Rep. Hineman pens editorial on state budget shortfalls

Don Hineman, R-Dighton
Photo credit: Hays Post

Kansas Representative Don Hineman commented in the Hays Post this week on the upcoming legislative session's challenge of dealing with very significant budget shortfalls.

Hineman stated that the state faces a $294 million budget deficit for the remainder of this fiscal year, followed by a shortfall of $436 million by the end of the next fiscal year. He noted that Gov. Brownback has proposed a solution to fill the budget hole but his proposal contains only $73.5 million in direct cuts and primarily addresses the issue with $206.5 million in one-time transfers.

Hineman believes Gov. Brownback's approach only magnifies the size of the shortfall and if this proposal is approved by the legislature then the projected deficit for 2016 will become $663 million.

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