House panel’s budget to mirror Sebelius plan

The House Appropriations Committee will probably endorse a budget plan for the next fiscal year that closely follows proposals from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, committee members said.

The committee began work Wednesday on a single bill containing most of the $10.2 billion in spending for fiscal 2004, which begins July 1. The measure reflects dozens of recommendations approved by the committee since early February.

Under those recommendations, next year’s budget would be only $3.5 million larger than the fiscal 2003 budget — a difference of three-hundredths of 1 percent. And the deviation from Sebelius’ bottom line for fiscal 2004 is about $711,000.

“We’re very close to the governor,” said committee Chairman Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls.

The committee was expected to vote on its bill today, with House debate next week.

House committee backs proposal on hospitals

A proposal taking a step toward closing one or more of the state’s hospitals for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled received the House Appropriations Committee’s endorsement Wednesday.

The proposal, establishing a 14-member commission to study hospital closings, was included in the report on a proposed $2.14 billion budget for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The committee endorsed that budget — and the proposal for a commission — on a voice vote. House debate on budget issues is scheduled for next week.

Under the proposal, the commission would make recommendations by Dec. 1 on whether to close one hospital for the mentally ill and one for the developmentally disabled.

The work of a similar commission in 1995 closed a Winfield hospital for the developmentally disabled and one for the mentally ill in Topeka.

Kansas has three hospitals for the mentally ill: Larned State, Osawatomie State and the Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City. Parsons State Hospital and the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka serve the developmentally disabled.