Friday, February 10, 2012

A Kansas House committee has rejected a request from public broadcasters to restore $800,000 in state funding.

Gov. Sam Brownback's budget proposal included $600,000 for public broadcasting, a cut from the current $2 million state appropriation.

A House budget subcommittee restored $800,000. But Thursday, the
full House Appropriations Committee removed that $800,000 and returned the state appropriation to $600,000 for the next fiscal year.

State Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican, said government needs to get out of public radio. Others said the state's financial problems required them to make difficult funding cuts.

But several western Kansas legislators said their constituents depend on public radio and public television. Others said public television's emphasis on early learning and children's programming
was a service to the state.