Kansas lawmakers returned to the Statehouse on Wednesday, but reached the weekend having made little progress on the major issues that remain for this legislative session.
It appears now that the real work on tax and budget issues is being tackled in negotiations between the governor and the top leaders of the House and Senate.
The chambers are divided on whether to extend a temporary sales tax that's set to expire later this year. Senate President Susan Wagle, a Republican from Wichita, said they can come to an agreement.
“We believe there’s a negotiated package that everybody can agree to that we can get the governor to sign. We believe there’s a way out of here,” Wagle said.
The stalemate will mean the session will probably last longer than planned by legislative leaders. Officials chose to shorten the session this year to 80 days, down from the regularly scheduled 90. The 80-day deadline will come early next week.
