THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. I’M CODY HOLYOKE. THE RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK CREATES PLENTY OF HEADLINES IN KANSAS. STATE LAWMAKERS HAD HOPED TO SEND THEIR LEGISLATIVE SESSION OUT WITH A BANG, WORKING TO COAX THE ROYALS AND CHIEFS TO THEIR SIDE OF THE STATE LINE. BUT THEY COULDN’T LIGHT THE FUZE FAST ENOUGH. I DO FEEL VERY MUCH OF A SENSE OF URGENCY. THE PUSH REALLY PICKED UP STEAM AFTER THE CHIEFS ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAD SPLIT FROM THE ROYALS FOR FUTURE PLANNING, AND SAID ALL OPTIONS WERE ON THE TABLE. THAT PERKED UP THE EARS OF KANSAS POLITICIANS WHO RUSHED TO PROPOSAL USING STAR BONDS TO POTENTIALLY BRING THE CHIEFS AND ROYALS TO THE STATE, ESSENTIALLY BORROWING TOMORROW’S SALES TAX DOLLARS TO BUILD STADIUMS NOW POTENTIALLY COVERING THE FULL COST OF THE PROJECT AS WELL. BUT THE DEAL CAME UP SHORT AT THE LAST MINUTE. REPUBLICAN LEADERS NEVER BROUGHT IT UP FOR A VOTE. IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAD TO DO IT SO QUICKLY, BUT WHEN THE WHEN THE CHIEFS MAKE A STATEMENT THAT THEY’RE GOING THAT ALL OPTIONS ARE OPEN AND THEY MIGHT END UP LEAVING, SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO RESPOND. THE PLAN WILL LIKELY COME BACK AROUND AND MAYBE SOON. IT CERTAINLY MAKING WAVES ALREADY AHEAD OF TIME. AN ARCHITECTURAL FIRM IS OUT WITH THESE RENDERINGS OF WHAT A DOMED STADIUM AND K-C-K COULD LOOK LIKE. STAY TUNED. PART OF THAT HOLDUP HAD TO DO WITH TODAY’S TAX DOLLARS. YOUR MONEY INCOME TAX CUTS. BOTH PARTIES WANTED TO PASS. THEY JUST WENT BACK AND FORTH ALL SESSION ON HOW TO DO THAT. THE LEGISLATURE WENT INTO THE WEE HOURS OF WEDNESDAY MORNING, PASSING A SIXTH ATTEMPT AT A TAX CUT PLAN. IT MOVES KANSAS FROM THREE TAX BRACKETS TO TWO AND MAKES OTHER CHANGES, INCLUDING KILLING THE STATE FOOD SALES TAX IN JULY, MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. BUT THIS PLAN IS VERY SIMILAR TO ONE JUST VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR. AND AS THE SESSION ENDED, HER PEOPLE PROMISED THAT SHE’D VETO IT AGAIN AND CALL A SPECIAL SESSION TO FIGURE OUT A FINAL PLAN. JUST ONE OF MANY ISSUES TO DISCUSS WITH OUR ROUND TABLE OF JOURNALISTS THIS THIS WEEK. PLEASE WELCOME BACK KMBC NINE POLITICAL REPORTER MICHAEL MAHONEY AND TYLER PEDRAZA, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER FOR KAKE NEWS. THANKS FOR BEING HERE, GUYS. LET’S START WITH THE STADIUM MESS. MAHONEY. IT’S CERTAINLY GAINING MOMENTUM IN KANSAS. YEAH, AND WE’LL SEE. IT DID NOT MAKE IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AT THE CLOSE OF THE SESSION ON ON MONDAY NIGHT. BUT IT’S SURE TO BE COMING BACK ON THE SPECIAL SESSION WHICH I’M HEARING IS GOING TO BE PROBABLY SET IN IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE MAIN THING THAT THEY HAVE TO DO IN THIS SPECIAL SESSION IS NUMBER ONE, EVERYBODY ANTICIPATES THAT GOVERNOR KELLY VETOING THIS TAX CUT THAT THE LEGISLATURE PASSED, WHICH NOT QUITE AS BIG AS THE LAST ONE, AND THEN THEY CAN WORK ON THE FINANCING AND STAR BONDS FOR FOR THE STADIUMS. AND THAT WILL BE A DELICATE DANCE WHEN IF IN WHEN NUMBER ONE, SHE VETOES THAT BILL THAT EVERYBODY EXPECTS AND THEN CALLS A SPECIAL SESSION PROBABLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS FROM NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF MAY. YEAH. PEELER, I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT THAT ORDER IS VERY SPECIFIC TO BECAUSE IT’S GOT TO BE A BAD LOOK. OPTICS WISE. IF YOU’RE TRYING TO COURT THE CHIEFS BEFORE YOU GET TO THE TAX ISSUE. YEAH, THEY WOULD DEFINITELY NEED TO AT LEAST PASS THEM SIDE BY SIDE. BUT ALMOST CERTAINLY THEY’RE GOING TO TRY AND PASS THE TAX RELIEF FIRST. UH, I WOULD SAY MY READ OF THE SITUATION IS WHILE THEY GOT STARTED EARLIER THIS WEEK ON THAT IDEA, THEY FULLY EXPECTED AT THAT POINT TO BE GOING INTO SPECIAL SESSION THAT WAS JUST LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR WHAT THEY’LL THEN DO IN THE SPECIAL SESSION, BECAUSE ONCE THAT’S CALLED, THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, NO MATTER THE REASON THE GOVERNOR CALLS THEM BACK. YEAH, THAT’S A GOOD POINT, PILAR. YOU KNOW, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE INCOME TAX ISSUE. MAHONEY, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS AS POTENTIALLY A LEGACY ISSUE FOR GOVERNOR KELLY. WHAT IS THE STICKING POINT NOW? HOW CLOSE ARE THEY TO A DEAL? THEY ARE CLOSER THAN THEY WERE AFTER TAX PLAN NUMBER FIVE. THEY’RE ARE STILL SOME ROOM BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE LEGISLATURE. BUT IT’S NOT AS MUCH. THE INTERESTING THING IS IT’S NOT SO MUCH, I THINK WHERE THE COMMON GROUND HERE IS NOT ON INCOME TAXES, ALTHOUGH THEY’RE THEY’RE GETTING CLOSE TO THAT. BUT ALMOST EVERYBODY IN THE LEGISLATURE THAT I’M TALKING TO BELIEVES THAT PROPERTY TAX RELIEF IS WHERE THEY CAN REALLY FIND SOME MIDDLE GROUND ON THIS. AND THAT. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT ALMOST EVERYBODY IN THE LEGISLATURE WANTS TO SEE IS REDUCTION IN PROPERTY TAX RATES IN THE KANSAS, BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS IT’S DRIVING PEOPLE CRAZY. RIGHT. AS WE SAID, THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE BEEN JUST KIND OF GOING HEAD TO HEAD ON THIS THE WHOLE SESSION. THE GOVERNOR’S VETO OF THE LAST TAX PACKAGE DID SURVIVE AN OVERRIDE. PILAR, WE KNOW THAT SHE’S BEEN BATTLING THIS REPUBLICAN RUN LEGISLATURE ON A NUMBER OF TENT POLE CONSERVATIVE ISSUES AS WELL. YEAH, SHE HAS SEVERAL ISSUES. SAY THAT GENERALLY WOULD FALL IN THE CONSERVATIVE CAMP THAT SHE’S BEEN PUSHING. AND THAT WAS PART OF HER PLAN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AND THE REASON SHE’S BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL HOLDING THE LINE ON WHAT SHE CONSIDERS TO BE AN ACCEPTABLE TAX RELIEF PLAN BECAUSE SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THREE CONSERVATIVES FROM THE SENATE TO SIGN ON TO TO WORK WITH HER ON A COMPROMISE PLAN. AND THEY’VE BEEN THE ONES WHO’VE BEEN CARRYING THE BANNER AND THE DEBATES AGAINST THESE REPUBLICAN LED PLANS. UH, WHEN THE OVERRIDE ATTEMPTS COME IN THE SENATE AND THEY YOU KNOW, THEY’VE BEEN FALLING ONE, TWO VOTES SHORT EVERY TIME OF AN OVERRIDE. AND THIS TRIO IS THE REASON WHY, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT JUST SOME OF THE ISSUES, LIKE SENDING MONEY TO BATTLE IMMIGRATION AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER AND THAT SORT OF THING. THESE ARE CAMPAIGN PROMISES. THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A WHILE. YEAH. AND, UH, THAT’S, UH, IT’S 15 MILLION BUCKS, I THINK, IN THE STATE OF KANSAS, IF THEY WANT TO DO TO SUPPORT, UH, KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD AND STATE TROOPERS DOWN THERE, THERE IS TRANSGENDER CARE. THAT WAS AN OVERRIDE THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL. UH, THERE WAS A SUCCESSFUL OVERRIDE OF ABORTION RESTRICTION IN KANSAS. THOSE ARE ALSO BIG POLITICAL CAMPAIGN POINTS FOR CONSERVATIVES IN KANSAS. AND LOOK FOR GOVERNOR KELLY AND HER DEMOCRATIC FRIENDS IN THE LEGISLATURE TRY TO MAKE THOSE CAMPAIGN POINTS THIS FALL. WHEN A LOT OF THESE LEGISLATORS ARE UP FOR ELECTION OR REELECTION. YEAH. REAL QUICK PEELER, ANY SURPRISE OF WHAT DIDN’T GET DONE THIS SESSION? I WOULD SAY FOR ME, THE BIGGEST SURPRISE WAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA. NOT SEEING ANY MOVEMENT. NOW, THERE WAS NO SURPRISE THAT THERE IS STILL STRONG OPPOSITION, ESPECIALLY IN THE SENATE, TO MOVING FORWARD ANY FORM OF LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA, ESPECIALLY GOING INTO AN ELECTION YEAR FOR THEM. BUT IT SEEMED LIKE THERE IS GROWING SUPPORT IN THE LEGISLATURE THERE. THERE WERE RUMORS OF MULTIPLE, UH, DIFFERENT PILOT PROGRAMS BEING PROPOSED. AND IT JUST IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING WOULD MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH, EVEN IF IT WAS A VERY LIMITED CONCEPT AND WITH NOT EVEN ONE THING MAKING IT THROUGH, THEY HELD ONE HEARING IN THE SENATE AND THEN TABLED IT UNTIL NEXT YEAR. AFTER THE ELECTION. UM, THAT THAT ONE KIND OF SURPRISED ME A LITTLE BIT. YEAH. ESPECIALLY SINCE BORDERING STATES HAVE IT RECREATIONAL RILEY IN SOME SPOTS. ALL RIGHT. BEL AIRE PEDRAZA MICHEAL MAHONEY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. KMBC NINE NEWS WILL KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON KANSAS AS WE TRACK YOUR