Governor blocking tax reform – Salina Journal (subscription)

Its possible that President Donald Trump will appoint Gov. Sam Brownback to be his ambassador for international religious freedom. In a May 12 article in The Atlantic, Emma Green writes, The latest rumor, shared with me by roughly half a dozen policymakers, is that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will get the post. Tom Farr is president of the Religious Freedom Institute, and he said something similar a week later: Ive had people say, I hear its going to be Gov. Brownback.

If these rumors are true and Brownback accepts the position, it has the potential to dramatically alter the political dynamics in the Statehouse. Brownback has been the largest obstacle to comprehensive tax reform because he wants to retain as much of his 2012 cuts as possible. When House Bill 2178 was passed in February, his veto forced the Legislature to attempt an override something the House was able to accomplish, but not the Senate. Although the Legislature hasnt sent another tax bill to Brownbacks desk since then, the threat of his veto has made it much more difficult for lawmakers to develop a viable solution to our enormous revenue shortfall.

The Supreme Courts school-finance ruling which may require the state to invest hundreds of millions of additional dollars in education has made the political terrain even more difficult to navigate. Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, explains that Brownback has been a decisive factor in preventing progress on the two largest issues that Kansas faces: A big hindrance this entire session is trying to rectify bad tax policy and implement good education policy at the same time, because hes been standing in the way. Like many of his colleagues, Holland says the prospect of Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer taking over could really help break up a logjam.

Rep. Russell Jennings, R-Lakin, points out that Colyer would have strong political incentives to stop carrying the weight of Brownbacks negative legacy into the next election cycle. Holland said the same thing, arguing that Colyer could minimize blowback to the Republican brand heading into the 2018 gubernatorial race. But there are more fundamental reasons why the next governor whether its Colyer or someone else should refuse to perpetuate the mistakes that Brownback has made over the past six years. Republicans are right to be worried about Brownbacks negative legacy hes consistently ranked one of the least popular governors in the country, and his approval rating is 27 percent.

From the maintenance of his destructive tax cuts year after year to his rejection of Medicaid expansion in our state, Brownback has repeatedly proven that his conservative ideology takes precedence over the needs and wishes of Kansans. Most representatives and senators recognize this they know voters elected them to clean up the fiscal wreckage of Brownbacks policies and move the state back toward the political center. And they can see the numbers for themselves the billions of dollars our state has forfeited in tax revenue; the tens of thousands of Kansans who dont have health insurance; the underfunded agencies.

Our next governor needs to have a trait that isnt often associated with politicians: humility. While any good leader should be confident and assertive, Kansans have learned that the governor simply has to be someone willing to say, I was wrong. Brownback still refuses to say anything of the sort, which is one of the main reasons this is one of the longest legislative sessions in history.

The Topeka Capital-Journal

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Governor blocking tax reform - Salina Journal (subscription)