TOPEKA – A comment by conservative Republican state senator blaming the deadlock between the senate and Kansas House over taxes on Republican house freshmen has drawn a counter-blast from Ottawa representative Blaine Finch, who’s the leader of a large group of GOP freshmen. Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce suggested the house freshmen weren’t up to the task of dealing with tax policy and have spent half the session trying to find where the statehouse bathrooms are. Finch sent back a letter saying he was dismayed by Bruce’s comments, and he said the house freshmen do understand state tax policy. Gov. Sam Brownback and conservative senators have been trying to push the house into making a temporary sales tax permanent to cover a looming budget hole caused by sharp cuts in income taxes. Finch noted no freshmen are involved in the private negotiating sessions between the governor and legislative leaders. None of the freshmen were in the building last year when legislators passed the income tax cuts without any concern for the revenue to pay for them, nor did the freshmen promise the public that the sales tax increase would be temporary and turn around and say it now must be made permanent, Finch wrote. The House overwhelmingly rejected the compromise sales tax plan, which also included reductions in popular middle class income tax deductions, Tuesday afternoon, turning the legislative session into turmoil. Legislative leaders say they have no alternative plan and are predicting the session to last much longer.
Wednesday, May 29, 5 p.m.
