Highlights of Wednesday’s activities at the Kansas Legislature:

• The House rejected its leadership’s $92 million school finance plan but advanced a scaled-down version adding $28 million for certain programs and letting 16 districts raise their property taxes.
• A bill barring local governments from buying up private properties and transferring them to private developers for commercial projects was defeated in the Senate.
• The House tentatively approved a proposed $10.2 billion budget that trims total state spending by two-tenths of 1 percent in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Also:

• State ownership of casinos, a cornerstone of the governor’s gambling initiative, would open the door to public corruption, Attorney General Phill Kline said.
• Senators forced negotiations with the House over the final version of a bill to allow the state to increase the speed limit to 75 mph on some Kansas highways.

Clock is ticking:

Wednesday was the 73rd calendar day of the session, out of 90 scheduled.