GUEST COLUMN, Shannon Francis, 125th District Representative
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the members of the SCCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) for visiting me on the last day of the session. The success of our community hinges on our youth, and PTK members exemplify the best among them.
Phi Theta Kappa’s mission is to recognize the academic achievements of community college students and provide opportunities for them to grow as scholars and leaders. The organization focuses on increasing recognition and opportunities for student engagement among its members. PTK understands that self-efficacy and student engagement are closely tied to student success, and it seeks to connect with and support as many students as possible, including adult and traditional students, full- and part-time students, dually enrolled students, and those attending entirely online.
PTK primarily provides programming and support to its members. Student success is complex and requires coordinated and intentional efforts by students, colleges, individuals, organizations, policymakers, and members of business and industry. Through its research, PTK has learned that student success doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Our community colleges are quality institutions, and PTK members provide some of the best evidence of that quality. PTK advocates for the value of community college education by equipping students to be advocates and providing them with platforms and opportunities to elevate the value of their community college experience.
The 2025 legislative session has officially ended with the last day of the veto session concluding around 5 p.m. Friday. Governor Kelly had vetoed several pieces of legislation during the break. The Legislature successfully overrode 14 of those vetoes along with 15 budget line item vetoes. Below are some of the bills and line-item vetoes overridden:
SB 269: When tax revenues come in higher than expected, it automatically lowers the income tax rate. SB 269 has no fiscal note. The tax cuts only go into place if income tax revenues increase by more than inflation and our rainy day fund is more than 15 percent of our SGF revenues .
HB 2062: Provides for child support from the age of conception. Pregnant mothers incur a number of healthcare costs leading up to the birth of their babies. This bill allows the courts to order child support during this time to help with these costs.
SB 5: Requires legislative approval of federal funds flowing into Kansas elections. This bill was crafted in response to the “Biden Bucks” effort, where the Biden administration provided taxpayer dollars to certain groups to fund their get-out-the-vote efforts.
SB 14: Prevents state government shutdowns if the Governor vetoes the entire budget. The Governor has line-item veto power. This bill addresses the potential issue of a governor causing a state shutdown by vetoing the entire budget presented by the legislature. It aims to avoid the political conflicts we’ve seen at the federal level from happening in Kansas.
HB 2217: Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a formal notice to Governor Kelly’s administration, highlighting the need for increased efficiency in the food stamps program. HB 2217 broadens the mandate of the Kansas Inspector General’s Office to address fraud and abuse within the executive branch.
HB 2311: Our foster care system depends on strong and stable families to care for the children in our system. This bill ensures the administration does not discriminate against foster parents with religious beliefs.
HB 2291: One of the most important things we can do as legislators is help create a climate where businesses can innovate and grow. This leads to more jobs, higher wages, and a thriving economy. HB 2291 creates what is known as a regulatory sandbox. This is a program that limits needless government red tape so that new ideas and entrepreneurs have an easier path to get started.
HB 2382: Requires school districts to include a fetal development presentation as part of the curriculum for any course that addresses human growth, human development, or human sexuality.
SB 29: Removes the authority of health officers to prohibit public gatherings and ensures due process rights are in place.
HB 2284: Ensures a more transparent process when it comes to the bidding process for the managed care organizations that operate our Medicaid services. The last round of bidding was clouded by multiple problems including lost paperwork, rules made up on the fly, and several rounds of litigation.
HB 2033: HB 2033 adds nonprofit organizations accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council to the list of approved at-risk educational programs. This bill helps students who are facing challenges learning to read and write.
HB 2240: Prevents state agencies from seeking waivers to expand eligibility for any public assistance programs or that would increase costs to the state. It is the job of the legislature to appropriate funds. Any effort to expand or alter public programs that dramatically increases the state’s costs should be done with legislative approval.
SB 125: SB 125 was the budget bill. You’ll remember the budget passed by the legislature spent $210 million less than last year and significantly less than proposed by the Governor. I was okay with some of the Governor’s line-item vetoes because they reduced overall spending. But others were politically motivated and affected truly needed programs. The line-item vetoes that were overridden included:
• Continued funding for the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program, which is an important pro-life program that provides resources for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
• Funding for a Critical Facility Mapping Grant Program that will help keep school children and others safe by giving first responders the technology they need to respond quickly to a crisis. Similar programs have been championed by Governor DeSantis in Florida and Governor Abbott in Texas.
• Critical funding to assist those with cerebral palsy and for interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing.
