Government

Kansas officials are blaming a shortfall of nearly $57 million in state tax collections in March on delays in federal tax deadlines forced by congressional wrangling on fiscal issues.

The Department of Revenue reported Friday that the state collected almost $364 million in taxes last month. It had expected to take in more than $420 million.

The department noted that collections for the fiscal year that started in July are slightly ahead of the state's projection that it would collect $4.24 billion through March.

Kansas officials are blaming a shortfall of nearly $57 million in state tax collections in March on delays in federal tax deadlines forced by congressional wrangling on fiscal issues.

Gov. Sam Brownback still supports a federal law against gay marriage that he backed as a member of Congress and says the issue is settled in Kansas because of the state's constitutional ban.

Brownback faced questions Thursday from reporters with two cases on gay marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court. Brownback has long supported what he calls the traditional definition of marriage.

In one case, the high court is being asked to strike down a gay-marriage ban in California enacted by voters. The other case is a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996.

Updated March 29, 2:29 p.m.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment sent a news release Friday to address concerns about the substitute in House bill 2183 regarding infectious and contagious diseases.

In the release, Kansas state epidemiologist Charles Hunt says recent media coverage has been based on a false premise and that "it is not and never was the state's intent to seek the authority for isolation or quarantine of persons related to HIV."