Topeka ? A legislative standoff formed Wednesday between a group of House Republicans who are hungry to cut taxes, and senators pushing for progress on school funding.

“There is obviously a lot of concern about school finance, and we need to figure out for sure where we are on school finance before we actually pass significant tax cuts,” said Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton.

The Senate tax committee was holding up action on two measures approved by the House that would give businesses big tax breaks.

Rep. Lance Kinzer, R-Olathe, called the stalling “anti-growth and anti-family.”

Kinzer and 30 House Republicans signed onto a proposed constitutional amendment that would require two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate to approve any tax increase or new tax.

“If we can’t make much progress on cutting taxes this year, we can at least make it more difficult to raise taxes,” Kinzer said.

The House has approved cutting the property tax on new purchases of business and machinery, and a three-year phase-out of the business franchise tax.

But neither the House nor the Senate have approved a school finance plan despite a Kansas Supreme Court order to increase funding. The regular session ends March 31 or April 1 and then lawmakers return for a wrap-up session in late April.

A proposal to expand gambling to fund schools died in the Senate last week.

Meanwhile, House leaders have said they are backing off of multiyear school finance plans because of concerns about where the funds would come from.

Kinzer and his co-sponsors said their proposed amendment would hold government spending in check.

When asked whether that would force local governments to increase taxes, Rep. Anthony Brown, R-Eudora, said that would be better.

“If taxes are going to be raised, it’s more efficient to raise them at the local level,” Brown said.