A legislative deadline last week had lawmakers scrambling to pass bills. Most bills had to pass one chamber by the end of last week, or they would be lost for the session. Lawmakers passed dozens of bills to make the cutoff. One high-profile bill that didn’t meet the deadline would have toughened drunken-driving penalties. The potential costs of providing more prison beds hurt the bill in a tough budget year. Senate Vice President John Vratil (Vratil rhythms with rattle), an Overland Park Republican, said the potential cost could have been tens of millions of dollars.
For more on the bills that did and didn’t make the cut, tune in later this hour.