TOPEKA
MAY 1, 2024
Omnibus Budget and Conference Committee
The House Appropriations Committee met Thursday following the joint meeting with the Senate Ways and Means Committee to draft the Omnibus Budget.
The House version included several items concerning issues across the state, some of which are included below.
• Under the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the House added $3.5 million State General Fund (SGF) for indigent support for substance use disorder providers in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
• In the Department of Health and Environment—Health, $5 million SGF was added for child and adult behavioral beds in FY 2025.
• In the Department of Health and Environment—Environment, $4.8 million was spent in FY 25 for the Small-Town Infrastructure Assistance Grant Program, to help provide wastewater treatment drinking water in towns with a population of 1000 or less.
There were many items regarding law enforcement and corrections.
• First was $2.5 million SGF in FY 2025 for a newly created regional inpatient juvenile substance use treatment center in south central Kansas.
• Second was $12 million SGF allocated in FY 25 for the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. The budget also included an additional $21 million for staffing at the correctional facilities across the state of Kansas.
There were also many funding items for higher education.
• First, $2.4 million SGF in FY 2025 to provide a $7,000 base pay increase and a $2,500 retention bonus to nursing facilities at community and technical colleges.
• Second was $1 million SGF to the Kansas Adult Learner Grant Program Fund and $2.5 million for Need-Based Aid at public universities in FY 2025.
• Third was $1.1 million SGF in FY 2025 for the Kansas National Guard Education Master’s Program for Enhanced Readiness and Global Excellence, which provides financial assistance to Kansas National Guard members pursuing a master’s degree.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee finished their version of the Omnibus Budget Friday afternoon. Later that day Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations conferenced on the Omnibus Budget and came to a consensus after midnight on April 27.
The final version of the omnibus budget bill passed both the Senate and the House on Tuesday, April 30. The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 22-11 and it passed the House Tuesday night, amidst the tornado sirens going off in the capitol, 71-49. The Kansas Legislature adjourned late Tuesday night and will return in January after the elections.
Veto Overrides
On Friday, the House voted to override the governor's veto on two tax bills. The first was House Bill 2036, the tax plan that would cut income, sales, and property taxes with a vote of 104-15. Second was House Bill 2098, that would reduce sales tax, with a vote of 99-20. I voted to override the governor’s veto on both bills.
On Monday, the House overrode many vetoes to bills or budget line items. We overrode the veto on House Bill 2583, which protects law enforcement dogs by increasing criminal penalties for harming or killing them. The House also overrode the veto for House Bill 2648, what is referred to as the Reins Act, which attempts to rein in the high cost of government bureaucracy. The veto was sustained on Senate Bill 233, the gender reaffirming bill.
K-12 Education Budget
Friday, the House voted on the adoption of the Conference Committee Report on House Substitute for Senate Bill 387 which is the K-12 Education Budget for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026. For fiscal year 2024, the budget would lapse funding, including $714,470 to the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System for non-USDs and $341,000 to the Kansas Public Employee Retirement Systems for USDs and would bring fiscal year 2024 total appropriations to $6.7 billion.
Fiscal year 2025, the house appropriated a total of $6.6 billion which includes $65.5 million for Special Education Services Aid, $5 million for the School Safety and Security Grants, and $2.5 million for school food assistance.
This bill would also establish the Education Funding Task Force that is made up of three state representatives, three state senators, a parent, a teacher, and one superintendent from a rural district and one from an urban school district. The task force would be required to recommend to the Governor a new school finance formula to replace the current formula that is set to expire July 1, 2027, and review the current methods of disbursing Special Education State Aid. I supported this budget which passed the House 115-2.
Contact Information
Anytime that you would like to participate and listen to the developments of committee hearings or discussion on the House floor, you can tune in by video or audio at www.kslegislature.org.
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, or email me at [email protected].
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.