The vote, 65 to 31, came just before 6 p.m. in Washington D.C. after an all-day debate.

Both Kansas senators, Republicans Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback, voted for Sebelius, a Democrat.

Last week, Brownback had said the governor’s veto of a bill aimed at tighetning regulations of late-term abortions made it harder to support her. Sebelius had vetoed similar bills in previous years.

The move means Kansas is likely to have a new governor when the Kansas Legislature returns Wednesday for a wrap-up session.

It’s hard to say if Sebelius could hand the reins of power over to Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson tonight or not – her office is keeping mum on its plans.

Spokesmen for the White House and Senate Finance Committee, which will hold her confirmation hearing, said nothing has been settled. Speculation on Capitol Hill leans to holding it after Congress’ two-week Easter recess.

That would put the hearing off until at least late April. Sebelius has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to chat up lawmakers.

She would be the last of President Obama’s cabinet picks to be confirmed.

–David Goldstein

“But on matters of health policy, which she will oversee if she is confirmed as President Obama’s secretary of health and human services, Ms. Sebelius’s efforts to forge bipartisan consensus have rarely succeeded. She recently observed that the greatest frustration of her six years in office had been her inability to persuade lawmakers to raise tobacco taxes for a modest expansion of government health coverage.”

The story focuses on health care policies in Kansas.

“Although the proportion of Kansans who are uninsured remains well below the national average — 12.7 percent versus 15.3 percent — it has grown seven times as fast in the state than in the nation during her tenure, according to census figures. Health insurance premiums in Kansas rank just below the national average and have increased at about the same rate as the nation’s, according to figures compiled by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The same was true during the previous eight years, when Ms. Sebelius served as state insurance commissioner.”

Check out this story from CQ Politics, which says Sebelius’ handling of Kansas’ recent budget showdown “could prove a telling test” if she is appointed by President Obama.

The story says: “Facing a shortfall to the state’s $6.4 billion budget, Sebelius signed a bill on Tuesday cutting about $300 million from the budget, but in doing so largely spared health programs like the state’s Medicaid services.”

Learn more about Sebelius and see the latest headlines about her by going to kansas.com/sebelius.

The story said no final decision had been made. An excerpt:

“It remained unclear whether the White House would finish vetting Ms. Sebelius in time to nominate her by next week. Advisers described her as ‘the leading candidate,’ although they said other names were still in discussion and emphasized that no final decision had been made.”

Sebelius spokesman Beth Martino said the governor is focused “on the budget, the economy and the federal stimulus.”

“She has the job to be the governor of Kansas and that is the job she is focused on.”

Sebelius will be in Washington, D.C., for a National Governor’s Association meeting this weekend.

February 17, 2009 Colleagues, This is a difficult time for Kansas families, seniors and many others who are dealing each day with the economic challenges presented by the recession. As a state employee, I know that you are already dealing with the challenges of more limited resources in your agency.

Last week, I called a meeting of the State Finance Council to approve moving money from one account to another so the State can pay its bills, including State Employee payroll, on time. This routine budget action has been approved every year for the last ten years. And we told legislative leaders in December, when they cut my request in half, that we would need a certificate by mid-February. Yesterday, legislative leadership told me they would not approve this transfer until I sign the 2009 budget bill. The problem is – the bill has not been delivered to my desk, so I have nothing to sign. As a result of this action, State Employee payroll, which is due Friday, is now in jeopardy. I want to assure you that I am and always have been an advocate for state employees. I know the important work you do each day benefits countless people across this great state. I will continue to be an advocate for you and for numerous other groups affected by this irresponsible action. I hope this will be resolved quickly and I will continue to do everything I can to ensure a responsible, timely solution to this situation. In the mean time, I hope that we can all continue to provide the best service possible to the Kansans that rely on us each day. Sincerely, //s// Kathleen Sebelius Governor

Meanwhile, the HillBuzz blog has its own take on the possibility, with this headline: “Politico claims The Cryptkeeper’s going to be Health and Human Services Secretary.”

And Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson told AP he’s ready to serve if Sebelius heads to Washington — but he still doesn’t plan to run for governor in 2010.