Category: Opinions

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

Opinion column

Rep. Pam Curtis

by Rep. Pam Curtis

Heading into week two we recognized the work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 18. Each year he is honored for his devotion and sacrifice in the name of equality and for the Civil Rights movement.

On Tuesday and Wednesday committees resumed as usual, but we did not hear any bills on the floor. Much of the work at the beginning of session is done in committees as bills are introduced and begin moving through the process. My committee assignments this year include the House Judiciary Committee, House Commerce/Labor Committee, and I am the ranking member on the House Local Government Committee. I also serve on the Joint Committee for Information Technology.

Due to the global pandemic, the House Chamber is taking healthy measures to ensure a full Legislative Session. This week, we addressed, and voted on, SB 14 (the Kansas Emergency Management Act) and HCR 5003 (the Constitutional Amendment). Time was of essence to pass the KEMA bill and send it to the governor before Jan. 26 when the current emergency declaration expires.

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 email me at [email protected]

Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA)

On Thursday, the House overwhelmingly passed SB 14 with a 119-3 vote. SB 14 addresses the governor’s emergency powers through the Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA). The bill is similar to HB 2048, which was introduced in House Judiciary last week, but does not extend the suspension of the waiting week period for unemployment claims and only extends the state of emergency declaration order until March 31, 2021.

However, similar to HB 2048, SB 14 bill is more restrictive in its limitations of the governor’s power than HB 2016, which was passed last year. Unfortunately, we did not have time to fix this bill due to the impending deadline of Jan. 26, when the governor’s emergency declaration would expire. We will continue to work to make sure that the governor has all the tools necessary to effectively guide us through this pandemic and putting public health over politics.

The Constitutional Amendment

On Friday, the Constitutional Amendment, HCR 5003, passed the House on a party-line vote. The resolution asks voters to amend the Kansas constitution by adding a new section stating that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the legislature has unchecked authority to regulate reproductive rights. Furthermore, this amendment was put on the primary election ballot in 2022 which disenfranchises many voters. Also, there were no protections for rape, incest or the life of the mother.

House Democrats offered four amendments, all of which were denied.

The four amendments were:

  1. Placing HCR 5003 on the November General Election of 2022 where there is historically a higher turnout of voters.
  2. Abolishing the Death Penalty
  3. Protecting women in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.
  4. Placing HCR 5003 on August primary in 2021 rather than 2022.

The resolution passed 38 to 86. HCR 5003 now goes to the Senate where it will need a two-thirds majority to pass and be put on the August 2022 primary ballot.

Early Learning Resources from the State Library

BookFlix is an online resource from the State Library of Kansas for children in grades PreK-3 that pairs video storybooks with related nonfiction e-books. Imagine Curious George paired with a nonfiction book about monkeys. Along with reading the books, you can also watch the story, do games and puzzles, and “dive deeper” with pictures for coloring or poems to reinforce early learning reading skills.

Feed curiosity with Britannica E-Stax (K-12), featuring nonfiction books that can be read online or downloaded to any Internet enabled device.
Both are available at no charge through the State Library’s web site https://kslib.info/storytime .

Resources

My Legislative Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/PamCurtisKCK


My Twitter Account, https://twitter.com/pcurtiskck

Kansas Legislature Website, http://www.kslegislature.org/

Sports play a key role in revitalizing community

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Sports plays a key role in the quality of life.

That, simply stated, is what drives Kathy Nelson who is president of the Kansas City Sports Commission. She was the featured speaker at a meeting via Zoom at the Fairfax Industrial Association Thursday, Jan. 14.

She told of how the Sports Commission brings various sporting events to Kansas City. The Big 12 men and women’s basketball tournaments and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics basketball tournament are three of the more well-known sporting events that Kansas City hosts.

Nelson said the National Football League draft will be held in Kansas City in 2023. The commission owns and manages the annual Kansas City Marathon which attracts more than 10,000 runners from out of town.

Presently, Nelson and a group of volunteers, including Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor David Alvey, are hoping to attract The World Cup to Kansas City in 2026. This event of the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) is estimated to be worth the equivalent of four Super Bowls. The event would be played at Arrowhead Stadium.

Nelson was very much involved in putting together the victory parades for the World Series and Super Bowl wins.

Nelson played a key, behind–the-scenes, role in arranging for the benefit Kansas-Missouri basketball game. She said the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s bowling championship will be at the Pro Bowl in North Kansas City.

Nelson said sports played a key role in the revitalizing of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, with the addition of the T-Mobile Arena. She said her parents both worked downtown. She could recall when it wasn’t safe to go there at night.

When asked about a Major League downtown baseball stadium, she said she was neutral on such a proposal. However, she said she has visited other cities and seen how such stadiums can enhance downtowns. She said a smaller stadium which would seat 10,000 persons might be a possibility downtown.

Before joining the Sports Commission in 2010, she held senior management positions with WDAF-TV, Time Warner Cable and Metro Sports. She is a graduate of Winnetonka High School and attended Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

Congresswoman tells of anxious moments

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Rep. Sharice Davids might have been forced into using her skills as a mixed martial artist.

Davids, who is the Democrat congresswoman from the Third District of Kansas, was in Washington, D.C., when the angry mob hammered the Capitol Wednesday, Jan. 6. Fortunately, the mob never made it into the adjoining office building where Rep. Davids was.

Rep. Davids was the featured speaker Friday, Jan. 15, at a meeting of the Congressional Forum via Zoom. About 60 persons joined the meeting.

Rep. Davids said she was hesitant to wish everyone a Happy New Year because of the assault on the Capitol Building.

Rep. Davids said she was “shocked and outraged” with the assault on the Capitol.

In a prepared statement, she said, “The insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Rep. Davids voted to approve the articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. He is the only president to have been impeached twice. Now it is up to U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat Speaker of the House, as to when she will send the impeachment articles to the U.S. Senate for trial.

Rep. Davids said it is important for Congress to move ahead with the necessary business of running the government. She said she will continue to serve on the Transportation and Small Business committees.

Rep. Davids thanked members of the Congressional Forum and other groups in the Third District for keeping her informed about needs and issues.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and the Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.