Current Happenings Live RealAudio Search Campaign Data Kansas Statutes 043001 lgcolumns 1 CJOnline Trust in the Legislature among state agencies, employees and retirees has always been tenuous at best. Lawmakers sometimes forget commitments, especially when budget crunches hit. That is why a shudder went through the university community when the House Appropriations Committee recommended that funding for the second year of the Kansas Higher Education Coordination Act of 1999 be slashed by 20 percent.
Lawmakers sometimes forget commitments, especially when budget crunches hit.
That is why a shudder went through the university community when the House Appropriations Committee recommended that funding for the second year of the Kansas Higher Education Coordination Act of 1999 be slashed by 20 percent. The 1999 act created a four-year program, with the six state universities, Washburn and 19 community colleges slated to receive even more money in the third and fourth years. That is why the committee's action rekindled painful memories of the Margin of Excellence program of a dozen years ago. The Legislature immediately hedged on providing the money. Not a dime.