MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR

Senate Bill No. 269

An Act concerning taxation; relating to income and privilege taxes; providing that future tax rate decreases be contingent on exceeding revenue estimates and retaining a certain amount in the budget stabilization fund; amending K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 79-1107, 79-1108 and 79-32,110 and repealing the existing sections.

Message to the Legislature of the State of Kansas:

I have proposed and supported tax cuts when they are implemented responsibly and benefit the people of Kansas, especially those who need it most. This bill ignores Kansas families at a time of rising costs and inflation in favor of hundreds of millions of dollars in giveaways to corporations and the wealthy.

Make no mistake, should this bill become law, it will put the state back on the path toward the failed Brownback tax experiment: the four-day school weeks, the budget cuts, and the crumbling roads and bridges that came with it.

The income tax cuts made possible by this bill could cost the state up to $1.3 billion annually. 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 and thwart efforts to ensure a sustainable water supply essential to our rural communities. I sincerely hope the Legislature listens to the people of Kansas and rethinks priorities on tax policy.

Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Bill 269.

Laura Kelly, Governor

Dated April 9, 2025.