Latest news with #SenateBill125
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vermont governor vetoes collective bargaining bill
MONTPELIER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Vermont governor Phil Scott on Monday used his veto pen for the first time since May 15. Senate Bill 125 would make it more difficult for workers to decertify a union. Under current Vermont law, if 30 percent of workers represented by a union file a petition, the union can be decertified. S. 125 would raise this requirement to a simple majority of the workers. This bill would also allow judiciary supervisors to bargain collectively. Read the full text of the bill hereDownload Scott said he opposed raising the threshold for decertification saying in his veto letter that while he supports collective bargaining, he believes that 'employees should have choices for which union they belong to.' Burlington mayor signs amended resolution to clean up downtown, gives $10,000 to relocate Food Not Cops The governor also shared concerns about extending collective bargaining rights to judiciary supervisors. He wrote, 'I'm concerned that despite unions testifying this was a priority for their organization, employees who would be impacted by this bill were not consulted or asked to testify. 'The Judiciary has advised this change could have a negative impact on the effective management of courthouses and fear a workplace marked by divisiveness and angst were this bill to pass. At a time when our court system is managing a significant backlog, we should be focusing on improving efficiencies within the system.' Canadian teen arrested in Vermont trying to drive dad to airport S. 125 passed the House on May 13 in an 81-51 vote, which would be short of the two-thirds threshold needed to override Scott's veto. Vermont's legislature is still working on other legislation before it is scheduled to adjourn later this month, most prominently trying to find a compromise on an education bill that Scott said he would not sign last month without further amendment. He did not issue a formal veto in that case as the bill was not sent to his desk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$80 million plan approved for KBI to move out of problematic area in Topeka to new home
TOPEKA (KSNT) – One of Kansas' top law enforcement agencies is getting a big upgrade after receiving approval for a new headquarters in Topeka this year, saving it from its current poor location. Lawmakers gave the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) the go-ahead this year for a new headquarters building in downtown Topeka. The agency asked the Kansas Legislature for financial help last year, citing a litany of issues with its current headquarters in Topeka. Governor Laura Kelly and members of the Kansas Legislature passed Senate Bill 125 last week. The bipartisan budget bill allocates cash for fiscal years 2025 through to 2028. While the bill was subject to line-item vetoes from Kelly, the section on the new KBI headquarters was not impacted by them. Why legalizing weed in Kansas isn't working Senate Bill 125 clears the way for a capital improvement project to design, build, renovate and equip a new KBI headquarters in Topeka's downtown area. The bill also allows for the purchase of property for the building. Melissa Underwood with the KBI told 27 News on April 16 the agency is now looking for competitive bids for vendors who can build or renovate a new headquarters building under the stipulations of Senate Bill 125. The project will be covered by up to 30-year bonds with a cap set at $80 million. 'We appreciate that the Legislature recognized the KBI's necessity for having a Headquarters facility that is safe, secure, and efficient for conducting critical public safety operations,' Underwood said. Underwood said the new location for the headquarters and an exact timeline for moving out of the agency's current building isn't known yet. Staff at the current headquarters at 1620 Southwest Tyler Street will move out only after the new facility is completed. KBI Director Tony Mattivi submitted testimony earlier this year reporting the current KBI headquarters is located in a high-crime area, suffers from a bat infestation, leaks in the roof and other issues. He said the more than 100-year-old building, originally built as a school, was not an ideal place to house the agency. Condemned east Topeka apartment cited for trash, vehicle violations Original plans put forward by the KBI asked lawmakers for around $115 million to build a new headquarters. Possible locations pitched for the headquarters included the former Menninger campus, the Kansas Neurological Institute or former State Hospital grounds. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas Legislature votes to reject governor's veto of bill tied to possible income tax cuts
Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, urged colleagues in the Kansas Legislature to support the override of Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill that could trigger reductions in the state's individual income tax rates. The House and Senate voted to defeat Kelly's veto on Senate Bill 125. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA —Republican Sen. Caryn Tyson and Democratic Sen. Ethan Corson locked horns Thursday in a debate about override Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of legislation creating an automatic mechanism that would dedicate excess revenue to lowering state income tax rates. 'I can't understand why anybody would veto this or not support this effort and stop our government growth,' Tyson said before the Senate voted 30-10 to override the governor. The GOP-dominated House later produced the two-thirds majority — 87-37 — necessary to complete the rejection of Kelly's veto. Corson, in response to Tyson, said he was frustrated the Legislature passed a bill that locked in future income tax reductions despite not fulfilling a pledge to substantively address property taxes during the 2025 session. 'Where is the property tax relief?' said Corson, who voted with Democrats to support Kelly's veto. 'It's a double whammy for folks expecting their property tax relief. We're not going to give it to you this session and we're not going to be able to give it to you in future sessions.' Tyson's response: 'We always don't get what we want right away.' Kelly set the table for debate on Senate Bill 269 by the Senate and House after concluding the tax legislation could push Kansas off a financial cliff just as aggressive income tax cuts signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback did more than a decade ago. 'The income tax cuts made possible by this bill could cost the state up to $1.3 billion annually,' Kelly said. 'The triggers for those tax cuts are such that as soon as the state sees an uptick in revenue, taxes will be automatically cut regardless of any other economic factors or policy and budgetary considerations. We've been down this road before, and we can't afford to go back to failed tax experiments and policies that will stifle economic opportunity for everyday Kansans.' Under the Senate bill, reductions in state income tax rates would be contingent on the balance in the state's rainy-day fund. The measure would require the state budget director to annually determine whether the preceding fiscal year's state general fund tax receipts exceeded the 2024 total after adjustments for inflation. This calculation would be done by Aug. 15 starting in 2025. The Kansas Department of Revenue would determine whether reductions to the state income tax could be authorized. The bill required both individual income tax rates in Kansas — 5.2% for lower-income individuals and 5.58% for upper-income individuals — to be reduced proportionally until the lower bracket hit 4%. At that point, the upper bracket rate would be gradually sliced until that also reached 4%. If this process went as planned by Republican legislators, the state would wind up with a single-rate individual income tax sought by Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins. Both touted benefits of SB 269, and were critical of the governor's veto of the bill. 'Last year, the governor held tax relief hostage over phony claims it would hurt revenues,' the GOP leaders said in a statement. 'This year, she vetoes a bill with no fiscal note. SB 269 is a simple concept that lowers the cost of living by delivering responsible income tax relief. When tax revenues come in higher than expected, your taxes go down automatically — a sensible way to return tax dollars to Kansans that only Governor Kelly could oppose.' Hawkins and Masterson offered a summary of political distinctions arising from the bill: 'It's clear, her real allegiance is to growing government on your dime. Republicans stand with taxpayers.' House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, said the backdoor imposition of a flat tax would place a disproportionately high burden on lower-income Kansans at a 'significant financial cost to the state.' 'We've seen reckless tax experiments like this one in the past, and we know the consequences. This legislation would bankrupt our state,' Woodard said.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Laura Kelly signs budget bill, issues dozens of line-item vetoes, asks Legislature to try again
Gov. Laura Kelly, May 14, 2024 (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly made an end-of-session plea to the Kansas Legislature after signing a massive state budget bill investing in economic development, water resources and disability services while triggering more than 35 vetoes of provisions labeled as unwarranted earmarks, power grabs or financial gaffes. Kelly, who has leaned on her veto pen in disputes with House and Senate Republicans since taking office in 2019, said she was concerned the budget endangered the state's long-term fiscal health and could jeopardize funding for essential programs and services that mattered the most to Kansans. She said it was folly for GOP leadership in the Legislature to adjourn the annual session before release of updated revenue reports evaluating financial implications of the budget. 'This budget will put Kansas in the red by fiscal year 2028,' Kelly said Wednesday in a message to the Legislature. 'Given the ongoing economic uncertainty we are experiencing, I urge the Legislature to seriously consider revisiting this budget.' She said Kansas demonstrated financial resilience during the past seven years after enduring damaging tax and spending decisions under a previous governor. She repeated a warning to not ignore the history of careless decisions leading deep cuts, unnecessary debt and higher taxes. 'We risk losing all of that progress and returning to the dark days of four-day school weeks and crumbling roads and bridges if we don't correct the structural imbalance we are currently facing,' the governor said. Kelly said she was enthusiastic about portions of Senate Bill 125 that provided $6 million to safeguard Kansas' water supply, $1.75 million increase in matching funds for local conservation districts and $3 million for a pilot project to manage sedimentation in John Redmond Reservoir. She thanked the Legislature for $50 million invested in the state's aviation industry because those commitments would continue 'the state's historic success' in economy development. She praised lawmakers for allocating $1 million to create rural remote workspaces as well as investments to attract innovative businesses in cybersecurity and biotechnology. The budget appropriately invested in early childhood education while adding $10 million for special education programs in the state's K-12 public education system, Kelly said. There was $1.25 million to expand rural child care, she said. The governor appreciated $14 million to help 200 people with intellectual or developmental disabilities move off the state's waiting list for services. However, the governor said it was troubling the Legislature didn't address rising health costs by expanding eligibility for Medicaid. Forty states and the District of Columbia have opened that door to billions of dollars in federal funding aimed at lower-income residents without quality, affordable health care. 'Not only will expanding Medicaid make it easier and more affordable for Kansas families to access health care,' she said, 'it would also have substantial economic benefits for Kansans.' She line-item vetoed a provision requiring the state to unenroll and reenroll people in the Medicaid program at an annual cost of $3.5 million to $4.3 million. She said federal regulations forbid caregivers and parents from being denied Medicaid health care coverage without an individual review. In addition, the governor said, the concept was a 'highly inefficient, administratively burdensome, costly process.' Kelly, known as a public education advocate as governor and during her 14-year tour in the Kansas Senate, said she was disappointed with a collection of budget decisions regarding K-12 schools. She was critical of the elimination of funding for teacher professional development programs and literacy training for teachers. She objected to the 'extremely troubling' decision by the Legislature to finance grants for emergency medical equipment in private schools with money that should be applied to public schools. She suggested the maneuver raised questions about whether lawmakers were challenging Kansas Supreme Court rulings in the Gannon v. State school finance lawsuit that concluded the Legislature violated the Kansas Constitution by inadequately funding schools. 'While I have corrected this via a line-item veto, I remain extremely concerned about the future of education funding in Kansas,' Kelly said. 'The Legislature must stop playing games with school finance, especially when it underfunds our public schools and could land the state back in court, relitigating issues we've worked to solve in a bipartisan manner.' The governor also vetoed a budget directive that swept education appropriations and directed districts to adopt an online curriculum not vetted by the Kansas Board of Education. Constitutional authority for curriculum decisions rested with the elected 10-member state Board of Education, she said. Kelly used a veto pen to dispatch appropriation of $3 million to the state treasurer, rather than to an executive branch agency, for operation of the 'pregnancy compassion awareness' program. Her veto message recalled the August 2022 statewide vote that rejected a proposed amendment to the Constitution reversing a state Supreme Court decision that found women had a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. 'I continue to believe that housing the pregnancy crisis center program in the office of the state treasurer is inappropriate and simply politically motivated,' the governor said. 'Kansas women facing unplanned pregnancies deserve meaningful support from medical professionals who can provide evidence-based guidance, not from largely unregulated pregnancy resource centers.' In addition, Kelly vetoed creation of an 'unvetted program with no guardrails' in the office of state treasurer to build the state's workforce. She said it was inefficient for the Legislature to defund an existing workforce program, 'Love, Kansas,' in the Kansas Department of Commerce. Kelly vetoed a provision in the budget that would have increased the cost of office space for journalists in the Capitol. 'This item appears to be targeted at the Kansas Capitol press corps to stymie their ability to effectively report on the actions occurring in the people's house,' the governor said. 'Provisions like this set a dangerous precedent and undermine one of the core principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.' Kelly said she couldn't allow the Legislature to approve a no-bid $1 million earmark for the O'Connell Children's Shelter in Lawrence. She said the expenditure circumvented established methods of awarding grants that would include rigorous review of qualified applicants. 'We have made great progress towards eliminating no-bid contracts recently,' Kelly said. 'We should not take an unnecessary step backwards.' Kelly vetoed a directive to the state Department of Commerce to devote $500,000 to Wichita State University's aviation research institute to work on unmanned aircraft systems and $500,000 to the Salina campus of Kansas State University for development of a commercial credentialing process for drones. 'The Department of Commerce did not request this item and it did not go through the agency vetting process,' she said. 'I cannot ignore the deficiencies in the process that led to this being included in the budget.' The governor vetoed a $750,000 earmark for a feasibility study about creating a dental school at Wichita State. She urged higher education and dentistry professionals to collaborate on a strategy for starting a school of dentistry and present it to the 2026 Legislature. Meanwhile, Kelly vetoed $500,000 to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for a forensic genetic genealogy DNA analysis system to identify human remains. The KBI didn't request the funding through the normal appropriations process, the governor said. Kelly deleted a plan calling on the Kansas Highway Patrol to collaborate with a third-party entity to build an aviation hangar in Wichita that would be leased by the state. She deleted 'poorly written' provisos directing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to spend not less than $250,000 on preventing transmission of tuberculosis and a separate amount not to exceed $96,000 to control and prevent tuberculosis. A $263,000 earmark for cerebral palsy research, not requested by KDHE, was vetoed because 'intent behind this budget proviso is unclear,' the governor said.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas House passes spending plan that would put state $460M in the hole within three years
Rep. Henry Helgerson, seen during a March 11, 2025, session of the House, warned the state is in "a financial mess." (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — The House adopted a spending plan Thursday that puts the state on a course to blow through billions in reserves and face a budget shortfall within three years. Senate Bill 125 finalizes $27.08 billion in spending plans for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and provides the blueprint for how the state will spent $25.6 billion next year. Those figures include $10.85 billion from the State General Fund in the current year and $10.64 billion next year. When coupled with the five-year, $2 billion slash to income taxes from last year's special session, and assorted new legislation that would deliver tax cuts, the state would be an estimate $461 million in the red in fiscal year 2028. That would be a stark departure from the $3.2 billion surplus from a year ago, which is already projected to decline to $2.1 billion as expenses for the current fiscal year exceed revenues. Rep. Henry Helgerson, an Eastborough Democrat, said the state was in 'a financial mess.' He warned House members they were 'going to come to loggerheads with a new governor' as a result of last year's tax cuts and an appetite for spending that was created by federal COVID-19 aid. 'The chickens are coming home to roost, and we are in a hole,' Helgerson said. Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican who chairs the budget committee, acknowledged 'a tough road ahead.' 'That's the reason why we had the new legislative budget process,' Waymaster said, referencing the decision by lawmakers to ignore the governor's budget proposal and make their own. The House adopted the budget on an 89-36 vote. The Senate planned to take action Thursday night. Senate Democrats expressed concerns in a caucus meeting Thursday about the abbreviated schedule for the legislative session. A revenue forecast in late April will show the full impact of income tax cuts passed during a special session last year, but lawmakers are set to wrap up business April 11. 'This is deliberate that we pass things without having knowledge,' said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes. Republicans pressed forward with their budget, which attaches numerous policy strings to the money allocated to state agencies, universities, boards and other government entities. The provisos include directives to ban the use of gender-identifying pronouns in state employee email signatures and to stamp out any diversity, equity and inclusion positions, mandates, policies, programs, activities and training. Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, said it was 'troubling' that the state would hold Department of Administration funding hostage until the agency showed it had implemented the directives. 'I don't know what it's satisfying or who it's satisfying,' Ruiz said. Other provisos will end continuous eligibility for Medicaid recipients, ban purchases of candy and soda with money for food assistance, raise the rent of journalists who work from the Statehouse, allow the state treasurer to invest rainy day funds, authorize the Kansas Developmental Finance Authority to issue STAR bonds, and prohibit Larned State Hospital from using contract agency nursing staff in 2027. Lawmakers got rid of a proposed mandate that all executive branch employees work from the office, opting instead for a requirement that state agencies report how many employees are working from home. The budget would fully fund public schools but eliminates funding for training and other items not required under the school finance legal settlement. It also provides just $10 million in new funding for special education services, short of the $73 million commitment made a year ago. Spending items include the allocation of $106.3 million for state employees, mostly for 2.5% wage increases, $5.8 million for a top-secret military weapons project in Wichita, $24.9 million for a new Kansas Highway Patrol dispatch center in Salina, $19.3 million to complete renovation of the Docking Building, $10 million for firearm detection software in public schools, $179 million for local bridge construction, $71.2 million for a Wichita Biomedical Campus, $41.3 million for an Ag Innovation Initiative at Kansas State University, and $30 million for a Health Science Education Center at Wichita State University. The budget eliminates funding for the Blueprint for Literacy, an initiative the Legislature adopted last year to train teachers and improve reading levels. The program is a collaboration among the Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas State Board of Education, state universities and K-12 teachers. Rep. Nikki McDonald, an Olathe Democrat who serves on the Blueprint for Literacy advisory committee, said she was 'ashamed' the Legislature would defund the initiative. 'It's insulting to the work that we've done in good faith, and the more I talk about it, the more mad I get,' McDonald said. 'So I think I'm just going to leave by saying a budget is a reflection of our priorities, and I had hoped that we would prioritize our children more.' The budget also calls for the state to take on $128 million in debt for a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Manhattan and $80 million in debt for a new Kansas Bureau of Investigation headquarters in downtown Topeka. Adam Proffitt, the state budget director, told Senate Democrats that Republicans had taken 'an across-the-board shotgun approach' to trimming the budget that lacks strategic planning. And he said he was concerned about adding debt after spending the past few years trying to pay it down. 'Now we're going in the wrong direction,' Proffitt said.
