Dear Friends and Family,
We spent
most of the week on the House floor in an effort to push through
bills before the halfway point of the session, referred to as the
Turnaround Deadline. At this point, House bills that were
adopted by the chamber will go to the Senate and Senate bills will
come to the House. These bills will now go through the
committee process on the other side of the rotunda. With the
exception of a few exempt committees, neither chamber will
introduce new legislation. However, it is possible that some
proposals that did not pass out of committee before Turnaround
could be amended onto other pieces of germane legislation later in
the session.
Sincerely,
Mike Slattery
State Representative
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There is not much
to report from the House Appropriations Committee. The
committee continued to hear agency briefings but for the most part
attention was fixed on the House floor.
The rescission bill passed the House last week and was reconciled
with the Senate version this week. The final product cuts $92
million from the current budget. The House voted to concur
with the conference committee report on Thursday and it will now
head to the Governor for his signature or veto. It is likely that
the FY 2010 budget will still be approximately $40 million short by
July. If revenues continue to come in lower than expected, we
will need to revisit the FY 2010 budget for a sixth time. If
that becomes necessary, we will probably wait until the most
updated revenue estimates become available in April to take any
further action.
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Legislative Post Audit Reveals
Problems
With Kansas Tax Policy
On Wednesday, the
Legislative Post Audit Committee heard two new reports from the
nonpartisan Post Audit division about the impact and effectiveness
of tax credits and exemptions in Kansas. Their findings
validate the concerns many Kansans have had about the state's tax
policy. For years, the Legislature has arbitrarily granted or
denied tax exemptions and credits with no set criteria on which to
base its decision. As the number of tax exemptions and
credits has skyrocketed, the need for clearly defined and
consistent guidelines has become more pressing.
The two audits confirmed that the excessive number of credits and
exemptions cost the state a significant amount of revenue but have
little benefit to the Kansas as a whole. They recommended
that the Legislature enact specific criteria for granting
exemptions. Additionally, the audits encourage the
Legislature to review approved exemptions and credits periodically and
to not grant them in perpetuity. This ensures that all
credits and exemptions remain in the public's best interest over
time.
The problems associated with excessive tax credits and exemptions
have surfaced repeatedly throughout the current budget
debate. Both the auditors and Kansas Advisory Council on
Intergovernmental Relations agree that it would be a better policy
for the state not to specifically exempt organizations by name from
the sales tax, but rather to exempt categories. Unless
Kansans are willing to accept deeper cuts to schools, seniors, and
other critical services, a serious review and change in tax policy
must eventually be part of the discussion.
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Students
Lobby for Higher Education Funding
This week, student leaders from KU, KSU, Washburn, Hays, Emporia
and Pittsburg met with legislators to lobby for higher education
funding as part of Higher Education Day. University
presidents/chancellors also appeared before the House Education
Committee on Monday to discuss the impact of recent cuts.
After cutting more than $100 million from higher education last
year, tuition is rising, classes are larger, there are fewer
courses to choose from, and the availability of campus jobs has
decreased.
I am incredibly concerned about the cuts imposed on institutions of
higher education this year. It is estimated that if deeper
cuts are made, tuition will increase over the next few years.
This will produce long-term damage both to the institutions and
further push back the state's economic recovery. |
Bill
Protects Insurance Consumers
On Tuesday February 16th, the Committee on Insurance held a hearing
on House Bill 2563, which would help protect consumers' credit
scores during difficult times. If a consumer undergoes
extraordinary life circumstances, this legislation will enable them
to freeze the credit score on file with his/her insurance company,
preventing increased premiums. Extraordinary life
circumstances include: 1) a declared state or federal catastrophic
event; (2) a serious illness or injury to the consumer or the
consumer's immediate family; (3) the death of a spouse, child or
parent of the insured; (4) divorce or involuntary interruption of
alimony or support payments; (5) identity theft; (6) military
deployment; (7) involuntary loss of employment for more than three
months; and (8) any other events as determined by the
insurer. The bill would also eliminate the mandated updates
of scores every 36 months.
At a time when thousands of Kansans are being laid off at no fault
of their own, we must lessen the long-term impact of temporary
circumstances. With no regular source of income, it is easy
for even the most financially responsible families to fall behind.
Missed bills and late payments lower credit scores almost
immediately. In turn, consumers are faced with increased
interest rates, decreased opportunities for employment or housing,
and higher insurance premiums. It only takes one missed
payment to lower a credit score, but it takes years to improve a
score that contains negative marks.
Lawmakers have a vested interest in protecting consumers' financial
viability. The economy will not recover until consumers have
money to spend. This legislation helps accomplish that.
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Jana Mackey Bill Passes House
On Thursday, House Bill 2517 passed the House, which will help the
justice system better track domestic violence cases. The bill
was introduced in response to the 2008 murder of Lawrence resident
Jana Mackey.
Currently, many crimes related to an abusive relationship (such as
harassment, damage to property or disorderly conduct) aren't
classified as domestic violence. House Bill 2517 would allow
judges to determine whether crimes are linked to domestic violence
and then tag them accordingly onto legal documents connected to any
criminal act involving an intimate or domestic relationship.
A tag will allow for better tracking of repeat offenders. This is
especially important with domestic violence cases, as most
offenders repeat their crimes (including Jana's murderer).
Additionally, the bill allows judges to require treatment for the
offender, such as therapy. Ultimately, this legislation will
help sanction domestic violence before it escalates.
Mackey, originally from Hays, was a 25-year-old KU law student when
she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2008. Tragically, she
had previously worked as a lobbyist in the State Capitol on behalf
of women who were victims of domestic violence. In her wake,
Jana's parents have carried on her passion for fighting domestic
violence through the creation of "Jana's Campaign to Stop
Domestic Violence." The campaign's goal is to promote
new and effective legislation to protect victims of domestic violence.
Her mother, Christie, was in the House gallery when the bill came
to the floor.
House Bill 2517 now heads to the Senate for its consideration.
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State
Senator Tom Holland Running for Governor
Kansas Senator Tom Holland, of Baldwin City, announced his
candidacy for Kansas Governor before a crowd of supporters on
Wednesday. Senator Holland said he will use his small
business experience to solve the problems facing our state.
"Kansas needs a problem solver with a business mindset for its
next governor," Holland said. "I have a proven
track record in running a successful business, making a payroll for
more than 15 years, creating jobs and bringing people together to
find solutions."
Holland, owner of Holland Technologies, Inc. represented the 10th
House District from 2003-2009. In 2009, he became a State
Senator representing the 3rd District in rural Douglas, Leavenworth
and Jefferson Counties.
In his remarks, Holland said "the people of Kansas deserve a
problem solver who knows how to create jobs and rebuild our
economy, not dig us deeper into the debt, gridlock and partisanship
we've seen in Washington."
Holland announced his candidacy near Lowman Hills Elementary School
in Topeka. The location called attention to problems facing
communities across Kansas dealing with public school closures and
overcrowding.
"Kansans are facing problems of historic proportions,"
Holland said. "Our economy is the worst it has been in
over two generations. I understand the problems facing our
state, and I am the only candidate who will put politics aside and
bring people together to find solutions."
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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. |
Useful
Numbers and Resources:
The following is
a list of the numbers I receive the most requests for during the
legislative session. You can find these as well as many
others online at http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook.
I hope you will find this information useful.
Adjutant General:
Department on Aging:
785.274.1001
800.432.3535
Attorney
General:
Better Business Bureau:
785.296.2215
785.232.0454
Child/Adult Abuse Hotline:
Child and Family
Services:
785.296.4653
800.922.5330
Commerce:
Consumer Protection:
785.296.3481
800.432.2310
Crime Tip
Hotline:
Crime Victim Assistance:
800.572.7463
800.828.9745
Driver's License Bureau:
Gov. Mark Parkinson:
785.296.3963
800.748.4408
Kansas Health
Wave:
Highway Road Condition:
800.792.4884
800.585.7623
Housing Hotline:
Insurance Hotline:
800.752.4422
800.432.2484
Kansas Lottery:
Legislative Hotline:
785.296.5700
800.432.3924
Mental Health
Services:
Department of Revenue:
888.582.3759
877.526.7738
School Safety Hotline:
Social Security:
877.626.8203
800.772.1213
State Capitol
Tours:
Taxpayer Assistance:
785.296.3966
800.259.2829
Tax Refund Status:
Teacher Certification:
800.894.0318
785.296.2283
Unclaimed
Property:
Unemployment:
800.432.0386
785.296.5074
Vital
Statistics:
Voter Registration:
785.296.1405
785.296.4561
Welfare Fraud Hotline:
Workers'
Comp:
800.432.3913
800.332.0353
Workforce Center:
785.235.5627
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Paid for By
Slattery for
Kansas House
Aaron Otto
Treasurer
PO Box 1171
Mission KS 66222 |
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