Topeka ? Faced with the worst budget crisis in decades, the Kansas House started looking Monday for ways to close the gap between revenues and expenses by raising new taxes.

But by day’s end, House members had rejected an income tax increase and instead approved widening the $680 million budget gap by another $1.4 million.

The approved bill also contained a provision to allow Kansans to contribute to state services on their income tax forms.

“We’re a long way from solving the budget crisis,” said House Speaker Kent Glasscock, R-Manhattan.

House Democratic Leader Jim Garner of Coffeyville described Monday’s actions as “rather silly.”

At one point, Rep. Ted Powers, a Mulvane Republican, tried to push through an amendment to require year-round daylight savings time.

The amendment was determined to be not relevant to the discussion on taxes and pulled down.

“Not every amendment is going to be a blockbuster,” Glasscock said, but he defended the House proceedings as necessary to start discussion on closing the budget gap.

The state faces a $680 million revenue shortfall. Glasscock has dedicated the week to making the 125-member chamber vote on proposed tax increases before crafting a budget. The exercise is intended to identify which method of raising new revenue has the most support. Passage of legislation requires 63 votes in the House and 21 in the Senate.

Monday’s focus was income tax, with today to be devoted to property taxes, Wednesday to sales taxes and Thursday to alcohol and tobacco products.

When the dust settled from the first day of the exercise, the House had given preliminary approval to a bill that would provide low-income Kansans with a break on property taxes. The tax break will cost the state about $1.4 million for the next fiscal year.

In debating the bill, the House rejected, 115-7, an amendment that would have increased state income taxes by $437 million in a five-year period. Lawrence Reps. Barbara Ballard, a Democrat, and Tom Sloan, a Republican, voted for the increase. Democrat Troy Findley opposed it.

The House also rejected amendments to give a tax credit to teachers and home-schooling parents who spend their own money on instructional supplies.

The House approved amendments to allow Kansans to check off on their state income taxes donations to public schools and community-based services for the elderly.

Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, watched some of the House proceedings and said the chamber offered no solutions to the budget mess.

“I’m not an expert on House politics. I’m not going to judge what they are doing,” Kerr said. But, he said, “We need to raise money, and we’re going to have to cut budgets.”

Kerr has appointed a nine-member special committee to seek budget solutions.

The committee met for the first time Monday and agreed to focus first on reaching consensus on proposed cuts, which legislators said could result in furloughs of state employees and reductions in education and social service spending.