Topeka ? House budget writers Thursday paid tribute to Kansas University’s basketball team — then voted to reduce the school’s proposed budget and delay a state employee pay raise.

“Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk,” said state Rep. Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, as he sought to reduce Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ budget proposal to KU by $6.15 million. His motion was approved 61-60.

The action capped a roller-coaster ride for higher education, which made gains and then losses as the House advanced an $11.3 billion state budget on a 70-53 vote. A final vote is expected today.

State Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, criticized lawmakers who said nice things about KU and other universities and then cut their spending.

“There are some legislators who display the mascots of state universities on their desks who voted against the interests of those universities,” he said.

Legislative maneuvering

The nearly four-hour House debate over the budget focused mostly on higher education and state employees.

Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee had recommended approval of a budget that would have delayed a 2.5 percent state employee pay raise from July 1 to March 12, 2006, and “swept” $14.1 million from university fee funds, including tuition and other student-paid fees, and used those funds for general government services.

Republicans said the reductions were needed to fund a $115.9 million increase to public schools while holding the line on state taxes.

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The proposal produced a storm of criticism from Sebelius, Senate leaders and higher education officials who said it was unfair to pit higher education against public schools for funding.

State Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, pushed through an amendment that would restore $28.9 million of the $52.6 million for higher education that was reduced by the Appropriations Committee from Sebelius’ budget.

After the 65-56 vote for Sawyer’s amendment, an obviously agitated House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, studied the roll-call vote and talked to several Republicans who voted for the measure.

Later, Neufeld, through another amendment, cut most of the funding in the Sawyer amendment, which would have gone to the 2.5 percent pay raise for state employees.

The change was made university by university, and when the reduction for KU came up, state Rep. Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, who was presiding over the debate, announced, “KU, the home of All-American Wayne Simien.”

Giving, taking

At the end of debate, Neufeld said KU and other regents universities were better off than before because the House-approved budget didn’t touch the universities’ fee funds.

Lawrence legislators weren’t so sure.

“It’s almost like you give with the right hand and take away with the left hand,” said state Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence.

Sebelius’ proposed 2.5 percent pay raise also was damaged.

The House rejected a proposal to make the pay raise effective July 1, and then rejected a proposal by state Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, to make a 1.25 percent pay raise effective July 1 and the remaining 1.25 percent Jan. 1, 2006.

Sloan said the Legislature needed to send a message that it valued state employees.

“These are the folks out there every day providing the services that we want,” he said.

But Neufeld argued that Sloan’s proposal would take funds away from other budget priorities.

The Senate also is working on a budget, and the two separate plans will likely be considered by a conference committee.