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

by Rep. Pam Curtis

This past week the Legislature held conference committees to work out differences in bill versions between the House and Senate.

A conference committee is made up of three members from each chamber, typically the chairperson, vice chairperson, and ranking minority member of the standing committee, or other committee, that originally considered the bill in that chamber.

HB 2279, that Representative Ponka-We Victors and I introduced, was included in the Conference Committee Report “CCR” for SB 18 and passed unanimously. The measure will help arm victims of domestic violence with the information they need at the time of arrest to make safe decisions. We appreciate everyone’s help in getting this measure passed.

It was a real pleasure to spend time on Wednesday with students from Schlagle High School and staff from El Centro who were at the Capitol to participate in Hispanic Day on the Hill and visit with lawmakers. I am looking forward to participating in the Join My Table Community Potluck event with students at Schlagle High School on April 29. It will be a great opportunity to discuss their ideas and suggestions on various issues and learn about the changes they want to see in our community.

Many thanks to everyone that attended the Legislative Coffee on March 30 at the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library. It was great to have this opportunity to discuss our work in Topeka. I also want to thank the KCK Public Library, Bonner Springs Public Library, League of Women Voters of Johnson County and the NAACP for sponsoring the coffee.

The Legislature adjourned on Friday, April 5, for first adjournment and will be on break until May 1 when we return for the veto session.

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 at the Statehouse 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: pam.curtis@house.ks.gov.

School funding debate continues

It was an intense week for the House-Senate K-12 Budget Conference Committee. The Republican-led Senate, the House and Senate Democratic caucuses, and Governor Laura Kelly, for the most part, were united on their approach to education.

With the intent of meeting the Kansas Supreme Court’s “adequacy” funding requirement in the Gannon case, they agreed to $90 million a year for the next five years.

However, the House Republican caucus staunchly disagreed with the bill. In a departure from previous decorum, the House Democratic representative was excluded from the majority of the House discussions. After three long days of contentious meetings, the Republican caucus conceded. In addition to funding increases, the plan also requires districts to produce academic performance reports on each of its schools.

After a furor of objection from Republican leadership on the floor, the House voted to concur. The CCR (conference committee report) on Senate Bill 16 passed 76 to 47. Shortly after, the Senate passed the CCR with 31 votes to 8. It now heads to the governor’s desk.

Gov. Kelly, lawmakers, and the state Board of Education are hopeful the plan will meet the Supreme Court’s standards; ending the cycle of litigation over education funding, and meeting the needs of Kansas students, teachers, and schools. The deadline is April 15.

Inaction on Medicaid expansion in the Senate

Despite the bipartisan measure to pass Medicaid Expansion in the House, the Senate has refused to address Medicaid Expansion. The bill is currently sitting idle on the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee unless there is a procedural vote to move the bill onto the Senate calendar.

In a Tuesday morning press conference, Gov. Kelly again urged the Senate to vote this week on the bill. She iterated that the bill has garnered bipartisan support and previously passed the Legislature in 2017- but was vetoed by then Gov. Brownback. Shortly after her press conference, Senate President Susan Wagle responded, doubling down on her refusal to allow the bill to make it to the floor.

Senate confirms first round of governor’s secretaries

On Monday, the Senate confirmed Laura Howard as secretary of the Kansas Department of Children and Families and secretary of the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. They also confirmed in a 23-14 vote, David Toland as secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. This was the first, and arguably most partisan, round of confirmations so far.

Potential SB 22 veto override stalled

As soon as Gov. Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 22, Senate President Susan Wagle declared that she would move to override her veto. An override attempt of her veto would require two-thirds of the House (84 votes), and Senate (27 votes) to be successful. It was widely rumored an override would be attempted this week, however, for now, this effort seems to have fallen short. In a meeting with Republican college kids on Wednesday, Senator Wagle conceded the Senate does not have the votes to override.

This week on the floor

This week, the House-Senate Conference Committees worked a number of bills. To read the full list visit www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/committees/conference/. Note that a few bills were bundled together. Here are a few highlights:

HB 2274: Requiring notification to patients that the effects of a medication abortion may be reversible.
HB 2167: Senate Substitute for HB 2167 by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources – Establishing a commercial industrial hemp program.
SB 18: Providing a process for the attorney general to enter into diversion agreements; authorizing certain entities to access a criminal defendant’s presentence investigation report; amending the crime of counterfeiting currency.
SB 78 (bundled with SB 150, HB 2279): Regulating assignment of rights or benefits to a residential contractor under a property and casualty insurance policy insuring residential real estate; amending the definition of consumer transaction; and in the Kansas consumer protection act; Housing protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or stalking; Domestic violence calls; Law enforcement agency notification policies.
HB 2031: Amending the definition of “service-connected” in the Kansas police and firemen’s retirement system.
HB 2007: Senate Substitute for HB 2007 by Committee on Transportation – Authorizing certain toll projects for new projects or expanded capacity with approval from local units of government, the KTA and the state finance council; changing the requirement to fully fund toll projects solely through toll revenue.
HB 2087: Allowing certain light screening material on motor vehicle windows.
HB 2225: Senate Substitute for HB 2225 by Committee on Transportation – Providing for an increase in permit fees for oversize or overweight vehicles and required registration for escort vehicle service operators.
HB 2209 (bundled with SB 32, HB 2058, HB 2056, HB 2055, HB 2054): Authorizing the state board of regents to purchase cybersecurity insurance.; Exempting certain non-insurance healthcare benefits from the commissioner’s jurisdiction.; Updating definitions relating to small employer health plans and association health plans.; Exempting health plans issued to associations of small employers from certain statutory provisions governing small employer health plans.; Making certain self-funded association health plans subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner.; Providing for fully-insured association health plans.
HB 2084: AN ACT concerning the Kansas 911 act; relating to emergency services; 911 fees, collection and distribution; amending K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 12-5363, 12-5364, 12-5365, 12-5366, 12-5367, 12-5368, 12-5369, 12-5370, 12-5371, 12-5372, 12-5373, 12-5374, 12-5375, 12-5376, 12-5377, 12-5378, 12-5380 and 19-101a and repealing the existing sections; also repealing K.S.A. 2018 Supp. 12-5327, 12-5338 and 12-5361.
HB 2103: Amending the revised Kansas code for care of children to provide requirements for placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment program.
HB 2144: Requiring community colleges to publish certain taxpayer and student transparency data.
SB 16: House Substitute for SB 16 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget – Making amendments to the Kansas school equity and enhancement act and other statutes related to education.
SB 130: Substitute for Senate Bill No. 130 by Committee on Ethics, Elections and Local Government-Permitting persons voting an advance ballot to correct a signature deficiency prior to the final canvass.
HB 2178: AN ACT concerning utilities; relating to the Kansas underground utility damage prevention act; definitions; location of facilities and duty to mark, exceptions; amending K.S.A. 66-1802, 66-1805 and 66-1806 and repealing the existing sections.

Resources
My Legislative Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PamCurtisKCK.
My Twitter account, https://twitter.com/pcurtiskck
My website, https://www.curtisforkck.com/
Kansas Legislature website, http://kslegislature.org/

Speaker urges cooperative approach to urban challenges

by Murrel Bland

When everyone realizes his and her economic potential, a city truly progresses.

That was the message that Janis Bowdler brought to more than 800 persons who attended the annual meeting of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce Thursday, April 4, at the Reardon Convention Center.

Bowdler is president of J.P. Morgan Chase and Company Foundation. She lives in Washington, D.C. Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor David Alvey discussed community development and other matters with Bowdler and Gov. Laura Kelly.

The J.P. Morgan and Chase Foundation has made a commitment to invest $1.75 billion during the next five years to strengthen the workforce, revitalize neighborhoods, grow small businesses and improve the financial health of individuals.

Gov. Kelly used the opportunity to promote her legislative agenda. She favors expanded early childhood education, expanded Medicaid, improved infrastructure, a solution to the public school court case and reform of the prison system and the Department of Children and Families.

Bowdler is the co-author of the book “Building Equitable Cities,” published by the Urban Land Institute. The book argues that cities should combine nonprofit organizations, government entities and the private sector to create an environment in which all people have meaningful opportunities to move up the economic ladder. That will cause cities to expand their economies.

Bowdler said she realizes that such an approach may not be easy because of past bad experiences in neighborhoods. But it is still necessary, she said.

Gov. Kelly introduced her Secretary of Commerce, David Toland, who will be a key person in economic development in rural Kansas cities and counties. Toland, who is from Iola, Kansas, where he headed an economic development effort, was the target of conservative members of the Kansas Senate during his confirmation hearing. Nonetheless, last week he received a majority of votes needed for approval.

Mayor Alvey said that an improved tax base is needed to provide the services that residents deserve. He compared what one mill would raise in the Turner School District (about $160,000) with what one mill would raise in the Blue Valley District in Johnson County, about $2.4 million.

Mayor Alvey, Gov. Kelly and Bowdler all agreed that communities must invest in education to assure that there will be an adequate, well-trained workforce for the 21st century.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press.

Legislative update by Rep. Pam Curtis

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

A historically slow session came to a head last week when the House worked over 50 bills in two days. The House worked late into the evening both Monday and Tuesday nights, March 25 and 26 – just 30 minutes shy of the midnight rule on Monday. The pace will continue to be very busy leading up to first adjournment on April 5th as the Legislature attempts to come to a consensus on remaining issues.

Many thanks to Trinity and GiGi for serving as legislative pages on Wednesday. It was such a pleasure to have them both spend the day with us in the Kansas Legislature.

Budget passes the House
On Monday, the House passed a budget plan: House Substitute for Senate Bill 25, with little debate. The final vote was 99-25, which moved the bill to the Senate. The Senate non-concurred with the House amendments and a Conference Committee (three conferees from each chamber) was appointed. Overall, the House plan appropriates $18.2 billion in spending with a $7.7 billion impact on the state general fund.

The House budget plan contained many of the governor’s recommendations. A few highlights:
• Ridding a contract with Maximus, the Medicaid clearinghouse, and returns more than 300 employees to the state.
• A 2.5 percent pay increase for state employees. Judicial branch employee raises would be phased in over five years.
• Sets aside more than $50 million for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, including $13.4 million for home and community-based services, $6 million in services for intellectual and developmental disabilities, $13.6 million for nursing facilities, $3 million for community health centers, $4.8 million for psychiatric residential treatment, and $12.4 million for a program that serves the elderly.
• The budget also includes the governor’s significant recommendations for child welfare reform, including funding for additional 52 workers and participation in the federal Families First program.

Gov. Kelly vetoes SB 22
On Monday, Gov. Kelly vetoed the controversial Senate Bill 22. The Kansas Chamber immediately called for an override. An override attempt of her veto would require two-thirds of the House (84 votes), and Senate (27 votes) to be successful.

The bill would have benefitted giant multinational corporations, and was estimated to have reduced state revenue, at a minimum, of over $500 million over three years. Gov. Kelly stressed this would “throw our state once again into a self-inflicted budget crisis, diminishing all the investments we’ve worked so hard to rebuild and restore. It would put our future at risk once again in order to give significant tax breaks to entities who need them the least while continuing to leave working families behind.” This was the governor’s first veto.

School funding debate continues
The House has made little progress on school finance while the court-mandated deadline is looming. Senate Bill 16 has been strongly critiqued as a bad policy bill that fails to resolve litigation. It contains layers of unfunded mandates, strips school districts of local control, removes the consumer price index (CPI), and targets English Learner Language and special education programs (including reducing funding for SPED). It also removes the last two years of funding that was passed in 2018. House Democrats have always been strong proponents of education – every child deserves access to a quality education.

One of several Democratic amendments attempted was to restore due process for teachers. Since its repeal under Gov. Brownback’s leadership in 2014, House Democrats have continuously fought for its reinstatement. The amendment failed 68 to 55.

The underlying bill narrowly passed final action on a 63-60 vote.

This week on the floor

This week, the House worked over 50 bills. If you would like to read the full list of bills worked, please go to www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/chamber/house/journals/2019/3/. Here are a few highlights:
HB 2274: Requires notification to patients that the effects of a medication abortion may be reversible.
HB 2054: Provides for fully-insured association health plans.
SB 15: Amends the definition of “service connected” in the Kansas police and firemen’s retirement system.
HB 2018: Creates the Kansas criminal justice reform commission.
SB 90: Extends the tax credit under the center for entrepreneurship act to financial institutions and increasing the annual tax credit limit for all contributors.
SB 94: Establishing a minimum course duration for motor vehicle accident prevention courses. Reduces premiums.
H Sub SB 25: House Substitute for SB 25 by Committee on Appropriations – Appropriations for FY 2019, FY 2020, FY 2021 and FY 2022 for various state agencies.
HB 2137: Legislative review of exceptions to disclosure of public records under the Kansas open records act.
HB 2396: Allowing use of certified drug abuse treatment programs for certain offenders convicted of unlawful cultivation or distribution of controlled substances.
HB 2173: Establishes a commercial industrial hemp program.
HB 2389: Requires electronic prescriptions for certain controlled substances.
HB 2383: Amendments regarding the licensure and regulation of barbering.
SB 20: Extends the judicial branch surcharge to fund the costs of non-judicial personnel; extending recognition of tribal court judgments pursuant to supreme court rules.
SB 16: House Substitute for SB 16 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget – Making amendments to the Kansas school equity and enhancement act and other statutes related to education.
HB 2154: Making unemployment benefits available for federal and state employees who are required to work without pay.
HB 2118: Providing income tax credits for aerospace and aviation program graduates and their employers.
HB 2326: Recognizing licenses to carry a concealed firearm issued by other jurisdictions. Contains amendment lowering license age to 18.
HB 2372: Providing for an increase in registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles.
HB 2244: Authorizing the use of cannabidiol treatment preparation to treat certain medical conditions.

State Library of Kansas

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Resources

My Legislative Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PamCurtisKCK.
My Twitter account, https://twitter.com/pcurtiskck
My website, https://www.curtisforkck.com/
Kansas Legislature website, http://kslegislature.org/