TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – The Kansas Arts Commission has an improved chance of getting funded in the state budget approved by legislators this year.

Budget negotiators moved closer Tuesday to including $689,000 for the commission in a $14 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has proposed eliminating the commission as a state agency and replacing it with a private, non-profit foundation. The House endorsed that proposal, but the Senate rejected it.

The $689,000 approved by the Senate represents a 14 percent cut in the commission’s current budget.

In budget negotiations, House members agreed to accept the Senate’s position.

Many lawmakers expect Brownback to veto any budget line funding the commission, though he hasn’t promised it publicly.

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