TOPEKA
April 14
The final week of session, formally called Veto Session, is where the Legislature considers and sometimes overrides vetoes made by the Governor on bills passed prior in session. In addition to those twenty vetoed pieces of legislation, the Legislature also considered several bills in conference committee. The topic of these bills varied widely, from recess in schools to sales tax limits for counties.
Detailed below is a sample of eight bills from those whose vetoes were overriden, or conference committee report (CCR) was passed, by the House.
· First is House Bill (HB) 2603. This legislation prohibits municipalities from regulating battery charged security fences, from installation to composition requirements. The bill was passed out favorably by the House in February and by the Senate in March, and was vetoed by Governor Kelly on Monday. Both chambers voted to override this veto on Thursday. I voted yes.
· Second is House Bill 2727. This bill would enable plaintiffs under the Woman’s-Right-Know-Act to seek damages recovery for costs of an abortion procedure, attorney fees, and statutory damages, not to exceed $5,000. The legislation was passed out favorably by the House in February and by the Senate in March, and was vetoed by the Governor on Monday. Both chambers voted to override this veto on Thursday. I voted yes.
· Third is HB 2329. This legislation would enact reforms to the juvenile justice system, from maximum detention lengths to admittance criteria at juvenile crisis centers. The bill was voted out favorably by the House in February and by the Senate in March, and was vetoed by the Governor on Monday. Both chambers voted to override this veto on Thursday. I voted yes.
· Fourth is HB 2412’s conference committee report. This bill would direct the State Board of Education to create and implement school curriculum on the failures of communism, fascism, and socialism for students in non-elementary grades and mandate passing an American civics exam for graduation from high school. The bill passed the House Floor by a vote of 80 to 43. I voted yes. With the passage of HB 2412’s CCR by both chambers the bill now goes to the Governor for signing.
· Fifth is Senate Bill (SB) 375. This legislation would require proxy advisors to provide disclosures on their financial analytics to institutional investors whenever said proxy advisors make recommendations against company management on questions of corporate governance. The bill was voted out favorably by the House and Senate in March, and was vetoed by Governor Kelly on Monday. Both chambers voted to override this veto on Thursday. I voted yes.
· Sixth is SB 462. This bill alters the definition of a public nuisance, adjusts the scope of public subdivisions to pursue public nuisance claims, and prohibits individuals engaged in wrongful conduct from pursuing public nuisance claims. SB 462 was voted out favorably by both chambers in March and was vetoed by the Governor on Wednesday. Both chambers voted to override this veto on Thursday. I voted yes.
· Seventh is Substitute for HB 2731. This legislation would mandate data-matching and eligibility verification requirements for the Secretaries of the Children & Families and Health & Environment Agencies for several public assistance programs and adjust both eligibility requirements and waiver prohibitions. HB 2731 was voted out favorably by both chambers in March and was vetoed by the Governor on Wednesday. Both chambers voted to override this veto on Friday. I voted yes.
· Last is HB 2719. This bill would adjust the Rules and Regulations Filing Act exceptions for technical amendments to existing rules and regulations and procedures, in particular for expediting adoption of rules. HB 2719 was passed out favorably by both chambers in March and was vetoed by the Governor on Monday. Both chambers voted to override the Governor’s veto on HB 2719 on Friday. I voted yes.
BUDGET LINE-ITEM VETOS
Governor Kelly signed HB 2513 on Wednesday, with 31 line-items vetoed. On Friday the Legislature overrode 13 of those line-item vetoes.
Detailed below is a sample of four from those vetoes overridden.
First is Section 88(k), which directs the Department of Education to expend funds for a number of valuable programs, like JAG-K, Sparkwheel, and the Mentor Teacher Program in Fiscal Year (FY) 2027.
Second is Section 88(m), which would direct the Department of Education to implement processes for addressing student walkouts at schools and to calculate the cost of said walkouts to the State General Fund (SGF) in FY 2027.
Third is Section 74(q), which allocates $3 million SGF for the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program under the State Treasurer in FY 2027.
Last is Section 54(u), which would require grant applicants of state funds to provide performance metric reporting to the State of Kansas.
I voted yes on each of these overrides.
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.