TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback says he’s working on proposals for changing how Kansas distributes aid to public schools and for bolstering the pension system for teachers and government workers.

But the Republican governor provided no details during an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press. He said only that his administration is researching options on school funding and pensions.

Brownback’s comments came a day after he outlined a plan for closing a projected $279 million shortfall in the state’s current budget. His plan received bipartisan criticism because he directed the state to divert nearly $41 million from the public pension system.

He said he did so to avoid cutting aid to public schools and higher education spending.

But he also said the state can’t sustain increases this year in education funding.

WICHITA- A Federal grand jury has indicted Andris Cukurs, 68, Glendale, CA., on charges of attempted money laundering in Kansas.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced the charges in a media release today.

The government is seeking forfeiture of more than $314,800 seized Nov. 14, 2014. The crime is alleged to have occurred in Dickinson County.

If convicted, Cukurs faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $500,000. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Four more states have joined a Texas-led coalition suing the Obama administration over executive action on immigration.

The addition of Arkansas, Michigan, North Dakota and Oklahoma brings to 24 the number of states fighting the order in a federal district court in Brownsville.

Announced last month, the president’s unilateral move is designed to spare millions of people living illegally in the United States from deportation. But the lawsuit accuses the White House of “trampling” the U.S. Constitution.

Outgoing Attorney General Greg Abbott says Texas is uniquely qualified to sue because its sprawling border with Mexico means it will be especially harmed.

Abbott, the governor-elect of Texas, added Wednesday that the presidential decree “circumvents the will of the American people.”

TOPEKA- Two Kansas drivers were injured in separate accidents on Wednesday morning in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that just after 7:50 a.m., a 2000 Buick LeSabre driven by Veronica L. Morgan, 62, Burlingame, was on the ramp from northbound U. S. 75 to westbound Interstate 470.
The driver lost control and struck the guardrail.

At 8:20 a.m. a 2000 Chevy Colorado driven by Valerie L. Smith, 51, Rossville, was eastbound on U.S. 24 one mile west of Topeka. The driver lost control on the icy bridge, entered the south ditch and rolled.

Just before 9 a.m. a 1999 Chevy Blazer driven by Debra Fisher, 60, Topeka, was eastbound on U.S. 24 just east of Kansas 4. The driver lost control on an icy bridge and struck concrete wall.

Smith was transported to Stormont Vail. Morgan was transported to St. Francis Hospital. Smith and a passenger in the Blazer were possibly injured but not transported for treatment.

The KHP reported all were properly restrained at the time of the accidents.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today said the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) had work to do to address regulatory overreach and will need to do more in the future to recognize the concerns of all market participants including farmers and ranchers.

At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Roberts, a senior member and the former ranking member of the Committee, thanked CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad on his willingness to correct the mistakes of the previous Commission, especially on issues Roberts had concerns with including residual interest rules and proposals for reporting requirements.

Senator Roberts and Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) introduced legislation, S. 2601, to enhance customer protections for farmers and ranchers by preventing regulations from the CFTC from being overly laborious and making it significantly more difficult for farmers and ranchers to make economical trades on commodities.

“The Commission’s actions over the last several months have demonstrated that the previous commission and Chairman often took Dodd-Frank regulations much further than required by the law…and wouldn’t stop to listen to feedback from stakeholders including market participants and Congress,” Roberts said.

“While I value the work you have undertaken to correct several regulatory missteps and over-reaches, several of the tweaks the commission has proposed, but not yet finalized, were simply low hanging fruit that many of us around this table have raised for years,” Roberts said. “I know that most of us are anxious to see the easiest fixes put into place, particularly for agriculture and end users, including the proposals for reporting requirements and residual interest.”

Roberts also noted that the CFTC is set to receive nearly 50 percent more in funds since 2010, including the “cromnibus” proposed by the House. Roberts said that despite the challenges facing the agency, its spending should not be allowed to continue to grow unchecked.

Roberts remains concerned with the following CFTC regulatory issues:

market participation: small and medium sized Future Commission Merchants (FCM’s) are closing and consolidating;
time and resources on the further study of the collection of residual interest despite the Commission’s decision to end the automatic pre-funding of margins given the unpopular and unrealistic rule’s high cost to farmers for little to no benefit;
the use of staff no-action letters and regulatory guidance instead of following federal rulemaking procedures including a cost benefit analysis;
cross-border issues from lack of regulatory equivalence from the European Union including the definition of “U.S. person”;
and foreign businesses are choosing to relocate their business and capital away from the U.S. markets.
Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government investigator says the IRS paid at least $6 billion in child tax credits in 2013 to people who weren’t eligible to receive them.

Payments went to families that mistakenly claimed the tax credit or claimed the wrong amount, as well as taxpayers who committed fraud. Those were the findings of an audit released Tuesday by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration.

More than 36 million families will claim the $1,000 per-child tax credit this year. Millions of low-income families qualify for the credit even though they don’t make enough money to pay federal income tax.

These families receive the credit in the form of a tax refund. The audit focused on payments to these families.

The IRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.