Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday vetoed Senate Substitute for House Bill 2745.
The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of Senate Substitute for House Bill 2745:
“Kansans deserve real property tax relief. For several years the Legislature has claimed to make delivering that relief their top priority and yet they have not been successful in delivering on that promise. This session’s attempt, Senate Substitute for House Bill 2745, does nothing to provide that relief. Instead, the truth is that this bill will only restrict the ability of locally elected officials to be nimble enough to adjust to the unique needs of the communities they serve.
“In fact, the passage of Senate Substitute for House Bill 2745 has already caused a great deal of disruption at the local level all across the state. Multiple school districts and local governments have been notified that their bonds that were within days of closing have been terminated by the underwriters, due to the financial uncertainty that this piece of legislation creates. This means that projects which have already been approved at the local level have been stopped dead in their tracks, as their funding source has been removed due to the passage of this bill.
“The harm this bill causes local communities is real. The Legislature would be wise to focus their efforts on partnering with local elected officials to develop real property tax relief for Kansans, as opposed to shutting them out of the process and passing faulty legislation.
“I plan to offer a property tax package for the Legislature’s consideration which will lay the foundation for these conversations, while also providing tax relief for the portion of property taxes that the State is accountable for assessing.
“Therefore, pursuant to Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution of the State of Kansas, I hereby veto Senate Substitute for House Bill 2745.”