(AP) – Kansas legislators were preparing to resume their negotiations on budget and tax issues as freshman Republicans in both chambers gathered for a joint meeting.

First-term GOP lawmakers were caucusing Tuesday ahead of meetings of separate teams of senators and House members appointed to reconcile their chambers’ differences on budget and tax issues.

Republican leaders in both chambers have been stalemated.

The biggest budget disagreement is over higher education spending. Both chambers want to cut, but the House wants to go deeper than the Senate. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback wants no cuts.

On taxes, the biggest conflict is over Brownback’s plan to stabilize the budget by canceling a scheduled decrease in the sales tax. The Senate has approved the measure, and the House wants the tax to decrease.