Kansas Legislature spends 56 days in Topeka; fails to pass school finance bill
Last July the Kansas Legislature met the Supreme Court ruling on school finance on an interim basis. At that time, the Court told the Legislature to go ahead with their new school funding study to be conducted by the Legislative Post Audit Division and then to respond appropriately.
That study was done in time for the start of the 2006 Legislative Session in January. On March 31, 82 calendar days and 56 legislative meeting days later, both chambers adjourned with only the House having passed a bill on funding.
It was Thursday, March 23, when House moderate Republicans and Democrats united to hijack the Select Committee’s one-year, low funding, loaded-with-bad-policy education bill. They gutted the bill and put in their own three-year plan for school funding. It passed the House on Friday, March 24, with 64 votes. The bill was then sent to the Senate for their consideration.
The Senate had its own education funding bill sitting on their calendar (SB 584) and another by Sen. Jim Barnett (R-Emporia) sitting in committee (SB 501). In an unusual move by Senate leadership, it was decided to debate all three bills – Sub HB 2986, SB 584, and SB 501 – and give them each a vote. They all failed.
For more on school finance, go to KNEA's Legislative Week in Review in the At The Capitol section.
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