By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
The legislative wrap-up session entered its second week and the major items have yet to be wrapped up.
Gov. Sam Brownback, Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, and House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, planned to meet Monday to discuss taxes, but for rest of the Legislature there's not much to do.
A lot of resolutions have been passed honoring folks, and on Friday state Rep. Phil Hermanson, R-Wichita, proposed to his girlfriend, Rhonda Riggs, on the House floor. She said yes.
But the major state business — passing a budget and the taxes to support it — have eluded legislators. Still, Brownback was optimistic.
In a two-minute exchange with reporters, he said, "It always takes a lot to finish a session up and that's where we are now."
He said talks with Wagle and Merrick have gone well. "We have excellent leadership, seasoned leadership," he said.
Brownback declined to talk about what was being discussed behind closed doors. And he wouldn't give a time period on when he expected the Legislature to finish.
Monday was the 80th day of the session, and leaders of the GOP-dominated Legislature didn't expect an agreement on tax cuts and a state budget until later in the week.
Brownback and Senate Republicans have agreed to cancel a sales tax decrease from 6.3 percent to 5.7 percent scheduled by law July 1. Brownback says revenue from the higher sales tax rate is needed to stabilize the budget and help enact income tax cuts.
House Republicans want to let the sales tax drop and enact less aggressive income tax reductions.
As far as the budget goes, Brownback has called for the same level of funding for higher education as last year, while the House has proposed a 4 percent cut, and the Senate, a 2 percent cut.
