Kansas.com: State Government

Democrat enters governor's race

DAVID KLEPPER — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:03 CST

TOPEKA — Calling Sam Brownback's election as Kansas' next governor premature, Kansas Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a candidate of their own: Tom Wiggans, a retired Olathe pharmaceutical executive.

Wiggans, 57, is a political newcomer largely unknown in the state he hopes to lead. A native of Fredonia, he returned to Kansas in January after a prominent career in the pharmaceutical industry in California. He is so far the only major Democratic candidate in the race.

Wiggans filed paperwork Tuesday allowing him to raise money for the 2010 race. He declined to comment publicly on his campaign, instead e-mailing a statement to reporters.

Gov.: Schools' lawsuit threat won't sway cuts

JOHN HANNA — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:05 CST

TOPEKA — Kansas' governor said Tuesday that the threat of a lawsuit over education funding won't influence the spending cuts he'll make to keep the current state budget in balance.

Gov. Mark Parkinson plans to announce next week how he'll make nearly $260 million in cuts and other budget adjustments. The changes are designed to prevent a deficit when the state's 2010 fiscal year ends June 30.

Some of Kansas' 293 school districts already are contemplating suing the state because it has backed off previous commitments to increase aid to schools each year.

Talk of furloughs for state workers grows

JOHN HANNA — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:04 CST

TOPEKA — The chairmen of the Kansas Legislature's budget committee think furloughs of government employees are growing more likely because of the state's persistent budget problems.

Aides to Gov. Mark Parkinson declined Thursday to discuss what steps he is considering to keep the current state budget balanced, although they did not rule out unpaid leave for state workers. Parkinson expects to announce his decisions by the end of November.

Budget Director Duane Goossen said Parkinson anticipates making nearly $260 million in cuts or other adjustments to prevent a deficit for the year ending June 30. The Democratic governor has promised the budget will be back in balance when the Republican-controlled Legislature reconvenes in January.

Officials discuss deporting inmates

Associated Press — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

TOPEKA — Nearly 300 inmates in Kansas prisons identify themselves as foreign nationals, which has prompted a key state legislator to suggest some should be deported to help ease the state's budget problems.

But Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz is wary of a broad effort to deport dozens of the 293 inmates, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported Wednesday. Werholtz said some might not be held in prison in their home nations and might try to return illegally to the United States.

The issue of Kansas confining foreign nationals arose during a meeting Tuesday of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Parole Board Oversight. Its chairwoman, Rep. Pat Colloton, R-Leawood, said deporting some of those inmates could be beneficial.

State school board fears more cuts

Associated Press — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

TOPEKA — Members of the State Board of Education expressed frustration Tuesday that further cuts in Kansas public schools would hurt the quality of education.

The 10-member board received an update on state finances and their impact on the 293 school districts in Kansas. Last week, a group of economists and policymakers slashed the state revenue outlook by $235 million for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2010.

Board Chairwoman Janet Waugh said there's little reason to be optimistic that schools won't see further cuts in the coming weeks and during the 2010 legislative session.

Shortfall in budget nears half a billion

JEANNINE KORANDA — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:54 CST

TOPEKA — The state will have to cut at least $258.8 million to balance the current budget by the end of the fiscal year, revenue estimators said Thursday.

The state is expected to bring in about 4.2 percent less in 2010 than forecast in April — or $235.2 million less, the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group said.

The projected minimum budget cut doesn't include an estimated $155 million that public schools are likely to need to cover increased student populations, special education and a jump in students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. That number swells the cuts needed to balance the 2010 budget, which ends June 30, to $459 million.

Gov. criticized over KC Wizards incentives

JOHN HANNA — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:47 CST

TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson is suggesting that critics who think his administration isn't trying hard enough to lure thousands of jobs away from Missouri are pushing him to be fiscally irresponsible.

The Democratic governor is drawing fire from some key Republicans for saying publicly that Kansas won't offer more than $230 million in state and local incentives to lure a corporate office complex and major league soccer stadium to Kansas City, Kan.

The state hadn't heard Monday whether its offer was acceptable to owners of the Kansas City Wizards and Missouri-based medical software maker Cerner Corp.

Tax hikes possible, governor says

JOHN HANNA — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:32 CDT

TOPEKA — Kansas is "very close" to being forced to consider raising taxes to deal with budget problems, Gov. Mark Parkinson said Friday.

The Democratic governor's comments put him at odds with the Republican-controlled state Legislature's budget committee chairmen, who ruled out higher taxes.

The debate came the same day the Department of Revenue reported that tax collections in October were nearly $15 million below expectations, a shortfall of 3.6 percent.

Unlawful gambling machines bite the dust

FRED MANN — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:30 CDT

The giant bucket of a front-end loader fell heavily on a dozen gambling machines Friday, smashing them to bits before a row of television cameras.

Message delivered.

The state won't tolerate illegal devices known as Quarter Sliders and Cherry Masters at businesses around Kansas.

Otto rejects demand from NAACP to pull rap, apologize

JOHN HANNA — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:08 CDT

TOPEKA — The NAACP's Kansas chapter demanded Thursday that a state legislator remove his "RedNeck Rap" from the Internet and publicly apologize for the video criticizing President Obama.

"That will not happen," replied Republican state Rep. Bill Otto.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People labeled the video that Otto posted last month on YouTube as "tasteless" and "racist."

Kan. official's Mo. job raises questions

CHRIS BLANK AND JOHN HANNA — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:08 CDT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. —The Kansas secretary of commerce plans to cross state lines to lead economic development efforts in Missouri, which is prompting some Kansas legislators to question his loyalties in a key business-recruiting effort.

Democratic Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced Thursday that he picked David Kerr to be the director for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Kerr is to start Nov. 9, but on Thursday, he already had begun making the rounds with Nixon to meet with business leaders in St. Joseph and Lee's Summit.

Kerr, 56, was appointed Kansas' secretary of commerce in 2007 by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat who now is the U.S. secretary of health and human services.

Group seeks state amendment on health care

DION LEFLER — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:05 CDT

In a pre-emptive strike on national health care, conservative state lawmakers and representatives of the "tea party" movement on Tuesday proposed changing the state Constitution to exempt Kansas from federal health insurance mandates.

"This is about ... preserving (patients') right to make their own individual decisions on health care and protecting the doctor-patient relationship, so that the physician and the patient together can make the best decisions," Rep. Peggy Mast, R- Emporia, said at the Wichita kickoff for the proposition.

State Democrats fired back that lawmakers are themselves covered by government-paid insurance. Party executive director Kenny Johnston called the proposition "a stunningly eager act of partisanship and hypocrisy."

Education may face more cuts

JOHN HANNA — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:09 CDT

TOPEKA — New students in Kansas' public schools and declining property values have punched what could become a $70 million hole in the state's already shaky budget, a top education official confirmed Friday.

Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis said Kansas faces being short in its ability to meet its legal obligations for providing aid to its 293 school districts during the current academic year. That's true even though the state already has reduced its per-pupil aid by 4.8 percent this year.

It's more bad news for state officials who already must deal with lower-than-anticipated tax collections in July, August and September. They face lowering per-pupil aid to schools further, making cuts in other parts of the budget or even raising taxes.

Legislators start audit of prison sex

Associated Press — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:09 CDT

TOPEKA — Legislators have initiated their own audit of Kansas' corrections system because of allegations of widespread sex between staff members and inmates at the state's women's prison.

Barb Hinton, who leads the Legislature's auditing division, told the Topeka Capital-Journal that her department hopes to summarize its findings in a report early next year, so that lawmakers can decide whether Kansas' laws pertaining to sex between prison staff and inmates are sufficient.

Gov. Mark Parkinson has called for an outside review of the prison system.

Millions more may be cut out of budget

JEANNINE KORANDA — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:39 CDT

TOPEKA — Looming cuts to this year's budget and less money for the next year could translate into fewer meals for seniors, larger class sizes in public schools and deeper cuts to state programs which have already go through several reductions.

Under current revenue projections, lawmakers could be faced with cutting more than $100 million from the current year's budget, which started July 1, when they return to the Statehouse in January.

The actual number is likely to be much more, said Rep. Jason Watkins, R-Wichita, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He estimated the cuts would probably come to

Wagnon blames tax cuts for state woes

DION LEFLER — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:07 CDT

Kansas would not have a budget crisis if the state Legislature had been less generous with tax cuts and exemptions, according to figures presented Friday by Secretary of Revenue Joan Wagnon.

In a keynote speech at a Wichita State University event, Wagnon said her staff calculated that without tax cuts and exemptions passed since 1995 by the Republican-controlled Legislature, the state would have $1 billion more in income this year. That's the same amount as the 2010 budget shortfall.

Overall, tax cuts and exemptions have cost the state $10.9 billion since 1995, said Wagnon, a Democrat.

State revenue tops forecast for August

JOHN MILBURN — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:03 CDT

TOPEKA — The Kansas revenue department said Monday that the state collected $6.9 million more in taxes than had been expected for August.

The preliminary report put August revenue at $376.8 million. The state's economic forecasters had predicted August collections to total $369.9 million.

Final numbers won't be released for several days as the agency adjusts the totals to account for various transfers and other factors.