Representative Virgil Peck of Montgomery County used a state plane to fly from Coffeyville to Topeka and back to vote on the school finance bill.
Peck was the only passenger on the plane from Coffeyville to Topeka on March 13th. He flew to Topeka so he could vote on implementing block grant funding for the state's schools.
Peck went home March 12 to attend events in Coffeyville and Independence with Governor Sam Brownback.
The next day, the bill received 62 votes in favor, one short of the 63 needed for passage. The House held the roll call open for two hours before a final vote.
By the time Peck arrived in Topeka on the plane, two other representatives had voted for the bill.
Governor Brownback's press secretary Eileen Hawley estimated the cost of each flight was $205. She said the Kansas Highway patrol, which owns and operates the plane, typically sends a bill to the governor's office for such flights.
