TOPEKA — Kansas legislators worry about exhausting operating funds now that their annual session is among the longest in state history.
But they don’t have a definitive answer for when the money runs out.
Wednesday was the 103rd day of what was supposed to be a 100-day session. Republican legislative leaders had said the Legislature would exhaust its funds for the session Friday and not be able to pay lawmakers.
But Legislative Administrative Services Director Tom Day said Wednesday that existing funds could last into next week, depending on non-salary expenses such as printing.
The Legislature reduced staffing May 12 to drop its daily session costs to about $44,000 from $65,000. Its annual budget is $17 million.
Lawmakers could pass a bill to provide extra funds but that’s considered a political embarrassment.
Earlier Wednesday, the Senate approved a bill that would phase in an increase in spending on public schools of roughly $230 million over two years.
The vote was 23-16. The measure goes next to the House, but the House has its own plan to phase in a $285 million increase over two years. Negotiators for the two chambers are likely to draft a compromise.
Legislators are responding to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in March that education funding is inadequate. The state spends about $4 billion a year on aid to its 286 local school districts.
Top Republicans believe either plan would satisfy the court, but attorneys for the four districts that successfully sued the state have said both are far short of what’s necessary.
