School finance countdown

43 days: The state Supreme Court has given lawmakers until April 12 to produce a constitutional school finance plan.

Proposed tag fee parked

In order to inject a solid revenue stream into state parks, Kansas Secretary of Wildlife and Parks Mike Hayden has proposed a voluntary $5 increase in annual motor vehicle registration fees in return for unlimited free park entry. But the idea is getting whacked in the Legislature. House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, says state parks should be supported by user fees and general fund dollars. Highway interests are also wary of the proposal.

Neverland

Just in case there was any doubt on where the Kansas chapter of the anti-tax Americans for Prosperity stood on the issue of taxes, the group sent out an “URGENT” message to state senators last week, that read: “We ask you to oppose any measure that would raise taxes this year, OR any year in the future.”

Five more years

The Legislature would have five more years to study exceptions to the Kansas Open Records law under a bill passed by the Senate. Under current law, the approximately 240 provisions that keep certain government records secret would have expired on July 1, unless the Legislature voted to reinstate the exemptions. Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, chairman of the committee studying these issues, proposed extending that deadline one more year to give his committee more time to work on the issue. But several senators pushed to have the deadline extend to 2010. Huelskamp fought against that, saying the five-year extension would just cause the Legislature to procrastinate. He was outvoted.

What’s in a name?

Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, managed to change the name of a proposed nonprofit board that would be established to educate the public on the oil and gas industry and be funded by a voluntary assessment on oil and gas production. When the bill was before the Senate, the original name for the board was the Kansas Energy Resources Board. Francisco pushed through an amendment to change the name to the Kansas Oil and Gas Resources Board.

“It was truth in advertising,” Francisco said of her motivation.

Schedule

1:30 p.m. today: Kansas National Education Assn. news conference on school finance, 715 W. 10th St., Topeka.

Senate returns Tuesday; House on Wednesday. The Senate may take up school finance on Wednesday; the House will take up school finance bill on Thursday.

Quote of the week

“We need an attorney general, not an abortion general.”

— Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, referring to Atty. Gen. Phill Kline, who has launched an inquisition into two abortion clinics, seeking the medical records of nearly 90 girls and women.