First of all, I want to thank you those of you who attended the first Mondays with Mary meeting last evening. It was a diverse crowd, with people from many walks of life, including a health insurance underwriter, a teacher, a doctor and businessmen – all very important to our economy and our way of life. It gave me an opportunity to listen to several views and I truly appreciated the questions!
As "Turnaround" approaches in Topeka, the debate is increasing in the legislature about how to reduce spending and bring fiscal responsibility back to state government. With a Governor and a strong majority in the Kansas House committed to budgetary discipline, many eyes have turned to the Senate to see if we will follow the similar path of fiscal restraint, or maintain the big spending policies of the past.
Before I go forward, I encourage you to view this week’s (and past week's) detailed legislative report on my website by clicking here. This week's report details broader issues as well as specific legislation we dealt with on the floor as well as in my committees. With 212 bills introduced in the Senate and 354 in the House, this session is proving to be a busy one, so if you have questions about any particular issue, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Stopping the spend trend is something we simply must make a priority for the economic health of our state. On that note, I was disappointed this week, when considering the Fiscal Year 2011 Rescission Bill, the Senate, by a vote of 16-23, failed to adopt an amendment by Sen. Ty Masterson which would have brought the Senate bill in line with the proposals from the House and the Governors, which I voted for. The broader bill then passed the Senate, which I voted against because I simply refuse to vote for proposals which continue the free-spending ways of the past.
The major source of contention is an alleged $25 million needed for special education to meet a requirement from the federal government. However, it is an unknown amount needed for "maintenance of effort" so that the state can receive matching funds. The specifics will not be given until late April or May. The governor and the House of Representatives have made it clear that getting the budget in fiscal order is a priority, and there has been no forfeit of educational funding.
Due to the differences between the House and Senate versions, ,the Rescission Bill is now in a conference committee, where it is my hope a bill will come out that is more in line with the House. In both this particular instance as well as when we begin debating the FY 2012 budget, I will continue fighting for limited government, fiscal responsibility, and economic liberty. The debate in the Senate will continue to be a vigorous one, and I will keep you up to date as to our progress.
One of the key areas we're looking at is education -- as I have indicated before, what we have right now is not a revenue problem, but a structural budget challenge. Soon, I will be releasing a comprehensive outlook at education spending from a statewide basis as well as the De Soto and Shawnee Mission School Districts. When considering education spending, it is critical we know all the facts about how we got to this point so we can determine the best course going forward.
In fact, when considering spending on any state agency, program, or system, we must first institute a system of zero-based budgeting, where every dollar, every year, has to be justified. Our practice in the past has been to use the spending levels of the previous year, which were often too high to begin with, as the basis for establishing spending for the current year. This simple change of focus will mean a great deal in terms of both reducing spending and also ensuring efficiency in the programs we do determine to fund.
Finally, we must ask ourselves the following questions when considering legislation:
Is this a good idea?
If it is a good idea, is this something the government should be doing?
If it is something the government should be doing, can we afford it?
If we can't answer those questions in a positive way, we shouldn't fund it and instead look for alternatives. Over the next few months, I look forward to working with Governor Brownback and my colleagues in the legislature as we review every program in the state to ensure your tax dollars are being used appropriately, as well as looking for ways to return those tax dollars to you.
As always, if you have thoughts or questions, don't hesitate to contact me at mary@pilchercook.com -- I look forward to hearing from you!
In honor of your liberty,
Mary Pilcher Cook
