Capitol Beats: Lawmakers get in ‘the weeds’ in Week 10

Check this spot on Sundays for a few quick hits about what’s driving the debate in the Legislature.

Say what?

“Dare I say, thank you for getting into the weeds with that bill.”

Rep. Brandon Whipple, D-Wichita, thanking Rep. Willie Dove, R-Bonner Springs, for his explanation of a hemp-related bill. The bill would expand the use of industrial hemp in agriculture.

“We look at all bills.”

Melika Willoughby, a spokeswoman for Gov. Sam Brownback, on a question about Medicaid expansion. Brownback has opposed expansion in the past.

107

The number of school districts that would lose general state aid under a new school finance plan rolled out in the House last week, according to an analysis by the Kansas State Department of Education. The House K-12 Education Budget Committee is expected to debate the bill this week.

Trending

Medicaid expansion is moving ahead in Kansas despite uncertainty in Washington over the future of the federal health care law. The decision by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan to pull a Republican-backed health bill on Friday means the current law championed by President Barack Obama will remain in place for now.

The development may buoy Medicaid expansion supporters ahead of an expected debate in the Kansas Senate on Monday. Democrats and Republicans have said they think enough senators support expansion to pass the bill.

News ahead

The Senate is expected to debate a budget bill this week. The Senate Ways and Means Committee passed the proposal on Thursday. Under current tax law, the budget would leave the state more than $800 million in debt over the next two years, but lawmakers assume a tax package will eventually pass.

This story was originally published March 25, 2017 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Capitol Beats: Lawmakers get in ‘the weeds’ in Week 10."