By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

Like a legendary 1960s Western, the 2009 Kansas legislative session involved a search for gold and a mingling of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The script was like none the state had seen in recent times. Tanking revenues made for a grim fiscal backdrop, and a months-long flux in the governor’s office kept everyone guessing.

With the dust from the just-completed session still clearing, here’s how we sum up the action (or lack of it). Thanks to Clint Eastwood and company for providing the categories.

The Ugly

That would be the Legislature’s $13 billion budget for 2010. It is a flawed spending plan that barely balances, relies heavily on stimulus aid, raids every piggy bank to be found in Kansas government, gambles on fees from casinos that don’t yet exist and takes money from local governments.

On the other hand, it could be uglier. Legislators began the session with a $1 billion deficit and clawed through three rounds of spending cuts.

A veto by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius wisely limited the damage inflicted upon elementary and secondary schools. Districts will have to curb expenses, but Sebelius’ veto and an end-of-session pact on the part of Democrats and moderate Republicans prevented even deeper cuts.

The Bad

New Gov. Mark Parkinson had barely taken the oath of office before yielding on Sebelius’ principled opposition to plans for building coal-burning plants in western Kansas.

Parkinson agreed to let Sunflower Electric construct one large expansion, and come back for a second in two years. His compromise will enable the state to move forward on wind power and other progressive energy measures. But the proposed plant will pollute Kansas air while producing most of its energy for out-of-state consumers. And the governor regrettably reduced the ability of state government to deny future permits for coal-fired plants.

In other session lowlights:

Though many lawmakers acknowledge that the state is failing to adequately care for Kansans with mental disabilities, that most vulnerable population was not spared from budget cuts. In Johnson County, funds for the developmentally disabled were cut by about $500,000. As a result, waiting lists for residential, home-based or vocational services are likely to grow even longer.

 The state passed up an opportunity to enhance highway safety and also to gain $13.2 million. The federal government makes the money available to states that pass laws enabling police to pull over motorists for seat belt violations, but Kansas continually balks at enacting the legislation.

A proposed statewide smoking ban failed again, although it was passed by the Senate for the first time.

The Good

Though major health care reform measures were put on hold again, the Legislature did find money to insure more children. The state will use $1.2 million from a settlement with tobacco companies to over time offer medical insurance to 9,000 additional children.

Lawmakers finally adopted restrictions for teenage drivers. They soon will be required to have learner’s permits for a full year before obtaining a license, and will have to abide by restrictions on cell phone use and the number of their passengers. Kansas was the 49th state to pass such restrictions, which have saved lives on the highways.

Kansas shed the unwelcome distinction of having the nation’s lowest minimum wage. Legislation raised the hourly rate from $2.65 to $7.25, the federal guideline.