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Dear Friends and Family,
We
began to see some movement here in Topeka during the fourth week of
the session. We finally started to see some bills on the
House floor and committees are in full swing. The House
Appropriations Committee finally began work on the FY 2010
rescission bill and passed it out of committee on Thursday. I
am hopeful that we will see it on the floor early next week so we
can get focused on FY 2011.
The House
adjourned on Thursday for the weekend, and due to inclement weather
many legislators headed home. Despite the Friday away from
Topeka, I was home working on constituent services and addressing
the concerns voiced by friends and neighbors.
Sincerely,
Mike Slattery
State Representative
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The House
Appropriations Committee finally began work this week on the FY
2010 rescission bill, which reconciles last year's budget and is
supposed to ensure we end the fiscal year with a positive ending
balance. Unfortunately, revenue estimates have been
consistently lower than anticipated, and we learned late last week
that we will still be almost $40 million short by July, even with
the latest round of cuts included in this bill.
The Legislature is constitutionally required to end the year with a
positive ending balance, so now we must either hash out $40 million
more in cuts as a chamber when the bill comes before the House
body, or force the Governor to make additional cuts later- with
only a month or two left in the fiscal year- giving agencies very
little time to make the adjustments to their operating budgets.
The Governor's original recommendations were accepted for the most
part, with the exception of the following amendments:
- Rep.
Doug Gatewood attached an amendment limiting the number of
leadership days that leaders of the Senate and House can claim
in any one fiscal year to 25. This would be a
retroactive measure, starting on June 1st 2009 until June 1st
of 2010.
- Rep.
Ray Merrick proposed an amendment with an 11.1% reduction in
legislative pay, totaling $247,000. This would be a 5% salary
cut, a $7 a day cut in per diem, and three furlough days.
Overall, this is equivalent to a 15% reduction in
legislative compensation.
- On
a failed amendment from Rep. Jerry Henry, $180,000 would have
been transferred from the hazardous mitigation fund to the
Kansas National Guard. The funding would have allowed
the 18 National Guard Armories slated for closure to remain
open until the end of the fiscal year. It would not have
stopped the closing of the armories but would have allowed time
to set up procedures to close armories with dignity and
respect. This would have allowed the state to work with
local communities to make sure the closures would happen as
seamlessly as possible.
With a $40
million gap still left to fill in FY 2010 , this is far from the
final product. The committee passed the bill out on
Thursday. We will hopefully see it on the House floor next
week so we can begin to work through some of those tough decisions.
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Proposal repeals some
licensing requirements
for teen drivers
Amid the
difficult financial climate, important programs and services are
being drastically scaled back or eliminated all together.
Although nonessential, many of these programs serve important
purposes and contribute to the overall safety and well-being of the
state. Driver's Education is an excellent example of one such
program.
The statistics are clear: traffic crashes are the leading cause of
death for teens. Unfortunately, many schools are eliminating
driver education due to budget constraints. As a result, the
House Committee on Transportation has been forced to consider
repealing some previous licensing requirements because students'
ability to fulfill them has become much more difficult.
House Bill 2483 repeals the requirement that 15-year-olds must
complete Driver's Education before obtaining a restricted license
(the bill still requires at least 25 hours of adult supervised
driving). Private driver training can cost a student
$300-$400 for a four-week session. This is not always affordable
for students, especially those in rural Kansas. In many areas
private driver education is not available at all. Proponents
argue that it is unreasonable to expect fulfillment of this course
before obtaining a restricted license when the course is no longer
available in many public schools.
This is not a preferred solution or popular proposal. Drivers
Education teachers from across Kansas came to speak at the hearing
in opposition to the bill. Their testimonies cited statistics of
improvement in safety tactics of 16-19 year-old drivers who had
received formal driving education.
The Legislature has made great strides in recent years preparing
teens for the important responsibility of operating a vehicle, most
notably with the passage of a graduated driver's licensing law in
2009. I completely agree that lessening the effectiveness of
that law now would be highly counterproductive and potentially
dangerous to everyone on the road. Unfortunately, these are
the type of difficult decisions that become necessary when a $400
million budget shortfall looms and no revenue streams are being
explored.
The committee has taken no action on the bill at this time. I
will keep you posted if it moves forward in the legislative
process.
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Secretary of State Briefs House Elections Committee
Secretary of State Ron Thornburg briefed the House Elections
Committee Wednesday about the 2008 election cycle, predictions for
2010, and various tactics that have been enacted to protect the
voters and the voting process.
Kansas saw a record breaking turn out of registered voters in 2008,
as did the rest of the country. In our state specifically, the way
voters are choosing to cast their ballot has dramatically
shifted. Between 2006 and 2008, there was an increase from 22
percent to 34.7 percent of votes cast prior to the election
(advance balloting). In counties such as Sedgwick and Johnson
County, an astounding 50 percent of votes were cast prior to
Election Day. Satellite voting has also helped this increase
of advanced voting options for constituents. This is terrific news
for Kansas and for the Democratic process. The Secretary of
State predicts that the 2010 election should be another successful
election year with regard to turnout, although not record breaking.
The turnout of voters during presidential election years is often
much higher than gubernatorial cycles.
Also, for the first time every voter now has the right to a secret
ballot thanks to the Help America Vote Act. Voters with a
disability were previously required to have someone with them to
help them vote, that is no longer required.
I was very encouraged to hear about the increased voter turnout and
increased voting options in Kansas. Democracy doesn't work
unless the people participate. As technology continues to
advance, even more voting options will be offered for your
convenience. In fact, just this year online voter
registration was made available to Kansas citizens for the first
time ever. If you are not registered to vote, if you've
gotten married, or if you've moved in the last year, I encourage
you to visit this website and register today: https://www.kdor.org/voterregistration.
The 2010 election is just around the corner, and it is critically
important for you to make your voice heard next November. |
Department
of Revenue suggests implementing fee
for filing paper tax returns
In an effort to increase efficiency and decrease administrative
costs, the Department of Revenue has advocated for a "user
fee" on Kansans who file a paper tax return as opposed to
electronically filing.
House Bill 2521 will institute a $25 for filing a paper return, $10
for requesting a paper refund check and $5 for submitting a paper
sales tax report. The new fees are recommended to offset the cost
incurred by processing paper returns and to encourage individuals
or businesses to submit documents electronically. If approved, it
will reduce the Department's administrative expenditures by
$860,000.
Although lawmakers are never anxious to impose new fees onto
constituents, this is what happens after five rounds of budget
cuts. The Department simply cannot afford the staff it
requires to process paper returns. Recent layoffs within the
Department already risk a backlog in sending 2009 refunds to
taxpayers. When it comes to being more efficient and
streamlining government, paper use is one thing that state
government- as a whole- must reduce.
I share all of your concerns about this proposal, believe me.
I know how difficult it will be for seniors or disadvantaged individuals
to comply and I wish we didn't even have to talk about it.
Unfortunately, this is yet another example of how you and your
family will be impacted by what is happening in Topeka this year if
the Legislature is forced to make $400 million more in budget
cuts. When agencies have to lay off staff or furlough
employees, there will be inconveniences to Kansans who rely upon
the everyday services of state government.
Moving forward, if you hear legislators talk about the need to
"trim the fat from state government," I strongly
encourage you to ask them where that fat is. House Bill 2521
seems like evidence to me that we have cut state government to the
bone.
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Town Hall Meetings Scheduled
I am happy to announce that we have scheduled Town Hall Meetings
for the 2010 Legislative Session. I host these meetings to
provide an opportunity for constituents to share issues and
concerns on their minds, as well as discuss options for improving
our state and community. The meetings will be held at the Sylvester
Powell Jr. Community Center in Mission (at Martway and Lamar) at 9
AM. The dates for the meetings are as follows:
- Saturday,
February 20th
- Saturday, March
20th
- Saturday, April
17th
- Saturday, May
15th
- Saturday, June
19th
I hope you can join me at the upcoming meetings.
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Keep
in Touch
It is a great honor to serve as your state representative,
particularly during this difficult economic time. I deeply
value and need your input on the various issues facing state
government. Again, I am here to serve and represent you, and
communication between us is vital. Please feel free to
contact me with any comments and questions. My office address
is Room L-8, Docking State Office Building, Topeka, KS 66612.
You can reach me at (785) 296-7665 or call me at home at (913)
362-7528. Additionally, you can e-mail me at mike@mikeslattery.org. |
Paid for By
Slattery for
Kansas House
Aaron Otto
Treasurer
PO Box 1171
Mission KS 66222 |
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