Topeka
March 17, 2024
This week the Senate debated SB514, the 2025 budget for over six hours. There were many amendments offered on the Senate bill with few being accepted. This is the first step in finalizing the budget for 2025. The House will pass their budget this week after which a conference committee will work out differences between the two chambers bills. The legislature has the constitutional responsibility to pass a balanced budget every session. The bill adjusts total state expenditures in fiscal year 2024 to $25.3B including $9.9B State General Fund (SGF). In this fiscal year 2025 the bill included expenditures totaling $25.1B, including $10.2B SGF.
Included in the fiscal year 2025 budget are some of the following:
*The budget would allocate $75M for the University of Kansas Medical Center to consolidate its cancer research at one facility in Kansas. Currently, the university carries out its cancer research in fifteen buildings at three different campus sites in the Kansas City area. The $75M from the state for this new research center will be matched by donations. The total cost of this project will be approximately $550M to $600M.
*The budget contains funding for a 5% statewide pay increases to help state employees. This does not include Kansas legislators.
*Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates. This increase allocates $78.7M to increase Medicaid outpatient reimbursement rates to help raise Kansas Medicaid base rates, which currently stands at 27% of the average commercial rate at all Kansas hospitals.
*The budget includes funding for the KBI of $6.9M that will fund eight new special agents, five forensic scientists, and replacement of the laboratory information system, which is used to process evidence. The information system is more than twenty years old. The Senate’s version for the KBI budget also includes $1.8M to create a children’s victim tax force in southeast Kansas to address internet crimes against children. This task force supports a task force in northeast Kansas in Topeka and western Kansas in Garden City. The budget adds millions of additional dollars to the KBI budget to fight the fentanyl crisis.
*The budget includes $15M for one time funding of childcare sustainability and workforce grants for existing childcare providers.
*Includes $25M for a state match for Kansas State University ag innovation initiative which stems from the schools $280M initiative on global food and agriculture research and teaching.
*$15.4M will go to Fort Hays State University to expand their nursing program.
*Includes $20M to the Board of Regents to address deferred maintenance for university buildings.
*The budget will include the Kansas children’s cabinet funding for $5M to provide a public private partnership.
*There is also funding for the highway patrol to buy a new airplane, $7.8M.
*Small town infrastructure grants of $10M to provide technical support for drinking water and sewer system upgrades in small towns with population under 1,000.
*There is $28M for World Cup activities for security and transportation. The budget includes funding for the proposed Heartland Flyer passenger rail service for $5M.
*Funding for the Kansas Highway Patrol to construct a $20M new firing range and dispatch facility in Salina.
*Language was added for bonding authority totaling $377.6M to rebuild the Hutchinson Correction Facility and $40.2M for a new health building at the Topeka correctional facility.
I would like to congratulate the cities of Hays and Russell in receiving a infrastructure grant.
It has been an honor to represent the 40th Senate District of Kansas. I have been asked if I plan to run for reelection. Yes, I do plan to file for reelection for the 40th Senate district. I feel there are many issues I can still work on to make a better Kansas.
Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, is senator of the 40th District which includes:
* Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Rawlins, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego and Wallace Counties
* Phillips County: Cities: Logan, Long Island, Prairie View, Speed; Townships: Beaver, Belmont, Dayton, Granite, Logan, Long Island, Mound, Plainview, Prairie View, Solomon (part) and Towanda