TOPEKA, Kan. -- Kansas' Republican-led Legislature voted late Tuesday to reverse Gov. Sam Brownback's signature tax cuts, overriding the governor's veto of a bill that reverses many of the income-tax reductions he championed as a way to fix the state's budget.
Brownback, a Republican, denounced the decision by lawmakers in a speech Wednesday and then quickly walked from the room, refusing to answer questions from reporters.
He declined to weigh in on what the tax bill means for his legacy, as a reporter shouted the question to him on his way out the door.
"I think we've taken a big step backwards," Brownback said in his speech. "I think it's the wrong philosophy to implement."
He continued to praise his 2012 tax cuts, blaming "global forces" for economic troubles in Kansas.
"I just think this is the wrong way for us to go," he said.
Brownback's remarks came after he signed a bill that requires women in Kansas to receive more information from physicians before they can get an abortion.
Hours before, the conservative Republican speaker of the Kansas House spearheaded an effort to override Brownback's veto of a tax bill that is estimated to raise more than $1.2 billion over two years. Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million through June 2019.
The tax increase was designed to also cover extra aid to the state's 286 public school districts. The state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding was inadequate. The state spends about $4 billion a year on its schools, and lawmakers passed a plan Monday night to phase in a $293 million increase in education funding over two years.
The bill essentially guts Brownback's 2012 tax cuts, which he once dubbed a "real live experiment."
His decision to sign the tax-cut package created a business-tax change known as the LLC exemption, slashed income-tax rates and removed a third individual income tax bracket.
Shortfalls, economic problems and budget cuts have followed.
Lawmakers' decision to force the tax increases into law this week essentially ends Brownback's signature economic policy.
The bill raises individual income-tax rates to 3.1 percent, 5.25 percent and 5.7 percent by the 2018 tax year after an initial phase-in this year. It also ends the business-tax exemption.
Brownback called the new tax policy "the wrong move."
"A lot of people made it about me," he said. "But it's not about me. It's about Kansas. It's about the future of this state."
After hearing about the governor's speech, the leading Democrat in the Kansas House criticized Brownback for decrying the rollback of the tax cuts.
"I think the governor has made himself irrelevant," House Minority Leader Jim Ward said.
During the debate Tuesday night, Brownback's remaining legislative allies argued that Kansas has done little to control its spending -- a point many Democrats and GOP moderates disputed.
"This level of taxation is wholly unnecessary," said Republican Sen. Ty Masterson. "What we're doing is fleecing our constituents."
Kansas Republicans who voted to override the veto made clear that they respected the governor even if they disagreed with him.
"Respect to me does not mean blind agreement," said Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine.
"He believes -- still believes -- in this," Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said about Brownback and the tax cuts. "That's OK. I don't. I've made many, many bad decisions in my business career, as many bad as good, but I've always backed up and mopped up my mess. That's what I'm doing now."
The House overrode the veto Tuesday night with an 88-31 vote, four votes more than the necessary two-thirds majority. The Senate earlier overrode Brownback's veto with a vote of 27-13, exactly the two-thirds majority required.
Information for this article was contributed by Hunter Woodall of The Kansas City Star and by John Hanna of The Associated Press.
A Section on 06/08/2017