New members of the Kansas House of Representatives have been taking orientation classes this week preparing for their first legislative session. They're learning about their legislative email accounts and getting their official photos, but looming budget issues are already on their minds.
Kansas lawmakers will have to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming years to balance the budget. Republican Linda Gallagher, from Lenexa, believes they need to look at raising revenue. She says lawmakers have already made the easiest budget cuts.
"A lot of the fat has already been cut out of the budget, so I don't think we can achieve everything we need to with just budget cuts," says Gallagher.
Another Republican, Tony Barton from Leavenworth, says he's not sure backtracking on the tax cuts passed in recent years is the answer to the budget problems.
"I don't think going back is what we need to do. I think we need to keep moving forward and take a look at what's necessary so we can have a good budget," says Barton.
Lawmakers will kick off the 2015 legislative session Jan. 12.
