Kansas Lawmakers Try To Close Budget Gap

Senators will take their crack at making
cuts in the current Kansas budget in effort to make the spending
match revenues by June 30.
The bill on Monday’s debate calendar is in response to
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s effort to freeze government
spending. The state faces a projected $492 million shortfall in the
2012 budget. Any savings found now will be used to close that gap.
Senators are proposing to trim the pay of elected officials,
including legislators, the governor and judges, by 7.5 percent
through June. They also seek to increase the state’s spending on
special education to avoid losing federal aid.
The House approved its version of the Brownback cuts bill last
Tuesday, saving about $35 million, the target set by the governor.