New Year’s resolutions for state lawmakers

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January 6, 2020 - 9:43 AM

Welcome to 2020 and join in offering Kansas lawmakers New Year’s Resolutions to guide their work in the upcoming legislative session.

 

Focus on Problem Solving

Many state lawmakers run for office in order to address issues of concern to voters, such as health care, poverty, criminal justice, and gun safety, to name but a few. Other lawmakers spend more of their time mouthing the talking points of special interests allied with their party affiliation. The difference is often obvious, and Kansans should applaud those lawmakers engaged in problem solving, rather than partisan posturing.

Keep Taxes and Spending in Balance

Kansas lawmakers abandoned the notorious tax experiment in 2017 and began to restore state finances. As a result, state tax revenues exceeded spending last fiscal year by $335 million. In the current year, however, spending was increased to address school finance and repair neglected state services, such as prisons and child welfare, and is now projected to exceed revenues by $428 million. Still, a healthy balance of $677 million is estimated for the beginning of the next fiscal year. The condition of state finance has not been this sound since the beginning of the Great Recession, and lawmakers should be wary of new spending or tax cuts that throw financial discipline off track.

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