TOPEKA – Lawmakers could be faced with cutting more than $100 million from the state’s current budget when they return to Topeka in January, the House budget committee heard Monday.
That assumes there are no further revenue drops, the governor does not order more cuts and state agencies do not request additional money to cover their budget needs.
The latter is unlikely. Alan Conroy, director of legislative research, told the House Appropriations Committee that the state Education Department already had a request of about $91 million additional funds, due in part to more students using free or reduced lunches and an influx in students.
Revenue news was not good in September, which reflected taxes from back to school shopping, money from the federal “Cash for Clunkers Program” and the first quarter of estimated income taxes, Conroy said.
Taxes came in about $67 million below estimated revenues, he said.
“Bottom line the news is not good, we are down about 5 percent overall and it is almost all in individual income taxes,” he said.
Chairman Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, noted that lawmakers could be coming back to a deficit similar to what they faced at the start of the 2009 Legislative session.
“It’s going to take some pretty good work to figure out how to resolve this”
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The state could save millions of dollars by eliminating MANDT training for state workers, eliminate Internet access for state workers; eliminate Unit Leader, Shift Leader, CTS, Staff Development, SSP and PSP Administrative Program Director positions all at Larned State Hospital.
Taxes came in about $67 million below estimated revenues, he said. “Bottom line the news is not good, we are down about 5 percent overall and it is almost all in individual income taxes,” he said.
Would this have anything to do with illegal immigrants skipping out on paying their taxes?
If state and local governments would decide to have law enforcement start enforcing driving laws, there would be no shortage in funds. More than 50% of Kansas drivers don’t know how to signal to change lanes, make a right turn into a right lane, or left turn into a left lane. 50% of the drivers run red lights. 70% could be sited for inattentive driving while texting. The coffers would overflow and some drivers might possible learn how to drive.
I can see a justification in having internet access for state workers doing research applicable to their duties. It is access to Ebay, home shopping networks, private email etc., that should be eliminated. I can recall some years back an article where it was discovered that 64% of the daily man-hours of employee’s of the IRS were on computers accessing sites that had nothing to do with their jobs. That refund checks could be processed and returned in less than half the time if IRS employees were not spending so much time in non-associated activity.
So shortcut, in your opinion, does everyone need to be ticketed besides yourself? Where in the heck does a person find those kinds of statistics?
Traffic Fines, Drivers License fees, license tag fees, just another tax on low income and minorities , also known a revenue enhancement.
Cut the 293 school districts down to 50 or less and you will see “the real savings” with not a teacher cut, just administrative staff cut to the needed level. Plus teaching school buildings don’t need to close just the admin offices.
Even this won’t be enough the state is in serious trouble. They rolled over quite a bit from last year in hopes the economy would improve. Wake up! Kansas is a lagging state we are still just in the beginning of this recession.
All BS pet projects need to be shut down immediately. (capitol rennovations) NO travel what so ever for any government employee out of the state. No exceptions lead by example!
Employees of all non essential services need to be cut by 20% or furloughs for the next year.
These may not be fun things to do but they should have been done when things got bad not wait until we are so far in the hole.
The way to solve the problem is to do away with all but one or two major exemptions to sales tax. That would increase lost revenues by more than the amount needed to correct the downfall. If a farmer can afford to buy a $500,000 combine, he can afford to pay the sales taxes on it. I sympathize with farmers, but it is ridiculous that the state is struggling and they are spending money on high dollar items without paying sales tax or property tax on them. I have to pay property tax on my vehicles, but they do not on their machinery is ridiculous.
humm, sure we all have our opinions, our impressions, our freedom of expression to say whatever we want .. raising revenue is never the answer .. all it does is pass the burden on some one else … we all contribute to the public pot and the pot is used for a variety of state services … where can the state start in cutting un needed waste .. come on .. lets look at the remodeling of the state capitol .. going on $300 million and yet none of you mention that pork project, the media is not reporting to the public other pork and waste to bring attention where savings could come from like release of non violent offenders in prisons and county jails is a good start … come on … you all can do a more serious job of suggestions.
cut welfare. get a job you lazy bums. those disabled we must help. but there are too many lazy able bodied folks out there who are freeloaders who dont want to work and have lay around having bunches of babies. tired of seeing good money go to these lazy bums. and eliminate all help to immigrants. tired of them leeching off of this country too.