News and Information
This page will be for news, media releases, and other information related to Jeff Whitham's time in the legislature and on the campaign trail.

News Stories
Compromise on Unemployment Insurance Bill Reached -- Media Release on SB 83.
Jeff Whitham officially views for 123rd District -- Garden City Telegram from June 12, 2006

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

From the office of Representative Jeff Whitham

January 21, 2010

     The primary issue of the 2010 legislative session will, again, be putting together a state general fund (SGF) budget while revenue continues to decline.  After the 2002-2003 recession, the SGF budget for 2004 was $4.3 billion.  I have attached a budget profile prepared by our Kansas legislative research department that is a summary of revenue in to and expenditures out of the general fund.  You will see the high in SGF expenditures was $6.1billion in 2008.  That was an increase of $1.8 billion, which was about a 42% increase over four years.  The legislature increased spending primarily on schools, higher education and Medicaid.    

     We plan to spend about $5.5 billion in the 2010 fiscal year that ends on June 30 of this year.  We decreased spending $600 million in the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years to get to $5.5 billion.  That was about a 10% reduction. 

     I am a member of our House appropriations committee that is working on the 2011 budget.  You will see from the budget profile that we presently are about $300 million short of balancing the SGF budget.  It will probably get somewhat worse because personal income tax revenue continues to come in less than was projected in November.  We may have to decrease spending or increase revenue in the $350 million range to balance the 2011 budget and leave a little extra in place. 

     So far, we balanced the 2009 and 2010 budgets by spending about $600 million less than we were in 2008.  The important issue the legislature must work through this session is whether we continue to manage the budget by cutting spending, or do we make part of the adjustment an increase in taxes.   The governor has suggested we could handle all of the $350 million shortage and additionally increase services in some areas we have cut by increasing our sales tax 1% to raise about $308 million and increase excise taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products to raise $79 million.

     An additional problem is that the 2010 and 2011 SGF budgets have a significant amount of federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds being expended.  We cut state funding for kindergarten through 12^th grade schools and replaced most of it with ARRA funds.  We receive no more ARRA federal funds after 2011.  Replacing those funds in the budget will require further adjustments if our state economy has not started to grow.

     I have been appointed as the general government budget committee chairman.  It is one of five budget committees.  The committee will work about thirty agency budgets and make recommendations to the full appropriations committee.  I am still the vice chair of our judiciary committee. 

     Please let me know if you have any comments about the budget, especially whether we should raise revenue as part of the solution.  We have just made a good start on the process.  jwhitham@wsbks.com  is an address I monitor during the session.

     Let me know if you would prefer not to receive these newsletters.  I am honored to represent much of Garden City in the Kansas legislature.