ITEMS IN THE NEWS

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports there is yet another possible move toward a full-time Kansas Legislature--and ironically, it's conservative House Republicans leading the way.
Conservatives have grown frustrated with a budget process that leads to more spending each year. The state budget has grown 10 fold every generation, which means that by 2033, the state could have a $100 billion budget.
State Representative Joe McLeland of Wichita has proposed changing the budget process, saying that legislators rarely look at the "base" budgeting, usually reserved for the documents agencies send to the governor's budget director.
Veteran legislator Carl Holmes of Liberal says that could add another three months to the session for some legislators.
McLeland's proposal would have the 23 members of the House Appropriations Committee and the 13 senators on the Ways and Means Committee spend an extra three months working on the budget.
At current pay rates--and Kansas has the second-worst paid legislature in the country--that would cost taxpayers an extra $11,200 a day, or $1.08 million for the year.
As we pointed out before, there may be other reasons for the lack of knowledge about the budget process.
--R.J. Dickens