This is the first part of my newsletter as we are still on the floor working bills and it is going to be a late night as we finish our work.
This Week At The Capitol
The seventh week of the session includes an important marker: a major deadline known as “Turnaround” approaches this Saturday. Turnaround marks the date that most bills must clear their house of origin. All bills not cleared “die,” receiving no action for the remainder of the legislative session. This deadline applies to most committees, called “non exempt” committees. Some committees, designated as “exempt” committees, do not fall under the Turnaround deadline and bills from those committees remain in play (exempt committees include Federal and State Affairs, Calendar and Printing and Appropriations).
Despite the Turnaround deadline, opportunities often develop to amend bills into other pieces of legislation. Additionally, in previous years “dead” bills reappeared in conference reports or as provisos in appropriations bills. Nevertheless, this week has been busy as lawmakers pushed hard to move bills to the House floor before the deadline.
Beginning next week, the House of Representatives will begin to consider legislation approved by the Senate, while the Senate will begin to consider bills approved in the House of Representatives.
State Leaders Lobby For Research Facility In Kansas
This week, a bipartisan group of state leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress in an effort to help secure Kansas as the host state of a $450 million federal research facility, the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF). Last summer, the Department of Homeland Security selected the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan as one of five finalists for the site.
Kansas offers an ideal location for NBAF, with a central location in the Heartland, a culture deeply rooted in agriculture, a dedicated community and a bold commitment to bioscience research. The bio- and agro-defense facility would be the largest and most advanced bioscience research laboratory in the world. Construction of the site is estimated to create 1,000 new jobs and bring $3.5 billion dollars in new revenue to the state over 20 years. NBAF would put Kansas at the forefront of several exciting enterprises relating to public and animal health.
Manhattan was selected as one of five finalists from 17 potential sites. Other states vying for the facility include: Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia. The Department of Homeland Security expects to make its final decision in October 2008.
For more information on Kansas’ efforts to secure NBAF in Manhattan, visit http://www.nbafinkansas.org/.
House Bill Proposes Bonuses For Teachers
House Education Committee considered House Bill 2870 this week, which would provide bonuses for hard-to-fill teacher posts, including math and science positions.
The Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) testified in opposition to the bill. Among several reasons for their opposition, KNEA argued the bill would remove bonuses from the salary negotiating process. Furthermore, the organization explained that while teachers deserve significantly more pay than they currently receive, House Bill 2870 simply throws an inadequate amount of money at a much larger and more serious issue. One-time bonuses of $1,000 offer no plan to untangle the core of the teacher shortage problem, which lies in poor recruitment and retention. Instead, this money should be used for common-sense solutions, like sufficient scholarship programs to attract education majors or increased teacher salaries across the board.
Proponents assess that the bill will protect collective bargaining by putting bonuses on the “permissive” bargaining list. Unfortunately, school districts rarely agree to negotiate items on the permissive list of topics. The Kansas Association of School Boards encourages districts to negotiate only those items on the mandatory list.
As your representative, I am concerned that House Bill 2870 will serve as an ill-strategized “quick fix” that will ultimately offer no solution to Kansas’ teacher shortage. According to Education Week Magazine, Kansas teachers earn only $0.86 cents for each dollar earned by comparable workers. This bonus would do little to close that gap. A one-time bonus of $1,000 is unlikely to attract or keep good teachers when they can receive significantly higher profits in less time-consuming careers. I believe this money should be more wisely invested in better legislation with more helpful, long-term benefits. (I VOTED NO)
Legislation Brings Airport To Manhattan
The Kansas House approved a bill last week that will authorize $2 million in subsidies over two years to help provide air passenger service to the city of Manhattan. Supporters contend that a new airport in Riley County will offer a number of benefits. Personnel growth at Fort Riley increases need for more convenient methods of out-of-state travel. Additionally, Kansas lawmakers are currently working to secure the Kansas State University Campus as the site of a $450 million national bio- and agro- defense research facility. An airport will provide another incentive for the Department of Homeland security to select the Manhattan location.
A joint House and Senate conference committee approved the legislation on Wednesday. The bill will now go to Governor Kathleen Sebelius for her signature or veto. (I VOTED YES)
Celebrate Literacy With Your Children: Read Across America 2008
In an ongoing effort to encourage literacy among children- and in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday- the National Education Association will sponsor its 10th annual Read Across America on March 3, 2008. Throughout Kansas and the country, educators, librarians, elected officials, celebrities and parents will participate in activities that encourage young people to read.
By instilling a love of reading in our children, we help build a positive attitude toward knowledge and education that will last a lifetime. Additionally, reading and comprehension helps our children become critical thinkers, stronger writers and better communicators. No matter what your path in life, reading is ultimately the key to success. Read Across America is both an exciting and important opportunity to honor something that can benefit everyone’s life. I hope you will pledge to read to your child on March 3. Even more than a day of fun, Read Across America is designed to help motivate children to read all year long. As parents and mentors, we can all contribute to this effort.
For more information on Read Across America 2008 and for ideas on how you can participate with your family, visit http://www.nea.org/readacross.
Keep In Touch!
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 132-N, Statehouse, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785.296.7687. Additionally, you can e-mail me at neighbor@house.state.ks.us. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.