ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The end of the month is approaching, and the Kelly Administration has been keeping busy with some recent work.
Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced $5.6 million has been awarded for 49 projects to strengthen the middle of Kansas’ food supply chain, including an Equipment Only Grant to Prairie Wind Aquatics in Garden City.
“Kansas’ central location and abundant agriculture production are critical to the nation’s food supply chain,” Gov. Kelly noted in a release from the State of Kansas. “By investing in our producers and businesses in this sector, we are strengthening economic growth across the state. Through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA), eight grants will improve producers’ infrastructure. The other 41 will strengthen the middle of the state’s food supply chain operations.”
The projects selected for funding were informed by engagement and outreach with underserved producers to understand the needs of the agriculture supply chain, the State of Kansas release noted.
"These grants will help Kansas food and farm businesses and other eligible organizations create diverse local and regional market options and more economic opportunities for our Kansas communities," Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam noted in the State of Kansas release. "With this financial support, we will see improvements across the middle of our state's food supply chain, including increased food processing infrastructure, producer aggregation points, and product storage.”
“Projects funded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program are building strength and resilience in Kansas’ food system, diversifying agricultural markets, creating new revenue streams for small and mid-sized producers, and providing economic opportunities for local communities,” USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt noted in the State of Kansas release. “USDA is grateful for Kansas’ support strengthening local and regional agricultural supply chains.”
This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through the federal American Rescue Plan.
Wednesday also saw Gov. Kelly ceremonially sign Senate Bill 1, the bipartisan sustainable tax cuts package, in Olathe. The bill comprehensively cuts Kansans taxes while ensuring the state’s long-term fiscal health, according to a release from the State of Kansas.
“Kansans can expect to see meaningful tax cuts and can rest assured they will not threaten our ability to continue fully funding essential services,” Gov. Kelly noted in the State of Kansas release. “This bipartisan bill delivers the tax relief Kansans needed, deserved, and that our state could afford. Senate Bill 1, passed with bipartisan support and signed by Governor Kelly in June, provides Kansans with nearly $2 billion in tax cuts over the next 5 years. The bill completely eliminates state taxes on Social Security income, saving Kansas retirees $152 million in the first year alone.”
The bill also reduces property taxes by increasing the residential property tax exemption to $75,000. Residential property owners will save more than $236 million over five years. Additionally, the bill reduces income taxes while increasing the standard deduction and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, according to the State of Kansas release.
“By responsibly reducing property and income taxes, we’re implementing comprehensive tax cuts that all Kansans will feel the impact of,” Kansas State Senator Rob Olson, District 23, noted in the State of Kansas release. “I’m proud to have worked with Gov. Kelly and lawmakers of both parties to get this bipartisan package across the finish line.”
Earlier this year, Gov. Kelly had vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097.
“Kansans need responsible, comprehensive tax relief. As I said in my last veto statement of the Legislature’s nearly identical tax bill, ‘I cannot sign into law a bill that jeopardizes our state’s future fiscal stability,’” Gov. Kelly noted in a May State of Kansas release.“I have given the Legislature several roadmaps to fiscally responsible tax cuts since January. Instead, they played political games with reckless tax policies, and I vetoed them. I said irresponsible tax policies would lead to a special session. So here we are. While I applaud the spirit of bipartisanship, this tax cut package, passed at the 11th hour of the last day of the Legislative session, misses the mark. Its proposed cuts and the excessive spending by the Legislature endanger all the progress we’ve made in restoring services for Kansans, funding our public schools, and investing in our infrastructure. Additionally, to favor a specific business, a tax abatement scheme was floated to put taxpayer dollars into that business’ pocket at the expense of local government services. That’s wrong. Taxpayer dollars should not be diverted to political donors under the guise of tax cuts.”
Gov. Kelly had noted responsibility was a key necessity.
“Kansans expect us to map a responsible future because we have come a long way, together. Our financial ratings have been upgraded. We have paid down debt. We paid $224 million for new projects in cash, saving Kansans $90 million in interest that would have otherwise accumulated through bonds,” Gov. Kelly noted in the May State of Kansas release. Education is being funded. We went from zero to a reasonable rainy-day fund for the inevitable emergencies we will face. Kansas is being noticed for its sense of responsibility. Don’t toss all that. The lack of a fiscally responsible tax cut bill jeopardizes other tax policy passed before adjournment, such as legislation to support Kansas’ film and digital media industry. The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years. We cannot start with our expenses and then look at our income. Families and businesses do not budget like that; neither should Kansas.”
