TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly signed the redistricting maps for the Kansas state House of Representatives, the Kansas state Senate, and the Kansas Board of Education into law and vetoed Senate Sub for House Bill 2448, House Sub for Sub Senate Bill 286, Senate Bill 58, and Senate Bill 160.
The following veto message is from Governor Laura Kelly regarding her veto of S Sub for House Bill 2448:
“Every Kansan feels the price of the pandemic-induced inflation at the pumps and at the grocery store. The cost of food alone is one of the most significant contributors to inflation overall.
“With the rising costs of these necessities, we should be helping people afford the basics. This bill would unnecessarily burden nearly 30,000 hard-working Kansans, including people caring for their families and impacting those with children.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto S Sub for House Bill 2448.”
The following veto message is from Governor Laura Kelly regarding her veto of H Sub for Sub Senate Bill 286:
“This bill includes valuable provisions that I support, such as expanding telemedicine and criminal penalties for violence against health care workers in hospital settings.
“During the pandemic, I worked with hospitals, frontline care workers, and stakeholders on a narrowly tailored compromise to protect our doctors and nurses responding to COVID-19 while ensuring Kansas patients still had appropriate protections. This was important for those working around the clock, caring for our loved ones during the height of the pandemic.
“However, a last-minute provision was inserted into this bill which gutted our original carefully crafted compromise and indiscriminately broadened protections for health care providers, substantially reducing protections for Kansas patients.
“I will work with the Legislature in a bipartisan fashion on a bill that returns the liability provisions to the original compromise language and include the provisions for telemedicine and enhanced criminal penalties for violence against health care workers in hospital settings so that both Kansas patients and our hard-working healthcare providers are protected.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto H Sub for Sub Senate Bill 286.”
The following veto message is from Governor Laura Kelly regarding her veto of Senate Bill 58:
“Throughout the pandemic, parents had to step up and do the impossible. Go to work. Take care of their children. Teach, tutor and facilitate their children’s learning. When it comes to their children’s education, parents can and should play a vital role. We know that parental engagement in their child’s education greatly impacts the outcome.
“This bill, however, is about politics, not parents. Over one hundred Kansas parents testified against this bill. It would create more division in our schools and would be costly. Money that should be spent in the classroom would end up being spent in the courtroom.
“That’s unacceptable, especially after our efforts to bring Democrats and Republicans together to fully fund our schools for the last four years.
“I look forward to working with the Legislature in a bipartisan fashion on a bill that gives parents a seat at the table without harming school funding or exacerbating the issues facing our teachers.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Bill 58.”
The following veto message is from Governor Laura Kelly regarding her veto of Senate Bill 160:
“Both Republican and Democratic Governors have joined me in vetoing similar divisive bills for the same reasons: it’s harmful to students and their families and it’s bad for business.
“We all want a fair and safe place for our kids to play and compete. However, this bill didn’t come from the experts at our schools, our athletes, or the Kansas State High School Activities Association. It came from politicians trying to score political points.
“This bill would also undoubtedly harm our ability to attract and retain businesses. It would send a signal to prospective companies that Kansas is more focused on unnecessary and divisive legislation than strategic, pro-growth lawmaking.
“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Bill 160.”