Future Deficits Projected

On the last night of the legislative session, a state budget bill was finally brought to the floor for an up or down vote. The House held no hearings on the budget and members were given no opportunity to amend the 55 page bill prepared by four members of a conference committee. I personally made the following explanation of my no vote on the House floor:

MR. SPEAKER: I vote no on S Sub for HB 2231 because the legislature has abdicated its responsibility to establish the state budget, instead entrusting the responsibility to only a few chosen members, followed by a 10 minute debate on the House floor. This is not what my constituents sent me here to do. Transfer of funds from the Tobacco Settlement to the Bio‑Science authority and short changing state employees for the sixth year in a row are only examples of the many flaws in this budget and I therefore vote no.

While to his credit the governor vetoed the raid on the Tobacco Settlement Fund designed to help Kansas children, the budget, as signed by the governor, raids the state Highway Fund which invests in the infrastructure necessary to build roads vital to our future while creating thousands of good paying jobs in Kansas, denies state employees the pay increase necessary just to keep up with inflation, fails to adequately fund our public schools, and continues Kansas on a race to the bottom among our sister states.

Most concerning the budget fails to recognize the sad fact that tax cuts for the wealthiest Kansans have placed Kansas on a path to fiscal disaster. The numbers are in the table shown on the left.

Because of the fiscal irresponsibility of the legislature and governor, our $6 billion dollar general fund budget is projected to be nearly $1.5 billion dollars in the red by 2019. As a result, both major bond rating agencies have downgraded Kansas credit rating meaning the state must pay higher interest on the bonds used to pay for highways and other long term investments in the state’s future. Quite simply, our state will be unable to pay its bills.

I will continue to oppose efforts to pass irresponsible state budgets, written by a chosen few, and passed in the dark of night. To do otherwise is to shirk my responsibility to you as your State Representative.