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Kansas Senate passes two-year appropriations bill after heated debate over schools, Medicaid and special education
Summary
The Kansas Senate approved its substitute for House Bill 2007, the two‑year appropriations measure for fiscal years 2025–2027, after hours of amendments and floor debate. Lawmakers sparred over school funding, a proposed Medicaid expansion tied to special‑education shortfalls and multiple spending amendments that ultimately failed.
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Senate on Tuesday passed its substitute for substitute House Bill 2007, the chamber’s two‑year appropriations measure, after prolonged floor debate and multiple roll‑call votes. The final passage came on a 28‑12 roll call, sending the spending package toward conference with the House.
The bill sets the state’s spending plan for fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, 2026 and 2027. Senators described the measure as an attempt to slow a multiyear trend of spending above revenues; Senate sponsor Senator Billinger said the package trims earlier growth but still “spends about $579,000,000 more than we are projected to bring in,” framing the vote as part of a multiyear effort to reduce that gap.
Why it matters: HB 2007 determines hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for schools, health programs, corrections, infrastructure and other agencies and will shape negotiations with the House. Several high‑profile amendments on education, Medicaid and targeted grants were…
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