By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

After taking weeks to set up hearings on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius's nomination as health and human services secretary, the Senate is putting her on ice for two more weeks while members take Easter recess.

This doesn't necessarily signal a problem in Washington. The hearings seem to be going pretty well, even with the disclosure of about $8,000 worth of inadvertent tax errors.

But the drawn-out process is a problem in Topeka, where the uncertainty over the governor's job is causing frayed nerves in an already testy legislative session.

Lawmakers who favor construction of two coal-fired plants in western Kansas are strategizing now to figure out whether to pass the bill while Sebelius is around to veto it, or wait until she's gone and take their chances with Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson. Sebelius would probably be more effective at convincing legislators not to override her veto.

And some watchers in the capital think the Democratic caucus seems a bit rudderless with Sebelius absent much of the time, although the Dems have had some legislative successes, like an increase in the minimum wage.

It's never ideal working with a lame duck executive, especially when nobody is sure when the duck will be swimming away.