Laura Kelly has vetoed 16 bills so far in 2024. How does that compare to past years?

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed 16 bills so far this session, setting the Legislature up for a busy veto session.

Kelly vetoed several bills ahead of veto session, which started Thursday, but most override votes were expected to take place Monday and Tuesday. Kelly's office didn't comment on the number of vetoes this session beyond the veto statements on individual bills.

"I'm curious how someone who considers themselves middle of the road can oppose so many legislative bills with bipartisan support," House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said in a statement. "It seems more likely that, now that she's in her 2nd term, the Governor's forgotten the middle and is hanging out by herself in far left field."

In 2023, Kelly broke her own record for the most vetoes in a session in 30 years. It's possible she could break that record again this year if she vetoes additional bills that legislators pass during veto session.

Here's what to know ahead of veto session:

How many bills has Laura Kelly vetoed during her administration?

So far in 2024, Kelly has vetoed 16 bills. The governor has also signed 84 bills into law and allowed three bills to become law without her signature.

One of her 16 vetoes has been sustained while the others are pending legislative action during veto session. The number of vetoes could rise as lawmakers pass more bills during veto session.

In 2023, Kelly vetoed 17 bills. The Legislature overrode eight vetoes, and nine were sustained. That was the most since 1993, when Democratic Gov. Joan Finney vetoed 17 bills.

In 2022, Kelly vetoed 11 bills. The Legislature overrode four vetoes, and seven were sustained.

In 2021, Kelly vetoed 10 bills. The Legislature overrode five vetoes, and five were sustained.

In 2020, all four of Kelly's vetoes were sustained.

In 2019, all three of Kelly's vetoes were sustained.

Budget line-item vetoes

The Legislature's bill reports on vetoed bills don't include line-item vetoes in the budget bills.

Kelly had 24 line-item vetoes in the main budget bill, Senate Bill 28. There could be additional line-item vetoes forthcoming, as legislators are expected to pass a public schools budget and an omnibus budget before adjourning.

In 2023, Kelly had 15 line-item vetoes in the initial budget. That year, Kelly also set precedent that K-12 education appropriations — which in recent years have been separated from the rest of state government funding — are subject to line-item vetoes.

What does it take to override a veto?

Whether the Legislature overrides or sustains the vetoes will depend in many cases on whether all Republican legislators show up and how unified the majority party is. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.

To override a veto, both chambers need two-thirds majorities, which are 84 of 125 votes in the House and 27 of 40 votes in the Senate.

Veto override attempts are expected to happen during the Legislature's veto session, which started Thursday and runs through Tuesday.

How do Kelly's veto numbers compare with recent past governors?

The Legislature has readily available reports online on vetoed bills going back to the 2011 legislative session.

Under Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, no bills were vetoed in 2011. In 2012, two bills were vetoed, and both were sustained. In 2013, two bills were vetoed, and both were sustained. In 2014, two bills were vetoed, and both were sustained.

In 2015, one bill was vetoed, and it was overridden. In 2016, three bills were vetoed. One was overridden, and two were sustained. In 2017, four bills were vetoed. One was overridden, and three were sustained.

Under Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer, no bills were vetoed in 2018.

What vetoes will come up in veto session?

Lawmakers will have several vetoed bills — in addition to the line-item vetoes in the budget — that they can attempt to enact over Kelly's veto.

• Senate Bill 233 would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths.

• Senate Bill 271 would ban police department and other government entities from buying drones made in China or certain other countries.

• Senate Bill 434 would exempt sugaring hair removal from cosmetology regulations.

• Senate Bill 473 would amend state law on notices to appear and on appearance bonds.

• House Bill 2036 would enact a collection of income tax cuts, property tax cuts and sales tax cuts worth more than $1.5 billion over three years.

• House Bill 2098 would enact several relatively smaller sales tax cuts.

• House Bill 2436 would create a crime of coercing an abortion.

• House Bill 2446 would ban cities and counties from banning plastic bags, plastic straws and similar containers.

• House Bill 2465 would enact several tax cuts, most controversially a pair of tax breaks to benefit anti-abortion counseling centers.

• House Bill 2532 would change the distribution of tax on parimutuel wagering on historic horse races.

• House Bill 2583 would increase penalties for harming or killing dogs and horses in the service of law enforcement.

• House Bill 2614 would add new requirements related to the delivery of advance voting ballots.

• House Bill 2618 would restrict the use of federal funds by local election offices and amend a law being challenged in court on criminalizing false representation of an election official.

• House Bill 2648 would generally prohibit state government from imposing regulations with compliance costs exceeding $1 million, unless the Legislature gives specific authorization.

• House Bill 2749 would require abortion providers ask patients more questions.

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Here's how many bills Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed from Kansas Legislature