Category: Opinions

Legislative newsletter from Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist.
Contents:
Block grants
Budget overview
Repeal of exemption would raise property taxes
Changes to TANF-SNAP
Repeal the RPS
Fantasy football
Changes to conceal and carry laws
Keep in touch
Block grants
After just one week of debate, on a vote of 64-57, the Kansas House of Representatives passed the largest education reform in over 20 years. House Substitute for Senate Bill 7 eliminates the school finance formula, and allocates in its place the governor’s block grant program for 2016 and 2017.

I voted against the legislation because I consider educating our children to be one of the most important things state government does. The bill, which was unnecessarily fast tracked in the House, does not meet the needs of Kansas schools districts because it:

Eliminates the current education formula
The block grant formula eliminates the weightings to account for growing or shrinking enrollment, at-risk and bi-lingual students, high transportation costs, career and voc-tech programs, among others. The current formula must meet the needs of almost 300 different school districts in our state, each with their own set of unique challenges. The problem with the funding formula was not that it was broken, but that it wasn’t fully funded.

Decreases education funding
The governor’s education plan does nothing to address the issue that our schools have been perpetually underfunded for more than five years. The plan freezes funding for two consecutive years at current levels, forcing school districts to absorb the cost.

Creates inequalities among districts
This legislation pits poor districts against wealthy districts and rural districts against urban districts. Students in Junction City will not have access to the same resources as student in Johnson County. That is unfair to Kansas schools and bad for the Kansas economy.

The bill went to the Senate for final approval on Monday, and then to the governor’s desk for signature. I urge you to contact the governor’s office at 785-368-8500 and ask him to veto the bill. It is time for Kansas to make fair and adequate funding a priority. Our children, the future of Kansas, deserve better.

Budget overview
Despite the legislature being in session for over two months now, we have yet to see a comprehensive budget bill that addresses the $600 million deficit that was created by Governor Brownback’s failed economic experiment. In the coming weeks, however, the budget will again become a priority as we are confronted with difficult decisions about the future of our state. As the budget process moves forward, I will consider any sustainable plan that is fair and equitable for Kansas families.

Repeal of exemption would raise property taxes
This week, in an effort to fill the projected $600 million budget hole caused by Gov. Brownback’s irresponsible tax plan, the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee heard a bill that would reinstate $45 million in property taxes on Kansas homeowners. The bill would repeal a statewide exemption of the first $20,000 of the appraised value of residential property.

The tax, which is regressive in nature, is uniformly applied to all Kansas homeowners regardless of the cost of their home. Lower income Kansans will be forced to pay a larger portion of their annual income than their wealthier counterparts. This is yet another example of how the poorest Kansans are being forced to bear the cost of the Governor’s failed economic experiment.

Changes to TANF-SNAP
The House Commerce, Labor and Economic Committee approved a bill this week that changes the way two social service programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are administered by the state. There are numerous changes to the programs, but some of the most concerning include:

• Prohibiting the use of federal or state funds to promote and assist enrollment
• Reducing the lifetime limit on TANF benefits from 48 months to 36 months
• Restricting eligibility for citizens with previous drug offenses.

The proposed changes will make TANF and SNAP less accessible for Kansans who need assistance during a time when poverty in Kansas is increasing. I have always believed that Kansas is a place where people can prosper if they’re willing to work hard and play by the rules, but sometimes they might need a little help.

Repeal the RPS
A measure to sunset the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard at the end of 2015 was heard in committees of both chambers this week. Passed in 2009, the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires major electrical companies to harvest 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources. Under the 2009 legislation that percentage is scheduled to grow to 15 percent in 2016, and 20 percent in 2020.

If the Legislature repeals RPS, however, the minimum industry standards for renewable energy sources will be eliminated. Those in favor of keeping RPS argue it is essential to the continued success of Kansas’ alternative energy markets– in particular wind energy, which accounts for over 13,000 jobs in Kansas.

Fantasy football
Fantasy football fans in Kansas may soon have something to cheer about. According to the Racing and Gaming Commission, Fantasy Football Leagues that disburse money as awards are considered lotteries and are therefore illegal under Kansas law. A bill in the House makes participation in Fantasy Leagues legal by changing their designation from a lottery to a game of skill . I do not see any reason to throw a yellow flag on the bill, and will likely support it should it come to the House floor for a vote.
Changes to conceal and carry laws
Some senators are looking to abolish Kansas’ permit requirement to conceal and carry a fireman. Current state law requires individuals to submit an application, complete firearm safety training courses, and pass a background screening . The measure in the Kansas Senate, which had a hearing this week, will remove all existing requirements and will make it legal for almost anyone to conceal and carry without a permit. I believe in the Constitutional right to bear arms; however we must have responsible policies that keep our children and communities safe. I fear removing the permit requirements could have dangerous consequences.

Keep in touch
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I 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 174-W, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785-296-6791 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.

March 16, 2015

It is an honor to represent District 6 in the Kansas Senate.
If I can be of service to you or anyone you know, please call my office at 785-296-7375, or email me at pat.pettey @senate.ks.gov

In this issue:
• Three weeks left of regular session
• Block grant proposal passes House
• Changes to tax law considered
• Senate committee hears bill stripping bargaining rights
• Paycheck deduction bill heard
• Another property tax increase
• Renewable portfolio standard
• Fantasy football
• My thoughts

Three weeks left of regular session

Friday marked three weeks to go before first adjournment. Committees held hearings on bills, worked them, and passed many out of committee for consideration on the Senate floor. We also had several days of floor votes in the Senate, including the vote confirming Gov. Brownback’s second appointee to the Court of Appeals.

Block grant update

Friday was a sad day for Kansas kids as the House passed by just one vote SB7, repealing the current school funding law and replacing it with a block grant for two years. I received hundreds of emails from Kansans about SB7, and not one of them was in support of this legislation. There were thousands of calls Thursday night trying to get representatives to vote this bill down, but they just came up short.

Some of you may wonder what the “big deal” is about going to a block grant. Here is some background on that and my concerns about the block grant vs. the current formula.

Before the current school funding formula was put in place in 1992, property taxes for schools and per-pupil spending varied widely. Some districts were spending $2,000 per pupil and some $12,000. Some rural districts had mill levies of over 100 mills while urban schools taxed much lower. The current formula levels the playing field. Every Kansas student has access to about the same funding as the state “equalizes” payments to help the low-property value districts. It allows districts to add some local money through the Local Option Budget, but has a cap on that. The reason we have a lawsuit in court over school funding today is that the legislature failed to fund the formula to keep up with inflation, and did not make the equalization payments. The court, in fact, warned us not to mess with the formula before they made their ruling final.

The current formula provides extra funding for students who have extra costs (like tech ed or at-risk students). Schools get more money as student population grows. The block grant eliminates the safeguards and equalization the current formula has. The block grant forces school districts to raise property taxes by $33 million to recover the lost LOB equalization. That just puts us back in the old days where rural and poor districts will not be able to afford to educate their kids. And all of us will have higher property taxes.

The block grant was passed just one week after it was introduced. Very little debate. And even though the public was overwhelmingly against it, it passed. I know some of you think schools get enough money now, and that’s fine. This is not about “throwing money” at a problem. The bill cuts funding by over $50 million.

It’s been hard to dig through the whole bill and find out what it does besides cut funding, but here are some new details and changes made this week.

One good change that was made to the block grant bill in committee was to put new facilities funding back in. When you build a new school, the state helps you fund the equipment, desks, etc., needed to furnish it. This will stay in place until 2017.

The bill provides funding for virtual school students who don’t live in Kansas. The payment is even more than we provide for basic state aid for Kansas kids. This could be the mechanism used down the road to provide taxpayer funding for private schools and home schools.

Another good change was adding some funding back for students over age 18 who are trying to finish their high school diploma

Other bills last week

While the block grant bill took up most of the energy this week, there were hearings on other bills as well. Here are a few:
• The House heard a bill that would change hiring and benefits for state employees. It would allow agencies to convert jobs from classified (protected by civil service rules) to unclassified (hire and fire at will). The bill also limits shared leave, and pretty much eliminates the longevity bonus.
• A bill that would allow religious organizations at post-secondary schools to discriminate based on religion. In other words, if a person showed up at a meeting with a different belief than the group, that person could be rejected for membership.
• Gov. Brownback has tightened requirements for food stamps and cash assistance over the last four years. There is a bill that puts those restrictions into law and tightens them even more.
• The Senate tax committee heard a bill that would once again tax “passive” income. This could be something like the income a person makes for rental income. This would raise taxes by $65 million. This is one way to recoup the lost income from the governor’s 2012 tax cuts.
• Another bill scraps the Teacher of the Year program. Under the current program, recipients are picked by a large group of people from all walks of life. These teachers travel the state being mentors to other teachers. Under the new program, legislators would pick the winners who would get cash awards.
• The war on public employees continued as the Senate Commerce committee heard a bill that would make it illegal for union dues to be taken out of an employee paycheck. All other deductions like United Way would still be allowed. They also heard a bill that would eliminate the Public Employees Relations Board and limit what public employees could negotiate to just wages and hours.
• The Senate Tax committee also heard a bill that would raise property taxes by $45 million statewide by eliminating the exemption of the first $20,000 in home value when calculating the 20 mill state assessment for school funding.

More bills from last week

Renewable Portfolio Standard
The Kansas Legislature is attempting once again to eliminate the Renewable Portfolio Standard. This time the repeal would be effective Jan. 1, 2016. Senate Bill 253 and House Bill 2373 would eliminate the requirement for utility companies to show a renewable energy generation capacity of 15-percent by 2016, and at least 20-percent by 2020. Having the RPS is proof that the Kansas Legislature supports wind energy and the related jobs.

Gov. Brownback last year announced that he no longer supports RPS and was in favor of phasing them out, despite the fact that industry reports rank Kansas as fifth among states for wind energy-related jobs – more than 4,000 Kansans are employed in the industry.

I do not support the repeal of the RPS.

Fantasy Football
Fantasy Football fans in Kansas may soon have something to thank the Legislature for – a bill in the House would make it legal by changing the designation of Fantasy Football from a lottery to a game of skill. Under current law, Fantasy Football Leagues that disburse money as awards are considered lotteries and are therefore illegal.

My thoughts

There is a pattern in the bills that are now moving forward like SB7, they undermine public education and employee-employer relations. Many legislators say they support less government, but they are doing just the opposite. What they do support is less funding to support state responsibilities. You get what you pay for. Presently our schools out-perform 42 other states; our roads are some of the safest in the nation, our employees feel respected and valued.

The downward spiral that legislation this year is creating is not good for Kansas. It does not create a climate that will attract businesses or grow jobs.