Opinion column
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:
- Placing HCR 5003 on the November General Election of 2022 where there is historically a higher turnout of voters.
- Abolishing the Death Penalty
- Protecting women in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.
- 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/