Month: June 2016

Governor signs school finance bill

The school finance bill passed on Friday by the Kansas Legislature became law today with the governor’s signature.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today asked the Kansas Supreme Court to approve the school finance law. It was filed under a joint stipulation submitted by the attorney general and the counsel for the plaintiff school districts who filed suit, including the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools.

In signing the school finance bill, Gov. Sam Brownback issued this statement: “I am pleased to sign this bill ensuring that Kansas schools remain open. As I said when I called the special session, our focus was on making sure the Kansas Supreme Court did not close schools over 1 percent of the $4 billion spent on education in Kansas.

“I appreciate the hard work of legislators which began prior to the start of the session in a series of meetings. The effort to bring together legislators, educators and attorneys resulted in a bill supported by all parties and a stipulation by plaintiff’s attorney that House Bill 2001 satisfies the equity portion of this litigation.

“This bill passed the House and Senate with strong majorities, showing the legislature’s commitment to addressing the issue in a timely manner. I congratulate House Speaker Ray Merrick and Senate President Susan Wagle for an efficient and focused special session. I thank all the legislators who worked hard to protect our schools from the threat of closure, especially Representative Ron Ryckman, Jr., chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and Senator Ty Masterson, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.”

According to Schmidt, the joint stipulation presented to the court states: “[T]he State and Plaintiff Districts jointly request that the Court enter an order acknowledging that the Legislature has currently satisfied the Court’s orders … regarding equity, that Kansas schools are currently funded in compliance with the equity requirement of [the Kansas Constitution], and therefore that no remedy is necessary or appropriate at this time.”

If granted by the court, the joint request would ensure schools remain open and operating after June 30. A copy of the joint stipulation is available at http://1.usa.gov/299CRXx.

For an earlier story, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/school-finance-agreement-seen-as-tremendous-victory-for-public-education/.

UG committee slated to consider concealed carry for employees tonight

A Unified Government committee is scheduled to consider an amendment to the human resource rules allowing employees to carry a concealed firearm while employed outside of UG buildings, including within a vehicle.

The item is on tonight’s UG Administration and Human Services Committee agenda, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. The meeting is on the fifth floor of City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.

A state law goes into effect July 1, 2016, that mandated that public employees could carry concealed firearms while they are outside of their offices, including in a UG vehicle or driving their personal vehicle on the job. This was prohibited by past UG policies.

According to agenda information, the proposed ordinance change states that all guns are still prohibited from inside all UG buildings. Open carry of a handgun is prohibited in UG buildings or during the course of conducting UG business, according to the ordinance.

Also on tonight’s AHS UG agenda is a request from Leadership 2020 for an extension to spend its 2015 UG-Hollywood Casino Grant allocation of $24,990 at a later date.

The grant allocation was to build an outdoor trail and outdoor classroom for Piper High School students. According to a letter received from Leadership 2020, the cost of the entire project is more than $400,000, and additional grants are being written for state recreational program funds. The project has received a grant of $15,000 from the GM Tri-Labor Council of Eastern Kansas Golf Tournament and Auction, as well as a contribution of $5,000 from the GM Tri-Labor Council of Eastern Kansas. Some in-kind donations also were received.

Also on tonight’s agenda is a resolution to approve a collaborative agreement between the UG, Kansas City, Mo., Independence, Mo., Blue Springs, Mo., and Leavenworth, Kan., to work together with the Mid-America Regional Council to develop and submit an assessment of fair housing to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Another agenda item is a grant application for a Kaw River bike-pedestrian bridge.

According to the agenda, an abandoned railroad bridge near Kemper Arena has been leased to a private group that is exploring a bike and pedestrian trail over the Kansas River by the city of Kansas City, Mo., which owns the bridge. The bridge is located in the city of Kansas City, Kan. There may be a discussion about connecting the Heritage Trail and Kaw Valley Levee trails, an engineering analysis and other uses of the bridge.

If items are approved at tonight’s meeting, they would move on to the full UG Commission meeting for approval at a later date.

The agenda for the committee meeting, which includes the wording of the proposed human resources rules, is online at www.wycokck.org.

ACLU calls for end to restrictions on Kansas abortions in wake of U.S. Supreme Court decision

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning against a Texas law imposing restrictions on abortion providers, the ACLU of Kansas has called for the repeal of restrictive abortion laws in Kansas.

“When the Texas law was passed in 2013, Texas had 42 clinics providing abortion services. Since then, the number of clinics has dropped to 19,” stated Micah Kubic, executive director of the Kansas ACLU. “The number of in-state abortion providers could have dropped to as few as 10 if Texas had prevailed. That threat is no longer imminent, since the Supreme Court again ruled that a woman has the constitutional right to make decisions about her own healthcare and cannot face an undue burden in seeking a safe and legal abortion.”

The vote of the Supreme Court today was 6- 4. The majority opinion was written by Justice Stephen Breyer, while dissenting opinions were written by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The decision quoted from an earlier ruling that said while the state had an interest in making sure abortions were performed under safe circumstances for the patient, a law that puts substantial obstacles in the way did not serve those ends.

The ACLU’s Kubic wrote: “Gov. Brownback and Kansas legislators have passed the nation’s most extreme agenda of harassment and intimidation of woman and doctors. Kansas has attempted to block women from the most common method used in second-trimester abortions. This morning’s Supreme Court ruling demonstrates that Kansas’s outside-the-mainstream restrictions will not pass constitutional muster. In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, it is time for Kansas to repeal its dangerous, unnecessary, and unconstitutional restrictions on women’s healthcare. Lawmakers do not belong in the exam room. We call on Gov. Brownback and lawmakers to stand up for women and stop blocking access to healthcare. They are wasting time and taxpayer money by continuing to pursue restrictions that won’t pass constitutional muster.”

For more information, visit http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/15-274_p8k0.pdf.