Neighbor News Update
WHAT IS TURN AROUND?
Turn around is when all of the bills the House has worked and voted on go to the Senate and all of the Senate bills that have been worked and voted on come to the House. It takes a few days for all of the paper work to be completed and during that time, legislative members have a few days off to go back home.
Turn around took place on Saturday, February 24, and we started work in our committees on Wednesday, February 28. The week was pretty short because of turn around and Washington Days that took place starting March 2. Washington Days is the time the Democrat Party has their organizational meeting. For Republicans, this always happens during Kansas Days at the end of January. Both parties respect the activities planned and usually have lighter schedules during those times.
The first half of the session has not had many controversial issues and many of the bills that passed the House received a majority of the votes. Over 500 bills were introduced into the House, with a lot of duplication, and not all bills will receive a hearing.
Here is a list of some of the bills that may be of more interest to you from the first half of the session:
Unemployment Withholding (Passed Unanimously) (I voted yes)
SB 83 would amend employment security law by adjusting employer contribution rates to businesses, decreasing the amount paid into the State unemployment pool by $81 million. Currently, there is a surplus of over $600 million. Also, the one-week waiting period to obtain unemployment was eliminated, granting quicker access to unemployment dollars.
English Is The Official Language Of Kansas (I voted yes; passed 114-7)
HB 2140, as amended, designates English as the official language of the State of Kansas for all public documents and official meetings. The amendment to the bill provides $500,000 in funding to community colleges for adult English language classes. The bill does not change current protocol in Kansas, except for providing the funding for English language classes.
Identification Safety (I voted yes; passed 114-4
HB 2390 is designed to give the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicles the tools necessary in detecting and canceling fraudulently obtained drivers’ licenses and identification cards.
Franchise Tax (I voted yes; passed 91-30)
HB 2031 phases out the corporation franchise tax over three years beginning with tax year 2007.
Beginning in tax year 2009, the tax would be repealed altogether.
National Bio And Agro Defense (I voted yes; passed unanimously)
SB 252 and HB 2303 create the Kansas National Bio and Agro Defense Interagency Working Group. Senator Pat Roberts gave a joint speech to the House and Senate on the possibility of Kansas being a part of this project. Acting on the fast track, both of these bills were passed authorizing the State Board of Regents to convey certain real estate located in Riley County, Kansas, for and on behalf of Kansas State University and the State of Kansas to the United States government, Department of Homeland Security.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
On some other important issues, the working wage was voted down. The House voted against a working wage for Kansans on February 21, refusing to increase wages for nearly 19,000 workers paid less than the federal minimum wage.
The proposal would have increased the state minimum wage to $5.15 per hour, matching the federal minimum wage. Kansas currently has the lowest minimum wage in the nation, at only $2.65 per hour, which is nearly $2.50 per hour lower than the next closest rate.
Since 1995, the Kansas Legislature has approved 67 tax cuts for businesses, compared with only 16 tax cuts for individual taxpayers. We all want to promote a strong state economy, but at some point the Legislature must start to take seriously the needs of hardworking Kansans. I voted to raise the $2.65 per hour to $5.15 per hour. I believe we should be ashamed that we pay the lowest minimum wage in the nation and have had the opportunity to make that adjustment but refuse to address the issue.
MILITARY NEWS
We have addressed several issues regarding our military men and women by providing free tuition and fees to those who are serving in the Kansas Army and Air National Guard. In the month of February, five Kansans lost their lives defending our freedom in Iraq.
One of the many challenges America’s military men and women face when they leave the service is finding a good job. To help Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty personnel find good jobs in the aviation industry, Governor Sebelius has endorsed the “Hire a Hero” initiative.
Kansas’ “Hire a Hero” is a partnership between the Armed Forces Support Foundation, the International Association of Machinists and several major aerospace companies, including Spirit AeroSystems.
“Hire a Hero” is a companion program to the “Helmets to Hardhats” initiative. That initiative was announced last September and helps military personnel find apprenticeships and jobs in the construction and building trades industry.
OUTSIDE THE CAPITOL
As you can see, we have been busy in our committees. We have also had a busy schedule outside our committees. On Tuesday, February 27, I had the opportunity to hop on a bus and do an all day tour with the Kansas BioScience group. We visited Manhattan and looked at Nanoscale Materials Technology, made our way to Lawrence to look at new cancer research facilities, headed for DeSoto to see the largest supplier in vet vaccine for large animal, and had two presentations on the bus from Bayer CropScience and MGP Ingredients before returning to Topeka for a wrap up session. All of these businesses are new additions to the Kansas Economy because of the BioScience bill that was passed when I was in office in 2003-2004.
I even had the opportunity to read some of my favorite Dr. Suess stories to Mrs. James’ class at Bluejacket Elementary on Friday, March 2.
If you should have any questions regarding any bills that passed through the House during the first half of the session, please do not hesitate to call or email me. Please feel free to go to my website for updates at www.cindyneighbor.org.