A conference committee has wrapped up the first round of negotiations on a budget bill for next fiscal year. Members of the House and Senate met this week to try to smooth out differences between budget plans passed by the two chambers. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican, is the lead Senate negotiator. She believes the talks so far have gone very well.
McGinn says the sticking points between the chambers could boil down to education funding and funding for the Department of Health and Environment. Those areas are cut more in the House proposal than the Senate bill. The full House and Senate will return to Topeka next week to wrap up the legislative session.