TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate over its budget problems and raising taxes to fix them (all times local):

11:15 a.m.

The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a bill that would continue a statewide property tax for public schools for another two years.

Senators advanced the measure Thursday on a voice vote. The bill would raise $635 million for schools during the 2017-18 school year and another $663 million for 2018-19.

The Senate planned to take a final vote Friday to determine whether the bill goes to the House.

Kansas has imposed a statewide property tax to raise money for schools since 1992. The Kansas Supreme Court has said the state constitution prohibits lawmakers from imposing it for more than two years at a time.

The tax is $20 for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. The first $20,000 of a home’s value is exempt.

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10:30 a.m.

Republicans legislators in Kansas are divided over a proposal to raise additional revenue with a “flat” personal income tax despite GOP Gov. Sam Brownback’s endorsement.

The Republican-controlled Senate was debating an income tax bill Thursday, a day after Brownback said publicly that he would sign it or something similar.

GOP leaders conceded the bill might not pass.

The proposed budget fix would impose a 4.6 percent rate for all filers starting next year. That is the top rate for higher-income earners, and the bill would eliminate the 2.7 percent rate now in place for lower-income filers.

It would end an exemption championed by Brownback for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners.

The measure would raise about $652 million over two years. Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are preparing to debate a proposal to raise additional revenue with a “flat” personal income tax that has the backing of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

The state Senate was taking up an income tax bill Thursday, a day after Brownback said publicly that he would sign it or something similar.

The proposed budget fix would impose a 4.6 percent rate for all filers starting next year. That is the top rate for higher-income earners, and the bill would eliminate the 2.7 percent rate now in place for lower-income filers.

It would end an exemption championed by Brownback for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners.

The bill would raise about $652 million over two years. Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion through June 2019.

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are preparing to debate a proposal to raise additional revenue with a “flat” personal income tax that has the backing of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

The state Senate was taking up an income tax bill Thursday, a day after Brownback said publicly that he would sign it or something similar.

The proposed budget fix would impose a 4.6 percent rate for all filers starting next year. That is the top rate for higher-income earners, and the bill would eliminate the 2.7 percent rate now in place for lower-income filers.

It would end an exemption championed by Brownback for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners.

The bill would raise about $652 million over two years. Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion through June 2019.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has endorsed a proposal to use a “flat” personal income tax to raise new revenue to fix the state’s serious budget problems.

The conservative Republican governor said in a statement Wednesday that he would sign a bill like one before the state Senate.

It would impose a 4.6 percent rate for all filers starting next year. That is the top rate for higher-income earners, and the bill would eliminate the 2.7 percent rate now in place for lower-income filers.

The bill would also eliminate an income tax exemption for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners that Brownback has championed.

Critics contend the bill would hit middle-class families hardest. It would raise about $690 million over two years. Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion.

By SAM ZEFF

The crowd filling the old Supreme Court room at the Kansas Statehouse expected a bit of a showdown Wednesday when the House K-12 Budget Committee discussed how much money to put into public education.

In the end, that debate lasted about 10 minutes and the committee stood pat on adding $150 million a year for five years for a total package of $750 million.

The plan aims to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court, which ruled in early March that the current system is constitutionally inadequate and said without a fix it will shut down public schools June 30.

Rep. Melissa Rooker, a moderate Republican from Fairway, isn’t sure $750 million is enough for the court. She tried to add $22 million more in the first year of the plan, but that proposal failed Wednesday on an 8-8 vote.

“All in all, I’m happy that we put a five-year escalation of funding in place,” Rooker said. “We’ll leave it to the wisdom of the court to decide if that’s too much time to be appropriate or not.”

Rep. Larry Campbell of Olathe, chairman of the committee, acknowledged that uncertainty.

“No one in this building knows the right number,” he said. “Only those judges across the street know.”

The committee didn’t actually approve the bill. Campbell said he wants to wait until the Legislature hires a constitutional lawyer to review the bill and determine whether it will satisfy the justices.

Campbell said he’ll call for a vote when lawmakers return May 1 for their wrap-up session.

Rep. Scott Schwab, a conservative Republican from Olathe, didn’t even want to discuss putting money into the plan until a lawyer is on board. Schwab said the committee was “taking a shot in the dark” without having a lawyer comment on funding.

Campbell rejected that: “I think we need to have a position for an attorney to look at.”

The committee thought it had a lawyer when leaders offered the job to former Sen. Jeff King of Independence. However, King failed to gain enough support in the Legislative Coordinating Council, so leaders are now searching for an attorney.

While $750 million in new spending may be enough to satisfy the high court, having it doled out over five years could be a problem.

Rooker offered a bill early in the session that would have spent about the same amount of money but over four years. The Kansas State Department of Education has said the state needs to spend about $800 million over two years to meet the Supreme Court’s adequacy test.

“We would have hoped that they would have shortened the number of years. Five years is a long time,” said David Smith of the Kansas City Kansas School District, one of the districts suing the state. “Having a little more at the front end probably would have helped with constitutionality.”

The funding plan resembles the formula scrapped two years ago in favor of block grants.

Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR.org and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff. 

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A highway crash involving two semitrailers and a van near the Utah-Colorado border has killed two people, including champion cyclist Stephen Tilford.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce says the first semitrailer drifted off Interstate 70 Wednesday and then overcorrected before rolling onto its side and blocking all eastbound lanes. A Mercedes-Benz van struck the semitrailer and 57-year-old Tilford of Topeka exited the van. He had been standing next to the vehicle when he was hit and killed by a second semitrailer.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports the driver of the second semitrailer, 70-year-old Stanley Williams of Grand Junction, Colorado, also died in the crash.

Tilford won a U.S. National Mountain Bike championship, four National Cyclocross titles and several other championships throughout his career.

BELTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say they have identified one set of human remains found in rural western Missouri as those of a 21-year-old woman who disappeared in September.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a medical examiner identified the remains as Jessica Runions, of Raymore, Missouri, who was last seen on Sept. 8 leaving a gathering in south Kansas City.

Her burned vehicle was found two days later. Runions left the gathering with 27-year-old Kylr Yust, who was later charged with burning Runions’ vehicle. A judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The remains of a second person found in the same area have not been identified.

A mushroom hunter found the remains Monday in an area south of Belton and a second skull was found nearby Tuesday.

DOUGLAS COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Douglas County are investigating a suspect in connection with an armed robbery.

Police arrested the suspect in a robbery that occurred Monday night near the area of West 6th Street and Florida Street in Lawrence, according to a media release.

According to police, Core stole cash from a 44-year-old man who was injured and had to be hospitalized.

The suspect, 25 year old Curtis J. Core was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon without incident. Core was booked into the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of Aggravated Robbery and Aggravated Battery.

Core has previous aggravated burglary and theft conviction in Sedgwick County.

Things that are smarter than armed robbery:
1. almost everything

— Lawrence Police (@LawrenceKS_PD) April 5, 2017

Police are investigating three additional armed robberies in Lawrence this week.

MANHATTAN — Officials are investigating an accident at a construction site at Kansas State University.

Just after 4 p.m. Wednesday, Kansas State University Police, K-State Environmental Health and Safety, and emergency personnel from the Manhattan Fire Department and Riley County EMS responded to a construction site at the Pittman Building on the Manhattan campus for a workplace accident.

A worker was injured after a fall at the construction site. He was taken to Manhattan’s Via Christi Hospital. No additional details were released.

SEDGWICK COUNTY -Fire crews battled a house fire on North Delrose Street in Wichita Wednesday.

The residents escaped. A small pet was rescued and returned to the owner.

Dog resuscitated and reunited with owners friend.
Credit. Marc Haneberg. pic.twitter.com/pY3ta3z8vh

— WichitaFireDept (@WichitaFireDept) April 5, 2017

Cause of the fire remains under investigation.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge says he is reluctantly granting the request from defense attorneys to withdraw from the case of a Kansas man accused of plotting to bomb an apartment complex filled with Somali immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren said Wednesday new court-appointed counsel would be selected for Patrick Stein while he continues efforts to hire his own private attorney.

Stein and co-defendants Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen are accused of conspiring to detonate truck bombs at an apartment complex where Somali immigrants live in Garden City.

Stein told the judge his court-appointed attorneys have limited criminal experience to handle a case of this magnitude when the rest of his life is on the line. He says lawyers quoted him prices of between $100,000 and $1 million to represent him.

SEDGWICK COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County recognized a man for his bravery on Wednesday.

Just after 10:30 a.m. on January 19, 2015, Austin Schierkolk heard a commotion upstairs at his Wichita home. A suspect was demanding money from his younger brother.

Schierkolk confronted the 45-year-old suspect, who was holding a pry bar. He charged the suspect, held him against a wall, cut him with a pocket knife and tried to hold him until police arrived. Schierkolk’s mother was also in t

Police gave Schierkolk a plaque during Wednesday’s online media briefing.

MITCHELL COUNTY- A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9a.m. on Wednesday in Mitchell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1990 Ford F150 driven by Sean R. Cooper, 39, Beloit was west bound on U.S. 24 five miles east of Beloit. The pickup crossed the center line and hit a semi head-on.
Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to McDonald Funeral Home. The semi driver from Nebraska was not injured.

Cooper was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

DOUGLAS COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Douglas County are investigating a pair of Tuesday night armed robberies and searching for suspects.

Just before 10p.m. Officers responded to the intersection of West 6th Street and Florida Street in Lawrence.  A 44-year-old male victim reported an undisclosed amount of cash was taken from him during an armed robbery. The victim was treated and released from an area hospital.

Just after 11p.m. police responded to Wingstop, 2233 Louisiana Street in Lawrence after a black male wearing a grey colored hoodie and dark pants entered the business, displayed a handgun, and demanded money. The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of cash. No injuries were reported during the incident.

Police don’t know if either of the two robberies are related to the robbery reported another armed robbery at a business on Iowa Street Monday evening.

Anyone who may have information related to either of these incidents is encouraged to contact the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-7509 or the Douglas County Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline 785-843-TIPS (8477).

RILEY COUNTY  – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County continue to investigate the alleged social media threat at Manhattan High School.

Just after 11 a.m. Wednesday, Riley County Police received a social media message directed at their accounts that included a picture of someone pulling a gun from a backpack and a second picture with the caption “Don’t come to school tomorrow”. As the pictures were tweeted specifically to our accounts and contained the same wording as the original threat, it was determined this was an intentional threat intended to scare students and faculty at Manhattan High West campus, according to a  media release.

According to officials, a follow-up investigation was able to quickly determine that the message was sent from a 17-year-old girl who used to be a student at Manhattan High, but currently lives out of state.

As such, police do not believe this to be a valid threat. However, RCPD made Manhattan High West campus aware of the situation. It was mutually determined that no additional response was needed.

A criminal threat case has been filed through the Riley County Police Department.

Copycat activities are often seen in these types of events, according to police.

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RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a social media threat against a school
Just before 8 p.m. Tuesday police learned of a threat posted to social media site Snapchat, according to a media release.

A 17-year-old male student at Manhattan High School saw a story posted to a 15-year-old boy’s Snapchat account that caused him alarm.

The picture in question had what appeared to be two hand
guns with a caption of “wild” with 3 skull emojis, and additional text stating “Don’t go to school tomorrow”.

A Follow-up investigation by Riley County Police Department’s located 2 realistic looking BB guns at the residence of the 15-year-old suspect.

Police took those BB guns into evidence and police filed a report for aggravated criminal threat.
Manhattan High West Campus gave students the option to stay home from school Wednesday.

Riley County Police Department is also maintaining a heightened presence at the school for the day.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Kansas’ top elections official to produce a plan on homeland security issues that he took to a meeting with President Donald Trump.

U.S. Magistrate James O’Hara ruled Wednesday that the document from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach could be relevant to a federal lawsuit challenging a state law requiring new voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering.

O’Hara also ordered Kobach to produce a second, related document.

The magistrate plans to review both privately. Kobach must produce them Thursday.

Kobach met with Trump in November. An Associated Press photo showed Kobach holding a paper outlining a plan that could include changes in federal voting laws.

The second document Kobach must produce is an internal proposal for changes in federal voting laws.