MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR
Senate Substitute for House Bill No. 2036
An Act concerning taxation; relating to income tax; modifying tax rates for individuals; eliminating the income limit to qualify for a subtraction modification for social security income; increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption; relating to privilege tax; decreasing the normal tax rate; relating to property tax; increasing the extent of exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy; decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund and providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund; relating to sales and compensating use tax; reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients; modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected; amending K.S.A. 65-163j, 65-3306, 65-3327, 75-2556, 79-1107, 79-1108 and 79-1479 and K.S.A. 2023 Supp. 72-5142, 74-8768, 79-201x, 79-2988, 79-32,110, 79-32,117, 79-32,119, 79-32,121, 79-3603, 79-3603d, 79-3620, 79-3703 and 79-3710 and repealing the existing sections; also repealing K.S.A. 19-2694, 79-2960, 79-2961, 79-2962, 79-2965, 79-2966 and 79-2967 and K.S.A. 2023 Supp. 79-2959 and 79-2964.
Message to the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
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.
I have said repeatedly that I will do everything in my power to prevent our state from the fiscal mismanagement of the previous administration. Since becoming governor, my administration has been laser-focused on getting us back on track, so we don’t go back to the days of four-day school weeks, crumbling roads and bridges, and crippling debt. This bill is too expensive and risks reversing the progress we’ve made.
When working on any fiscal package, including tax cuts, legislators must consider the legislation’s affordability beyond their next election. The total fiscal impact of tax relief should stay within the tax plan I released with this veto. I encourage legislators to send me a tax package that gives Kansans the relief they desperately need while not putting the state on the path to bankruptcy.
Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Substitute for House Bill 2036.
Laura Kelly, Governor
Dated April 24, 2024..