Key tax proposal stalled in House, Senate negotiations

? A proposal to levy a state fee on health care providers that is key to several tax plans remains deadlocked among negotiators.

Lawmakers said Monday that negotiators from the House and Senate had failed to come to an agreement on a tax that would raise as much as $80 million. The tax would come in the form of a fee on three health care companies that administer the state’s private Medicaid program. Those companies would later be reimbursed with federal funds.

Republican Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, of Shawnee, complained the House had reneged on an earlier agreement.

Republican Rep. Dan Hawkins leads negotiations on the House side and says he has not changed positions. He says he has insisted on a lower tax rate agreed upon in talks with the affected companies.