TOPEKA -Governor Sam Brownback Friday signed House Substitute for Senate Bill 161, the budget bill, according to a media release.

The budget reduces overall spending while also addressing several key areas, including increased pay for officers in the Department of Corrections and Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and provides the funding called for in the Governor’s State of the State Address to enhance the safety of Kansas National Guard recruiters.

“I want to thank every member of the Kansas Legislature for their hard work in passing this budget quickly,” said Governor Brownback. “I look forward to working with the legislature in the coming weeks as we focus on managing spending and growing the Kansas economy.”

Pursuant to Article 2, Section 14 of the Constitution of the State of Kansas, the Governor returned House Substitute for Senate Bill 161 with the following line item vetoes:

Department of Commerce, STAR bonds
Vetoed language that would bar any consideration or approval of STAR bond projects in Wyandotte County until Fiscal Year 2018. The Secretary of Commerce is working with legislators to enact important reforms to the program. However, there is no precedent for prohibiting them in a single county while they remain available everywhere else.

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, mental health screenings
Vetoed Section 48(o) in its entirety. While the Governor supports these screenings, the federal government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has threatened to reduce federal funding to Kansas by millions of dollars if we continue this policy. Our discussions with CMS will continue throughout this month and the Governor likely will revisit the issue with the legislature when further clarification has been received.
The Governor has now signed five bills into law this session and vetoed one.

Click here to read the Governor’s veto message..