Legislative Update by State Senator Caryn Tyson
April 25, 2023
The Governor’s Veto Pen is in overdrive again this year. Besides the fairness in women’s sports bill (which was successfully overridden) and the born-alive bill, she vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 180, defining a biological sex for the protection of women. It takes a supermajority of legislatures (2/3) to override a veto. She also vetoed House Bill (HB) 2344, allowing daycares to accept more children. The rules and regulations implemented by bureaucrats have become too restrictive. In fact, so restrictive that Kansan Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) testified about reducing the regulations and then didn’t follow through. HB 2344 was an attempt to address the overreaching restrictions.
It is almost unbelievable the Governor has prioritized corporations over families and individual taxpayers by vetoing a CCR 169. It would cut sales, property, and income tax by:
- accelerating “food” sales tax cut to zero on Jan 1, 2024 – instead of Jan 1, 2025
- increasing the property tax exemption for homeowners to $60k from $40k on the K-12 20 mil
- exempting most Social Security from state income tax, eventually exempting all
- increasing income tax standard deductions each year based on inflation
- creating a single income tax bracket of 5.15% while exempting income below $6,150 for individuals, $12,300 married so that it is a tax cut for all personal income tax filers
- accelerating the corporate income tax cut by one year to 1% cut 2024, instead of ½ percent in 2024 and 2025 (which the Governor signed into law last year)
- and cutting the privilege tax for banks ½ % in 2024 and ½ in 2025
Keep in mind that this is the same Governor who signed into law tax cuts and/or exemptions for major corporations and vetoed tax cuts in 2021 CCR 50. It is estimated just the APEX tax exemptions she pushed will be over $1.5 billion for two companies, one being a foreign owned company. Her claims for vetoing the tax cuts in CCR 169 are much the same as in 2021, that it would break the state. After CCR 50 became law, the state has continued to collect record revenue (taxes collected). She was wrong then and now. Let’s hope we can override the veto this year putting the brakes on massive government growth and providing tax relief for all, especially families and individuals in need.
Environmental Social Governance (ESG) has been creeping into Kansas and there were a couple of pieces of legislation attempting to restrict ESG ratings in taxpayer investments such as Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). During debate on Senate Bill (SB) 291, I ran an amendment that would stop taxpayer money being invested in foreign adversaries of the U.S. The amendment passed and the bill passed the Senate 29 to 11. During conference committee a stripped-down version of 291 was put in CCR 2100, taking out the language blocking investments in China and other foreign adversaries. The Senate sent a strong message to the House killing the conference committee report, but later reconsidered so we didn’t lose the entire ESG bill. It became law without the Governor’s signature.
It is important to get KPERS and other taxpayer money out of these countries. KPERS currently has approximately 2% invested in China, over $543 million. Some say it will cost too much to divest. I contend it is to costly to stay. This was proven when KPERS Russia investments went from over $30 million to basically $0 last year. KPERS board members and others have refused to take action so the legislature must. Hopefully, it will not be too late as we are a part-time legislature and the 2023 session is coming to an end.
HB 2036 would exempt veterans from property taxes, but the bill was not accepted during conference committee negotiations. I did not block the bill, as a State Representative who is a veteran is reporting (see https://www.teamtyson.org/HB2036.htm for more details). I have fought diligently for tax cuts for our veterans, military, and all Kansans. I have been a leader on the property-tax freeze for seniors and disabled veterans. Tax conference committee members were instrumental in leading the effort to pass the program last year and the possible expansion of the program this year in CCR 8. Hopefully, CCR 8 will become law this year.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
