Kentucky lawmakers have made federal school choice tax credits available to their residents, with this week’s override of their Democrat governor’s veto of the bill.
Kansas lawmakers appear in danger of failing to do so – at least in the state House.
Both the Kansas Senate and House have overwhelmingly passed HB 2468, which expands state tax credits for school choice and would opt the state into the new federal tax credits.
But in the face of a likely veto from Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly, the Kansas House vote of 76-44 to pass the bill would be eight votes short of the 84 needed to override Kelly’s veto.
That would leave many Kansans wondering: What lawmaker wouldn’t want to give parents access to federal tax credits to educate their children in the way they see fit?
“You and I are wondering the same thing,” Senate President Ty Masterson tells The Heartlander in an exclusive interview Friday. “It should be that simple.
“We’re trying to have conversations with the handful of Republicans that were on the wrong side of that to see if there’s other things that might make a difference – you know, if there’s budgetary provisions or other things they’d be interested in that would get them there.
“There were a few people missing the day they voted. So I think that was probably, 7, 6, 7, maybe 8 votes short in practicality. But that’s not insignificant. That’s on the border of being able to get anything done. But we’re going to continue to work with those members that are on the wrong side and see if we can get there.”
Even Colorado – with a Democrat governor, House and Senate – has announced it’s opting in to the federal school choice program.
Does that leave Kansas at risk of being a desert in the middle of the Midwest’s school choice states?
“I think we’re there. We absolutely risk that,” Masterson says.
Do rural legislators oppose school choice tax credits, even though some can be applied to public-school use – and poor-performing urban schools cry out for education freedom?
Yes, Masterson laments.
“I think we still have a few that are buying into the lie that giving parents choices somehow harms the public schools. … That frustrates me, because of these kids we have trapped in our inner cities where they can’t get out, and the schools they’re required to go to are failing.”
Coming up in session’s last week
On other legislative action heading into the last week of the session next week, a bill to strengthen election integrity in Kansas appears to have passed by enough votes to withstand a potential gubernatorial veto.
House Bill 2437 would authorize the Kansas Secretary of State to crosscheck the state’s voter rolls with the Social Security and the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) databases in order to remove ineligible voters.
“I think it has a really good shot [at surviving a veto] just because it’s generally very popular that you should have [only] citizens voting – clean voter rolls – because the core of the SAVE Act is that you’re keeping your voter rolls up-to-date and clean,” Masterson says.
“So, making sure you don’t have, you know, noncitizens or people who are deceased or moved out – leaving opportunities for people to vote for somebody else. I have very high hopes that it’ll survive a veto.”
Meanwhile, competing approaches to local property tax relief will have to be worked out next week among House and Senate leaders. The Senate has advanced a constitutional amendment to be approved by voters in November capping annual increases in property assessments at 3%. The House is promoting a similar measure, as well as a statutory bill allowing voters to contest local increases in property taxes.
In addition, leaders from both chambers will have to work out a final draft of the bill setting up a state Sports Authority to oversee the building and maintenance of a new stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs.
