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KS House Speaker Ray Merrick Vows To Focus On Economy

Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick says he'll be working to focus the chamber on economic issues for the rest of the legislative session.

Recently, some controversial bills in the House have caught national attention and criticism.

Merrick says he can't stop members from filing bills, but he can try to get lawmakers back to what he calls the basics.

"Making (Kansas) the most business friendly state in the country and emphasizing that the rest of the session," he says.

His comments came after Democrat Paul Davis called the current legislative session a "circus." Davis said ending the session 20 days early would save taxpayer money.

Merrick says there's still work to do and leaving without finishing it would not benefit Kansans.

Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.