State and federal lawmakers are looking forward to the day when coronavirus is a thing of the past.
State lawmakers have sine die, or the end of the session, on May 21. They may not return to work until May 11, meaning a two-week delay to the veto session and a short work period before adjourning. On KVOE’s Newsmaker segment Tuesday, Kansas Senate Vice President and 17th District Senator Jeff Longbine of Emporia said a lot of attention will be paid to the budget, which could have a $1.3 billion shortfall between now and the end of July 2021. However, Longbine doesn’t think the impact will be as bad as it appears because a shift in the income tax filing date from April to July pushes about $650 million to the next fiscal year and federal stimulus money may handle most of the shortfall.
60th District Representative Mark Schreiber, KVOE’s Newsmaker 2 guest Tuesday, expects a slower return to normal.
Meanwhile, US Senator Jerry Moran, a guest on KVOE’s Morning Show this week, says getting back to normal has to be a gradual, nonpolitical process.
Moran says he’s pleased the Paycheck Protection Program got another infusion of money as part of the current stimulus package, although that is likely to be tapped this week. He also expressed several serious concerns about the state of the ag economy, saying producers and food consumers are greatly impacted if the meatpacking industry comes to a halt.
KVOE’s look at legislative matters in relation to COVID-19 will continue Wednesday. 51st District Representative Ron Highland of Wamego will be on the KVOE Newsmaker segment at 7:15 am Wednesday, followed by 76th District Representative Eric Smith of Burlington during the Newsmaker 2 slot at 8:20 am.
