The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature has failed to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of the GOP tax cut bill.

The vote Wednesday was 78-33.  They needed a 2/3 majority of 84 votes to override the veto.

The bill would have cut state taxes for businesses and some residents who are paying more due to changes to the federal tax law.  Republicans argued that the cuts were needed due to that change.

However, when she vetoed the bill, Governor Kelly said approving the cuts would have decimated the state budget.  Some moderate Republicans in the legislature supported the governor’s veto.

The bill would have given tax cuts of about $240 million over 3 years.

Republican legislators in Kansas have overridden Democratic governor Laura Kelly’s vetoes of several spending items in the next state budget, including an extra payment to the state’s public pension system.

The GOP-controlled House voted 86-30 to override all of Kelly’s budget vetoes at once. Republicans leaders had two more votes than they needed and picked up a few Democratic votes. The vote in the Republican-controlled Senate was 27-11.

Kelly had argued that her veto would make the state budget more stable by building up the state’s cash reserves. The biggest spending item she excised was a $51 million payment to the pension system for teachers and other government workers. She also trimmed funds for mental health services.

Republicans argued that the pension payment would help the system’s long-term stability.