"There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers." Susan B. Anthony.
Legislative Update by Representative Cindy Neighbor, Shawnee   TOPEKA UPDATE:

We had a short week of long days in Topeka this week.  With Drop Dead Day approaching, we were on the floor from morning to evening Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to push through as many nonexempt bills as possible.  The House adjourned for the week on Wednesday evening, giving conference committees a chance to reconcile approved bills on Thursday and Friday.  We will reconvene on Monday, but the floor schedule will fluctuate as conference committees continue meeting to iron out differences between House and Senate versions of bills.

Every legislative session since 1996, a "Mega Appropriations Bill" has been voted on prior to the April break.  It includes the bulk of funding for state agencies.  The Legislature reconvenes approximately a month later for the Veto Session (also referred to as the Wrap Up Session) to pass an "Omnibus Budget Bill."  The Omnibus Bill normally contains technical adjustments to previous appropriations bills, financing for Governor's budget amendments which were not considered as part of regular appropriations bills, and financing of substantive legislation that passed earlier in the session.  The calendar is structured in this manner to allow time for the Legislature to make budget adjustments based on updated revenue estimates, which become available in mid-April.
Paul Davis, Kathy Cook,
Gene Rardin, Mike Slattery		  

We had expected to debate the Mega Appropriations bill on the House floor this week, but it is now being rumored that we will not work a budget until after First Adjournment.  This would be a highly unusual change in procedure.  However, given the unique and dire circumstances of this particular year, this procedural detour- while unusual- is probably appropriate.

The appropriations process is always challenging, but the current financial crisis makes it nothing short of devastating.  The revenue gap was projected to be $400 million when the last estimates were made in November.  Since then, that gap has inched closer and closer to the $500 million mark every month.  It is nonsensical to take up the Mega Budget bill if major Omnibus adjustments will likely send us back to the drawing board no matter what.  After six rounds of budget cuts, there is a big difference between a $400 million and a $500 million hole.  There are also some federal proposals pending that would have a significant impact on the size of the budget gap.  It is probably in the best interest of the body to wait for the most accurate numbers before casting the most difficult votes of the session.

I know many of you are waiting anxiously to find out what the House will do with the FY 2011 budget.  I am hopeful that Republican Leadership will announce their plans for the budget bill early next week.

  

Looking to the final days of the session, First Adjournment will likely be sometime next week (pushed up from its original date of April 6th).  Veto Session is set to begin on April 28th and Sine Die (the ceremonial close of the session) is scheduled for May 28th.

Representative Cindy Neighbor, Shawnee

Links:

Tom Holland & Sue Storm
 
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Paid for by the Johnson County Democratic Women’s Organization. Lynn Magenheimer, Treasurer.