by State Rep. Pam Curtis
Last week was a very busy and productive week. The House took action on 22 bills, which are listed below.
Hearing held on expungement bill
On Monday, the hearing on HB 2226 was held. I was so proud of the team from Wyandotte County that testified in support of this bill, which will allow certain criminal convictions, eligible under current law, to be automatically expunged. Wesley McKain and Marcia Harrington provided testimony focused on the community health and workforce benefit, Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree and Marilyn Harp with Kansas Legal Services gave excellent testimony on the benefits, the need, how other states have implemented and how it might work in Kansas. They all did an excellent job of laying the groundwork for further discussion and consideration of this important legislation.
This week was the final week to introduce sponsored bills and committee bills from non-exempt committees. I joined members of the Wyandotte County delegation in co-sponsoring two bills that provide for local control:
• HB 2306 to restore local control for prevailing wage on public construction projects; and
• HB 2305 which provides for local control in setting a minimum wage.
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. Both of these bills are keeping with the spirit of home rule for cities, which had been a guarantee in the Kansas Constitution for more than 50 years.
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and appreciate your input on 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. You can also e-mail me.
Governor’s press conference
Tuesday morning, Feb. 9, Gov. Laura Kelly announced that her administration, alongside both House and Senate Democratic leadership, has created a proposed tax bill that would generate $97 million in additional revenue for Kansas, support small businesses, and give 94% of Kansans a tax cut while keeping the state budget neutral and balanced.
Republicans are pushing to spend over $600 million in tax cuts for giant multinational corporations. A majority of Kansans would not receive any tax relief. With Tuesday’s proposed plan, tax relief would be targeted to Kansas families. This proposed plan was an alternative to Senate Bill 22, which was heard on Tuesday by the Kansas Senate.
SB 22 passed out of the Senate on emergency final action 24-15 on Tuesday, Feb. 9. It has a fiscal note of more than $1 billion, and seems to want resurrect the failed Brownback tax experiment that created economic hardship for Kansans. We anticipate this bill reaching the floor very soon.
House Democratic policy agenda
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the Democratic House Caucus held a press conference to go over our priorities for the 2021 legislative session. This session we are focused on accessible, affordable healthcare, continuing to invest in education, helping working Kansans and their families, providing equal opportunities for every Kansan, and creating a more sustainable future. All of these priorities with the many bills that members have introduced are focused on improving the lives of Kansans. We will always try our best in moving Kansas forward toward a better quality of life for every person in our state. You can find an overview of our policy agenda on the Kansas House Democratic Caucus website.
Wednesday on the floor
On Wednesday, the House Caucus addressed and voted on 12 bills. One bill passed on final action and the remaining 11 bills passed on emergency final action.
• HB 2072 would update the version of risk-based capital instructions in effect. On final action it passed 123-0.
• HB 2102 would update egg repackaging requirements for retailers. On emergency final action it passed 123-2.
• HB 2014 would permit military surplus vehicles to register with the division of vehicles for road use. On emergency final action it passed as amended 124-1.
• HB 2112 would permit online advertisement and sales of abandoned property by self-storage rental unit operators; providing for the designation by occupants of an alternate contact and limiting claims for loss or damage of stored property to the property value limit provided in the rental agreement. On emergency final action it passed 120-5.
• HB 2063 would provide certain KP&F tier II spousal and children’s benefits for death resulting from a service-connected disability. On emergency final action it passed as amended 125-0.
• HB 2030 would extend terminal medical release to inmates in the custody of the department of corrections with a condition likely to cause death within 120 days. On emergency final action it passed 96-29.
• HB 2075 would allow venue for an adoption when the state is the agency to be where the state agency or its subcontracting agency has an office. On Emergency Final Action it passed 125-0.
• HB 2062 would provide certain exceptions to the confidentiality of state child death review board documents. On emergency final action it passed 125-0.
• HB 2081 would modify how certain prior convictions are counted for the special sentencing rule related to possession of a controlled substance and providing concurrent or consecutive sentencing for persons convicted of new crimes while on release for a felony. On emergency final action it passed 69-56.
• HB 2064 would make DROP elections revocable and allow DROP members who first elected a DROP period of less than five years to extend such DROP period. On emergency final action it passed as amended 125-0.
• HB 2167 would permit concrete mixer trucks and require dump trucks to display license plates on the front of vehicles. On emergency final action it passed 125-0.
• HB 2005 would exclude hot water supply boilers that have a nominal water capacity not exceeding 120 gallons from the provisions of the boiler safety act.
Thursday on the floor
On Thursday, the House Caucus addressed and voted on 10 bills. One bill passed on final action and the remaining nine bills passed on emergency final action.
• HB 2050 would remove the requirement that certain entities submit certain documents to the division of post audit. On emergency final action it passed 122-0.
• SB 15 would enact the Kansas economic recovery loan deposit program, update field of membership requirements of credit unions and allow privilege tax deductions on agricultural real estate loans and single family residence loans. On emergency final action it passed 122-1.
• HB 2103 would establish the Kansas pesticide waste disposal program and permitting up to $50,000 to be transferred annually from the Kansas agricultural remediation fund to a new Kansas pesticide waste disposal fund. On emergency final action it passed 123-0.
• HB 2134 would update the national association of insurance commissioners credit for reinsurance model law and codify the credit for reinsurance model regulation. On emergency final action it passed 123-0.
• HB 2109 would increase the county population threshold for a county to be required to have a lawyer representative, increasing the number of lawyer members and decreasing the number of non-lawyer members on the board of indigents’ defense services. On emergency final action it passed 87-36.
• HB 2121 would add definitions related to defendants who abscond from supervision in the criminal procedure code and for parole. On emergency final action it passed as amended 101-22.
• HB 2165 would provide for all vehicles more than 35 years old to qualify as an antique vehicle. On emergency final action it passed as amended 114-9.
• HB 2074 would update producer licensing statutes pertaining to appointment, fees, licensing, renewal dates, continuing education, suspension, revocation and denial of licensure and reinstatement. On emergency final action it passed 123-0.
• HB 2001 would create the crime of sexual extortion and require an offender to register under the Kansas offender registration act. On emergency final action it passed as amended 123-0.
• HB 2120 would remove the spousal exception from the crime of sexual battery. On emergency final action it passed 110-13.
Coming up next week
In the upcoming weeks, we expect to see the debate continue on school vouchers and the Brownback 2.0 tax bill. Each has their own respective issues. School vouchers serve as a way to funnel taxpayer dollars away from public schools, that serve all Kansas children, and give that money to the private schools. The school voucher bill, SB 61, passed out of the Kansas Senate on Thursday on emergency final action 23-14 and would be a return to the Brownback tax policy.
Kansas State Library
The Kansas State Library has a wealth of information and services on their website at https://kslib.info/. From downloading a digital book, finding your legislator, learning tools, job tools to accessing statewide library collections. The librarians are very helpful and serve not only the needs of state agencies and legislators but also the general public. They welcome your questions, especially about Kansas Government and can be reached by phone at 1-800-432-3919. You can also call the Legislative Hotline, 1-800-432-3924, to leave a message for legislators.
Resources
My legislative Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PamCurtisKCK.
My Twitter account, https://twitter.com/pcurtiskck.
Kansas Legislature website, http://www.kslegislature.org/li/.