By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Area lawmakers are headed back to Topeka this week for a special legislative session to once again, take up tax policy, after the governor vetoed prior attempts to reach an agreement on a tax-cutting deal, but a deal announced late last week could signal a quick session.
Lawmakers in Kansas will return Tuesday, June 18 for the special session. The special session comes after Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed three prior tax plans.
Her final veto came in May after lawmakers reached an agreement in the final hours of the legislative session.
In a statement Kelly said the legislature, “played political games with reckless tax policies,” when it did not follow her recommendations.
The measure passed both the house and the senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Hays Representative Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, 111th District, is a member of the House Taxation Committee is scheduled to be back in Topeka Monday to begin work ahead of the special session.
Wasinger, like many Republican lawmakers expressed frustration with the need for a special session.
“In the last set of vetoes, she vetoed her own tax plans and she knew if she vetoed the last one, she was going to cost Kansas even more money to come back (for a special session),” Wasinger said. “I just sometimes think that political people do not use good common sense and they don’t think about the people they are affecting when they do things like this.”
Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th district also voiced his disappointment with the need for a special session that is expected to cost taxpayers approximately $84,000 per day.
“I think it was avoidable. It's disappointing that we have to do this,” Rahjes said. “The legislature, in a bipartisan fashion, had something and the governor decided to play games and so here we are.”
Late Thursday Kelly announced that she and Republican leadership in the legislature had reached an agreement on a plan before Tuesday’ session.
Kelly said in a statement, “Legislative leadership and I have come to a consensus on a tax relief package that will be presented to the House and Senate during the upcoming special session.”
Senate President Ty Masterson of Andover and House Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita said in a joint statement, “It simplifies the tax code into two brackets, lowers rates, includes substantial exemptions to help lower-income Kansans, reduces statewide property taxes and repeals the state tax on Social Security.”
Both the house and senate must still approve the latest tax measure before it can go to the governor. Kelly has said she would sign the latest bill.
Rahjes said he believes it important to get something of substance done because the stat does currently have a surplus and said high inflation and other economic factors continue to weigh on Kansans.
“A week ago, Caterpillar said they're going to be really shuttering their facility in Wamego and Wamego is one of the bright spots in the state of Kansas, that people continue to grow,” Rahjes said. “But 400 jobs in that in that area, is tremendous.”
Rahjes said he also planned to be in Topeka Monday and has volunteered to be on the taxation committee now that there is an opening.
He added, “To worry about these other things and playing games to try to gain a seat or two in the legislature, that is not what Kansans want. Kansas, is used to being pragmatic, and getting solutions that are good for Kansans.”
Wasinger said she is focused on easing the tax burden on many groups of Kansans.
“I want to give tax relief to Kansans,” Wasinger said. “I want to stop taxing our seniors, so they leave the state and take their money other places, I want them to stay in Kansas, I want them to have the same tax advantages that other states around us have done.”
Wasinger added, “I want our veterans, particularly our disabled veterans to have some tax relief, so they can live in their homes without concern. There's so much we need to do for our taxpayers, that is just not getting done.”
Rahjes said he believes that many lawmakers agree with Wasinger and himself on the need for relief for seniors and veterans but they also expressed the need top find a way to give taxpayers property tax relief.
“People are always saying, Ken we need property tax relief on our homes and for everything else, especially knowing that there's a surplus there that can be used for that relief,” Rahles said. “So that to me is the priority.”
According to reports from the Associate Press, the deal announced last week would save Kansas taxpayers $1.2 billion over the next three years.
It would also move Kansas to a two income tax rate system and cut property taxes by at least $230 million more over the next three years.