I had several of you ask about how we plan the annual budget at the state level. The answer can be long and boring so I will try to give you the short version and if you still need additional information just get in contact with me.
The budget starts with the Governor after she is presented a request from the different agencies. The agencies asses their programs and look at the cost increases associated with these services and any additional services they may offer and they present a request to the governor that shows the dollars needed and where they expect to get the funds.
State General Fund (SGF) is your tax dollars the state collects and amount to around $6.5 Billion or so. Another source of money are fee funds that come from registration, inspection, or license fees collected by the State of Kansas. The total budget is about $13.5 billion. Another source of funding comes from the Federal government and are typically earmarked for specific purposes such as highway maintenance.
These pass-through funds have to be spent on specific projects or programs and are not available for anyone to cut or transfer. Some agencies receive both fee-funds and SGF; some receive only one or the other.
Our Consensus Estimating Group informs us how much to expect in the way of revenue. This group consists of economist from the Regents Schools, economists and finance experts that are state employees, as well as the Revenue and Budget Departments. They provide us with quarterly and year-end revenue estimates based on financial activity within the state. Since 1975 they have een pretty close on the anticipated revenue in that their accuracy is within 1%.
When this group tells us to expect a shortfall or windfall you can be pretty confident in their prediction. The budgets are prepared roughly a year in advance. The FY 2010 Budget Year begins July 1st, 2009 and ends June 30th, 2010. Our estimate is we will be $1 Billion short of needed operating dollars for next year (FY 2010).
In the current budget year we made adjustments (cuts) of $325 million for the remainder of FY 09, which ends June 30th 2009 (Senate Bill 23). We adjusted out $27.8 million or 1.25% excluding debt service, K-12 funding and human services caseloads, and reduced all non-SGF agencies by 3.0%. ($201 Million)
The governor made some adjustments herself and reduced by $33.00 per pupil, K-12 funding. There are
I think we will see the total budgets cuts go deep and this will give us an opportunity to see what are considered critical services. Cutting and eliminating programs is one way to keep the ship afloat. The other source of funds would come from increased taxes or fees, probably not a popular option.
Last week I mentioned the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics $1,000 scholarship and I received numerous calls to provide additional information. I would start with your school counselor and remember the deadline to apply is March 9th. www.sms.scholarshipamerica.org/senatordolepublicservice.
Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers; nearly 3,500 teens between the ages of 15 and 20 died and approximately 272,000 were injured in 2006. Nearly one-third of the teenagers involved in these fatal crashes had been drinking, despite the fact that the minimum legal drinking age in all states is 21. Twenty-five percent had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, and another had a BAC of 0.01-0.07. These percentages were even higher, however, during the 1970’s and 1980’s, when the minimum legal drinking age in many states was lower than age 21.
In 1984, Congress enacted the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, requiring states to adopt 21 as the minimum legal drinking age or have certain highway construction funding withheld. Since 1988, the minimum drinking age has been 21 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Between 1982 and 1998, fatal crashes involving impaired drivers age 20 and younger decreased by 59 percent, and minimum legal drinking age laws correlated with this decline. Moreover, these laws have continued to save lives, in part because they delay the early onset of alcohol use. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains that minimum drinking age laws have saved more than 25,000 lives by reducing the number of impaired teen driving accidents. www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
Did you notice the House recently passed a graduated drivers license bill HB 2143? This bill would modify the requirement for driving permits and drivers licenses for drivers younger than 17 year old. The legislation has been in the works for years and I think will lead to safer drivers because of the additional restrictions we place on those just learning to drive. Let me know what you think.
I carried HB 2142, which allows for continuing education requirements for plumbers, electricians, and HVAC contractors to be reciprocal between jurisdictions throughout Kansas, if they are accepted within your local jurisdiction. This moved on to the Senate with a 119-2 vote.
We are completing turn-around which means each chamber exchanges passed legislation. Now we will continue to debate issues and hear testimony from interested parties. Now would be a good time to come to Topeka to hear issues presented to committees. If you have a particular interest contact me or look at
www.kslegislature.org to see what is scheduled.
I consider it an honor and privilege to be your Representative in Topeka and I want to know what you think. Contact me at john.grange@house.ks.gov or call 785-296-7655.
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