Kansas lawmakers mining for a pot of gold to fix budget woe

The budget crisis afflicting state government in Kansas serves as an opportunity to think creatively about filling an estimated $350 million shortfall in tax revenue.

One out-of-the-box option of potential value to lawmakers and Gov. Sam Brownback, who is preparing a new budget-balancing plan for the 2017 Legislature, would be seizure of millions of dollars tied to collection of unclaimed property by the state.

Ron Estes, the Republican state treasurer in Kansas, said the maneuver wouldn’t resolve Kansas’ budget problem.

State law requires the treasurer to seek rightful owners of all unclaimed property and directs that cash to be promptly deposited in the state general fund. In accordance with Kansas law, this revenue can and was spent by lawmakers in previous budgets.

Read more: http://cjonline.com/news/2016-12-11/kansas-lawmakers-mining-pot-gold-fix-budget-woe