TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate on raising taxes to fix the state budget (all times local):
6:20 p.m.
Kansas legislators have drafted a new and larger plan for raising income taxes to fix the state budget after top Republicans abruptly dropped one negotiated earlier.
House and Senate negotiators agreed Tuesday evening on a plan to raise more than $1 billion over two years by rolling back past income tax cuts championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The same negotiators drafted a proposal Monday worth $879 million over two years. But Senate GOP leaders abandoned plans for an expedited vote when support for it collapsed.
Democrats and moderate Republicans said Monday’s plan didn’t raise enough new revenue to cover budget shortfalls and provide additional funds for public schools.
Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019 and the Kansas Supreme Court has said education funding is inadequate.
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3:50 p.m.
Kansas legislators are preparing to draft another plan for raising income taxes to fix the state budget after top Republicans abruptly dropped a proposal negotiated earlier.
House and Senate negotiators planned to meet Tuesday evening.
The same negotiators drafted a proposal Monday evening to raise $879 million over two years by rolling back past income tax cuts championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
Senate GOP leaders had wanted to expedite a vote but canceled it Tuesday morning when support for the plan collapsed.
Democrats and moderate Republicans said the plan didn’t raise enough new revenue to cover the state’s budget shortfalls and also provide additional funds for public schools.
Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019 and the Kansas Supreme Court has said education funding is inadequate.
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12:09 p.m.
Kansas legislators on Tuesday morning dropped a negotiated proposal to fix the state budget with income tax increases because some lawmakers don’t think it raises enough revenue.
The Senate’s Republican leaders said that the chamber wouldn’t vote on the proposal from House and Senate negotiators. Their bill would have raised $879 million over two years.
The measure would have rolled back past income tax cuts championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. It was similar to a bipartisan bill vetoed in February by Brownback
But the Kansas Supreme Court has ruled since that state funding for public schools is inadequate.
Democrats and GOP moderates said any tax plan must raise enough revenue to increase education funding while also closing projected budget shortfalls totaling more than $885 million through June 2019.
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