Midpoint nears in 2010 legislative session

All proposed bills — with a few exceptions — must be approved by house of origin or lost for the year

? Kansas legislators are approaching the first major deadline of the 2010 session with many of the major issues still unresolved.

Saturday is the deadline for most bills to be approved by their chamber of origin or be lost for the year. Exceptions are made for legislation on the budget, taxes or state and federal affairs.

The House and Senate have both passed bills trimming this year’s budget by about $90 million. Once any differences are worked out by negotiators, the chambers will vote on a final compromise version.

Lawmakers will then turn to writing the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The state is already facing a projected deficit of $416 million for that budget year.