No Deal, Overtime to a Record 108th Day

(AP) – Kansas legislators face writing a new plan for raising taxes to erase a projected budget shortfall.

Three Senate and three House negotiators were meeting Sunday. Their talks were scheduled after top Republican senators were thwarted Saturday in their efforts to separately pass several revenue proposals with broad GOP support.

Disagreements on tax issues among Republicans who control the Legislature made this year’s annual session the longest in state history. Sunday was the 108th day.

Legislators must raise taxes more than $400 million during the fiscal year that begins July 1 to erase the shortfall. Their key disputes are over raising business taxes and the state’s sales tax.

The gap arose after GOP lawmakers slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging as an economic stimulus