TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would undo his signature income tax cut and his allies prevented the Legislature from overriding him, setting up future confrontations over balancing the state budget.
Less than two hours after Brownback vetoed the bill, the state House voted 85-40 to override him, giving supporters one vote more than the two-thirds majority they needed. But the vote in the Senate hours later was 24-16, which was three shy of a two-thirds majority.
By not overriding the veto, lawmakers will have to draft another plan aimed at closing projected budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019.
Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican who opposed overriding the veto, said the elements of a new plan will remain similar: Increases in personal income tax rates and an end to an exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners. The governor opposes both moves.
“I think we could see several vetoes,” she told fellow GOP senators during a pre-vote caucus.