Volume 44 - Issue 18 - May 1, 2025
State of Kansas
Kansas Legislature
CERTIFICATE
In accordance with K.S.A. 45-308, it is certified that Senate Bill 125, approved by the Governor on April 9, 2025; was returned with line item objections as follows:
State Treasurer — Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program
- The portion of Sec. 46(a) that reads as follows has been line item vetoed:
- Pregnancy compassion awareness program $3,000,000
Provided, That expenditures shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to continue the statewide program, previously known as the alternatives to abortion program, to enhance and increase resources that promote childbirth instead of abortion to women facing unplanned pregnancies and to offer a full range of services, including pregnancy support centers, adoption assistance and maternity homes: Provided further, That the program shall include only the following services: Counseling and mentoring; care coordination for prenatal services, including connecting clients to health programs; providing educational materials and information about pregnancy and parenting; referrals to county and social service programs, including child care, transportation, housing and state and federal benefit programs; classes on life skills, budgeting, parenting, stress management, job training, job placement and obtaining a GED certificate; providing material items, including, but not limited to, car seats, cribs, maternity clothes, infant diapers and formula; and support groups in maternity homes: And provided further, That program services shall be made available to any Kansas resident who is a pregnant woman, the biological father of an unborn child, the biological or adoptive parent or legal guardian of a child 24 months of age or younger, a program participant who has experienced the loss of a child or a parent or legal guardian of a pregnant child who is a program participant: And provided further, That the provision and delivery of services under the program shall be dependent on participant needs as assessed by the nonprofit organization providing the services and not otherwise prioritized by any state agency: And provided further, That program services shall be available to participants only during pregnancy and continuing for up to 24 months after birth of the child: And provided further, That the state treasurer shall continue to contract with the nonprofit organization that was awarded such contract in fiscal year 2025 to provide services under the pregnancy compassion awareness program, and such nonprofit organization shall subcontract with existing pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, maternity homes and social service organizations to provide program services to promote childbirth instead of abortion: And provided further, That such contract extension shall be for a term not longer than one year: And provided further, That the selected contractor and any subcontractors may provide services in addition to the enumerated program services, but such services shall not be funded through the pregnancy compassion awareness program: And provided further, That the state treasurer shall include as a condition of the contract extension with the nonprofit organization selected to provide program services: (1) The assessment of an administrative fine for failure to satisfy program requirements, including required reporting, or for the intentional or reckless misuse of any funds awarded by the terms of such contract, and such fine shall be in the amount of 10% of the funds awarded by the terms of such contract and shall be deposited into the state treasury in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto, to the credit of the state general fund; and (2) that such nonprofit organization shall submit a report to the legislature and the state treasurer on or before June 30, 2026, on the administration of the program during fiscal year 2026, including: The number of clients; the number of clients who participated in case management services; the number of case management hours provided to clients; the number of clients engaged in educational services or job training and placement activities; the number of newborns who were born to program participants; the number of such newborns placed for adoption; the number of fathers who participated in program services; the number of client satisfaction surveys completed; and any other information that shows the success of the contractor’s administration of the program: And provided further, That the state treasurer shall establish the pregnancy compassion public awareness program to be administered by the same nonprofit organization contracted with to provide pregnancy compassion awareness program services: And provided further, That the purpose of the public awareness program is to help pregnant women who are at risk of having abortions to be made aware of the pregnancy compassion awareness program services: And provided further, That the public awareness program shall include the development and promotion of a website that provides a geographically indexed list of available pregnancy compassion awareness program services and nonprofit subcontractors that provide services: And provided further, That the public awareness program may include, but shall not be limited to, the use of television, radio, outdoor advertising, newspapers, magazines, other print media and the internet to provide information about the pregnancy compassion awareness program services and subcontractors: And provided further, That, to the greatest extent possible, the secretary for children and families shall supplement and match moneys appropriated for the pregnancy compassion awareness program with federal and other public and private moneys, and such moneys shall be prioritized to be used preferentially for the program and the public awareness program and be transferred from the special revenue fund or funds of the Kansas department for children and families as identified by the secretary for children and families to the pregnancy compassion awareness program account to be expended for such programs: Provided, however, That the pregnancy compassion awareness program and the pregnancy compassion public awareness program and any moneys appropriated or expended therefor shall not be used to perform, induce, assist in the performing or inducing of or refer for abortions, and moneys appropriated or expended for such programs shall not be granted to organizations or affiliates of organizations that perform, induce, assist in the performing or inducing of or refer for abortions.
I continue to believe that housing the pregnancy crisis center program in the Office of the State Treasurer is inappropriate and simply politically motivated. Additionally, Kansas women facing unplanned pregnancies deserve meaningful support from medical professionals who can provide evidence-based guidance, not from largely unregulated pregnancy resource centers. Kansans told the Legislature in August of 2022 that their private medical decisions should remain between them and their physician, and this appropriation is an attempt to subvert the will of the people.
State Treasurer — Duplicative Talent Attraction Program
- Sec. 46(c) and Sec. 47 have been line-item vetoed in their entirety.
I agree we must invest state resources to attract talented workers to Kansas so that our workforce can keep pace with the historic levels of economic development occurring in the state. Unfortunately, the Legislature decided to defund an existing program at the Department of Commerce, Love, Kansas Program that does just that. It is highly inefficient to create a new, unvetted program with no guardrails in an agency that has nothing to do with workforce development or talent attraction. Instead of duplicating work already being done, the resources provided to this program should have gone towards enhancing the Department of Commerce’s ongoing efforts to attract talented workers to Kansas.
Kansas Department of Administration — Press Office Lease Costs
- Sec. 63(x) has been line-item vetoed in its entirety.
Freedom of the press is one of the bedrocks of a free and open democratic society. This item appears to be targeted at the Kansas Capitol press corps to stymie their ability to effectively report on the actions occurring in the people’s house. Provisions like this set a dangerous precedent and undermine one of the core principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Instead of imposing barriers for the press to do their job in an efficient manner, the Legislature should look for ways to make the lawmaking process more transparent.
Kansas Lottery — Legislative Interference in Sports Gaming
- Sec. 72 (b) and Sec. 73 (f) have been line-item vetoed in their entirety.
Robust processes are in place to negotiate any contract extension or renewal of existing sports wagering agreements. Inserting the Legislature into these negotiations would unnecessarily complicate the complex legal processes already in place to facilitate potential changes to the State’s sports wagering agreements.
Kansas Department of Commerce – Purple UAS
- The portion of Sec. 76(a) that reads as follows has been line-item vetoed:
- Purple UAS certification innovation grant account $1,000,000
Provided, That expenditures in an amount of not less than $500,000 shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to provide a grant to the national institute for aviation research at Wichita state university to research and create an accurate and comprehensive checklist necessary for blue unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) compliance, which shall include the United States department of defense requirements for maintenance of supply chain security necessary for manufacturers of such department of defense drone technology: Provided further, That, national institute for aviation research shall include specific recommendations to Kansas state university Salina for the creation of a purple UAS public safety and commercial credentialing process: And provided further, That expenditures in an amount of not less than $500,000 shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to provide a grant to Kansas state university Salina to create a purple UAS public safety and commercial credentialing process for credentialing drones for commercial and public safety use: Provided, however, That if such expenditures are not expended by January 1, 2026, on such date, any remaining moneys in such account are hereby lapsed: And provided further, That the above agency shall prepare and submit a report to the legislature on the purple UAS public safety and commercial credentialing process by January 20, 2026.
The Department of Commerce did not request this item and it did not go through the agency vetting process. While I appreciate the intent of this item to provide additional funding for emerging technology in the aviation sector, I cannot ignore the deficiencies in the process that led to this being included in the budget. I encourage the Legislature to work with interested parties to resubmit this proposal as an official agency budget request next year.
Kansas Department of Commerce – Arts Commission Restrictions
- The portion of Sec. 76(b) that reads as follows has been line-item vetoed:
Provided further, That expenditures shall not be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to employ persons on a contractual basis in order to ensure that the maximum amount of dollars may be distributed to Kansas communities for arts grants: And provided further, That expenditures shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to award matching grant funds: And provided further, That an amount of not to exceed 60% of grant moneys shall be awarded to applicants for matching grant funds located in counties with a population of 85,000 or less as of the 2020 census: And provided further, That an amount of not to exceed 40% of grant moneys shall be awarded to applicants for matching grant funds located in counties with a population of more than 85,000 as of the 2020 census.
I’m proud that in recent years we have been able to reinvest in the Kansas Arts Commission. KAC enhances the role the arts play in all levels of education, community service, workforce development and quality of life in our state. This proviso would restrict the Commission’s ability to issue grants. It would also bar it from using contractual support, which would likely require additional state employees to cover work the Commission currently partners with contractors to complete. Changing the structure of how the Commission works would cause inefficiencies and grow government.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment – Cerebral Palsy Research
- The portion of Sec. 83(a) that reads as follows has been line item vetoed:
- Cerebral palsy research $263,000
The intent behind this budget proviso in unclear. It was not requested by any state agency. I encourage all stakeholders to work with the relevant agencies to get this vetted through the agency budget request process and resubmit next year.
Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services – Continuation of SPARK Funding
- The portion of Sec. 89(a) that reads as follows has been line item vetoed:
Provided further, That expenditures in an amount of not less than $540,000 shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to provide in-home services to low-income older individuals who would be able to remain in their homes for independence and self-sufficiency if such individuals received such services.
I have always supported services that promote self-sufficiency and independence for the elderly. They keep older adults in their communities and prevents nursing home stays, saving taxpayer dollars in the long run. However, these provisos will continue to fund a pilot program that was initially funded by one-time federal grants. The state cannot shoulder the burden of ongoing costs created by lapsed federal funding. It is simply unsustainable.
Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services – Lapsed Funding
- Sec. 89(aa) has been vetoed in its entirety.
2024 S.B. 28 allocated funding for different types of entities to transform into Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics over the course of four years. The lapse in funding outlined in this section reverses the progress that the KDADS has made in executing the intent of last year’s appropriation. This is not only a waste of resources, but it is also wholly inefficient.
Kansas Department for Children and Families – Interpreter Services
- The portion of Sec. 92(a) that reads as follows has been line item vetoed:
Provided further, That expenditures in an amount of not less than $375,000 shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to provide for additional deaf and hard of hearing services.
Interpreter services, especially in government functions, are necessary to ensure every Kansan can be informed. However, I have significant concerns over the current limited geographic scope of interpreter services in Kansas. They are not structured in a way that ensures interpreter services are easily accessible and equally affordable in high-user areas. I encourage all relevant stakeholders to reconsider this proposal next year with a plan to widen its capabilities across the state.
Kansas Board of Regents — Scholarship Lapses
- Sec. 118(h) and Sec. 118(i) have been line-item vetoed in their entirety.
These scholarship funds are critical for students and workforce development. By lapsing these funds, the Legislature will undermine and negate their own hard work to ensure that higher education is affordable for more Kansans and that our businesses’ workforce needs are addressed.
Department of Corrections — O’Connell Children’s Shelter
- The portion of Sec. 121(a) that reads as follows has been line-item vetoed:
And provided further, That expenditures in an amount of not less than $1,000,000 shall be made by the above agency from such account during fiscal year 2026 to provide for services to families at the O’Connell children’s shelter in Lawrence, Kansas.
While I support providing services to Kansas youth who need assistance, the funding in this section of the proviso is allocated toward one specific entity. The direct allocation of these funds circumvents the established grant process and the rigorous agency review that allows any qualified and interested entity to apply, ensuring that services provided are the best quality at the best price. We have made great progress towards eliminating “no-bid contracts” recently. We should not take an unnecessary step backwards.
State 911 Board – Mapping Grant Program
- Sec. 135(a) has been line-item vetoed in its entirety.
Ensuring the safety of Kansans is one of my top priorities. However, the agency indicates it does not currently have the capacity to enact the program as described in the bill. Additionally, this program would require additional investments by the Legislature over the next several fiscal years to provide complete funding. It is unclear that the Legislature can meet this obligation given the financial picture ahead.
Kansas State University Veterinary Medical Center — Bonding Authority
- Sec. 177(b) has been line-item vetoed in its entirety.
Throughout my administration, it has been a key priority to eliminate debt and invest one-time funds in one-time projects. We have successfully partnered with the Legislature to pay down debt and limit ongoing budgetary costs. I fear this project backtracks on this progress.
I urge Kansas State University to continue collaborating with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan for funding a new Animal Diagnostic Laboratory.
Kansas Highway Patrol — Jabara Airport Hangar
- Sec. 187(h) and Sec. 188 have been line-item vetoed in their entirety.
The Kansas Highway Patrol has requested funding to purchase and operate a hangar at the Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita. Rather than fund the original request, the Legislature appropriated funds for the agency to work with a third-party entity that would own the hangar rather than the agency. This funding structure would cost the state considerably more over the long term than would the agency’s original request. I will direct the Kansas Highway Patrol to identify alternative solutions for the Legislature to consider next session.
These line items were approved on April 10, 2025 by two-thirds of the members elected to the Senate notwithstanding the objections of the governor; were reconsidered by the House of Representatives and approved on April 11, by two-thirds of the members elected to the House, notwithstanding the objections, the line items did pass and shall become law.
The remainder of the line items vetoed by the Governor were reconsidered by the Senate but not by the House of Representatives and the vetoes were sustained.
This certificate is made this 11th day of April by the Chief Clerk and Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President and Secretary of the Senate.
Daniel R. Hawkins
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Susan W. Kannar
Chief Cleark of the House of Representatives
Ty Masterson
President of the Senate
Corey Carnahan
Secretary of the Senate
Doc. No. 053097
