(Syndicated to Kansas newspapers Oct. 10, 2016)
There are inside-the-Statehouse maneuvers that most Kansans don’t have a lot of reason to take interest in—but which shake the ground inside the building where everyone is looking for a political or tactical advantage.
It appears that Gov. Sam Brownback’s not-very-catchily named “Governor’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Working Group” is one of those maneuvers.
The goal: To have that six-member Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, which includes two members of the governor’s staff, a member of the Legislature’s Research Department and three university-named economists, come up with the most accurate estimates possible of the revenue coming into the state treasury.
The closer the estimate, the more accurately the governor and Legislature can assemble a budget and make tax policy for the state. You gotta know where you are financially to make decisions on where you’re going. That’s pretty simple.
It’s why you shop for a Chevy, not a Cadillac.