Next week, Kansas legislators will gather in Topeka to begin their 2008 session and, from all indications, the lawmakers are going to face many difficult, challenging issues that are sure to result in a contentious, bumpy session.

And, although legislators are pleased and proud of the Jayhawk basketball and football teams and the recent Orange Bowl win, which reflected well on KU and the state, legislators are not as wild about the university as a whole. It is going to be an extremely challenging session relative to the university and its wishes and needs.

One of the major issues facing lawmakers, one that is likely to be approached on a truly nonpartisan manner, is how the state is going to pay the bills from major natural disasters this past year. According to one lawmaker, the price tag for 2007 disasters could easily top $625 million. This includes floods, ice storms and the tornado that devastated Greensburg.

Federal funds normally take care of roughly 75 percent of such costs with the state picking up the remaining 25 percent.

Where is Kansas going to find the money and how can it plan to handle the financial consequences of future weather-related disasters? The lawmaker mentioned above said, “There is a huge issue relative to Greensburg. How do we rebuild the community? They have no money. We’ve got to learn from it. It’s not a sexy or fun issue, but it is critical, and we must find a solution.”

The question of what to do about the proposed coal-fired Sunflower plant near Holcomb is a major issue and, although some suggest it is likely to pit western Kansas legislators against eastern Kansas lawmakers, others say the overall energy issue could and should be discussed in a positive, visionary manner, including numerous sources – coal, oil, gas, wind and nuclear – to create energy in Kansas.

“I could see a sound energy plan with a wide menu of energy providers possibly getting 110 votes in the House and as many as 45 in the Senate,” one lawmaker said. He also said, however, that if a sound, broad plan cannot be agreed upon, there’s a good chance legislators may tell the state to go ahead and proceed with building the controversial Holcomb plant despite Secretary of Health and Human Services Rod Bremby’s rejection of the permit for the plant.

As usual, there are far more requests for funding – many for very worthy programs – than there is money to pay for them. The soft economy doesn’t help.

Education continues to be the largest single recipient for Kansas tax dollars.

Right or wrong, justified or not, KU – or its leadership – does not stand tall in the eyes of far too many lawmakers. This hurts the school in its funding requests. There are some legislators who want to take a closer look at how KU and the KU Medical Center spend money from the state. The recent drawn-out “negotiations” for the “affiliation” agreement between KU Hospital, KU Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital did not leave a good taste in the mouths of many lawmakers. In fact, they want to consider having more say in how a proposed $5 million a year for the school’s cancer effort is spent.

It is understood Rep. Jim Morrison of Colby has invited KU Hospital CEO Bob Page and KU Medical Center Vice Chancellor Barbara Atkinson to appear before his committee in Topeka next Thursday to discuss the recent affiliation agreement with St. Luke’s. It would be an interesting session if everyone was frank and told the truth.

The manner of some at KU rankles lawmakers. One legislator said a particular senior KU administrator “redefines the word arrogance.” This is not good for KU.

A number of legislators wish those serving on the Kansas Board of Regents would show more vision and leadership in their oversight of state universities, but based on the current situation, they don’t hold out much hope this will happen. Consequently, funding requests for regents schools don’t carry as much weight as they should.

No one knows how Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will play her cards in the upcoming session. How will her future political aspirations affect her efforts and focus? How will she handle the appointment of a new attorney general? According to some in the House and Senate, the manner in which she approaches this important appointment could cause them to give more study to how the governor selects appointees to various boards and commissions.

For the overall good of the state, Kansans should hope their elected lawmakers are approaching the upcoming session with an honest desire to do what is in the best interests of the entire state and try to put partisan politics at the bottom of their priorities or motives.

Maybe this is dreaming or asking for the impossible, but consider what could be accomplished in making Kansas a leader in so many arenas if legislators and the governor could call a truce on partisan politics and spend the 2008 session studying, working, deliberating and debating what course is truly best and most beneficial for the state and its residents.

Forget the national elections, take visionary and courageous actions for local and state improvements and, in so doing, set some examples for the nation.

What can legislators do or what could the governor do to make Kansas a unique state, a leader in how it faces and addresses so many challenges faced by other states? Health care, coping with natural disasters, how to properly fund public education, how to encourage superior leadership at our state universities and how to find the best answers to the growing energy crisis all are issues that deserve the best efforts of legislators and the governor. What kind of example, for instance, could a state such as Kansas set, sitting atop vast coal, gas and oil reserves with plenty of wind potential in how to address the growing energy crunch?

Some may suggest there is all kinds of time to address these and many other questions, but really there is no justification to delay and play political games and one-upmanship.

The public deserves better. What will Kansans get this year through the efforts of their legislators and governor?