Governor announces sixth round of cuts

March 7, 2010 Update

Revenue estimates continue to come in below expectations, further increasing the budget shortfall.  February revenues came in $71 million short for the month, for a total $105 million deficit in FY 2010.   On Friday, Governor Parkinson announced $85 million in additional cuts, transfers and adjustments to the FY 2010 budget.  As folks file their taxes this spring, it is hoped that revenues will rebound a bit later in the year.  If that is the case, the Governor’s actions and recommendations today should prevent a seventh round of cuts in FY 2010. Read the full Neighborhood News Update...

No Movement on Rescission Bill

March 3, 2010 Update

The Governor has not yet taken action on the 2010 Recission bill, but if he signs it (which he is expected to do), his signature will officially enact $92 million in cuts to the current budget, effective immediately.  As I mentioned last week, revenue estimates continue to come in below what has been expected and the gap has only gotten bigger.  On Friday, February revenues came in $71 million short for the month, for a total $105 million shortfall in FY 2010.   We will be forced to revisit the budget in April, after the most current revenue estimates are made available. 

Rescission bill sent to Governor

February 21, 2010 Update

The rescission bill passed the House last week and was reconciled with the Senate version this week.  The final product cuts $92 million from the current budget.  The House voted to concur with the conference committee report on Thursday and it will now head to the Governor for his signature or veto. It is likely that the FY 2010 budget will still be approximately $40 million short by July. Read the full Neighborhood News Update...

Rescission bill passes...

February 14, 2010 Update

The Appropriations Committee voted the rescission bill out of committee last week and we took it up on the House floor on Wednesday. For the most part, the Legislature accepted Governor Parkinson’s proposal, with only a few amendments.  We probably aren’t finished with FY 2010 budget.  Revenues were lower than expected again in January, and the state will likely be short approximately $40 million by July even with the additional cuts we approved this week.

Work Begins on 2010 Recission Bill

February 7, 2010 Update

The House Appropriations Committee finally began work this week on the FY 2010 rescission bill, which reconciles last year’s budget and is supposed to ensure we end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance.  Unfortunately, revenue estimates have been consistently lower than anticipated, and we learned late last week that we will still be almost $40 million short by July, even with the latest round of cuts included in this bill.  Read the full Neighborhood News Update...

House Democrats unveil proposal to cut legislative spending
by nearly 10 percent

January 25, 2010 Update

The State has gone through several budget cuts during the past year, causing every state agency to significantly scaled back. The one exception is the budget of the Kansas Legislature.  While House Republican leaders scheduled another day off last Friday, House Democrats announced a proposal to rein in spending within the legislative branch. This proposal would save Kansas approximately $1.37 million and reduce legislative spending by approximately nine percent.  Read the full Neighborhood News Update...

Legislator Furlough Proposal

January 18, 2010 Update

This week, Republican leadership proposed a legislator furlough package as a means of saving the state money. If it passes, lawmakers in both houses will be furloughed without pay during the next three Fridays of the session. The proposal includes a 5 percent pay cut for legislators and rolling back the daily food and lodging allowance to the previous $109 a day level.  Read the full Neighborhood News Update...