Kansas City Democrat examines how tax legislation was passed (not for the squeamish)

(From Rep. Ingrid Burnett, D-Kansas City)

Bad Sausage

There is a saying about sausage making and legislation, and this special session is a prime example. 

After a six-hour hearing, the House Budget Committee voted out on a partisan vote Senate Bill 3&5 which eventually lowers the income tax rate to 4.5% from the current rate of 5.3% at a revenue reduction of close to $2 billion. 

During the vote, the committee ballooned the tax cut into a massive reduction of $7.6 billion by completely eliminating corporate income taxes. 

I offered two amendments – one would make the Working Families Income Tax Credit refundable ($80 M reduction), and the other would increase revenue by $215 M by ending the Timely Filing business incentive that allows vendors to keep 2% of all sales tax they collect. Those and a few others were offered and defeated, and then the Chair abruptly ended the discussion and called for the vote. Some of his party’s members had fundraisers back home they had to get to.

Then, the following day, there was a complete reverse course and through procedural strategies that prohibited any opportunity to offer any amendments, the legislation was reverted to the former version and received final approval on a vote of 98-32, with three voting “present.” 

Since the Senate approved the bill 24-4 a week earlier and the House made no changes, it goes to Gov. Mike Parson for his consideration. 

With a resounding vote of 10-118, that defeated an emergency clause, the bill will not take effect upon the governor’s approval. However, the bill includes provisions that are beyond the scope of the governor’s original special session call, and since the state constitution prohibits lawmakers from enacting legislation not authorized by the governor when convened in special session, Parson later expanded his call to include the bill’s extra provisions.

Legislative Chambers Still at Stalemate Over Agriculture Bill

The House and Senate Republican leaders remain at a stalemate over the passage of $40 million in special tax breaks for agricultural producers. 

Although the two chambers traded identical versions of the bill on Sept. 20, neither has made a move to consider the other’s legislation. The current anticipation is that the Senate will convene this week to take up and pass the House version and end this “never-ending session,” but I, for one, am not holding my breath. Under the constitution, the session can continue through Nov. 5 – just in time for the November 8 elections.

Speaking of Election Day

We are now officially in election season. The deadline for registering to vote in the November 8 election is October 12, and if you meet certain criteria, you can now vote by absentee ballot through the mail or in person. Your local election board is your best source for all your voting questions.