Topeka ? Politics and policy intersect today as the 2006 legislative session starts.

And while most sessions start in dramatic fashion, this one will offer a double feature.

At 9 a.m. the Legislative Division of Post Audit is scheduled to release its months-long study on the cost of education.

The report is seen as a crucial guidepost in the battle over school finance and should be on the agency’s Web site, which is www.kslegislature.org/postaudit, immediately on its release.

Last year, the Kansas Supreme Court declared the school finance system unconstitutional because it underfunded all students, especially minorities.

In response, the Legislature increased funding to public schools by $290 million, nearly 10 percent. But the court said that was essentially a down payment on what a cost analysis of school funding said would be required. The analysis is what the Post Audit office has been working on.

And if that wasn’t enough to start a session, at 7 p.m., Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the State address.

From left, Kyle Ray, 6, Makay Ray, 7, Caleb Ray, 11, Jorday Boatman, 8, and rear left, Jennifer Ray, and Cynthia Boatman, all of the Kansas City area, view the newly remodeled Senate Chambers in the Capitol building in Topeka. The Legislature convenes today with a double feature of sorts - the anticipated release of the cost of education study and Gov. Sebelius' State of the State address.

Sebelius, a Democrat, facing an overwhelmingly Republican Legislature in an election year, is enjoying high poll numbers and has released a number of funding initiatives in recent days.

In her speech to a joint session of the Legislature, Sebelius will focus on “how Kansas is smarter, safer, healthier and more prosperous than in past years,” her office said in a news release.

Her address from the House chamber will be broadcast live on all three Kansas-based public television stations statewide and on Kansas Public Radio. House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, will give the Republican response.

On the Internet, the speech can be heard live at www.ksgovernor.org, which also will have a text of the speech.

The first day also will feature the usual in political posturing and filing of bills.

But on a serious note, the House will welcome home state Rep. Lee Tafanelli, R-Ozawkie, from Iraq. Tafanelli commanded the Kansas-based 891st Engineer Battalion, which had been in Iraq for a year and returned in December.

“We’re welcoming our hero home,” Mays said. A reception for Tafanelli will be at 3 p.m. at the Dillon House across the street from the Capitol.

To keep up with the goings-on during the 2006 legislative session, here are some useful Web sites:

¢ www.kslegislature.org is the Legislature’s Web site and provides a ton of information on the session. You can look up bills, track their progress, and get committee information.

¢ www.kslib.info is the Kansas State Library Web site that has links to numerous governmental Web sites that cover just about every issue in the public domain.

• 6News video: New year, old issues for lawmakers

To check on a bill or leave a message for a legislator by telephone, call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-432-3924.

In addition, the Lawrence Journal-World will provide comprehensive and breaking coverage on its Web site and in the newspaper.

The Journal-World’s Topeka bureau phone number is 785-354-4222, or e-mail srothschild@ljworld.com.