TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate over increasing income taxes and balancing the state budget (all times local):
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says he’s willing to consider budget-balancing proposals advanced by a Senate committee to cut spending on public schools and higher education.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee endorsed a bill Tuesday that would cut state aid to public schools by $128 million and funding for state universities by $23 million before June 30.
It’s part of a plan by the committee to erase a projected $320 million shortfall in the state’s current budget.
Brownback outlined accounting moves and internal government borrowing that would have avoided such immediate cuts. But Brownback told The Associated Press: “We’ll look at it.”
The full Senate plans to debate the spending cuts Thursday along with proposals to increase personal income taxes to help keep the budget balanced after June 30.
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A Kansas Senate committee has endorsed cutting aid to public schools and higher education spending to help balance the state’s current budget.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee approved a budget-cutting bill Tuesday on a 9-4 vote. The votes against it came from the panel’s three Democrats and moderate Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt, of Topeka.
The bill trims $154 million in spending from the current budget and almost all of it comes from education funding.
Public schools would lose $128 million. State universities and the Kansas Board of Regents would lose nearly $23 million.
The committee also approved a one-year reduction in contributions to public employee pensions and some internal government borrowing to help close a projected $320 million shortfall in the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30.
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10:30 a.m.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says budget-balancing proposals to increase Kansas personal income taxes would cut against national trends.
Brownback said Tuesday that he thinks it’s a mistake for lawmakers to consider broad increases in income taxes to help balance the state budget.
The governor has criticized a plan from Senate GOP leaders to increase income taxes to raise $660 million in new revenues over two years. But the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee endorsed it anyway Tuesday.
Brownback has noted repeatedly that President Donald Trump promised during his successful campaign to push for federal income tax cuts.
He told reporters Tuesday, “This is going against national trends. It’s going against what’s in the best interest of Kansas to grow.”
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10:15 a.m.
A Kansas Senate committee has endorsed a bill that would raise personal income taxes to generate $660 million in new revenues over two years to help balance the state budget.
The Assessment and Taxation Committee’s voice vote Tuesday sends the measure to the full Senate. Majority Leader Jim Denning says the chamber could debate it as early as Thursday.
The bill would backtrack on personal income tax cuts championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback in 2012 and 2013 in an effort to stimulate the economy.
Kansas has struggled to balance its budget since those cuts and now faces projected shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019.
The bill would eliminate an income tax exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners and increase rates for all income taxpayers.
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5:43 a.m.
Kansas legislative committees are preparing to debate raising income taxes and other budget-balancing moves.
The Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee expected to vote Tuesday on a plan from the chamber’s GOP leaders for boosting personal income taxes.
The bill would eliminate an income tax exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners and increase rates for all income taxpayers to raise $660 million over two years.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee planned to discuss spending issues. It was reviewing accounting moves and other steps proposed by Brownback that include scaling back state contributions to public employee pensions.
Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019 and has struggled to balance its budget since slashing personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013.