Final Budget Session Approaches
Posted by GOPnJOCO at 4/22/2008 12:59 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
The heart of the 2008 legislative session has come and gone. Still remaining, however, is a two-week final veto session which is sure to feature several very contentious debates.
First, and most important, is the impending showdown over the State budget. Unfortunately, there is next to no wiggle room for state legislators. There is literally dozens of credible projects that will sit before the legislature upon arrival - most of which, unfortunately, will not be included in the State budget.
Look for this situation to evolve in one of two ways. First, legislators will literally close the book on all outstanding projects. The budget will be sent, more or less, as it is to the Governor's desk for final approval. If this scenario doesn't play out, look for an incredibly contentious veto session where nearly every project will receive full scrutiny and, more than likely, most will still be vetoed.
Aside from the budgetary issues, look for Coal-Fire Power to make one final go-around. StayRed believes that this time, it will be pushed through. There is simply too much on the line for House and Senate leadership. While Steve Morris and Derek Schmidt have a tremendous investment in the Coal-Fire bill, they've already done their part - it's passed through the Senate with veto-proof numbers multiple times.
The Holcomb albatross now rests solely on the shoulders of Neufeld. He has a personal investment in the bill for the obvious reason that it's incredibly important to his constituency. Aside from that, Neufeld's mettle has seriously been tested. If he can't show the capacity to pull his Caucus together for one unified stand against Governor Sebelius, his prospects for leadership during the next session may be placed in serious jeopardy.
Our predictions - the Veto-session will be highlighted by plenty of good, bad and ugly moments.
The good - faced with more pressure than ever before in his political career, Speaker Neufeld will get the single vote he'll need to pass a veto-proof version of the Holcomb coal-fire bill.
The bad - if Speaker Neufeld doesn't pull out all the stops, we face the very real possibility of letting Governor Sebelius and her special-interest allies win the fight over Holcomb.
The ugly - the Budget debate will grow contentious...quickly. House and Senate members from all over the State will be fighting for large pieces of an ever-shrinking pie. The million-dollar question - will the legislature honor their commitment to hold the line on spending growth, keeping it under 5% of the previous budget figure? StayRed predicts - and hopes - they will.
First, and most important, is the impending showdown over the State budget. Unfortunately, there is next to no wiggle room for state legislators. There is literally dozens of credible projects that will sit before the legislature upon arrival - most of which, unfortunately, will not be included in the State budget.
Look for this situation to evolve in one of two ways. First, legislators will literally close the book on all outstanding projects. The budget will be sent, more or less, as it is to the Governor's desk for final approval. If this scenario doesn't play out, look for an incredibly contentious veto session where nearly every project will receive full scrutiny and, more than likely, most will still be vetoed.
Aside from the budgetary issues, look for Coal-Fire Power to make one final go-around. StayRed believes that this time, it will be pushed through. There is simply too much on the line for House and Senate leadership. While Steve Morris and Derek Schmidt have a tremendous investment in the Coal-Fire bill, they've already done their part - it's passed through the Senate with veto-proof numbers multiple times.
The Holcomb albatross now rests solely on the shoulders of Neufeld. He has a personal investment in the bill for the obvious reason that it's incredibly important to his constituency. Aside from that, Neufeld's mettle has seriously been tested. If he can't show the capacity to pull his Caucus together for one unified stand against Governor Sebelius, his prospects for leadership during the next session may be placed in serious jeopardy.
Our predictions - the Veto-session will be highlighted by plenty of good, bad and ugly moments.
The good - faced with more pressure than ever before in his political career, Speaker Neufeld will get the single vote he'll need to pass a veto-proof version of the Holcomb coal-fire bill.
The bad - if Speaker Neufeld doesn't pull out all the stops, we face the very real possibility of letting Governor Sebelius and her special-interest allies win the fight over Holcomb.
The ugly - the Budget debate will grow contentious...quickly. House and Senate members from all over the State will be fighting for large pieces of an ever-shrinking pie. The million-dollar question - will the legislature honor their commitment to hold the line on spending growth, keeping it under 5% of the previous budget figure? StayRed predicts - and hopes - they will.
Thanks for writing about issues.
The Gov will continue to lambast the Legislature for spending too much time on Holcomb and not enough on other issues like health care and ed.
You're right about the Speaker. If he can't get 84 he's in serious trouble - everyone still remembers the gaming bill from last year. Fortunately for him, his only challenger is brash and inarticulate.
The last vote got 83, but that number is not reliable. Some of those Democrats will be uneasy about overriding the Governor, so they may switch back. On several different occasions the Speaker thought he had the votes (and said so to the press) but never quite made it. Should be interesting to watch.
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"Fortunately for him, his only challenger is brash and inarticulate."
Who are you talking about? I recall the two people who challenged Neufeld and both are articulate.
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Ray Merrick
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Melvin doesn't have the votes. Everybody knows it. People are just baiting him to take a hard stand so he'll fail.
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The override will not happen in the House
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Neufeld needs about 3-4 votes because, as an earlier poster accurately noted, there are already some Dem defections. They voted for the bill but won't give the Republicans a victory on an override vote. Plus the governor is promising that once her veto is upheld she'll negotiate a compromise with Sunflower and a plant will get built and that will give those Dems cover. Nice to see a good and relevant Republican post for a change. Keep it up.
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It's not that Merrick is "brash and inarticulate," it's that he's "drunk off his ass and incoherent."
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I serve in the House, voted for Aurand over Merrick, and would not vote for him for Speaker.
That said, your repeated reports that Merrick is a drunk are false and you know it. I have served with this man for 6 years and have never seen him drunk, that includes receptions and dinners.
If you want to attack him, attack him for the fact that he can be mean. Attack for him for not being the best public speaker. Attack for him being a conservative. Those things are true.
But you are making things up about a husband, father, grandfather, and a war veteran. When really his only crime is he's a republican. What you are doing is sick and un-American and you should be ashamed!
I hope the rest of the readers-bloggers realize this is complete nonsense. You know, it's fine to disagree and debate, but attacks and lies like these offer nothing helpful to the process.
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I miss Clay Aurand. How did Merrick get his spot, anyhow?
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Is anyone besides AFP really doing anything about the budget?
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The problem for the speaker is that once again a legislative session has gone by without giving Johnson County or its schools squat. Consequently, the speaker has no leverage to use against the JoCo or Wyandotte holdouts, or to give them an honorable way of supporting the coal plant by touting what they got for their schools in return, such as a 5% Local Option Budget. They were offered Medicaid money instead, which is pretty insignificant. Western KS can't keep milking JoCo and breaking their word on deals, like they did last year, and expect JoCo to show them gratitude.
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