Tagged: Paul Davis

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill Wednesday that changes the way some judges in Kansas are selected. Under the new system, the governor will select candidates for the state appeals courts. The nominees will then need to be approved by the Senate.

The current system involves a nominating commission that selects candidates. The governor then chooses from those candidates. Brownback says the current system gives too much power to attorneys, who hold five of the nine seats on the commission.

The Kansas House on Wednesday rejected a proposal by Democrats aimed at reducing the property taxes paid by Kansans.

The top Democrats in the Legislature say lawmakers should have a hand in mediation in a case over school funding. They say they'll file a motion making that argument this week.

It's about a month into the 2013 legislative session, but the top Democrat in the House is questioning if lawmakers will be able to wrap up in 80 days as planned. Representative Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, says legislators will soon need to decide if they'll support the governor's tax proposal or perhaps create their own proposal.

“I’m hopeful and supportive of trying to finish in 80 days, but the prospects of doing that, I think, are getting bleaker,” says Davis.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has proposed more income tax cuts in Kansas over the coming years. And to help pay for that, he wants to make permanent part of a temporary sales tax increase that is set to expire later this year. He's also suggested eliminating some tax deductions, like the home mortgage deduction.

There is now a conservative majority in both the House and Senate, and some lawmakers may try to find additional cuts to state spending instead of using the sales tax and tax deductions to help pay for an income tax cut.

Democratic leaders from the Kansas Legislature have laid out a proposal that they say will create jobs. The lawmakers unveiled the plan during a series of stops in union halls across Kansas.

Democrats in the legislature are introducing 14 bills they say will spur job growth and career training in Kansas.

The plans include speeding up a 10 year transportation plan, so jobs are created sooner. The legislation would also give businesses a tax credit for training apprentices.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, says he hopes the plan won’t get mired in partisan politics.