Kansas Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto, Boost Pay

0:00It's April 13th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Kansas News today, your AI-powered local news. Kansas lawmakers just overrode Governor Laura Kelly's veto on the legislative branch budget, securing their funding for the fiscal year starting July. First, they also shot down her block on a perk, giving all 165 state reps and senators free parking and state lots from 5pm to 11pm Kelly had nixed 31 parts of the big spinning bill. Turning back hard on a measly 1% raise for thousands of state workers after, legislators grabbed a 4.4% bump. This all stems from payfights, with the governor slamming the 1% for employees as an afterthought, especially after lawmakers doubled their own salaries two years back and tacked on more now. Kelly pitched a 2.5% boost for workers back in January, saying it respects their daily grind while the legislative raise alone, costs, taxpayers $400,000 on top of salaries

1:00around $58,000 plus perks. Republicans like Rep Lake Carpenter and Senate leader Chase Blasie called the veto a power grab, warning it had turned the governor into a dictator, or Queen on the capital's second floor. Democrats fired back, with folks like Rep John Carmichael, calling extra legislator pay of served, including retirement perks treating part-timers like. Full-timers at 90,000 a year, and Rep Alexis Simmons stressing hundreds of underpaid social workers lagging 17% behind market rates. Meanwhile, the parking drama kicked off from cars getting towed near the capital, but no one owned up to it during debates and details on enforcement, stay fuzzy. Lawmakers also hiked pay for top execs, like the governor, to $174,000, and attorneys general to $160,000, while some push targeting raises for the lowest paid stay jobs over blanket hikes. In the end, this override keeps the legislature rolling strong, but it spotlights the tug

2:02of war over who's getting short-changed into Peacock's budget.