Kansas: Legislators push budget, stall on taxes

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March 18, 2010

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Thu Mar 18, 2010, 10:12 PM CDT

The Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas Senate panel failed to agree Thursday on a variety of tax increase proposals to close a projected gap in the 2011 budget.

Senate leaders say the stalemate makes it unlikely that legislators will be able to finish a base state budget by their planned recess later this month. Lawmakers are scheduled to leave Topeka on April 6 for three weeks.

“I hope that’s not the case,” said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, an Independence Republican and vice chairman of the tax committee.

That panel met and adjourned Thursday after failing to muster enough votes to endorse a variety of tax increase ideas, with suggestions ranging from a levy on sugary beverages to sales taxes. The tax revenue is critical to close a $364 million hole in a proposed budget the Senate will consider next week.

Earlier, the House Appropriations Committee endorsed a budget drafted by GOP leadership that cuts state spending and puts $302 million into reserves.

The plan would close the projected budget shortfall by not replacing federal stimulus dollars for education and borrowing $50 million from the state highway fund. School districts could replace the lost revenue by raising local taxes, subject to voter approval.

House Speaker Mike O’Neal said the Appropriations Committee was able to deliver on House GOP leaders’ promise to produce a budget without “draconian” cuts or tax increases.

“In talking to our caucus, the vast majority — virtually all of them — are looking for a budget that they can support that does not include tax increases,” said O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican. “This is it.”

The GOP plan also calls for cutting all other state agency budgets by 1 percent, eliminating all overtime unless authorized and closing all state offices at 3 p.m. on Fridays.

Appropriations Chairman Kevin Yoder said the plan reflected action Tuesday when the House voted to delay any debate on raising taxes, leaving little else to do but to assemble a budget with spending cuts.

“The instructions were clear. The majority of legislators determined that they didn’t want a budget that relied on higher taxes,” said Yoder, an Overland Park Republican.

The plan recommends that the state doesn’t replace $172 million in federal stimulus funds that were used in the current budget to fund K-12 education.

It also is built on the presumption that the Legislature will adopt a change in the school finance formula to require districts to raise a minimum of 10 percent of the base cost of an education with local taxes. The remaining 90 percent would be funded by the state.

Democrats said public schools bear the brunt of the GOP cuts, which they said would hurt all students.

“If you don’t believe education is important, you can do that,” said Rep. Bill Feuerborn of Garnett, the ranking minority member of the committee. “I think we’ll lose federal dollars.”

Feuerborn also complained about the House budget process, which was similar to last year when GOP leaders used their majority on the committee to push through cuts with no discussion about specifics. That resulted in the House defeating the GOP plan and adopting the Senate version in its entirety.

“I would hope we would have the votes to defeat this,” Feuerborn said, adding that merely accepting the Senate plan without House input isn’t the best policy choice either.

Parkinson and Senate Republican leaders had been counting on a tax package to move the state closer to solvency. The governor’s spokesman said Parkinson’s position on protecting schools and vulnerable residents from further cuts hadn’t changed.

“House Republican leadership should turn their attention toward working our way out of this recession by determining what revenue options are available for protecting these critical assets,” spokesman Seth Bundy said.

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State News

2.6 magnitude earthquake recorded in Oklahoma
The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded a 2.6 magnitude earthquake near Wellston in central Oklahoma.
No injuries or damage is reported.

January 19, 2011
Audit: $108,000 taken from Missouri Veterans Commission JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A former employee of the state auditor’s office embezzled nearly $108,000 while working as an accountant for the Missouri Veterans Commission, the state auditor alleged Monday.

Stacy Griffin-Lowery was fired by the Veterans Commission in March 2008 and pleaded guilty three months later to a misdemeanor theft charge. She repaid the state $17,665, the auditor’s office said.

But Missouri Auditor Susan Montee on Monday accused Griffin-Lowery of swiping an additional $90,192 by getting reimbursed for cash advances and purchases made on her personal credit card.
April 12, 2010
Race in Kansas’ 2nd District could heat up for GOP incumbent TOPEKA, Kan. — A conservative Kansas legislator said Monday he will announce in a few weeks whether he will challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins in the Republican primary.

State Sen. Dennis Pyle’s actions in recent months suggest the Hiawatha farmer, who’s served in the Legislature since 2001, is running against Jenkins in the Aug. 2 primary. He set up a campaign organization in November and has a Web site featuring a brief video of him on his farm, asking viewers for support.
April 12, 2010
Oklahoma tea party leaders, lawmakers envision militia OKLAHOMA CITY — Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.

Tea party movement leaders say they’ve discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force
April 12, 2010
Missouri: Senate panel cuts $500 million from proposed budget JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Senate committee declared Thursday that it has sliced more than $500 million from Missouri’s proposed budget for next year — meeting a target set by Gov. Jay Nixon to bring it in balance.
April 8, 2010
Kansas: Wichita-area casino in doubt after governor’s decision TOPEKA, Kan. — A proposed casino south of Wichita was in doubt Thursday after Gov. Mark Parkinson refused to grant its developers a regulatory reprieve. Partners in the $225 million Chisholm Creek project wanted to delay a state board’s decision on their plans.
April 8, 2010
Oklahoma: Groups oppose education spending initiative OKLAHOMA CITY — A coalition of business and labor groups said Thursday it will work to defeat a ballot initiative to dramatically increase spending on public education that coalition members said would devastate the budgets of many other state services and possibly force tax increases.
April 8, 2010
Missouri: Gov. Nixon affirms support for tuition freeze COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has no plans to sit idly while lawmakers consider whether to preserve a tuition freeze deal he assembled before the state’s dire financial status was fully known.
April 7, 2010
Kansas: Agency uses YouTube to illustrate road woes TOPEKA, Kan. — It’s one thing to hear about potholes and state budgets. It’s another to see how the two are connected. That’s part of the thinking behind a new video presentation on YouTube this week from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
April 7, 2010
Oklahoma: Pathologist says girl’s throat might have been cut OKLAHOMA CITY — A 7-year-old girl who was found dead in Oklahoma near the body of her suspected kidnapper likely died after her throat was cut, an independent pathologist said Wednesday, the same day the child’s funeral attracted hundreds of mourners.
April 7, 2010
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Kansas: Legislators push budget, stall on taxes

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

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