House Speaker Dan Hawkins, seen during an April 6, 2023, session of the House, joined with Senate President Ty Masterson to urger listeners on a telephone town hall to rally around a tax reform bill lauded by GOP lawmakers but vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — Republican leaders of the Kansas Legislature said a two-thirds majority of House members were committed to overriding Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a tax reduction bill but a supermajority hadn’t crystalized in the Senate to complete the maneuver.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita and Senate President Ty Masterson of Andover participated in a telephone town hall Monday hosted by the state director of Americans for Prosperity. The format was designed to promote advantages of tax legislation vetoed Friday by Kelly. The host repeatedly urged listeners to hit “1” on their telephone if they wanted to send a message the governor’s veto should be overridden.
“We knew the governor was probably going to veto it,” Hawkins told participants. “You need to contact your representative. Same thing on the Senate side. Let them know how important this override is.”