The 2018 Kansas legislature started quickly with immediate attention on school finance and the budget. On Tuesday Governor Brownback offered his "State of the State" address. As widely reported, the Governor proposed adding $600 million to K-12 over five years. The proposal was criticized by Republicans and Democrats as the details were unveiled. During briefings by Budget Director Shawn Sullivan, it became clear that nearly all ending balances projected for the next few years would be spent on K-12. Legislators focused on FY 2020 when it is projected that the budget will not balance and cuts or revenue increases would be needed.
Other committees spent time reviewing the Report of the Special Committee on a Comprehensive Response to the School Finance Decision to the 2018 Kansas Legislature.
Finally, a sobering report was presented to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday that illustrated the nearly 9 billion dollar unfunded liability of the state to the Kansas for the Kansas Public Employees Retirement Fund (KPERS). The deficit is to be paid over the next 20 years. Years of not funding or underfunding payments to KPERS are pressuring future budgets.
It is clear that Legislators are taking these matters very seriously and are getting to work.
