photo by: Peter Hancock

Gov. Sam Brownback talks with Rep. Jan Pauls, R-Hutchinson, outside the House chamber. Afterwards, he told reporters he is urging lawmakers to pass the Senate's tax plan, along with a trailer bill to clean up provisions that many lawmakers find objectionable.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is urging the Kansas House to pass the Senate’s tax bill, along with any “trailer” bill that’s needed to clean up provisions that many House members find objectionable.

“At this point in time, they just need to get something done, get it across the line, work the bill, and then whatever they have to do, need to do, to clean things up,” Brownback told reporters during an impromptu news conference outside the House chamber. “It just needs to happen. Now’s the time.”

Republican leaders are said to be working with individual groups of legislators to find out what needs to be in a trailer bill to make the whole package acceptable.

Many House members want to remove portions of the Senate bill that call for imposing a property tax lid on cities and counties, and sunsetting a whole host of sales tax exemptions, property tax exemptions and income tax credits.

But a large number of House members, including Democrats and moderate Republicans, are said to be holding out for putting some kind of income tax — either 1 percent, or possibly 2.7 percent — back onto the business profits of certain types of farm and other business organizations.

Brownback would not say what he would do if a trailer bill included reimposing taxes on business income.

“What they need to do now, in my estimation, they need to just take up the Senate bill and then deal with what they need to in the trailer bill,” he said. “That’s the route forward. It’s there, it’s doable. And I would urge all of them, everybody — both parties, all factions — to do that and move forward.”