What’s going on, you might wonder. For example, why hasn’t Governor Brownback either signed or vetoed the school finance bill (SB 19)?
Well, we’ve learned that the school finance bill has only reached the Governor’s desk today – why, we don’t know – and he now has 10 days to either sign it or veto it or let it become law without his signature.
All of this is disappointing because every day delayed is another day that the Supreme Court no longer has to consider the bill.
As for the budget, there are very few things in there that are addressed in the KNEA legislative agenda. There are a few KPERS provisions – one to study how much KPERS has invested in “pay day lender” businesses and others dealing with paying back the funds delayed or simply not paid to KPERS by the state. The only other education provision is one requiring the School for the Deaf and the School for the Blind to each have their own superintendent with the requirement that the KSD superintendent know American Sign Language. The K-12 budget is contained in SB 19, the school finance bill.
Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning (R-Overland Park) today intimated that if the budget negotiations in conference committee were not wrapped up by noon, then the legislature would have no option but to meet on Saturday to wrap up their work. In other words, look for things to go into Saturday for the wrap up.
We are today on day 111 of the traditional 90 day session, pushing the record. The record longest session in Kansas history was in 2015 when it went for 114 days. We’re getting close. If they wrap up on day 112 tomorrow or even day 111 today, the 2017 session would be second longest in state history!
