Topeka — The House kicked off this week's legislative debate over the state budget by giving first-round approval Monday to the least controversial spending bill on its agenda.
The bill would set aside nearly $110 million for construction and renovation projects during the state's 2002 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
House members advanced it to final action on a voice vote, without any debate. Passage on Tuesday which is expected would send the legislation to the Senate.
It was the first of three budget bills House members were supposed to tackle this week. Another made changes to the state's current budget, and the third contained most of the state's 2002 budget.
The Senate approved its capital improvements bill Friday on a 38-1 vote, but it also planned to debate other budget legislation this week.
Rep. Phil Kline, chairman of the Legislature's Joint Committee on State Building Construction, noted that his committee began work on capital improvement proposals last summer.
"I'd like to believe they know how much time we put in," Kline, R-Overland Park, said of his colleagues.
Gov. Bill Graves proposed a $9.15 billion state budget for fiscal 2002, one that would keep spending about the same as in fiscal 2001.
About $4.6 billion in spending under Graves' proposals would come from the state general fund. It is the largest source of money for Kansas government programs and where the state deposits most of its tax revenues.
The spending recommended by the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees throughout the session is close to the governor's proposals, in part because legislators aren't certain about the amount of money the state really will have to spend.
Graves based his budget on revenue estimates made in November, and collections in the general fund through February were $49.6 million short of expectations. State officials and university economists are scheduled to release new estimates April 4.
"We'll be a lot smarter when the estimates come out," said Sen. Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
After both houses approve their versions of the state budget, legislative leaders expect to appoint a joint-conference committee of three senators and three House members to draft a final version.
But work on the budget won't be finished before legislators take their annual spring break April 7. When they return April 25 to wrap up their work for the year, they'll have one last budget bill to consider.
Morris and other legislative leaders expect to tackle some of the toughest spending decisions with that final bill. They're likely to go back to the spending they've already approved and adjust it to make it fit the new revenue estimates.
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