Print edition: 
Shield law —The Kansas Supreme Court refused to block a subpoena that would compel a reporter for the Dodge City Daily Globe to turn over notes from an interview with a murder suspect and reveal the name of a confidential source who told her about ties one of the victims had to an anti-Hispanic group. As the executive director of the Kansas Press Association noted, the ruling sends a "chilling message" not only to reporters but to citizens who are willing to speak openly to the news media on sensitive issues only if their identity isn't revealed. A proposed reporters' shield law for Kansas was introduced last year and is lingering in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill protects journalists from being forced to disclose information and sources, which, in turn, protects the public's interest in maintaining a news media that is free of government control.— Lawrence Journal-World
Brunk's bill — State Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Bel Aire, has introduced a revised version of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Brunk's resolution calls for a constitutional amendment to cap state spending at a combination of the rates of inflation and population growth. The measure would also require two-thirds votes in both houses of the Legislature to exceed the spending limit or raise taxes. This proposal may be initially appealing. But it smacks of the kind of decisions made by legislatures and governors during the past two decades that got us into the mess we are in now. By tying the growth of state services to inflation — a volatile, unpredictable factor — it would leave our schools, highways, prisons and social services even more vulnerable than they are now.— Winfield Daily Courier
Tax fee — A flood of protests has put Kansas Revenue Secretary Joan Wagnon and some members of the House Tax Committee in a mood to consider changes in a proposal to assess a $25 fee against each taxpayer who files a state income-tax return on paper. That there's room for negotiation on the issue is good news, but we still think the best move would be to just abandon the plan altogether.— Topeka Capital-Journal
Judicial audit — The Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit released a study suggesting there were savings to be had if Kansas only would consider consolidation — of the court system. Even if nothing happens, this is great political theater. After all, the state Supreme Court relied on a similar post audit study for the basis of its decision in the Montoy ruling that forced the Legislature to appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars in additional school funding.— Hays Daily News
Coal plant — Sunflower Electric Power Corp. chief executive officer Earl Watkins spoke with optimism recently about the renewed prospect of the Holcomb expansion project. Watkins said that in spite of the Environmental Protection Agency recently declaring greenhouse gases a public health threat that could lead to the first federal limits on climate-changing emissions, "no meaningful climate legislation will come through this year." Either way, we would expect Sunflower — which at Holcomb has the cleanest coal-burning plant in Kansas — to meet any guidelines imposed at the state or federal level. —Garden City Telegram
