6A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2006
Sunset rider
Megan True/KANSAN
A cyclist took advantage of Monday's warm weather by riding at sunset on a bike trail near the Kansas river. Today's high is expected to be 63 degrees.
STATE
Senate to vote on casinos
Gambling bill would pay for education but doesn't have the votes
BY CARL MANNING THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — Even though they don't have the votes needed to pass the bill, Senate leaders say they plan to introduce a bill this week to expand gambling in Kansas, which would help pay for a court-mandated increase in public school money.
"We'll probably introduce it without the 21 votes," Senate President Steve Morris said Monday. "It's getting later in the session, and we need a way to facilitate the process."
As for the needed 21 votes, Morris (R-Hugoton) said, "We're optimistic that we'll have them."
But getting there may not be simple, said Sen. Phil Journey, a gambling opponent.
"The biggest trick will be picking up votes on the front side without losing one on the back side, because there are so
many moving pieces," said Journey (R-Haysville).
Morris declined to say how many votes he has, but Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley estimated 18 or 19 votes for the bill.
"It's time to move the process," said Hensley (D-Topeka). "Part of the problem is not having a bill. If we expect commitments, they need to know what they're committing to."
Hensley said one reason for the delay is so lawmakers can get a better idea how much the state would receive from the proposal, which includes two casinos — one in Wyandotte County and the other in southeast Kansas. The measure also calls for 7,000 slot machines divided among pari-mutuel horse and dog tracks in Frontenac, Kansas City, Wichita and Dodge City, if the town ever constructs a pari-mutuel track.
estimated at between $200 million and $300 million a year. Of that, 75 percent could be used for education and the rest for local property tax relief.
Initially, the state's share was
"We want to do it right the first time," Hensley said. "We want to be sure we're confident in the revenue estimates. Two or three years down the road, we don't want to have egg on our face."
Last week, the Senate unveiled its proposal to spend $660 million over three years to meet a Kansas Supreme Court mandate to adequately fund public education. Like a $500 million House plan unveiled the week before, it doesn't call for higher taxes.
The plan's first year can be financed with existing revenues, including cash reserves. But projections show the second and third years of increased school spending, along with other budget needs, would create a $600 million hole in the budget within three years.
Morris said expanded gambling would be a way to help
Initially, the state's share was estimated at between $200 million and $300 million a year. Of that, 75 percent could be used for education and the rest for local property tax relief.
pay for the school finance plan down the road. If the gambling bill fails, that leaves legislators with few options — none of them good.
"The least bad of five bad choices is gaming. If 21 senators don't agree on gaming, we'll be taking suggestions," said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt (R-Independence).
The other options include raising taxes, cutting state spending, hoping state revenues will grow to meet demands, or defying the Kansas Supreme Court order to spend more money on education.
Most legislators oppose taking hikes, especially in an election year.
State revenues won't cover school funding
STATE
TOPEKA — A school finance bill will eventually make it to the House floor, but the legislator shepherding the measure through her committee said Monday it could take a while.
That's because of concerns raised late last week that a three-year, $500 million package from House leaders would exhaust state resources, absent new revenues.
The state could afford to finance the first year of the
plan with existing revenues. However, projections from legislators' staff show the next two years of the plan, along with other buget obligations, would create a shortfall that would balloon to more than $600 million by 2009.
Kathe Decker, chairwoman of the House Select Committee on School Finance, said the panel would continue working through the school finance bill, but she acknowledged that budget concerns had taken some steam out of the drive to pass it.
The Associated Press
Recruit
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Don Steeples, vice president for scholarly support, represented the University last fall in a panel of five discussing various issues from the war in Iraq to reinstating the draft. The Solomon Amendment was a part of the discussion as well.
"We follow state and federal law at the University," he said. "The ROTC programs are an important part of the University, just like other programs. Students have the right to protest or participate in ROTC."
A group that included students, faculty and local residents, known as Lawrence Counter-Recruitment, conducted protests against military recruiting on campus last fall. One former member of the group declined to comment Monday and no one else could be reached.
Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations, said the University valued ROTC's campus presence, but also acknowledged that some individuals in the community opposed the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"Those individuals have the right to protest the policy, just as students have the right to choose whether or not to seek career opportunities and service in the military," she said.
Capt. Amy Render, public affairs office for the Air Force recruitment service, said she was happy about the decision. ROTC programs provide a valuable service to students, she said.
"Without ROTC programs, some students might not be able to finish out their schooling," she said. "Awareness of these programs is very beneficial to students who struggle with money. This is one path to help them. It gives students the awareness to choose what they want to do, and take a career path that can be very beneficial."
— The Associated Press contributed to this story. Edited by Gabriella Souza
Doctors
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
According to The American Geriatrics Society, the number of adults 65 and older will nearly double to 70 million by 2030. By that time, the nation will need 36,000 trained geriatricians to care for the booming elderly population.
Swagerty said geriatricians were among the lowest-paid of all the specialty doctors. He also said that caring for elderly patients was emotionally difficult and many future doctors were interested in more glamorous
Daniel Swagerty, geriatrician and associate director of KU Medical Center's Landon Center on Aging, said there are many reasons the field of geriatrics is underserved, beginning with the pay.
fields of medicine.
"It's not as attractive to care for older adults. You have to deal with death, dying and physical rehabilitation, which is emotionally stressful but very satisfying." Swagerty said.
Swagerty believes that America may never completely fill the need for geriatricians, but there are ways to bridge the gap.
"We are currently working on ways we can emphasize geriatric training for all future medical students," Swagerty said.
He said that the government could provide more grants and tuition reimbursement programs to encourage more students into the field. He also said medical schools needed to include more geriatric training in their curriculums.
Edited by Gabriella Souza
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