The Governor's Chief of Staff, Landon Fulmer, will visit the state Democratic Caucus on Thursday to explain, again, why Governor Brownback has requested $202 million in additional bonds for the proposed top security lab in Manhattan.
The president of the caucus and Senate Minority leader, Senator Anthony Hensley of Topeka, says he doesn't understand why the state is being asked to commit the additional funds.
"You know (President Obama) put in his budget $714 million and I wasn't real sure there were strings attached to that."
President Obama proposed $714 million dollars after proposing nothing for NBAF in the FY2013 budget, and cutting the previous year's funding in half.
Governor Brownback said the additional bonding for NBAF this year was needed to "honor the states commitment to the federal project."
Senator Hensley says the Governor’s request seems inconsistent.
"You know he's willing to go in line with $200 in bonding for NBAF and yet he will NOT accept the money from the federal government for Medicaid. In fact he returned $31 million earlier and seems to be almost a double standard."
Some Republicans also have asked questions about the additional bonding requests for NBAF. Kansas has already allocated $135 million dollars in direct payments and bonds for the federal project.
