Sebelius hoping for school finance resolution

? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today said she was holding out hope the Legislature would send her what she considers an acceptable increase in school funding.

“That’s really what the debate upstairs is all about, are we going to give every Kansas child a right to succeed in life,” Sebelius said.

Without a tax increase, schools statewide will face “drastic cuts,” she said.

Lawmakers are in the 88th day of a 90-day session still wrestling over funding the $2.6 billion school system.

A coalition of House Democrats and moderate Republicans have offered a compromise $128 million tax increase for schools, but so far, the Senate has rejected tax increases.

A House-Senate conference committee was meeting off and on throughout the day, working on a $109 million finance plan that would increase the state sales tax from 5.3 cents per dollar to 5.45 percent, and add a 2.5 percent surcharge on individual state income tax.

Although lawmakers were at an impasse, Sebelius said it was a hopeful sign that moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Senate were starting to work together.

On another subject, Sebelius also said she would examine carefully a bill approved by the Legislature that would reduce the amount of public disclosure required of lobbyists reporting whom they wine and dine.

The bill will allow lobbyists to provide meals to lawmakers when they attend professional conventions, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures and American Legislative Exchange Council, without having to report itemized expenses.

And the bill will allow entire legislative committees to eat meals at lobbyists’ expense without having to make an itemized report.

The measure also makes some changes in other reporting requirements retroactively, from when the law was adopted in 2000 to last January.

Several lawmakers said they have been given no explanation as to why this retroactive proposal was made.

“The rumors in this Capitol are sending a message to the people that Kansas legislators and lobbyists are hiding something,” Sen. Donald Betts, D-Wichita said.

But some supporters said they favored the bill because of another part that will allow politicians to be able to transfer campaign funds from one race to another should they seek election to a different office.

Asked if she would veto the measure, Sebelius said, “I intend to look at it very carefully.”