Kansas House debate on $13B state budget for fiscal 2011 hits snag as Republicans divide

Kansas House debate on 2011 budget stalls

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas House members halted their budget debate Tuesday after it was clear the plan backed by their leaders was in trouble.

The chamber spent nearly six hours debating a $13 billion-plus budget plan balanced with cuts, transfers and federal funds. Unlike the Senate version, it didn’t require tax increases.

But debate stopped late in the afternoon so that House Republicans could talk among themselves about differences in budget philosophies. Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature.

Conservative members of the party, including Speaker Mike O’Neal of Hutchinson, are strongly opposed to balancing the budget with tax increases. They say higher taxes will stall any economic recovery.

Meanwhile, moderate Republicans have been working with Democrats to find a way to restore cuts to schools, public safety and social services. They acknowledge that would require tax increases but haven’t put together a plan for debate.

“My frustration today is (Monday) was tax day, and they kind of took a pass on tax day,” O’Neal said. “Today is budget day and we’ve been at it all day and they’re taking a pass on that. What ever the solution’s going to be, whether it’s something that I can support or I can’t support, this is the week. Today was the day.

“Well, doggone it, that’s what we’re here to do,” he said. “There’s this sense of delay.”

O’Neal and other Republicans questioned Rep. Don Hill, a leading moderate House Republican from Emporia, during a caucus meeting about what moderates wanted and what plans were being made to restore money for public schools and social services. Hill said afterward he didn’t think he could get together enough votes to pass legislation.

“I don’t have 63 votes and I don’t think anybody else does,” he said.

The debate was expected to resume Tuesday evening.

A few amendments were made to the bill earlier, including adding language to require the state to inventory property, assign a market value and identify what could be sold off as excess. Another provision would divert money for family planning from Planned Parenthood and redistribute it to county health departments and safety net clinics for poor residents.

As the flow of amendments ebbed, Rep. Bill Otto scolded the chamber for wasting time. He said there was room for compromise, but no one was willing to budge.

“We’re just sitting here drawing a paycheck and I’m ashamed,” said Otto, a Leroy Republican.

He and others said waiting for the Senate to send a budget they can live with would be wrong, given the problems when the House agreed to the Senate’s 2010 budget. For example, the budget shorted the judicial branch, forcing furloughs of court employees earlier this spring.

Senators planned to debate their version of the budget, as well as a plan to raise $350 million through a sales tax increase on Wednesday. The sales tax rate would increase from 5.3 percent to 6.3 percent, with a portion set aside for transportation programs.

Like the House proposal, the Senate plan would rely on an additional $131 million in federal Medicaid matching funds.

On the Net:

Kansas Legislature: www.kslegislature.org