Budget Proposal To Be Released

Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to release budget proposals to Kansas legislators spelling out how he wants to close projected shortfalls.

Budget Director Shawn Sullivan was briefing a joint Friday morning meeting of the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees.

Sullivan is expected to outline spending blueprints for state government for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and the fiscal year beginning in July 2016.

The Republican governor unveiled proposals in December for closing a projected $279 million shortfall in the current budget.

But the state also faces an additional budget gap of $436 million for the next fiscal year.

The projected shortfalls came after legislators enacted aggressive personal income tax cuts in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging to stimulate the economy.