Coalition calls for restoration of income tax cuts

The RevUp Kansas Coalition held a press event today to call upon the Legislature to restore the state’s devastated revenue stream and repeal the reckless income tax cuts championed by Governor Brownback and passed by the Legislature in 2012.

RevUp Kansas consists of more than 30 organizations that serve Kansans and Kansas Communities. KNEA is a member of the coalition.

The event today was attended by about 100 Kansas citizens and covered by the press corps.

Annie McKay, Executive Director of the Kansas Center for Economic Growth, opened the event. She was followed by Duane Goossen, a Senior Fellow at the KCEG. Goossen, who served as Budget Director for Republican Governor Bill Graves and Democratic Governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson, gave an overview of the harmful effects of Governor Brownback’s so-called “real live experiment.”

Following Goossen were:

  • Shannon Cotsoradis, Kansas Action for Children President/CEO
  • Sister Therese Bangert, the EITC Coalition
  • Lynn Stephan, Women for Kansas Leadership Team
  • Sheryl Spalding, MainStream Coalition Board President
  • Mark Farr, Kansas NEA President
  • Vicki Buening, Kansas Citizens for the Arts
  • Bernie Koch, Kansas Economic Progress Council Executive Director
  • Gary Brunk, RevUp KS member

You can join the RevUp message by visiting www.revupkansas.com. You can also like RevUpKansas on Facebook.

What’s happening?

That’s a question many people have as we head for the end of the regular session.

Drop dead day is scheduled for Friday, April 3 but both chambers have indicated they hope to be done tomorrow so legislators can go home for Good Friday.

The House has not debated any bills on general orders this week and the Senate has handled only a few. Tomorrow might be like breaking a log jam. Or not.

There are lots of rumors under the dome about what is inspiring this quiet week but leadership is certainly not sharing their thinking publicly (or at least with us). It seems certain now that budget and revenue decisions will be put off until the wrap-up session beginning April 29.

If the Legislature breaks Thursday, they will be home through April 28.