An effort to prevent furloughs in the Kansas court system has become tied up in a rancorous debate over an education funding lawsuit.
Legislators appeared Friday to agree that they should add $5 million to the judicial branch's current budget to lessen a shortfall.
Doing so would decrease the number of extra unpaid days off court employees would have to take and keep courthouses from closing.
But some House members question whether the state has the extra money, and they want to divert funds set aside in the budget for aid to public schools.
A few House Republicans would like to take the money from 74 school districts that have asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reopen an education funding lawsuit that forced lawmakers to increase aid to schools.
The Associated Press
Posted: February 6, 2010 05:59