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May 8, 2008

Last two issues wrapped up; session over

School finance settled earlier in SB 531

Coal bill bundle

The big hold-up in ending the session has been the Holcomb coal burning power plant bill. While two versions of the bill authorizing the plants have passed and been vetoed, supporters of the plants in the House have been unable to generate the 84 votes needed to override a veto.

The last days of the session have been consumed with discussion of how to get to 84 votes and the latest method is to bundle the coal plants with a number of very popular economic development issues in the hope that the 84^th vote can be found. Most notable are the inclusion of projects in Johnson and Shawnee Counties where support for the coal plants has been weak.

At this time, the strategy seems to have backfired. In votes in both chambers, the bundled bill has actually lost votes over stand-alone coal plant bills. The House vote was 76 to 48 in support of the bundled bill – a full eight votes away from an override.

And a veto is expected, setting up a possible attempt to override when the legislature comes back for the traditionally ceremonial sine die session on May 29.

KPERS: another diet COLA in the omnibus budget bill

The final resolution of the annual KPERS cost of living discussion found legislators approving a $300 check for those current retirees who have been retired for at least 10 years and had 10 years of KPERS service. This is less than the original House proposal (also suggested by Governor Sebelius) of a 1% COLA each year for three years but it is identical to a proposal that had been approved and later rejected on the Senate floor.

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