TOPEKA – Independence Republican Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt announced in an e-mail Wednesday that he plans to run for attorney general against incumbent Steve Six, a Democrat.
Schmidt was first elected to the Kansas Senate in 2000. Prior to that, he was a Kansas assistant attorney general and special counsel to Gov. Bill Graves.
Below is the announcement from Schmidt’s campaign:
TOPEKA – The Senate had anticipated debating it’s budget proposal Monday, but that’s been postponed while negotiations take place.
Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, said different factions on the Legislature had been working on their own budget solutions. Lawmakers are attempting to fill in a $328 million budget hole.
Instead of marching forward with this debate and forcing people to choose one faction or another we’re going to try to get those different groups to talk to each other over the next 24 hours and see if they can bridge their differences,” Schmidt said. “If that works the end result will be a budget with very broad support.”
That means the process will be hashed out off the chamber floor instead of in a very public debate.
“Negations are very delicate and debate is not always very delicate,” Schmidt said.
Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat has advocated a “shared sacrifice” approach using a combination of delaying tax decreases and cuts to state programs. The House’s budget proposal which relied only on cuts to state government failed to muster enough support to pass on Friday.
The budget is only part of the process, the Senate has proposed delaying a phase out of the corporate franchise tax and estate tax, plus decoupling from the federal tax code to add $96 million to state coffers.
Those changes need to go through the Senate Taxation Committee first, that committee is meeting at 5 p.m. to discuss the changes.
Schmidt told the chamber shortly before they adjourned that he hoped to have a budget proposal to debate at that time.
Republican leadership in the Senate is saying Gov. Kathleen Sebelius should receive a bill to cut this years budget this afternoon.
They are urging the Democratic governor to call a State Finance Council meeting later today.
On Monday, a scheduled meeting of the council didn’t happen after the governor and GOP Legislative leaders disagreed about proposal by the governor to allow the state to borrow $225 million from itself to temporarily pay bills.
The disagreement means that state employees may not get paid Friday, state income tax refunds are on hold as are Medicaid payment to providers such as doctors and hospitals.
Below is the release from Senate leadership:
TOPEKA – Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, and Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, issued a statement encouraging Governor Kathleen Sebelius to review the budget bill that will reach her desk by noon today and to call a State Finance Council meeting for later in the afternoon to address the state’s budget needs.
In a joint statement, the Senate Republican leaders said:
“We are pleased to announce that the budget-balancing bill will be in the governor’s hands by noon today.
“The governor’s decision yesterday to cancel the scheduled meeting of the State Finance Council has caused concern for many Kansans. We encourage her to call a finance council meeting later today so that taxpayers can get their refunds and state employees can be paid on time.”
The bill passed last week by the Kansas Legislature was expedited through the exacting printing, enrolling and proofing process to get a copy into the Governor’s hands as soon as possible.