KTKA

In his first address to the Kansas legislature as Governor on April 30, Mark Parkinson outlined three things that must happen to get our state's economy back on track.

First, he said he wanted to unify the state.

He accomplished that goal on May 4, when he reached an agreement with Sunflower Electric to build one coal-fired power plant in Western Kansas. The deal ended a years-long stalemate between the electric company and legislators.

The second priority on his list was to create and project jobs.

In April, the unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in Kansas. That means 92, 00 people in the state are out of work.

But Parkinson and legislators have a plan to help. In the veto session, both sides agreed to use $69 million from American Recover Act funds, or federal stimulus dollars, to help unemployed Kansans.

The state has also received millions of federal dollars for road improvement projects that will help create jobs.

The Governor's third task was to balance the budget and it this goal Parkinson has yet to fulfill.

At the end of the veto session, the legislature was able to balance the budget without raising taxes and modest cuts. But last month's revenue numbers were less than expected and the state is now $103 million short for this fiscal year.

Parkinson said there is a plan in place to get through 2009. But revenue numbers for June may force the governor to make more cuts in the 2010 budget.

"What I'm likely to do is just issue formal allotments," he said. "By making the allotments myself, I am sparing the legislature from having to come back in January and confirm those cuts. I'm taking responsibility, I'm taking the heat. I'm the governor and I'm willing to do that."

Governor Parkinson said he doesn't plan on calling a special legislative session this summer because it's expensive and generally unsuccessful. He says he will consult legislative leaders before making any decisions.