Are wheels coming off Legislature?

Lawmaking can be an ugly process. But lately it has seemed as if the wheels are coming off state government.

Consider what happened just on Tuesday:

▪  House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, stunned lawmakers when he publicly announced the removal of two highly respected lawmakers from their committee chairmanships. One of those lawmakers, Rep. John Rubin, R-Shawnee, declared he would resign his legislative seat effective midnight (but later changed his mind).

▪  The Senate overrode a veto by Gov. Sam Brownback and nearly overrode another, as senators openly expressed frustration and mistrust of Brownback. At a GOP caucus meeting a day earlier, Sen. Michael O’Donnell, R-Wichita, said it was “insane” that lawmakers learned of Brownback’s concern about the state’s bond rating via Twitter, and Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, confessed that he had advised Brownback to withhold the information.

▪  A House committee considered a proposal to end the state’s income tax exemption for the owners of pass-through businesses. (Three GOP senators have introduced a separate bill to eliminate the exemption.) Several business owners who financially benefit from the exemption testified that the policy was unfair and was undermining the state’s budget, but Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan defended the exemption (and Brownback has vowed to veto any change in policy).

▪  Lawmakers finally began considering legislation to fund public schools equitably, as ordered by the Kansas Supreme Court. A Senate proposal put forth by Masterson merely shifts existing funding among school districts and calls it good. The day before, hundreds of people had gathered at the Capitol for a “save our schools” rally.

▪  Despite concerns by the Kansas Board of Regents and objections by student government associations, the House backed a bill to enable college campus religious groups to restrict their memberships. Bill opponents argued that this could enable student groups to use public money to discriminate, but supporters somehow thought it was a pressing problem that needed solving. Rep. Chuck Weber, R-Wichita, even argued on the House floor that the bill would protect “the great silent majority out there of men and women who experience a same-sex attraction.”

Again, this was just one day in Topeka. Other days this session have seen lawmakers try to block state education standards, impeach justices, ban refugees and end daylight saving time, among other unnecessary legislation. Meanwhile, the budget that lawmakers approved doesn’t balance and tax collections keep falling short of estimates.

Only 25 percent of Kansans are satisfied with the Legislature, according to a recent poll. Based on the work product, it is surprising it’s that high.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Are wheels coming off Legislature?."