TOPEKA — Republicans upset with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback failed by one vote to override his veto of a bill dealing with a canceled power plant.
The vote Tuesday came after Brownback’s warning that an override would jeopardize Kansas’ credit ratings.
Senators voted 26-13 to override, but critics needed one more vote for a two-thirds majority of 27 in the 40-member chamber.
Republican Sen. Jeff Melcher of Leawood was absent and couldn’t be reached.
Bipartisan opposition to the $20 million power plant forced Brownback to cancel it last month. The state would have demolished a government building near the Statehouse and its power plant and built a new plant.
Brownback said the bill jeopardized the state’s credit by declaring that the project was canceled because lawmakers refused to pay for it.
