Kansas House of Representatives - District 28

End of Session Letter, 6/2001

June, 2001

Dear Neighbor,

Now that the 2001 legislative session is concluded, it=s fair to wonder what we accomplished.

This was an unusually long session. By the end on the regular session in early April, the House had considered a number of school finance options which increased funding for the Base, made provision for special education programs and provided for a local option budget increase at the will of the voters. We also reviewed financing for highways, courts and other services. Then on the last day of the regular session, we learned that State revenue estimates were down $206,000,000.00. These were not AWashington, D.C.@ losses. These were real dollar reductions. With a state funds budget of $4.6 Billion, this was a significant loss.

So when the wrap up session started in late April, our job was to either raise taxes or cut spending, while at the same time increase school financing, maintain necessary social support programs, continue highway programs and maintain a level of funding that would continue to leverage federal dollars.

We did meet Governor Graves= challenge to increase the Base for education by $50.00 per pupil. We also raised the LOB for special education and enhanced At-Risk student weighting. Overall, the Legislature did not raise taxes. A general increase in any form of tax was not politically possible.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, we did not authorize any program which would jeopardize future budget periods.

Find enclosed a summary of the 2001 Session. I hope you find it informative.

Respectfully,

Doug Patterson

PS. I maintain a large e-mail date base and send e-mail reports out on a regular basis. Please send your e-mail address to Patterson@house.state.ks.us, and I will put you in this address book for future report.

C:\Dist28\Voter_Reports\June2001_letter.doc

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Doug Patterson, Dave Imhoff, Treasurer