Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick says he'll be working to focus the chamber on economic issues for the rest of the legislative session. Some controversial bills in the House have caught national attention and criticism in recent weeks.
Merrick, a Republican from Stillwell, Kan., says he can't stop members from filing bills, but he can try to get lawmakers back to what he calls the basics of making Kansas the “most business-friendly state in the country.”
Merrick's comments came after the top Democrat in the chamber, Paul Davis from Lawrence, made calls to end the session 20 days early.
Davis says the current legislative session is a "circus" and leaving early would save taxpayer money. Merrick says there's still work to do and leaving without finishing it would not benefit Kansans.
