A contentious legislative session ended anti-climactically Thursday when legislators chose not to mount an attempt to override a veto of a bill that would have allowed expansion of a coal-fired plant in Holcomb.

With the session - and Memorial Day - now in the rearview mirror, legislators who hope to stay in office can now focus on their re-election campaigns. All members of the House and Senate are up for re-election this year.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius expressed disappointment that no action had been taken to advance several economic development proposals. After Sebelius vetoed two previous bills that would have allowed the power plant expansion, legislators authored an economic stimulus package that contained not only the economic development proposals referenced by Sebelius, but the power plant expansion as well.

Sebelius, who vetoed that bill, said she regretted the fact that lawmakers didn’t resurrect the economic development proposals, minus the coal plant, during the ceremonial last day of the session Thursday.

“It is unfortunate that Kansas business owners, their employees and the state’s economy will be the victims of this legislative decision made on the final day of the 2008 legislative session,” the governor said.

Some House members were also critical of the session and of the failure of House leadership to override Sebelius' frequent vetoes. Many of the most controversial bills, including one dealing with voter identification, were never reconsidered.

House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican, said the coal plant issue eventually could be revived, as could an immigration bill that also failed to make it through the Legislature.

“An overwhelming majority of representatives and senators serving all 105 Kansas counties voted in support of comprehensive energy legislation this session, but the governor refused to listen and vetoed our efforts to return regulatory certainty to Kansas and guarantee reliable and affordable electricity for all Kansans, " Neufeld said.

"And while we were unable to come to an agreement on immigration reform, we had serious debate about how our state should address this very important issue. I expect both of these issues to be back in front of the Legislature next year.”

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