Governor Kelly vetoes six bills, allows two to become law without signature
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed House Bill 2217, House Bill 2291, House Bill 2284, House Bill 2033, Senate Bill 79, and Senate Bill 29. Governor Kelly also allowed House Bill 2101 and House Bill 2020 to become law without her signature.
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of House Bill 2217:
“It is very unclear what problem, if any, this bill is attempting to solve. Expanding the inspector general’s authority to audit and investigate all state cash, food, and health assistance programs is completely redundant, inefficient, and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
“Within the Kansas Department for Children and Families, there already exists a Fraud Investigations Unit that conducts this work with experts who have specific knowledge of how these programs work and what federal and state laws require. This bill also removes statutory protections for participants’ data and health privacy.
“It makes no sense from a legal, policy, or fiscal standpoint to make this change.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto House Bill 2217.”
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of House Bill 2291:
“Although I support the intent of this bill to foster an environment where our businesses can thrive, I have concerns regarding the lawmaking power of the advisory committee established in this legislation. Granting an advisory committee the authority to overrule existing law without proper oversight could lead to problematic decision-making and open the door to special interests doing an end-run around the legislative process.
“Additionally, this bill blocks any transparency in relation to the applications submitted for review which further exacerbates my concerns regarding the role of special interests.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto House Bill 2291.”
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of House Bill 2284:
“The bill, in its original form, contained several helpful provisions that I supported and would have improved transparency and accountability overall. However, as amended, this bill is now unworkable and opens the state up to costly and protracted litigation.
“Additionally, this bill is a dramatic overreach by the Legislature into the role of the Executive branch, which is charged with administering and executing policy. It also overreaches into the Judicial branch by removing the courts from the process entirely and vesting that duty squarely with the Legislature’s ad hoc “appeals committee” — a move that calls into question the very constitutionality of this bill by denying the rights of ‘judicial review’ to those involved.
“However, most alarmingly, this bill creates a haphazard procurement process that does nothing to mitigate conflicts of interest among legislators and creates an environment that is rife for exploitation and graft — exactly the opposite of what the existing process, overseen by the Department of Administration, is designed to do. I am happy to work with the Legislature next year on a clean bill that addresses some of the underlying concerns without creating all the legal, ethical and constitutional challenges of this current version of the bill.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto House Bill 2284.”
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of House Bill 2033:
“While I believe that we must do everything possible to support at-risk students, this legislation is unnecessary because its goal has already been achieved by the State Board of Education. In February, the Kansas State Board of Education added programs provided by the proponents of this bill to the list of approved at-risk evidence-based programs.
“Additionally, in K.S.A 72-5153, the Legislature has explicitly provided the authority to identify and approve these programs to the State Board of Education. Thus, it is the job of the Board to vet and approve at-risk programs and service providers. If program providers want to serve at-risk students, they should work in partnership with the Board.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto House Bill 2033.”
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of Senate Bill 79:
“This bill is simply wrong. Not only would it make it more difficult for Kansans to access the food they need to feed their families, it would also harm Kansas businesses.
“The waiver required by this bill is confusing and will cause problems for our grocers and small businesses. Under the definition in that waiver, Kansas businesses would be mandated to stop accepting food assistance benefits for protein bars, trail mix, and other food products many would consider “healthy.” Meanwhile, items like Twix, Kit Kat, and Twizzlers would still be eligible for purchase using food assistance benefits. It’s nonsensical.
“I support the idea that Kansans should eat healthier. However, changes to the SNAP food assistance program should be made at the federal level, not on a patchwork, state-by-state basis.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Bill 79.”
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of Senate Bill 29:
“Taking away the authority of public health officials to prohibit public gatherings and issue quarantines when necessary for the control of infectious or contagious disease directly contradicts effective, evidence-based health intervention advice and would put the health and safety of Kansans at unnecessary risk.
“While this legislation is likely motivated by the politics coming out of the recent pandemic, it would cause actual harm in efforts to mitigate current outbreaks related to measles, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
“I will not sign legislation that hampers public health professionals’ ability to take reasonable, measured steps to limit the spread of dangerous infections and protect the health of the communities they are entrusted to serve.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Bill 29.”
The following statement is from Governor Kelly regarding allowing House Bill 2101 to become law without her signature:
“I have long been a proponent of local control, allowing local elected officials to make decisions for the communities they live in and were elected to represent.
“However, I am concerned that a guaranteed income program would exacerbate the current problem of disproportionately high local property taxes.
“Therefore, I will allow House Bill 2101 to become law without my signature.”
The following statement is from Governor Kelly regarding allowing House Bill 2020 to become law without her signature:
“While I strongly support processes to ensure that our voter rolls are regularly updated to ensure accuracy and eligibility, I am concerned that this legislation does not specifically address possible conflict between federal and state law with regard to the potential removal of individuals by the secretary of state.
“Specifically, this bill creates a system for regular removal of people on the voter rolls but fails to carve out protections provided under federal law and could disenfranchise eligible voters by not giving them enough time to remedy the issue.
“Given my concerns regarding potential conflicts with federal law, this bill will become law without my signature.”
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