By Dave Ranney, KHI News Service, March 12, 2010
TOPEKA — Democrats on the House Social Services Budget Committee on Friday refused to go along with the committee’s recommended cuts to the fiscal 2011 budgets of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services and Kansas Health Policy Authority.
"We have some very serious concerns about the impact these cuts are going to have on the citizens of Kansas," said Rep. Jerry Henry, D-Cummings.
The three Democrats on the eight-member committee did not sign the panel’s report to the full House Appropriations Committee.
The recommendations, which were upheld by the full committee Friday, called for cutting the state-funded portion of the health policy authority’s budget by $8.3 million and the SRS’ budget by $12.4 million.
Fiscal 2011 begins July 1.
Henry warned that cuts in staff wages - $800,000 at the health policy authority, $1.5 million for SRS – would "stifle their abilities to function."
Health policy authority officials have said cutting $800,000 would mean reducing staff by 50 people. SRS would need to eliminate 37 upper level staff, including legal and accounting workers.
Committee members, Henry said, were kidding themselves if they thought the agencies could continue "to stay on top of things" with less staff.
"We’re sitting here telling them we want them to write more reports and go after more fraud and abuse," Henry said. "Well, who do you think it is that writes those reports and goes after fraud and abuse? It staff – and we’re cutting staff."
Cummings compared the staffing cuts to a "bank that’s been robbed deciding to lay off the guard at the front door."
Rep. Peggy Mast, R-Emporia, defended the cuts, noting they were designed to lessen the agencies’ draw on the state general fund without reducing the flow of federal funds.
"This is a very difficult budget," said Mast, who’s chairwoman of the social services budget committee. Henry is the committee’s ranking minority member.
The recommendations also included eliminating state-funded grants for services for people with developmental disabilities not eligible for Medicaid.
Without the grants, SRS officials have said they expect 1,669 adults and children to lose whatever services they are currently receiving.
Henry asked the committee to rescind most of the proposed cuts. His motion failed.
Later, he asked that all of the cuts be reconsidered during the session-ending budget deliberations known as ‘omnibus.’ That motion passed.
Earlier this week, the Senate Ways and Means Committee agreed to cut the state-funded portion of the SRS and health policy authority budgets by $46.5 million; $73.8 million, counting federal funds.