Governor’s statement on the passage of Senate Bill 9
The following statement is from Governor Laura Kelly on the passage of Senate Bill 9, a $115 million payment to KPERS to make up for years of delayed and eliminated payments:
“After years of delayed, reduced and eliminated pension payments to prop up a failed tax experiment, it is encouraging to see lawmakers act responsibly to fix past mistakes. However, Senate Bill 9 does little to address ballooning KPERS payments in future years, and it does nothing to stabilize state finances as a whole. In January, I put forward a commonsense, structurally balanced budget that tackled our most urgent priorities, paid down debt, rebuilt our state savings, all without raising taxes.
“While I’m eager to compromise with Republican leadership on policy proposals, I will not compromise Kansans’ commitment to fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. I’m hopeful that Republican leadership will join me in that effort and come to the table to offer reasonable ideas so we can avoid the mistakes that made Senate Bill 9 necessary in the first place.”
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