Legislature leaves heavy lifting to others

The Kansas Legislature really has only two jobs: passing a balanced state budget for each fiscal year and, once a decade, redrawing legislative, congressional and State Board of Education district maps. Yet Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration is announcing $50 million in budget cuts Thursday only because, despite its record 114-day session and historic tax hike, the 2015 Legislature couldn’t manage the task, which is necessary to ensure even shallow year-ending reserves of about $67 million. And don’t forget that the 2012 Legislature gave up on redistricting and adjourned after a combative 99-day session, leaving it to the courts to come up with new boundaries. – Rhonda Holman

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 7:02 PM.