Topeka ? As the state revenue hole grows deeper, a House budget committee on Monday easily rejected a $10 million increase to higher education that had been proposed by Gov. Mark Parkinson.

If enacted, the move by the Appropriations Committee would essentially keep state funding of post-secondary institutions, including Kansas University, at 2006 levels, officials said.

Over the past year, officials have cut nearly $1 billion from a $6.4 billion state budget as Kansas fell into the national recession. That included shaving higher education by approximately $100 million.

When the 2010 legislative session started in January, Parkinson had proposed a temporary sales tax increase and an increase in the cigarette tax to bridge an additional state revenue shortfall of approximately $400 million and restore a small portion of earlier cuts to education and social services. For higher education, Parkinson earmarked $10 million.

But since then, the revenue crisis has worsened, and legislators have seen little interest in approving tax increases. On the contrary, both the House and Senate have approved more tax cuts.

State receipts in February were down $71 million from previous estimates, and income tax withholding is down 7 percent.

Briefing Appropriations members, Alan Conroy, director of the Kansas Legislative Research Department, expressed a pessimistic note about future tax revenues. Asked to look ahead for March receipts, Conroy said he thought “receipts will continue to slide.”

Republicans and Democrats signed the committee report that deletes the $10 million enhancement sought by Parkinson, a Democrat.

In its report, the committe also noted that with new leaders at KU, Kansas State and Pittsburg State “it is a great time to move cooperation between the universities to a new level.”