Kansas lawmakers are moving quickly to reinstate the budget for the court system after it was knocked out by a legal ruling. However, it’s still possible courts in Kansas could take a funding cut this session as legislators work on fixing a budget deficit.
A judge told lawmakers this week that trimming back the judicial budget would lead to court closings, but Republican state Rep. Jerry Lunn says if there are funding cuts to the courts, he believes they could be handled with furloughs or other means.
“We just can’t say ‘carve out the courts’ and say you’re going to get paid no matter what and everyone else is going to take a lot of pain. We have to govern with the situation we have, not the way we want it to be,” says Lunn.
Lawmakers and the courts have butted heads over some high-profile issues like school funding, leading to tensions between the two branches.