Kansas state lawmakers received another piece of bad news in a 2010 session that seems rife with the negative.
In a preliminary report from the Kansas Department of Revenue, January tax collections for the month of January totaled more than $503 million — about 3.5 percent below the official forecast of nearly $522 million.
As lawmakers breathe a sign during their weekend off, this news is just more in a long line of bad news since even before the session began earlier in January.
And, once again, there seems to be no end in sight.
Republicans in the House and Senate have continually rejected Gov. Mark Parkinson’s plan to raise the state’s sales tax by one cent and have even been so bold as to suggest restoring previous cuts.
Not that we are against restoring funding to Medicaid, but the question continues to be asked: Just where is the money going to come from?
It is not as if there is a pot at the end of the rainbow that will magically restore what could turn out the be a more than $400 million budget shortfall for 2011.
As the public continues to ask questions, Topeka seems to be offering no solutions.
Here is a plan: On Monday, when legislators return to session after the weekend break, lock the doors to both chambers and tell both the House and Senate that they will not be allowed out until the budget issue has been solved.
No more talk about the death penalty repeal, polishing laurels for re-election or any other policy debate that might be lined up.
Keep it simple. You have $400 million less in your account than what you should have. Now fix it.
Oh, yeah — no pay until the issue is resolved. That way you can be sure that lawmakers might take the budget shortfall seriously when they are not getting a paycheck like several thousand Kansans.
Economic times are tough and it is time to get right down to coming up with solutions.
The time for political positioning and blustering is over.
Kansans just can’t afford that anymore.
Matthew Clark, for The Morning Sun
