Kansas House and Senate committees moved quickly Thursday to keep funding intact for the state's courts.
Lawmakers last year tied the judicial budget to another bill changing how chief judges are selected in Kansas judicial districts. When that law was struck down, it also invalidated the court budget, threatening to shut down the court system.
The House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that would reinstate the court funding.
“We’re moving it through, at least in our committee, as promptly as possible, again, to provide the same funding that was appropriated last year,” says Rep. Ron Ryckman, a Republican.
Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, a Democrat, also hailed the move.
“I’m so pleasantly surprised that they’re finally recognizing the problems that this creates for the judicial branch of government,” says Wolf Moore.
A similar measure also advanced through a Kansas Senate commitee.
Stephen Koranda is the statehouse bureau chief for Kansas Public Radio. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.
