Syndicated to Kansas newspapers Nov. 28, 2016
OK, it’s starting to get interesting now, this $345 million budget shortfall for the nearly half-over Kansas Fiscal Year 2017.
So far, it’s the governor reminding the Legislature and anyone else who will listen that assembling and maintaining the budget is the job of the Kansas Legislature. But Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, is telling the governor that he really ought to use his executive power to make budget cuts now, not leave the job to the incoming new Legislature.
Hmmm…
Wagle is expected to be re-elected Senate President by the GOP caucus of the upper chamber on Dec. 5. Current House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, didn’t seek re-election to the House. So, when the session starts Jan. 9 we have a governor with two years left on his term saying he’ll come up with something after Jan. 9 and the presumptive leader of the Senate for the next four years saying fix it now.