and Evan Bates won a second straight ice dance gold, and Isabeau Levito took silver in the women’s event. “U.S. Figure Skating is very excited about each of our top-tier events, both at the national and international stages, for the 2024-25 season,” U.S. Figure Skating chief executive Tracy Marek said. “These events span our nation to provide amazing opportunities for skaters at all levels — from our juveniles to adults — as well as our fans and the skating community."
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be televised on NBC. Tickets go on sale next month.
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