TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas legislative committees are resuming their work on budget issues this week before all lawmakers return to the Statehouse. The House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees are scheduled to have a joint meeting Thursday morning. They plan to review a new fiscal forecast issued last week. The new forecast is more optimistic than one issued in November and boosted the state's projected tax collections. But Kansas still faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million through June 2019. And the budget gaps don't include extra money for public schools following a Kansas Supreme Court ruling last month that education funding is inadequate. The committees also plan to have separate meetings Thursday and Friday to draft budget measures to consider after lawmakers return from their annual spring break May 1.
