Lawmakers override five vetoes to reclaim authority from agencies and local governments
Measures require legislative approval of regulations, restrict local legal strategies and target ESG investing
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Legislature on Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes on five bills that collectively shift power away from executive-branch agencies, local governments and outside legal counsel and toward the statehouse, marking the most assertive expansion of legislative authority in the current session.
SB 30, which passed the House 88-35 and the Senate 30-9, requires legislative approval by joint resolution before new occupational licensing rules can take effect. HB 2719 rewrites the state's rules-and-regulations filing act to add a legislative ratification step for certain agency rules. The Senate passed HB 2719 on a 38-1 vote, a margin that reflects near-unanimous bipartisan agreement on curbing executive rulemaking.
SB 375, the proxy advisor transparency act, passed the House 87-36 and the Senate 31-8. The bill grants the attorney general enforcement authority and creates a private right of action, placing Kansas among a growing number of Republican-led states pushing back against environmental, social and governance investing practices.
HB 2593 requires open meetings and attorney general sign-off before local governments hire outside lawyers on a contingency-fee basis. It passed the Senate 27-12, landing exactly on the two-thirds threshold needed to override — the closest vote of the day. SB 462 restricts public nuisance lawsuits and channels cross-jurisdictional cases through the attorney general's office, a move aimed at the type of opioid and climate litigation municipalities have pursued in other states.
Taken together, the five bills represent a systematic effort by the Legislature to narrow the independent authority of regulatory agencies, local governing bodies and private attorneys acting on government contracts. The pattern spans licensing, rulemaking, investment policy and litigation strategy.
The measures take effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.
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