Legislative leaders not sure what stimulus bill means for them

A federal stimulus package could bring $1.7 billion to Kansas, but legislative leaders aren’t making plans yet to spend it.

The latest estimate comes from Federal Funds Information for States. It’s a Washington-based project of the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Legislative leaders said Friday that they’re not plugging any stimulus funds into the budget because they still don’t know enough about it.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, said lawmakers don’t know exactly when the money will arrive or what conditions will be placed on spending it.

Their comments came a day after the Legislature approved a $326 million plan for eliminating a deficit in the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30.