Feb 24, 2021

Probst: Governor is 'the only backstop' to Republican legislative agenda

Posted Feb 24, 2021 3:24 PM

By NICK GOSNELL

Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Democratic State Representative Jason Probst notes that once policy proposals make it to the floor of the Kansas Legislature this session, there isn't a lot his party can do to stop them in that process.

"When you have a supermajority in power and that's what we have right now, they literally can do anything they want," Probst said. "The only backstop in this case, because we have a Democratic governor is her veto. If we had a Republican governor, it would be very similar to what we had under Sam Brownback, where there's no backstop, nothing to prevent some of these really, what I view as dangerous policies from going through."

One proposal that really gives Probst pause is the tax bill that has been working its way through the legislature, which would allow taxpayers to itemize on their state return even if they don't on their federal, but also would make offshore income for some Kansas businesses tax-free again, in addition to other business tax breaks.

"There was a lot of talk about Senate Bill 22, we don't know what that version's going to end up like," Probst said. "Over in the Senate, they took that from a $620 million fiscal note over three years to about $500 million. Then, I think the last estimate was that it had ballooned up to about a $1.4 billion fiscal note."

The fiscal note is the amount of money the state would no longer get with the tax cuts.

"The question will be, do we have the votes to sustain a veto?" Probst wondered. "That's what we'll see later in the session, I expect, because I think, they have the numbers. They were successful in their elections and they have all the power. The question now, is how will they use that power?"

The legislature plans to spend all of next week on the floor working through bills.