Kansas lawmakers today will hear updates on an efficiency study of state government spending.
Kansas lawmakers commissioned the report last year. Republican House Speaker Ray Merrick says he’s looking forward to hearing the suggestions and possible enacting some.
“It may be a lot of stuff in it that we need to really drill down on, and I think everybody’s going to be surprised at the amount of money we’re talking about,” Merrick says.
The report comes as legislators are facing a budget deficit for the coming fiscal year that could approach $200 million. But Merrick says he doesn’t want to rely on efficiency suggestions to fill the hole.
“I’ve said all along that can’t be the bailout, that’s a plus. It’s not something that we can depend on saying ‘this is going to be our bailout,” Merrick says.
Kansas will pay up to $2.6 million for the study.