Topeka ? Here’s a look at some of the top issues to watch during the 2015 session:

• State budget: One of the first issues lawmakers will face is Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to close a projected $280 million revenue shortfall in this year’s budget. His plan, much of which needs legislative approval, fills much of the hole with one-time transfers of money from other funds into the state general fund, creating about a $648 million budget hole for next year. Brownback will outline his budget plan when he gives the State of the State address at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

• School finance: On Dec. 30, a three-judge panel in Topeka ruled for a second time that public schools in Kansas are unconstitutionally under-funded, and suggested as much as $548 million in additional money might be needed to correct the problem. K-12 education funding already makes up about half of the state budget. The state is likely to appeal the ruling, which could delay the need to take action for at least another year. But Brownback and many Republicans have said they want to completely overhaul the school finance system that has been in place since 1992.

• KPERS: Lawmakers passed a major overhaul of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System in 2012, but this year the state is having trouble making the increased contributions that were promised for the troubled pension system. Brownback has called for taking another look at the pension system and has even suggested turning it over to a private insurance company to manage.

• Judicial selection: Angry over court rulings about school finance and the death penalty, Brownback and many Republicans in the Legislature have proposed changing the way Supreme Court justices are selected. Doing so would require a constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers, and it’s possible that they have enough votes this year to pass such an amendment. Justices are currently screened by a Supreme Court Nominating Commission, which sends three nominees to the governor. A majority of that group is made up of lawyers. A constitutional amendment could change that to give the governor authority to appoint justices, subject to Senate confirmation.

• Local elections: A special committee met over the interim to study proposals that have been offered in previous sessions to change the date of municipal and school board elections. They are currently held in April and typically produce extremely low voter turnout. Some lawmakers have suggested moving them to November to coincide with state and federal elections. Others have also suggested making them partisan races.

• Renewable energy: Last year, a bill was proposed to repeal the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires power companies to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. It passed the Senate but failed in the House. Influential groups with ties to the fossil fuel industry have pushed hard to repeal such standards in several states, and Brownback suggested during last year’s campaign that he would be willing to consider phasing them out.

• Health care: Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, has said he plans to hold committee hearings about using the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, to expand Medicaid. Many hospitals, especially those in rural areas, also support an expansion because the same federal law also reduces their Medicare reimbursement rates. Brownback and most Republicans in the Legislature oppose the idea.

• Abortion: Anti-abortion groups are lobbying this year for a bill that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is usually about six to seven weeks into a pregnancy. A bill to that effect was introduced in 2013 but did not pass.

• Gay rights/religious freedom: Last year the Kansas House passed a bill that would make it legal for individuals to refuse to provide service or accommodations to same-sex couples if doing so would violate their religious beliefs. It quickly died in the Senate amid a storm of protest from business groups that said it would interfere with personnel policies of private businesses. In light of recent court rulings making gay marriage legal in Kansas, at least for now, supporters of the so-called “religious freedom” bill are expected to bring it up again.

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