KHI NEWS SERVICE
TOPEKA, April 27
The year”s final spending bill was rejected by a wide margin in the Kansas House on Friday after a number of Republicans protested its cost.
The House spent about nine hours debating the bill Thursday and adopted a number of amendments that added about $3.5 million in spending beyond that adopted last week by the House Appropriations Committee as it worked Senate Bill 357. Then members tentatively advanced the bill on a voice vote.
But when it came time for final action Friday shortly before noon, the bill was rejected 71-53. A number of Democrats joined Republicans, including House Majority Leader Ray Merrick of Stillwell, to defeat the bill.
House GOP conservatives then called a 1:30 p.m. news conference to explain their reasons for voting against the so-called Omnibus Bill, though they had already made clear in a morning party caucus meeting that they were upset because of spending levels in the bill. They complained that it failed to constrain spending in the coming budget year and set the stage for fiscal problems in later years. They also said the budget process needed to be revamped to keep state spending from a steadily upward spiral.
The rejected House version of the Omnibus Bill would have added about $195 million in state general fund spending to the $12.3 billion total spending approved earlier in the session.
The Senate at mid-day Friday was working on legislation dealing with the costs of deferred maintenance at the state universities.