My state representative, Melanie Meiers, is back from her deployment to Iraq and has resumed her seat. This post isn't about Melanie, her deployment, or her political leanings (she's a Democrat) - it's about the state budget, based on information Melanie put out.
Kansas has a balanced budget requirement. In times like these, that causes some real pain. Which is okay. Leviathan (even a relatively small-l leviathan like Kansas state government) should feel the pain their constituents feel - in ways that many state, and the federal, gov't employees do not.
I like this bit from Melanie's first legislative update:
Emphasis mine. It hasn't passed, this is the House version only - but any budget in austere times that includes a legislative pay cut can't be all bad. Oh, I know, there are few, if any, legislators making their living from their legislative salary, and it leaves their per diem untouched.Budget Update
Even while overseas, I could see that the Budget would be the subject that will dominate the thoughts of all Kansans this year. But before we can begin work on the budget for FY 2011, we must first pass an FY 2010 rescission bill. The rescission bill is necessary to officially enact cuts made by Governor Parkinson during the interim and ensures that Kansas meets its constitutional requirement to end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance.
In the House’s version of the rescission bill, the Governor’s original recommendations were accepted for the most part, with the exception of the following amendments:
An amendment limiting the number of leadership days that leaders of the Senate and House can claim in any one fiscal year to 25. This would be a retroactive measure, starting on June 1st 2009 until June 1st of 2010.
An amendment with an 11.1% reduction in legislative pay, totaling $247,000. This would be a 5% salary cut (not per diem), a $7 a day cut in per diem, and three furlough days. Overall, this is equivalent to a 15% reduction in legislative compensation.
There were many amendments that failed. One of them that caught my attention was the failed amendment that would have transferred $180,000 from the hazardous mitigation fund to the Kansas National Guard. The funding would have allowed the 18 National Guard Armories slated for closure to remain open until the end of the fiscal year. It would not have stopped the closing of the armories but would have allowed time to set up procedures to close armories with dignity and respect. I know the Guard unit from Troy is currently deployed and now they will return to no armory.
With a $40 million gap still left to fill in FY 2010, this is far from the final product. The committee passed the bill out on Thursday. We will hopefully see it on the House floor next week so we can begin to work through some of those tough decisions.
Like I said - it's a good start. And frankly, if my taxes are going to get raised (and they are) at least local taxes get spent locally, rather than bailing out unions and bankers.
[muffled sound of crickets chirping under the snow in DC]
Sadly, most people who run for office as Democrats these days seem kinda extra-terrestrial to me. This is why I am registered Libertarian which is kinda silly; and end up voting for Republicans, which chaps my cracker ass, as Acidman used to say.
Miss Meiers seems like an actual Human, from Earth.