Month: January 2018

Legislative update from Rep. Pam Curtis

Guest column
Opinion

Rep. Pam Curtis

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

Many thanks to everyone who visited the Capitol this past week. Week 3 brought many local officials to Topeka for annual meetings and opportunities to visit with legislators about matters before the Kansas Legislature. It is always good to see people from home at the Capitol.

Much of our work currently is in committee with both informational and bill hearings and we are starting to work some of the bills that have been heard the past few weeks. Monday, Jan. 29, is the deadline for members to request that a bill be drafted for consideration this session.
Jan. 29 is also Kansas Day. Kansas entered the Union as the 34th state on Jan. 29, 1861. This year we celebrate 157 years of statehood. Happy Kansas Day.

Democrats roll out transparency package

On Tuesday, House and Senate Democrats held a joint press conference at which they rolled out a package of transparency bills. One of the cornerstones of our democracy is that voters can hold their representatives accountable; the bills offered by Democrats take major steps toward opening up the legislative process and state government.

The transparency bills introduced by Democrats in the House are as follows:

Gut and go prohibition – This bill would create a statute that specifically prohibits removing the contents of a bill in its entirety and replacing with new material. This prohibition would apply to any action on the floor, in committee or in conference committee in either chamber.

Gut and go tracking – Currently, not all actions taken on a bill are fully transparent to the public. This bill would provide a mechanism for fully reporting bill action to a publicly accessible website – including any gut and go actions.

No secret votes – This bill would require that all votes taken in the Kansas Legislature be recorded. This would include all votes in committee as well as all votes on the floor of either chamber (including go votes and amendment votes).

Civil asset forfeiture – Among other changes, this bill would require all law enforcement agencies to report to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) a listing of all property seized from law enforcement activities and requires the KBI to make that list available to the public. The bill would also provide a clear system for how citizens can reclaim their seized property.

Lobbyists cool down period – HB 2155 would create the Kansas Integrity in Government Act which would prohibit an individual from lobbying or being employed as a lobbyist within one year of the date of that person’s resignation from a term of any state elected office to which the individual was elected or appointed.

DCF death records – HB 2309 would amend the Kansas Code for Care of Children by requiring that all reports received by the secretary of the Department for Children and Families, a law enforcement officer, or any juvenile intake and assessment worker, regarding sexual abuse, great bodily harm or death of a child in the custody of the secretary be made public record and subject to disclosure through the Open Records Act.

Election reform – Would create a law requiring manual audits of elections and would amend law related to the timing of the election canvasses and electronic voting machines. The bill would also require all voting machines to provide a paper copy of each vote cast at the time the vote was cast.

Prohibiting outside employment – This bill would prohibit any statewide officeholder from being engaged in any outside employment while holding statewide office.
Increasing penalties under KORA and KOMA – The current penalties within the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) and the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) are virtually nonexistent. Additionally, state agencies oftentimes charge exorbitant fees before releasing the records and too often take months before fully responding to a request. This bill would remedy these issues and help ensure the public has appropriate access to the records of its government.

Brownback confirmed by U.S. Senate

On Wednesday, Governor Brownback’s nomination passed through two procedural votes in the U.S. Senate.

In 2017, Brownback was nominated for the ambassador of international religious freedom position by President Donald Trump. The U.S. Senate failed to act in 2017, and Brownback (who had already handed over certain gubernatorial duties to Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer) remained in Kansas. He was re-nominated by Trump in January 2018.

The first vote on Brownback’s confirmation on Wednesday resulted in a tie, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking that tie to pull Brownback through the first vote hurdle. The second vote Wednesday on the Senate floor involved the full body, and also tied, 49-49 with two Republican Senators (John McCain and Bob Corker) absent.

Pence again came out to break the tie, confirming Brownback to his ambassadorship. He will resign his seat as governor on Jan. 31, and Colyer will be sworn in soon after.

State Finance Council passes Lansing prison contract

During the first procedural vote to confirm Brownback’s nomination on Wednesday, another vote was taking place in Kansas – whether or not to approve a contract with CoreCivic to build a new corrections facility in Lansing.

The deal was approved 6-3 by the State Finance Council. Kansas now enters into a lease-to-purchase contract with a for-profit prison company. The three no votes were made by House Democratic Leader Rep. Jim Ward, Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Anthony Hensley, and Republican Sen. Carolyn McGinn.

While Democratic leadership and caucuses understand that Lansing desperately needs a new corrections facility – and advocate that the facility must remain in Lansing – CoreCivic is an unreliable partner with a substandard history nationwide. A project of this magnitude would be better vetted by the full Legislature, rather than a small group of nine members.

Republican leadership attacks deputy education commissioner

Republicans Senate President Susan Wagle and House Speaker Ron Ryckman sent a letter on Wednesday to the chairman of the Kansas State Department of Education. The letter attacks the Deputy Education Commissioner of School Finance, Dale Dennis, a decades-long public servant who had dedicated that service to the children of Kansas.

The letter sparked a bipartisan backlash from members of the Kansas Legislature, state agencies, and the public. Dale Dennis is the utmost authority on school finance in the state. His removal, which is recommended in the original letter from the Senate president and House speaker, would be detrimental to Kansas schoolchildren, teachers, parents, and the legislature as we head into a session where crafting a new, adequate, and equitable school finance formula is not only a major priority but a requirement by the Kansas Supreme Court.

First floor vote of the 2018 session

On Friday, the House held the first vote of the 2018 session on the following two bills:
HB 2439: An act concerning crimes, punishment and criminal procedure; relating to involuntary manslaughter; aggravated battery; involving certain violations of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

HB 2482: An act concerning alcoholic beverages; relating to the hours of sale of alcoholic liquor by the drink

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 452-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7430 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can email me at [email protected] You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Sara Matthews new women’s soccer assistant coach at KCKCC

Sara Matthews

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

A former high school and college standout with a wealth of coaching experience at both levels. Sara Matthews is the new women’s soccer assistant coach at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

“We’re real fortunate to have someone like Sara who has college coaching experience both as a head coach and as an assistant,” KCKCC head coach Shawn Uhlenhake said. “I look forward to working with her and excited our players will have a good mentor.”

Matthews’ experience includes four years as head women’s soccer coach at Avila University, four years as an assistant at Baker University and one year as a graduate assistant at Washburn University.

In addition, she coaches two high school age club teams with KC Fusion where she won a US Youth Soccer Region II Champions and was named 2017 KSYSA (Kansas Youth Soccer Association) Girls Competitive Coach of the Year.

“I’m excited,” Matthews said. “It’s the perfect opportunity for me to stay close to home and use the experience and resources that I have gained in the region, both in the club and college soccer world. I can’t wait to get to work with Shawn (Uhlenhake) and our players.”

A 2005 graduate of Olathe East High School where she played varsity soccer for four years, Matthews earned a scholarship to Baker University where she also played four years as one of Baker’s most versatile players.

An All-Heart of America Conference selection at a forward as a sophomore, Matthews moved to midfield as a junior and then finished her career as a defender. She was named Baker’s Female Athlete of the Year as a junior and was a three-year team captain on a team that reached the conference semifinals.

Matthews graduated with a major in business in 2009 and then served a year as graduate assistant at NCAA Division II Washburn University while earning a Master’s degree in Business Administration. She returned to Baker in 2010 and was an assistant coach on a Braves’ team that reached the NAIA Final Four in 2010, the Elite Eight in 2011 and the Sweet 16 in 2012. For the past four seasons, Matthews was head coach at Avila University.

Matthews holds an NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches) Advanced National Diploma, a USSF License and a Coerver Youth Diploma.

“Sara’s background and experience coaching at the club and college level in the area should be a great asset for recruiting local talent,” Uhlenhake said. “In addition, she’s going to provide a great resource for our players moving on. She knows what it takes to play at the four-year level and will be a great addition to help train and prepare our players to be successful at that level.”

Stock gains boost university endowments in Kansas, for now

by Stephan Bisaha, Kansas News Service

A booming stock market last year meant big gains for endowments at Kansas colleges and universities.

But declines in the long-term performance of endowments and changes to the tax code make many financial officers nervous.

A study, conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, found that endowments across the country saw a 12.2 percent return in fiscal year 2017. That’s a significant improvement over the loss of 1.9 percent the year before. Kansas schools saw similar returns.

However, analysts warn against counting on continued momentum in those markets.

“Bull markets end,” said Kenneth Redd, senior director of research and policy analysis for NACUBO. “If you’re an investor — especially of an endowment — you have to plan for that.”

Colleges and universities use endowments — invested assets valued in the billions for the largest universities — to create a stable financial base to draw upon over the long-term.

In good financial times, a portion of those returns pays for or student financial aid and a range of things from new buildings to research. In bad years, spending from endowments can minimize tuition hikes and maintain services that would otherwise face cuts. Years of declining state higher education spending in Kansas have caused a growing reliance on endowments at public universities.

Fort Hays State University saw the largest proportional increase of the 10 Kansas institutions included in the study. The market value of its endowments increased by more than 30 percent to $91 million. Much of the increase was driven by large, one-time gifts.

“Our future is very bright,” said Jason Williby, president of the Fort Hays State University Foundation.

Long-term returns have not proven so encouraging. But Williby waves away those concerns.

“If the stock market stays strong I don’t think double-digit growth is out of the norm for the next couple years,” Williby said.

The University of Kansas saw the market value of its endowment increase by 9.3 percent to $1.6 billion, even after spending some of the returns rather than reinvesting that money. The first six months of the current fiscal year have seen a comparable performance, according to KU. But those in charge of the university’s endowment are bracing for a rockier future.

“A run of good performances raises everyone’s collective blood pressure,” said James Clarke, a senior vice president for the KU Endowment Association. “We’ve run pretty far, pretty fast. And markets tend to reserve at some point.”

There’s also concern about how new changes to federal tax law will affect endowments. The law adds a 1.4 percent excise tax on some private college endowments, though it would only affect a small number of institutions with large endowments compared to the size of their student body. There are also worries that a higher standard deduction will give taxpayers less of an incentive to donate to charities.

Clarke said the school will have to wait to see what effect the tax changes will have and that most donors to KU give because they want to support the university — not for a tax deduction. But others in charge of university endowments are nervously uncertain.

“With a heavy accent on the nervous,” said Kenneth Redd with NACUBO. “If there are fewer incentives for people to donate to charities that’s going to really affect all nonprofits but certainly university endowments.”

Stephan Bisaha, based at KMUW in Wichita, is an education reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio, KCUR and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @SteveBisaha. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post. kcur.org

See more at http://kcur.org/post/stock-gains-boost-university-endowments-kansas-now.