The Kansas Legislature has returned to work today. Ahead of them are several challenging issues, not the least of which is how to ensure the future stability of our state. With a yawning budget gap of almost $1 billion for 2018 and 2019, and a possible need of up to $750 million to fund public education, there is a clear need to put the state on solid revenue footing. No trickery will do, no hand-waving flat tax, no couch-digging utility fees, no "taxes are theft" attitude. Kansas quite simply needs to restore the revenue stripped away by Brownback's irresponsible policies.

The paragraph above could have been written on January 9th of this year, the first day of the session. That we are in the veto session, and we still have not addressed these fundamental issues, should be of concern to every Kansan.

There is a hard deadline ahead. July 1 is the start of the next fiscal year. It is the deadline given by the Kansas Supreme Court for a constitutional plan to fund public education. And even that deadline is too generous, as paychecks for July will need to be prepared two weeks beforehand. If there is no budget...

We expect you're tired of keeping your focus on Topeka. They've spent seventy five days accomplishing... well, not a lot in the end. You've expended a lot of energy fighting for what you believe in, only to see the Governor veto it, or committee chairs not bring it up for a vote. Then you've spent even more energy fighting to overcome Brownback's veto, only to see it dashed by a handful of votes. And now, we are asking you to do it all again? Invest again? March and walk and talk and call and push and all of that, once more?

Yes. Because this is how the extremists get their way. With last minute votes, and late night bullying. With threats of postcards, and chamber lockdowns. With hidden legislators and arm twisting. Last time this happened, it took a toll on our legislators. They stood firm, they fought, they cried, and in the end, the extremists still got what they wanted.

Not this year. We passed tax reform. We passed health care expansion. This year, they know we will have their backs. They know, as much as they are getting up early, and staying up late, working long hours and weekends, standing up to the bullies and their threats... they know we have their backs at home. They have seen the crowds, the marches, the walks, the calls, the emails, the postcards. They have seen us standing up.

Let's bring this legislative session home with some wins.

MainStream will keep you up to date on what happens. We will tell you when we need you to act. And, together, we will let them know the Brownback era is over, and his extremist allies don't hold sway anymore.

Remember to do more than vote. Get informed. Get involved. Make a difference.