TOPEKA – The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity-Kansas released the following statement in response today’s budget update:

“While we applaud Governor Parkinson for directing additional reductions to state agencies today, it’s important to note that our excessive spending – not our revenue stream – put the state in this multi-million dollar hole,” said AFP-Kansas State Director Derrick Sontag. “State General Fund spending increased 48 percent from 2004 to 2008, while population growth during that same time averaged less than one-half of 1 percent per year.

The Wichita AFP Chapter wants to teach you the ins and outs of local government. Local Government 101, July 6 and 7 in Wichita, is an interactive presentation of the inner workings of a local government meeting. You will learn how to: decipher city agendas, prepare for a meeting, foster constructive relationships with elected officials, and effectively influence public policy.

Find details on the attached flyer, or contact info@afpks.org for more information.

AFP-Kansas State Director Derrick Sontag, and Western Kansas Field Director Susan Estes will conduct a two-day visit to southwest Kansas on June 8 and 9. Take a look at the schedule and stop by to hear the latest with Americans for Prosperity-Kansas and the state Legisalature, and update us on what's happening in your community.

Here's the schedule:

• Pratt:
  8:30 a.m., AFP Coffee Break at Rick’s Diner, 20005 W. HWY 54
• Dodge City:
  11:30 a.m., Grassroots Luncheon at Casey’s Cowtown Club, 503 E. Trail St.

Throughout the legislative session, AFP-Kansas tracks how legislators vote on certain bills. You can see how your legislator voted on our key issues by uploading the following documents.

As the current Kansas Legislature is still wrapping up, we have not yet compiled our key vote scorecard for 2009. However, below are a number of votes we tracked in the 2007 and 2008 legislative sessions. In January, we merged with the Kansas Taxpayer Network (KTN), so you can also see the 2007 KTN scorecards below.