Rep. Michael O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, who was narrowly defeated two years ago in a contest for the position of House Speaker, confirmed Friday that he is considering a challenge to Speaker Melvin Neufeld, the Ingalls Republican.

The move to unseat Neufeld came in the wake of a much-criticized legislative session. O'Neal described the session "disappointing."

“It’s not like I woke up one morning and decided it would be a great idea (to challenge Neufeld),” O’Neal told Kansas Liberty. “There were a lot of people in our caucus who came to me and were disturbed by what they saw this session, and that includes some people who did not support me two years ago.”

Specifically, O’Neal said legislators were “disgruntled” by the failure of the House twice to override a veto by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and allow an expansion of the coal-fired Sunflower Plant in Humboldt. The vetoes came in the face of widespread support in the Legislature for the plant.

Over the weekend, Sebelius vetoed the expansion plan a third time.

“I think there was enough bipartisan support that it should have and could have passed,” O’Neal said of the first two attempts to override the veto.

Neufeld will have one last chance to overturn Sebelius' veto of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 - and possibly save his speakership - when the House convenes for the official end of the session May 29. The loss to the state if the veto is not overridden is more than $5 billion.  House Minority leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, a power plant supporter, told the Topeka Capital-Journal that he doubted doubted there were enough votes to save the package.

O'Neal said legislators also have complained to him of what he said was Neufeld’s closed-door approach.

“The coal issue was a little bit like the gaming legislation last year,” O’Neal said. “It was done behind closed doors without a lot of input from other legislators. I think it’s important that leadership have an open rather than a closed process, with involvement from the whole caucus.”

O’Neal said the possibility of running for the position of House Speaker did not reflect philosophical disagreements with the current leadership team.

“I’d say philosophically, we agree on virtually everything; it’s just a matter of leadership approach,” he said.

O’Neal, an attorney who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, is a veteran lawmaker first elected to the House in 1985. Since then he has prevailed in nine contested re-election bids and three uncontested bids.

He also distinguished himself to House members when he took a leading role during the 2005 special session in an unsuccessful bid to prevent the state Supreme Court from usurping legislative powers.

Leadership races generally occur on the first Monday in December, prior to the start of the Legislative session in January.