Announced to the public on Tuesday. On the governor’s desk by Thursday.
Republican leadership in the Kansas legislature are hailing the overwhelming passage of House Bill 2284, the party’s plan for both reducing the state tax burden and streamlining the overall tax code. All lawmakers representing Lyon County voted for HB 2284.
17th District Senator Jeff Longbine of Emporia says tax relief is needed across the board. He has already mentioned the end of Social Security taxes on seniors as a good step. He also says a major change is needed for standard deductions, personal exemptions and income tax rates.
Longbine also says Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s plan to increase the minimum wage to $15 for all state employees automatically puts them in the state’s highest tax bracket.
The plan competes with one announced by Governor Kelly earlier this month. There are several components in HB 2284 that resemble the Kelly plan, and 76th District Representative Eric Smith was pleased with what he sees on the Republican side:
There are some key differences as well. HB 2284 also ends the state sales tax on food on July 1 instead of immediately, as the governor has requested. The governor’s plan, meanwhile, includes doubling the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and creating a back-to-school sales tax holiday. Neither feature is in the Republican plan.
The Republican plan may have passed overwhelmingly, but it falls short of veto-proof majorities. 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber says both chambers may have enough override votes if the governor vetoes the bill as expected:
The governor has not said when she plans to decide on HB 2284.
