Month: March 2016

Legislative update from Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.

Rep. Pam Curtis
Rep. Pam Curtis

by Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.

As the Legislature quickly approaches first adjournment, we have been extremely busy both on the House floor and in committee. This past week the House debated a number of bills that were both controversial and politically charged. Meanwhile, there has been no debate on the floor to address the challenging and systemic issues facing our state. I was temporarily encouraged by hearings in committee this week that would have increased funding for our schools and reduce the sales tax on food, but neither received a vote. The Kansas House is scheduled to adjourn next Friday. We will come back in late April for Veto Session.

Bill to increase funding for schools rejected
This past week the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on a bill to increase funding for education by $38 million. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled the block grant formula passed last year was unconstitutional. The bill, HB 2731, would have reinstituted a portion of the old school finance formula that ensured equal funding among all school districts.

Unfortunately, the chairman of the committee did not bring the bill for a vote and thus, there was no floor debate on the issue last week. There is a bill in the Senate, but it does not allocate any new money and will likely not meet constitutional requirements. Lawmakers have until June 30th to fix the problem or our schools risk being shut down.

I know how important quality public education is to you and our community at large, and I will continue to fight to restore funding for our school district. Our children’s futures depend upon it.

Effort to reduce sales tax on food failed
The House Tax Committee held hearings this week on a bill to reverse a portion of Gov. Brownback’s 2012 tax plan. The bill, HB 2444, would have reinstated the income tax on certain businesses (LLCs, S-Corps) and reduced the sales tax on food from the current rate of 6.5 percent to 2.6 percent.

Currently, 330,000 businesses in Kansas don’t pay any income tax, up from 190,000 when the bill went into effect. As a result, Kansas has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue over the last three years.

To make up for the lost revenue, the legislature passed the largest tax increase in state history last year, raising the sales tax to 6.5 percent. The increase in the sales tax means Kansans pay more on all their purchases and more on food than in any other state in the nation.

Our state is broke and the Kansas economy is lagging behind others in the region. I’m ready to get our state back on solid financial footing, but the chairman of the tax committee did not call a vote on this bill either.

Major juvenile justice reform passed House
A bill reforming the Kansas juvenile justice system passed the House this past week. Kansas currently has the sixth highest incarceration rate of juveniles in the nation, and this bill seeks to reduce that number by moving away from the practice of incarcerating kids towards evidence based practice that use more community-based services.

SB 367 is the result of an extensive workgroup process that lasted several months and is the first major overhaul of the juvenile justice system in more than 20 years. It is the hope that this will decrease juvenile recidivism, protect public safety, and reduce spending on practices that are ineffective thus saving taxpayer dollars.

Job report points to troubled Kansas economy
A labor market report released this past week indicates Kansas lost 1,900 jobs in February and the state has lost 5,400 jobs in the last year. As the economies in other states continue to grow, this is troubling news for the state of Kansas and evidence that Gov. Brownback’s policies aren’t working.

It’s time for change. I will continue to focus on policies that move our state forward by investing in research and innovation, bringing new businesses to the state to generate high-paying jobs, and creating responsible and sustainable tax policies.

Prevailing wage amendment
This past week I offered an amendment on the House Floor to allow local units of government the option to incorporate a prevailing wage requirement on public projects.

In 2013, despite overwhelming opposition from local units of government, the Legislature imposed an unnecessary and unwelcome intrusion in local affairs and violated the spirit of Home Rule for cities, which had been a guarantee in the Kansas Constitution for more than 50 years. This amendment would have simply undone that action and allow local units of government to decide what is best for their communities.

Prevailing wage is set by the Department of Labor and is the hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid in the largest city in each county to the majority of workers, laborers and mechanics. In 1891 Kansas was the first state to pass a “prevailing wage” for its own public works projects with many other states following and still remain.

Prevailing-wage laws do not have a major impact on government contracting costs. They do however support a highly skilled and safe construction workforce that delivers construction projects more cost efficiently and improves the overall economic health of communities.

While I am disappointed my amendment did not pass I do appreciate the support of 42 other members of the Kansas House of Representatives that voted in favor of my amendment.

One of the best ways we can help our state’s local communities be successful is by allowing local government officials the ability to adopt policies that fit the nature of their local community and that are supported by their citizens.

State Library of Kansas resources
It is Learning Express is an easy to use, online resource that can improve many basic skills: reading, writing, and math. It also offers help in test preparation: GED, college entrance, and graduate school. See the High School Equivalency Center for GED practice tests (click on Prepare for the GED Test, then select the desired subject). Also, check out the College Preparation Center (college entrance exams, practice tests, interactive tutorials) and the College Center (skills review, preparation help for graduate school admission exams). Easy registration and self-supplied password is necessary to use this resource and helps you to resume your work. http://kslib.info/LearningExpress

Senate advances bill requiring parental consent to withhold ‘life-sustaining’ treatment

Interstate medical licensure compact also gains approval

by Megan Hart, KHI News Service

The Senate on Monday advanced a bill that would forbid hospitals from withholding life-sustaining treatment from children without permission from a parent or guardian.

Senate Bill 437 would prohibit a physician or health care facility from withholding life-sustaining treatment or placing a do-not-resuscitate order on someone younger than 18 without parental permission. If the parents disagreed, they could petition a district court to settle the case, with the presumption in favor of continuing treatment.

The bill would create exemptions if reasonable medical judgment determined a treatment was “futile,” meaning the patient’s death isn’t likely to be hastened if he or she doesn’t receive it, or “medically inappropriate,” meaning that offering treatment puts the patient at a greater risk of death than withholding it.

Sen. Jacob LaTurner, a Pittsburg Republican, said some parents have discovered that facilities placed do-not-resuscitate orders on their special needs children without permission. He said he didn’t know of any examples in Kansas, but did know of an infant named Simon Crosier in Missouri who died after a hospital decided not resuscitate him.

“This is an important situation that requires health care facilities to make parents central in the decisions,” he said. “Give parents the chance to make these important decisions.”

Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, said she didn’t think anyone was opposed to the “intended consequences” of the bill, but she is concerned it could have effects the state hasn’t anticipated. She said she is concerned other stakeholders weren’t included in the conversation about the bill.

“I think we could come up with a compromise that could work, not only for the parents but also for the hospitals,” she said. “The intent of it is honorable. The process was horrible.”

No one spoke in opposition to the bill while it was in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, though Kelly said she had heard opposition from children’s hospitals. The bill still needs House approval.

Medical licensure compact

The Senate also gave tentative approval to House Bill 2456, which would allow Kansas to join the 12-member interstate medical licensure compact. The House approved the bill on a 120-2 vote last month.

The compact allows a physician in any member state to submit an application for an expedited license in any of the other member states. The physician still would have to pay applicable fees in each state, and the state could regulate care of patients within its borders, even if the physician was in another state and seeing the patient via telemedicine.

Sen. Jeff King, an Independence Republican, said the bill would particularly benefit rural counties along the state’s border. Mercy Hospital in Independence closed in October.

Family planning funds

The Senate also gave initial approval to Senate Bill 436, which would first grant federal funds for family planning under Title X to public entities, such as local health departments. Any money left would then go to private hospitals and federally qualified health centers. Title X is a grant program through the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services.

Sen. Marci Francisco, a Lawrence Democrat, offered an amendment saying the Kansas Department of Health and Environment may contract for long-acting reversible forms of birth control. A Colorado policy encouraging use of long-acting birth control has resulted in a lower unintended pregnancy rates and fewer abortions in that state, she said.

Some Kansas counties haven’t sought Title X grants, Francisco said, so the state needs to prioritize long-acting birth control so some women won’t have to make frequent, lengthy trips to refill a prescription.

“Some of that may be due to an ideological concern, but I think much of this is due to the expense,” she said. “What we have is kind of a patchwork system.”

Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican who sponsored the bill, said she thought decisions about family planning services should be made on the local level, and Francisco’s amendment was voted down.

The bill now needs House approval.

The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

– See more at http://www.khi.org/news/article/senate-advances-bill-requiring-parental-consent-to-withhold-life-sustaining#sthash.1wPFjN1y.dpuf

‘Learn Tools for Better Health’ workshop to be April 6

The starting date for the “Learn Tools for Better Health” program has been changed to April 6.

The program now will start at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at the Landon Center on Aging, 3599 Rainbow Blvd., Room 270, Kansas City, Kan.

It runs on Wednesdays through May 11.

It is a chronic disease self-management education workshop. Those who have an ongoing health condition or are a caregiver of someone who does, such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, or depression, may be interested in attending the workshop.

The workshop is low-cost. For more information about the workshop, call Lori Wuellner at 913-299-9300 or email [email protected].