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04/16/2003 Archived Entry: "SEBELIUS VETOED THE AG TOURISM BILL"

SEBELIUS VETOED THE AG TOURISM BILL

Today the forces are at work in Topeka to undo what Gov. Kathleen Sebelius did in her first-ever veto on a bill designed to help and encourage agricultural tourism in Kansas. What was she thinking?

This came as a real shock to those who worked so hard to get this bill passed. If someone had spoken up, there would have been opportunity to address the concerns, Sen. Karin Brownlee said. As it is, Brownlee and others are considering challenging Sebelius' action. A two-thirds vote of the membership of both houses is required to override a governor's veto.

Senate Bill 134 established limited liability for farmers who open their lands to recreational farming and ranching activities. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House 86-39. Marci Penner (of the Kansas Sampler Foundation) and others called it one way to bolster a faltering agricultural economy.

“We weren’t asking for money,” Penner said, “just removal of a blockade that’s really been hurting rural development.”

Senate Commerce Chairwoman Karin Brownlee, R-Olathe, said the measure simply created an appropriate level of liability to allow landowners to negotiate affordable insurance. “I’m disappointed because of lost opportunities for agricultural communities,” Brownlee said.

Penner said farmers already had begun making plans for hayrack rides to pumpkin patches and for welcoming visitors during harvest. For more of this to happen, she said, Kansas must develop limited liability.