Topeka ? A Senate committee Monday approved a $1.7 billion higher education budget but not before offering a preview of fights to come as state lawmakers argued about taxes and spending priorities.

At one point, two legislators got into an argument over $500,000 for pediatric research at Kansas University Medical Center.

Sen. David Adkins, a Leawood Republican, pushed for the funding, but Sen. Henry Helgerson, a Wichita Democrat, opposed the method of financing it, which included taking funds from children’s programs in state welfare and education agencies.

“I object to trying to take money from our own projects,” Helgerson said.

Helgerson tried to have the money taken from the state’s general tax fund but was outvoted.

Later, with Helgerson voting against, the committee approved a higher education budget that closely follows one proposed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

The funding level provides a $5 million increase in state tax dollars to regents institutions, but higher costs for items such as employee health insurance result in deficits in many areas of the spending plan.

The committee’s report cites concerns in numerous areas of funding for higher education and calls for a study after the legislative session into “block grant” funding that was instituted in 2001.

But Helgerson noted that the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 would bring the state closer to a tax increase because of the lack of revenue.

Panel endorses but criticizes Sebelius higher ed budget A look at perceived gaps in universities’ 2005 budgets Higher education funding called into question (2-16-04) Higher education budget approved (2-16-04)

“It’s kind of like I’m telegraphing a pass,” he said.

For KU’s Lawrence campus, the committee recommended about $450 million in overall funding, which includes $132 million from the state general fund.

But the committee said because Sebelius has proposed a 3 percent pay raise for all state employees, plus an increase for faculty, KU would face a deficit of about $8.1 million.

Similarly, KU Medical Center would be short about $2.4 million, the committee said.