House Sub. For Sub SB 23 prioritized K-12 funding and Kansans in the most need of services for the remainder of the year while trimming the rest of the statewide government by four percent. House Republicans further supported an amendment to the bill to restore $22 dollars per pupil to the base-state-aid formula for K-12 Education. This lessened the overall cut to schools and passed with all Republicans and just two Democrats voting yes.

The House defeated, 49-74, a $279 million dollar reduction proposal from Democrats despite the fact that the Governor and the Senate agreed that at least $300 million worth of cuts were necessary.

“Today we told government it must live within its means,” said Majority Leader Ray Merrick. “I am disappointed that the House Democrats refused to come to the table to help Kansans regain financial stability in the state budget. This is not the time for partisanship but a challenge we needed to all fight together.”

“We were asked to make some of the same decisions that businesses on Main Street and Kansas families were facing and craft a budget that does more with less,” said House Appropriations Chair Kevin Yoder.

The House plan provides $50 million in aid to local units of government to prevent the need for local tax increases, $10 million of which flows directly to public schools. The House plan also provides a total of $16.4 million in additional funding for the physically and developmentally disabled waivers. The funding for the physically disabled waiting list eliminates the Governor’s recommended freeze.

“The House plan set its priorities in line with the comments we’ve received from the public,” said House Appropriations Vice-Chair Jason Watkins. “We put education and social services for the disabled as our top priorities.”

Under the House proposal the impact is less cumbersome on the state’s transportation plan. Repayment for the special city county highway fund will be paid instead of the Governor’s plan to stop payment.

“None of the cuts we face are easy to make, but I firmly believe this is a compassionate, responsible and balanced bill. It moves us down the road where we will face more difficult decisions, but I’m confident our Republican majority will again rise to the occasion, and meet the needs of all Kansans,” said Speaker Pro Tem Arlen Siegfreid.

“There were tough choices to make regarding this budget but the Republican caucus came together to lead the way and pass a fiscally responsible plan,” said Speaker Mike O’Neal. “Now we can focus our attention on the 2010 budget.”

As Chairman Yoder remarked to the Committee of the Whole: The House plan is better for higher education, it is better for public safety, it is better for the poor, it is better for economic development, it is better for city and county government and it cuts K-12 three-quarters less than any other part of the budget.