This is MainStream's written testimony opposing SB 251, a bill to finance public schools that does not meet our requirements to fund an excellent education for all Kansas children. We also delivered written testimony at the hearing today. You can download a copy of our testimony here.

The same story repeats again. Last week, the Kansas Senate tried to pass the same tax reform bill, and was rebuffed. Annoyed, the Senate's Con leadership announced no further work until Monday (today) and then threatened once again to work long nights and weekends until the work is done. Meanwhile, the House did the people's work, albeit slowly, on the education finance bill.

Last week, the Kansas Legislature accomplished very little. Budget issues waited in the wings and school funding got some pretty obvious advice from their $50,000 advisor ("More money is needed to resolve school funding"), while tax reform issues struggled to gain any traction. Several proposals and votes were scheduled, but withdrawn, several meetings arranged then cancelled. Witness, the most significant work done on tax reform was yet another flat tax proposal.

Tax reform has been having a rocky road this session. The shiny new Legislature passed tax reform early in the year, only to have it vetoed and that veto sustained by just three members of the Kansas Senate. Now, in the last gasp veto session, tax reform is back, but a bill introduced Monday was withdrawn quickly Tuesday, and then another introduced that raised a smidgen more money. Were all the objections just about how much it raised? Are there other problems? What is going on?

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 Kansas Legislature returns to work next Monday. It bears repeating that they have accomplished very little since January on the three biggest issues before them: the billon dollar revenue crater ahead of us, the July 1 deadline to create a constitutional school funding plan, and the hundred thousand Kansas who cannot get health care. They will have to cram all of that in now.

With the Kansas Legislature still on break (they return May 1) the state house news may be slow, but outside of Topeka, there are plenty of opportunities to stay connected and get involved.

The Kansas Legislature has gone home for their "Spring break," and will return on May 1 for what is usually the "veto session," a time designated for debating any veto the Governor has made to legislation completed in the regular session. Unfortunately, the Kansas Legislature has left town with almost nothing accomplished. No tax reform. No budget. No school finance plan. No solution to the $1 billion revenue crater facing Kansas.

In the Kansas Legislature this week, there has been a lot of noise about "fixing" the state's revenue problem with a flat tax bill. Because, the extremist argument goes, a flat tax is a fair tax!

Last week, the Kansas Legislature passed the Medicaid expansion bill. Medicaid in Kansas is known as KanCare, and has been managed by the Brownback administration since the advent of the Affordable Care Act. Patients, doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies have all complained. One surefire way to improve things would be to take advantage of the ACA's provision for expansion of Medicaid coverage. But Governor Brownback and a few stalwart allies in the Legislature have refused, turning down billions of dollars in Federal funding.