Capitol beats: 'We keep seeing good bills go down'

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

Say what?

“It almost appears as though this week has become the ‘Protect Bureaucracy, Inefficiency and Big Government Week.’ We keep seeing good bills go down … I’m really having a hard time understanding what may have happened over the weekend that caused the Republican Party to dissolve. I think we should try to understand what happened. Maybe people had some drinks over the weekend. I’m not sure what happened.”

— Sen. Jeff Melcher, R-Leawood, castigating fellow Republicans on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon. Earlier, his peers had rejected by a large margin a bill he authored that would have scaled back the bargaining power of teachers unions.

$3 million

That’s the amount the Senate budget bill appropriates for an outside consulting firm to study the state’s finances. The issue proved to be a sticking point during the three-hour debate before the budget was approved last week. The firm has not yet been selected.

Trending

The Kansas State Rifle Association scored a major victory when the Kansas Legislature passed SB 45, allowing people to carry concealed firearms without training or a permit. Some members of the law enforcement and business communities have raised concerns about the bill.

The anti-abortion group Kansans For Life also saw passage of its key piece of legislation for the session, SB 95, which will restrict a type of abortion procedure commonly performed in the second trimester. Gov. Sam Brownback promised to sign the legislation.

News ahead

This is the final week of the regular session before the Legislature goes on a month-long break before returning in May for a wrap-up session. The House could vote on its budget bill or vote to concur on the one already approved by the Senate. And there’s a strong possibility that the “Uncork Kansas” legislation, which would allow grocery stores to sell liquor and full-strength beer, could make it to the House or Senate floor after a strong lobbying push by Dillons and other stores.

— Bryan Lowry

For more legislative news, go to www.kansas.com/politics and follow @BryanLowry3 on Twitter.