Category: Opinions

Opinion column: Legislature approves budget

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

It took 113 days, but the Kansas Legislature finally passed a budget measure Saturday, June 10, that will help fund an estimated $900 million hole in the next two years’ state budgets. It will also add $488 million to school funding during the next two years.

These were two of the facts that members of the Legislative Committee learned last Friday morning, June 9, as they met at the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce office for their monthly briefing.

Kathy Damron, the lobbyist for the chamber, said it was a long and very tiring session. Two of the members of the chamber’s committee, David Smith, lobbyist for the Kansas City, Kansas, School District, and Mike Taylor, lobbyist for Unified Government, agreed that the session this year was exhausting.

The additional money to fill the budget hole and to fund schools will come primarily from two sources—individual income taxes and elimination of the “LLC Loophole” that exempts some 300,000 Kansas business owners from paying income tax. Gov. Sam Brownback had proposed the exemption that passed in 2012. It was supposed to generate a substantial amount of new business with many new employees; that didn’t materialize. Instead, many of the state’s basic services suffered, including law enforcement and mental health services. Tax revenue did not increase as predicted.

In Gov. Brownback’s defense, major industries in the state, including agriculture, gas and oil and aviation, have suffered in the past few years. Had these industries prospered, Brownback’s tax plan might have worked.

The Kansas Supreme Court will have to approve the additional school funding and the distribution formula. According to Smith, the Kansas City, Kansas, School District presently receives about $139 million in state aid. The new appropriation formula would provide about $9 million in additional state funds.

The Legislature approved the provision for sales tax bonds through 2020. That legislation is what helped finance Village West development, paying for infrastructure such as streets and sewers. It would also be used to develop the new home of the American Royal and ancillary developments.

This probably means that Kansans will be paying more taxes than ever before. Unfortunately, bad fiscal management during the past few years caused state finances to suffer. The state was forced to “borrow” money from highway funds to balance its budget.

No one likes a tax increase. But a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats, including those from Wyandotte County, stepped forward to take the necessary action to help solve state finances. Basic services, including education, law enforcement and mental health services, were at risk.

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

Kids’ fishing derby to be Saturday at Wyandotte County Lake

by Lou Braswell

The annual Ed and Ione Trapp Kids’ Free Fishing Derby will be Saturday, June 10, at the Wyandotte County Lake Kids Pond. The event is sponsored by the Leavenworth Road Association and the Unified Government Parks and Recreation Department.

This event was started 30-plus years ago by Ed (a KCK firefighter) and his wife, Ione Trapp, with helping hands from the Leavenworth Road Association and Wyandotte County Parks and Rec. Now involved in the derby are some of the great-grandkids of youth who took part in the event 30-plus years ago.

The Unified Government Parks and Rec Department stocks the pond, along with other equipment they provide to make the event successful and fun.

Leavenworth Road Association provides goody bags, some bait, and a free hot dog for each registered youth. Year after year with our super volunteers and donors, we watch the kids catch the fish and we get to catch all the smiles.

Registration begins at 7 a.m., with the “throw your line in” whistle blowing at 8 a.m.

The weigh station will get busy with the catches almost immediately. We have four age groups, and each age group has first, second and third-place winners. There is also one “largest fish” winner of all the age groups.

This year District Attorney Mark Dupree will be presenting the trophies.

The long-range forecast shows plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the high 80s, what more could we ask for? The fish are hungry and will have up to 200 kids ready to feed them, what more could they ask for?

Need more information? Call the office at 913-788-3988, email LRAKCK@sbcglobal.net, or visit the website, LRAKCK.org Pick up one of the LRA newsletters at the event to learn more about the LRA and its activities.

Lou Braswell is the executive director of the Leavenworth Road Association.

Legislative newsletter from Rep. Pam Curtis

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

It was a big week in the House, with both a tax bill and a school finance bill hitting the floor for debate. A budget bill has yet to be addressed on Day 101 of the 2017 session.
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 452-S, Kansas Statehouse, 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. Additionally, you can email me at pam.curtis@house.ks.gov

School finance

As previously covered, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state was not adequately funding schools. In its ruling, the court charged the Legislature to write a fair funding formula and to fund that formula based on constitutional requirements by June 30, 2017. On Wednesday, the House voted on HB 2410, a bill meant to address the court’s ruling. The debate was spirited and amendment-heavy, lasting four-and-a-half hours.

The underlying bill provided woefully inadequate funding and Democrats made an attempt to substantially increase that funding. Unfortunately, the attempt failed to pass. At the end of the debate, the amended bill resulted in good policy for the formula, but did not provide adequate funding for the formula. The bill will now go to the Senate floor for debate.

Taxes

Monday evening, a tax package was offered on the House floor. SB 30, in this version, repealed the LLC exemption, removed the glide path to zero, and instituted a third tax bracket. Those falling into the highest income tax bracket would be Kansans earning $60,000 or more, rather than the current $100,000 threshold. Tax rates on the three brackets would have been raised to 5.7 percent for the top bracket, 5.25 percent for the median bracket, and 3.1 percent for the lowest income bracket. Monday’s plan would have also altered the low-income exclusion threshold from single filers earning less than $2,500 to a threshold of $5,000.

After thorough debate on the House floor, that version of SB 30 failed to pass, with a final vote of 53 – 68. An amended version of SB 30 will potentially be debated in the coming days.

Bills passed through the House

Sub HB 2277: An act concerning alcoholic liquor; creating common consumption areas designated by cities and counties; authorizing common consumption area permits; relating to club memberships.