Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday signed a $25.1 billion budget for fiscal 2025, but vetoed two dozen provisions, including money for sending the National Guard to the southern border, a pregnancy awareness program and language allowing universities to create special districts for a lucrative tax incentive.
The governor vetoed $15.72 million for the adjutant general’s budget with a proviso directing Kelly to send the guard to the Texas border to fight issues related to illegal immigration.
The money was added to the budget following resolutions passed by the House and the Senate supporting Texas in its fight against illegal immigration.
“As the Kansas National Guard’s commander in chief, it is my constitutional authority to direct the National Guard while on state duty,” Kelly said in a message detailing the items in the budget she was vetoing.
“It is not the Legislature’s role to direct the operations or call out the National Guard,” Kelly said in vetoing this measure. “Border security is a federal issue.”
Kelly said members of Congress need to address the country’s broken immigration system.
The governor said she has already repeatedly deployed National Guard troops to support the federal government’s efforts to fortify the border.
“When a governor deploys soldiers as part of a federal mission, it is done intentionally and in a manner that ensures we are able to protect our communities and that we do not threaten Guard readiness or limit our ability to respond to natural disasters at home.”
Republican state Sen. J.R. Claeys of Salina added the proviso to the budget.
“The Democrat Party is the party of open borders,” Claeys said in a response to the veto. “That is leading to human trafficking and fentanyl-related deaths spiking in Kansas.”
“Texas has asked for help controlling the border in the absence of leadership in the White House and we must answer the call to protect Kansans from harm,” he said in a text.
The governor also vetoed $2 million in the treasurer’s budget for a program that promotes childbirth instead of abortions for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
The program offers services, including pregnancy support centers, adoption assistance and maternity homes.
The program was only to provide counseling and mentoring; care coordination for prenatal
services, including connecting clients to health programs; educational materials; and information about pregnancy and parenting, among others.
“I continue to believe that overseeing a state pregnancy crisis center and maternity home program is not an appropriate role for the office of state treasurer,” Kelly said.
“This proviso continues a program to provide taxpayer funding for largely unregulated pregnancy resource centers.
“These entities are not medical centers and do not promote evidence-based methods to prevent unplanned pregnancies,” Kelly said in her veto message.
“The Legislature should listen to Kansans, who, on August 2, 2022, told politicians they should stop inserting themselves in private medical decisions between women and their doctors,” Kelly said, alluding to the vote on the constitutional amendment.
Just last week, Kelly vetoed a bill extending $10 million in tax credits for donations to pregnancy crisis centers, saying she thought it was wrong to send taxpayer dollars to those unregulated organizations.
The bill also would have created a sales tax exemption for purchases by a pregnancy resource center or residential maternity facility.
It also would have established adoption savings accounts, allowing someone to open a bank account designated to pay for or reimburse expenses for the adoption of a child.
In responding to last week’s veto, Kansans for Life said the governor was “blocking existing resources giving financial relief to families longing to adopt children and support to organizations that assist moms who want to choose life for their babies.”
The governor also vetoed budget language that would have allowed state universities to create districts for sales tax revenue, or STAR, bonds, a powerful incentive intended to attracts tourists to Kansas.
Kelly said the language would fundamentally alter the STAR bonds program by allowing the creation of STAR bond districts without the consent of the affected local government and without a minimum capital investment or revenue requirement.
“While I support innovative proposals to bring new economic development opportunities to the state, the changes to the program proposed in this budget do not adequately protect local governments’ authority or ensure the long-term solvency of the projects,” she said.
She also vetoed a proposal for recruiting and retaining home-based child care providers and increasing the number of child care slots in Kansas.
The program was included in the budget for the Department of Commerce, which was to issue a request for proposal to solicit potential private parties to run the program.
“Increasing access to child care is one of my biggest priorities as governor. To truly address this issue, we need everyone’s expertise at the table,” Kelly said.
“This proviso limits the pool of organizations that could apply to operate this pilot program.
“An open, competitive bidding process should be used to ensure that these funds are effective in supporting aspiring child care providers,” she said.
The governor also vetoed language establishing an air service development incentive program to support commercial service airports in Kansas.
“This program was not requested by the Department of Commerce or vetted by the agency,” Kelly said in vetoing this part of the budget.
“Given the ongoing debate in the Legislature regarding tax relief and the potential long-term fiscal impact of proposed tax policy, it is difficult to justify another expenditure from the State Highway Fund.
“We’ve closed the Bank of KDOT, and I do not want to risk backtracking on that progress.”
She also vetoed a section of the budget that would have provided up to $1.8 million from the proceeds of cash assistance for needy families to finance matching grants with a charitable organization to provide toiletry kits for public elementary or secondary schools.
“While well-intentioned, the initiative outlined in this proviso is not a permissible use of federal funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program,” Kelly said.
“I encourage the Legislature to work with the agency to identify a more appropriate avenue to fund this initiative through existing resources,” she said.
The governor also vetoed $1.5 million for a jet for the Kansas State University College of Aviation for student training.
“This item was not requested by the Kansas Board of Regents and did not go through the normal vetting process,” the governor said.
“While the intent of this proposal is admirable, covering the student cost of a university purchase, it should’ve gone through the regular funding process to ensure that the purchase is appropriate and will serve the university’s goals of providing its students additional educational opportunities,” she said.
The governor also vetoed $20 million for the Kansas Highway Patrol for a new central dispatch center in Salina, rehabbing and repairing the agency’s training center and a adding a new firing range.
“We need to invest in KHP’s Salina operations to provide a better environment for law enforcement recruitment and training and to improve KHP’s central dispatch facilities – vital elements of our state’s public safety infrastructure,” she said.
“If it is the Legislature’s intent to move elements of KHP’s operation off its current campus, a more comprehensive study must be conducted to ensure that we are investing these funds in a responsible manner that is part of a larger strategic plan,” Kelly said.
“I am concerned that moving some functions off the current KHP campus and retaining others will harm law enforcement readiness and incur a greater cost to the state down the line,” she said.
“This proposal was not brought forward by the agency or considered through the normal agency budget process.”
