Topeka ? After a three and a half week spring break, Kansas lawmakers spent barely two days at work last week trying to wrap up the 2015 legislative session, making almost no progress on the state budget, revenue shortfalls or many other vexing issues that are yet to be decided.

Instead, a handful of committees spent their time hearing reports that had already been released to the public about revenue projections, the budget profile and the state of the Kansas economy, while other legislators who don’t serve on those committees did little besides show up for the brief House and Senate sessions each day.

“Personally, I think it’s mismanagement by leadership,” said Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City. “When we have too many things to do, why do we come back in the middle of the week and go home on a Friday?”

Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, said that despite appearances, work on the major issues is moving forward.

“There’s a lot of communication going on between legislators, between the House and Senate, with the governor, and we’re looking at ways to fix our budget issues,” Wagle said. “We’re looking at cuts. We’re looking at taxes. There’s a lot of communication going on.”

Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, said he did not see the reason for all 165 legislators to be back in session so those conversations could take place.

“There aren’t a lot of conversations going on,” he said. “Yes, there are some, but it’s still things that you could be doing over a telephone or by email. Because we’re not to the point of saying, ‘Will you vote for a budget … Will you vote for fee or tax increases …’ They haven’t gotten that far.”

One issue that did get resolved dealt with unemployment insurance. By a vote of 29-11, the Senate passed and sent to Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that changes the way employer contributions into the fund are calculated. It also removes a prohibition on state employees who administer that fund from engaging in partisan politics.

But beyond the overarching issues of taxes and the budget, several other significant issues still are pending in the Legislature:

Civil service protections: In March, the Kansas House passed, 74-51, a bill that would make it easier for state agencies to move classified employees into unclassified positions. It was sent to the Senate and advanced out of the Commerce Committee March 31, but the full Senate has not taken action.

The Brownback administration had called for such legislation earlier this year, saying it was needed to make the state workforce more flexible. But public employee unions oppose the measure because it would make more state workers “at-will” employees and strip them of civil service protections.

Union bargaining rights: A bill is still pending in the Senate that limits collective bargaining with public employee unions just to the issues of wages and salaries. It also would prohibit state agencies and school districts from using their payroll systems to deduct union dues.

That bill stalled in the Senate because of an amendment added in committee that also would prohibit agencies from deducting charitable contributions from employee paychecks. An attempt in the full Senate to remove the provision failed, and the bill failed to advance to final action. It was then referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where it currently remains.

Renewable portfolio standards: Both the House and Senate have bills pending that would repeal, effective Jan. 1, the state’s existing requirement that electric utilities produce at least 20 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2020.

The issue pits the coal and natural gas industries against wind energy producers and environmental groups. One environmental lobbyist involved in the issue said negotiations are taking place behind the scenes that involve either leaving the standards in place or changing the requirement to a “goal,” in exchange for other concessions to appease fossil fuel producers who think the renewable standards put them at an unfair competitive disadvantage.

Medicaid expansion: Kansas hospitals and other health care groups have lobbied hard this session for a bill to expand the Kansas Medicaid program, as allowed under the federal Affordable Care Act. But so far, Republican leaders in the Legislature who oppose such an expansion have not allowed a vote on the issue.

A House committee did hold hearings on a bill earlier in the session — a concession that was offered to prevent an amendment from being added to a Medicaid-related bill on the floor of the House — but the panel has not acted on the bill.

Sen. Holland said if any attempt is made to expand Medicaid, it would have to start in the House because he thinks the Senate is “far too conservative” to approve such a measure.

Rep. Sloan, whose Vision 2020 Committee also introduced a Medicaid expansion bill this year, said he thinks it is unlikely that House leaders will allow it to come up.

“Every indication from the governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker is that Medicaid expansion is not going to occur in 2015,” Sloan said.