Two weeks ago the Kansas House did the unthinkable. With a 122-2 vote they passed a property tax cut authored by Democratic Representative Jim Ward (Wichita). While Governor Brownback and the House Republican leadership are pushing for income tax cuts for wealthy Kansans, Ward managed to find nearly unanimous support for property tax relief that helps middle class families and Kansas seniors.
But just after the final vote, House Republicans realized that they hadn’t bothered to read Ward’s amendment, and they didn’t like what it did after all.
In fact, during the debate over the amendment two members of their Leadership team – Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid and Fed and State Committee Chair Steve Brunk – both told Republican legislators to go ahead and vote for the $90 Million property tax cut.
Again, they did so not having bothered to read the amendment.
The two-page amendment.
Brunk and Siegfreid later apologized and accepted responsibility for the oversight in a Republican caucus meeting before marching their loyal subjects back into the House to take back their support and then VOTE DOWN the $90 million tax relief bill because they had been tricked into voting for it.
Now there is an official censure request sitting before Speaker Mike O’Neal over the debacle.
Twenty-six Republicans signed a censure complaint accusing Rep. Ward of misleading the House over his amendment. Apparently the only way to get these 26 titans of the Legislature to vote for middle-class tax relief is to trick them into it. Goodness knows we can’t count on them to read a two page amendment.
Is your legislator on this list? If you’ve read this far, you’re doing better than they did!
Owen Donohue (Shawnee)
Brenda Landwehr (Wichita)
TerriLois Gregory (Baldwin)
Gene Suellentrop (Wichita)
Peggy Mast (Emporia)
Mark Rhodes (Newton)
John Rubin (Shawnee)
Benny Boman (Wichita)
Tom Arpke (Salina)
Joe Scapa (Wichita)
Charlotte O’Hara (Overland Park)
Les Osterman (Wichita)
Jim Howell (Derby)
Pete DeGraff (Mulvane)
Mike Kiegerl (Olathe)
Joe McLeland (Wichita)
Connie O’Brien (Tonganoxie)
Kasha Kelley (Ark City)
John Hedke (Wichita)
Jana Goodman (Leavenworth)
Greg Smith (Overland Park)
Terry Calloway (Pittsburg)
Jim Fawcett (Junction City)
Kyle Hoffman (Coldwater)
Dan Collins (Plainville)
Anthony Brown (Eudora)