Almost immediately after issuing vetoes on a Republican-backed tax relief plan and submitting her own version for consideration, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s office sent a second release saying the governor had signed a budget for fiscal years 2025-2028.
Governor Kelly says there were several key takeaways:
*The budget invests $35 million in water infrastructure, conservation and quality, and it pledges another $10 million for drinking and wastewater projects for communities with populations under 1,000.
*It includes economic development projects, notably industrial park projects and moderate-income housing.
*It offers pay raises for state employees.
*It offers “historic” funding levels for workforce training and post-secondary education.
There were also several notable line-item vetoes, including nearly $16 million to provide assistance to Texas in the ongoing border crisis; funding for the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness program; certain pilot programs through the Kansas Departments of Commerce and Aging and Disability Services; and competitive foster care grant funding through the Department for Children and Families. This also eliminates the $9 million model investment into Emporia State University. Governor Kelly approves the $3 million regional stabilization funding for ESU and other regional Board of Regents universities, but she says the larger revenue stream was not requested by Emporia State and was not mentioned in the Regents’ budget request.
