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

by Rep. Pam Curtis

We are now at day 39 of the session and I expect things to pick up significantly in the coming weeks.

While the Legislature has passed a budget, that budget is now out of balance and the Legislature will need to address that shortfall because the constitution does not allow us to have an unbalanced budget.

Also, the Legislature still needs to address the school finance decision and find a way to properly provide equitable funding to our schools. There are several contentious bills, especially some that dramatically affect education that will be heard in the coming days.

I strongly encourage you to contact the chairs of the committees hearing those bills and let them know how you feel about those bills. Below are some of the highlights of the past week.

It is an honor to represent our community in the Kansas House of Representatives. I very much appreciate your input on matters before the Kansas Legislature so please do not hesitate to contact me. If I can be of service to you or anyone you know call my office at 785-296-7371 or email me at [email protected]

Governor signs budget
Last week, Gov. Sam Brownback signed the budget bill previously passed by the House and Senate. The governor signed the bill even though February revenue was reported $53 million below expectations. The result is the budget is now in the red $47 million because the original bill had an ending balance of only $6 million, far below the 7.5 percent required.

With roughly three months remaining in the current fiscal year (which ends June 30th) we will need to find roughly $47 million just to balance the budget he signed. If we continue to miss revenue expectations in the coming months that $47 million will only grow.

Since the governor and his Republican allies are unwilling to reverse course on their mismanagement of the state economy we should expect more cuts. Cuts like the $17 million the governor just made out of our universities and colleges (as I discussed last week). I am strongly against this budget because it uses transfers and budget tricks to balance rather than establish responsible fiscal policy. Below is a good description of the transfers this budget utilizes:

1state general fund graphic

Governor vetoes power plant bill
In the last few weeks both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly passed SB 250, prohibiting the governor from entering into an agreement with a bank to finance the building of a new power plant for the state capitol complex.

The reason the legislature passed this bill in the first place was because the governor entered into the agreement with the bank without seeking any approval from the Legislature. Unfortunately, Gov. Brownback decided to veto the bill last week. This bill was necessary to send a message to the governor that he overstepped his authority and it passed both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly with near unanimous votes. It is unclear if the Legislature will attempt to override his veto.

Governor mortgaging children’s future
During debate in a Senate Committee this week, the president of Kansas Action for Children raised the prospect of the governor and his administration secretly contemplating the sale of future state tobacco settlement receipts for a one-time payment of $400 million to help resolve state government budget problems.

In 1998, Kansas and other states sued tobacco companies for the health related costs of smoking on the residents of Kansas. As a result of that litigation a settlement was reached that provided states with roughly $200 million by 2025. Kansas’s portion of that settlement is roughly $57 million each year and statute requires that money to be used for programs that benefit children through the Kansas Children Initiative and the Children’s Cabinet. It is very concerning that the Governor and his Republican allies in the Legislature, having mismanaged the state’s economy, are now apparently willing to mortgage money meant for children to fill his budget holes. I am opposed to this measure.

Bill update
Below are a few of the bills that saw action on the House floor in the last week:
• Tanning Bed Restrictions (HB 2369) – Due to the harmful effects of tanning beds this bill would prohibit any person under the age of 18 from accessing any tanning device at a tanning facility. The bill would establish a maximum fine of $250 for any licensee found in violation of this new standard. I voted in favor of this bill and it passed the House 77-44.
• Refugee Limitation (HB 2612) – Seeks to limit the ability of refugees to enter Kansas. The bill was debated on the House floor but was eventually sent back to committee. I voted in favor of sending the bill back to committee. The bill restricts the resettlement of refugees and places unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on refugee resettlement in Kansas. Refugees undergo more rigorous screening than anyone else we allow into the United States.
• Legislature Transparency (HB 2573) – A transparency bill that would require legislative committee meetings to be live streamed and available via the internet. I voted in favor of this bill that passed the house on final action. It is a good first step towards making the legislative process more transparent by providing the public an opportunity to listen live to some committee meetings remotely.
• No GITMO detainees in Kansas (HCR 5024) – A resolution calling on the President to not send detainees from GITMO into Kansas. Passed the House 104-16. I voted against HCR 5024 and want to share with you the explanation of vote that I and other Representatives signed:
MR. SPEAKER: No Kansan supports terrorism. Everyone deplores these despicable acts against humanity. I strongly oppose the placement of Guantanamo Bay detainees in USP Leavenworth, but vote no on HCR 5024 as it defames our President. How can we expect him to acknowledge our resolution when we allege he demonstrated a willingness to violate American law and weakens our standing in the world? I want the President to take our concerns seriously, to recognize we have legitimate misgivings about housing detainees. As written, the resolution fails this. I’ve drafted a less inflammatory letter to the President regarding transfer of these detainees to Kansas and am sending it today.

State Library of Kansas resources
The Kansas Constitution, including the Ordinance, Preamble, and Bill of Rights, is available to print in a pocket sized version from the State Library’s websitehttp://kslib.info/constitution. Just click on the link and follow the instructions. A helpful diagram shows how to fold and where to cut to assemble your booklet. Helpful tip: print double sided and flip on the long edge.

League of Women Voters legislative coffee
The League of Women Voters will hold a Legislative Coffee on Saturday, March 19, at the Kansas City, Kan., Main Public Library, 625 Minnesota Ave. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. and I along with several other Wyandotte County legislators will be participating. Please join us at this event next Saturday to discuss the important matters being considered by the Kansas Legislature.

Opinion column: ‘None of the above’ could be top presidential choice of many Americans

Window on the West

by Mary Rupert

Have you heard the strange words coming out of politicians’ mouths lately?

With the presidential campaign in full swing, it often seems like we are listening to kids taunting each other on the playground, not serious candidates presenting a platform.

Many individuals are strongly backing presidential candidates, but overall, “none of the above” could be a choice of some average voters.

A Pew Research Center poll in January found that the top candidate at that time, Hillary Clinton, had only 34 percent support of voters who thought she would be a good president. The other leading candidates had even less support from voters on that question. It seems that a majority of voters at that time did not think any candidate can be a good president.

Still, Wyandotte County showed a good turnout for the presidential caucuses held Saturday, March 5. There were long lines at the various sites, showing a greater interest than 2008, according to some observers. When I dropped by for a few minutes at some caucuses, I saw long lines but I did not see any fighting, no name-calling and no taunting on the part of the people attending.

The candidates themselves, by making personal remarks instead of just sticking to the issues, may be bringing down public confidence in all politicians.

As the campaign advances, and the field of candidates narrows, we may see more confidence in the nominees, if we’re lucky. If not, we may see a lot of voters staying home.

The campaign debates, while getting more interesting, have been ugly at times, including personal attacks. Voters of all different backgrounds are doubting statements made in the campaigns.

One of the worst political statements made recently in Kansas came from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has been quoted by major newspapers as calling the League of Women Voters “communists” during the state Republican convention. I looked, and there is nothing in the league’s policy positions that supports taking away all the wealth from private capital, redistributing it, and turning all the private enterprises into state-owned industries. Perhaps Kobach meant some never used, small “c” interpretation of the word communist, as in community-minded?

The League of Women Voters has taken an active role in challenging Kobach’s Kansas law that requires voter identification. There are thousands of people in Kansas who tried to register to vote but whose registration was not completed, and that is something that should be addressed. I believe it is a worthy goal to increase the number of people who vote, to hold forums for the candidates and to hold voter registration drives.

Many years ago, over the past 40 years, I have met several members of the League of Women Voters, which is a nonpartisan organization. I noticed that some of them in their personal lives were Democrats and some were Republicans. But I never met one who was a Communist. They focused on goals they could all support, such as more voter education and voter registration. They were a staid group that usually was just not controversial. Without their work, we would have fewer nonpartisan public discussion forums for voters to learn about the candidates.

Once the top leaders start slinging mud, you can be sure that people down the line will try it, too. Those who pick up a few points in the polls by slinging mud at the debates may do well for a short period of time, but I doubt if it will do them any good in the long run. The more they do it, the more the public may do it, and the more people will choose “none of the above.”

To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].

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

by Rep. Pam Curtis

Committees began meeting again last week. In the Judiciary Committee, we had an informational hearing on funding needs for the Judicial Branch.

There was also an informational hearing held in the House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development on the effects of Horse and Greyhound Tracks on Commerce in Kansas as well as a hearing on a bill that would limit local government’s ability to enact rental license ordinances.

Wyandotte County was well represented at the Capitol this week, with many of you attending hearings, giving testimony and, most importantly, providing feedback to legislators on the matters being discussed. Your involvement does make a difference and I cannot emphasis enough how critically important it is.

On Monday, I had the opportunity to visit the 5th grade class at Resurrection Catholic School and read “Grace for President” to the students. The students were great and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Women legislators and members of Congress have been invited to read “Grace for President” in classrooms across the country as part of Teach a Girl to Lead, a project of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

It remains an incredible honor to represent our community in the Kansas House of Representatives. While the Legislature is in session, I do my best to stay in touch and keep you informed by email, and I spend countless hours every week helping my constituents solve problems. If I can be of service to you or anyone you know please call my office at 785-296-7371 or email me at [email protected]

Revenue down $53 million
Kansas is officially broke – again. The February revenue numbers were released last week and the news is not good. The state brought in $53 million less than expected. This, unfortunately, has become the trend and not the exception. Month after month, revenue has come in under expectations. As you can see from the chart below, we have only met expectations twice since January of 2015.

This means that the budget passed by the House and Senate a couple of weeks ago with an ending balance of $6 million is now already $47 million in the hole. The fiscal mismanagement of our state is the cause of this downturn and the governor and his Republican allies in the legislature continue to bury their heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge the dire circumstances of our state.

Governor cuts higher education
In response to the February revenue numbers being $53 million below expectations, the governor decided to immediately cut all regent universities by 3 percent for a total of $17 million from all schools. This cut affects all regent universities, including KU Medical Center. Since we are already so far into the current fiscal year (which ends June 30), a 3 percent cut translates to about a 9 percent cut in reality. The universities are still evaluating how they will address these cuts, but I fear schools will be required to raise tuition and make cuts to student services.

State Library of Kansas resources
The Auto Repair Reference Center is a comprehensive online collection of auto repair resources, with illustrated procedures, technical service bulletins, and diagnostic help for most major domestic and imported vehicles. The content is created by ASE certified technicians and includes drawings, photos, videos, and step-by-step guides. Auto Repair Reference Center – http://kslib.info/aarc