TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans who control the Kansas Legislature are boxing themselves into considering tax increases by drafting proposed budgets in both chambers that don’t balance without them.
GOP legislators have repeatedly said that the budget shortfall projected at nearly $600 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1 represents a spending problem, not a revenue problem.
But top Republican lawmakers are now anticipating general tax increases of more than $100 million a year.
The House and Senate expect to debate their committees’ proposed budgets this week and to pass a final spending blueprint for state government before lawmakers start their annual spring break on April 4.
They are set to return from their break on April 29 to finish the year’s business. Their wrap-up will be dominated by tax issues.
Linda Beech, Ellis County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences.
By KARI BLURTON Hays Post
Keeping families together and “preventing fights and hurt feelings” is the goal of an upcoming program “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?” scheduled for noon Monday at the Ellis County Extension Office in Hays, 601 Main, and 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Ellis Public Library, 907 Washington, Ellis.
Extension agent and presenter Linda Beech said the distribution of personal belongings owned by a loved one who has died is a common “struggle.” Researchers from the University of Minnesota interviewed families and attorneys and ultimately came up with “concrete” ideas to help families start the process of sorting through heirlooms before a family member dies.
“One of the first, and I think most important, is the owner of the stuff is the person who has the right to make the decisions,” Beech said. “While that person is living and healthy, they can decide what to do with their own personal belongings and that can save families lots of struggle and lots of conflict.”
She said a simple list as an attachment in a will is legally binding in Kansas and can evolve as family members are added or removed over time.
“If Grandma has a list that says ‘This is what each of my 16 heirs receive from my household’ … not many people are going to fight over those 16 things because Grandma decided,” Beech said.
The program will involve brainstorming and offer ideas on how family members can discuss what is meaningful to them, what they think is fair and advice on how the owner of the belongings can talk about the importance of items that could end up in the trash bin if its value is not explained.
Beech offered a personal experience.
“When my grandmother was elderly and started to distribute items from her home, she pulled out of storage something we had never seen, a really thick, clunky red goblet … big thick glass … ugly,” she laughed.
“Well, she told us it had been a wedding gift to her parents in the 1890s and all of the sudden that ugly chunky goblet took on a whole new meaning,” she said, adding if the family had cleared out her grandmother’s house after she died without knowing the goblet’s sentimental value, it would have ended up in a garage sale.
“We almost missed out on a wonderful story,” Beech said.
For more information on the program and to register, call (785) 628-9430.
USD 489’s Director of Buildings and Grounds Rusty Lindsay will present a prioritized list of needed repairs to district buildings at the Board of Education work session Monday.
Administrators will also present a technology update, following the approval of the USD 489’s Digital Learning Plan at the March 9 BOE meeting.
Director of Curriculum Shanna Dinkel had said the DLP will serve as a guideline as to how technology can be implemented into the classrooms.
The work session will end with an update on presentation for next week’s board meeting on “Buddy the Humanoid Robot.” Fort Hays State University’s Dr. Paul Adams and Monica Dreiling, along with Carol Murray, school psychologist for USD 489 and the Hays Special Education Cooperative are scheduled to speak at the March 30th board meeting.
According to the FHSU website, “Buddy” is a Nao (pronounced now) robot housed in the Science and Mathematics Institute.
Naos are utilized worldwide for research and assistance in medical and educational fields.
A full agenda for Monday’s 6:30 p.m. work session at Rockwell Administration Center can be found on the USD 489 website HERE.
Burned insulators on a transformer at the Hays power plant led to a significant, but short-lived, outage late Saturday night in the Hays area.
Midwest Energy spokesman Mike Morley said the outage cut power to about 4,000 customers from approximately 11:10 p.m. Saturday to 12:20 a.m. Sunday as crews worked to back feed power from another source.
Midwest’s outage viewer showed power restored to all customers Sunday morning.
Spring like weather continues today with sunny skies and a high near 78. Southwest winds will increase late in the day, with an overnight low of around 37.
Isolated thunderstorms are possible Monday afternoon and will become more widespread overnight. A few storms may be severe.
Becoming windy on Tuesday with a slight chance of morning showers. Wednesday through Friday will be cooler before another warm up next weekend.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 78. Light south southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. North wind 8 to 14 mph.
Monday: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. North wind 9 to 15 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 9pm and 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. East wind 14 to 16 mph.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Very windy, with an east wind 9 to 14 mph becoming northwest 20 to 30 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
Two Fort Hays State University graduate students, Patrice Betz, Hutchinson, and Mitchell Meyer, Hays, were recently awarded $500 scholarships at the 2015 Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka.
Betz’s poster, “Effects of Environmental and Human Disturbance Factors on the Range Contraction of North American Bird and Mammal Species,” was judged the top FHSU poster. Betz is a student of Dr. Robert Channell, professor of biological sciences, and is pursuing a Master of Science in biological sciences.
Meyer’s poster, “Black Footed Ferret Dispersion in Western Kansas,” was judged the winning FHSU poster by BioKansas. Meyers is a student of Dr. Elmer Finck, professor of biological sciences, and is pursuing a Master of Science in biological sciences.
The Capitol Graduate Research Summit is an annual event where graduate students from Kansas Board of Regents universities display posters of their research. Posters are judged and scholarships are awarded to the top poster from each institution. One scholarship is given by the participating institution and one prize is given by BioKansas.
About BioKansas:
BioKansas is a public charity focused on connecting the bioscience industry in Kansas. Founded in 2004 by the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute and the State of Kansas, BioKansas represents the bioscience continuum from the university laboratories to the established human health, animal health and plant science companies, and all the entrepreneurial ventures, start-ups and service providers in the heart of the continuum.
The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting fire hydrants and flushing water mains on March 23 in the area of Augusta Lane toward Vine Street and between 27th and 20th streets. This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
Inspecting fire hydrants ensures the valves operate properly and that there is no damage or obstructions that will prevent or interfere with the prompt use of fire hydrants in an emergency. Firefighters are also checking the pressure and volume of water mains in each neighborhood for firefighting purposes. The associated flushing of water mains allows chlorine to be distributed throughout the system to eliminate bio-filming in the water mains.
Slight discoloration of the water supply may be encountered although there will be no health risks to the consumer. All reasonable efforts will be taken to minimize the inconvenience to the public. Drivers are asked to avoid driving through water discharging from a fire hydrant during the short flushing period.
For more information, contact the Hays Fire Department at (785) 628-7330.
TOPEKA–The Neighbor to Neighbor statewide food drive launched this month to support our neighbors in need and reduce hunger in Kansas communities.
Harvesters-The Community Food Bank in Topeka hosted state leaders, including Governor Sam Brownback and Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey, representatives of the food banks of Kansas, Dillon’s Food Stores employees and members of the Kansas agriculture community.
The food drive is a collaborative effort by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Dillon’s Food Stores, Harvester’s – The Community Food Network, Kansas Food Bank, Second Harvest Community Food Bank and the Kansas agriculture community.
The goal is to raise 85,000 meals for Kansas families during the food drive, Mar. 1 – Mar. 31.
Kansans can contribute to the campaign at Dillon’s Food Stores statewide, at other community locations across the state or through the virtual donation portal, https://ksn2n.harvestersvfd.org.
Governor Brownback signed a proclamation declaring March and Kansas Agriculture Month and March18 as Kansas Agriculture Day. He also stressed the importance of serving our neighbors in need as well as educating all Kansans about how the food they eat transitions from farm to fork.
“Hunger is everywhere across Kansas – in rural counties, suburban communities and urban neighborhoods,” said Governor Brownback. “It is important to do all we can to help those in need because when Kansas families and children have enough to eat, our communities are stronger and our state is stronger.”
“At Dillon’s, our number one community priority is to help bring food and hope to those living with less,” said Sheila Lowrie, Dillon’s Stores spokeswoman. “That’s what makes the Neighbor to Neighbor Kansas Food Campaign especially meaningful for us. We are proud to continue this commitment with the wonderful support of our local food banks and the generosity of our Dillon’s customers and associates throughout our stores in Kansas.”
Dillon’s Food Stores made an initial donation of 2,500 pounds of non-perishable food items at the kick-off event.
To learn more about the Neighbor to Neighbor statewide food drive and ways to participate, visit agriculture.ks.gov/ksagday.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The U.S. appears to be locked in a tornado drought as meteorologists have recorded only about two-dozen twisters so far this year during a period when 100 or more are typical.
And there have been no reports of tornadoes so far in March — a sometimes violent period for severe weather. The last time there were no tornadoes in March was 1969.
Forecasters at NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman have issued only four tornado watches and no severe thunderstorm watches — less than 10 percent of the average 52 tornado watches issued by mid-March.
Warning coordination meteorologist Greg Carbin said there isn’t one answer to explain the sluggish start, but that a persistent weather pattern of cold, stable air prevents a tornado’s ingredients from coming together.
WAKEFIELD – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 7 p.m. on Saturday in Clay County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Dodge Truck driven by Cody Cramer, 21, Emporia, was traveling westbound on 9th Road four miles west of Wakefield.
The driver failed to negotiate a curve. The truck went off the road and over turned.
Cramer was transported to Clay County Medical Center.
The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Susan Mosier warned legislators Thursday of the potential fiscal pitfalls of expanding Medicaid. Credit Andy Marso / Heartland Health Monitor
by ANDY MARSO
Kansas officials told legislators Thursday that the state’s share of Medicaid expansion costs could start at $100 million per year and increase from there, and those costs could double if the federal government required full funding of waiting lists as a condition of expansion.
One day after her predecessor testified in favor of expansion under the Affordable Care Act, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Susan Mosier provided neutral testimony that warned legislators of potential fiscal pitfalls.
Mosier said there were “moral implications” of expanding Medicaid to “able-bodied adults” while Kansans with disabilities were still awaiting some services, likening it to “cutting in line.”
“We still do have over 5,000 individuals awaiting services,” Mosier said.
Mosier’s comments and a fiscal note from budget director Shawn Sullivan that included costs of funding the waiting lists in the expansion proposal, House Bill 2319, prompted questions from members of the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Rep. Susan Concannon, a Republican from Beloit, called it “a little bit disingenuous” and suggested it was artificially pumping up the projected cost of the bill.
“This is not part of the bill that the waiting list disappears,” Concannon said. “This is a decision from the administration to include those numbers in the bill?”
Mosier said Gov. Sam Brownback considers funding the waiting lists his top Medicaid priority.
Rep. Jim Ward, a Democrat from Wichita and the leading legislative proponent of expansion, questioned that commitment.
“How do you stand there and pit disabled people against the uninsured when you haven’t spent a dollar on the waiting list?” Ward asked.
“Actually we’ve spent $64 million on the waiting lists since the inception of KanCare,” Mosier responded.
The Medicaid waiver waiting lists Mosier referred to are for home-and-community-based support (HCBS) services for Kansans with disabilities, which is different from the strictly medical coverage that would be extended to Kansans under Medicaid expansion. Kansans with disabilities who are on waiting lists for HCBS services are not waiting for medical coverage.
The Kansas Hospital Association is one of the group’s leading the lobbying effort for Medicaid expansion. At Wednesday’s hearing, the association’s president, Tom Bell, said the group believes expansion will pay for itself through economic development spurred by the infusion of more than $2 billion in federal cash into the health care system by 2020. But he anticipated Thursday’s waiting-list concerns and said that hospitals are willing to talk about how to cover the state’s share of the costs, even if they include the cost of eliminating the HCBS waiting lists.
“We would love to be able to sit down and look at options for how to fund this,” Bell said.
Kansas’ privatized Medicaid program, KanCare, provides medical coverage for about 425,000 children and low-income, disabled and elderly adults. But that number includes relatively few non-disabled adults.
Adults with dependent children can participate in KanCare, but only if they have incomes below 33 percent of the federal poverty level, or a little more than $8,000 annually for a family of four. Adults without children aren’t eligible for coverage no matter how poor they are.
Expansion would make all Kansans with incomes up to 138 percent of poverty eligible for KanCare. The eligibility cap would be set at annual income of $16,105 for an individual and $32,913 for a family of four. Estimates vary, but it’s thought Medicaid expansion would extend coverage to between 140,000 and 170,000 Kansans.
Wednesday’s hearing on expansion brought in more than 150 pieces of testimony from health care providers, business groups and religious leaders who favor expansion and a crowd that spilled out into the hallway.
Thursday’s hearing, which included opponents and Mosier, brought in free-market think tanks like the Kansas Policy Institute, Americans for Prosperity, Foundation for Government Accountability and Wichita-based Kansans for Liberty. AFP supporters, many in the organization’s green t-shirts, filled much of the Old Supreme Court Room.
Akash Chougule, a senior policy analyst in AFP’s Washington, D.C. office, provided a laundry list of states where he said expansion had been fraught with cost overruns due to higher-than-expected enrollment, including his home state of Rhode Island. Chougule also cautioned that having insurance coverage does not guarantee patients will be able to find the doctors and treatments they need.
“Putting an insurance card in everyone’s pocket, by all means, does not ensure access to quality medical care,” Chougule said.
Ward, questioning both Chougule and Dean Clancy of the Foundation for Government Accountability, asked them if both had “one of those dreaded insurance cards.”
“Would you agree that though it may not be perfect, it’s a lot better than not having one?” Ward asked rhetorically.
Chougule and Clancy nodded ‘yes’ in response. Rep. Don Hill, a Republican from Emporia who has quietly helped steer the Medicaid expansion discussion, thanked Chougule, Clancy and other opponents for their testimony but said he thought the hearing had gotten “a little far afield.”
Hill noted that the bill in question does not prescribe a certain type of expansion, but only repeals a previous law that required legislative approval and compels the Brownback administration to begin negotiating with the federal government on an expansion plan.
“It’s really pretty simple,” Hill said. “It’s just saying we, the Legislature, are ready to get out of the way.”
Hill asked the opponents of expansion to offer the administration advice in crafting the best possible plan based on their research.
Nearly all the opponents who testified said they doubted the federal government would maintain the promised long-term 90 percent match. They predicted that costs would balloon and pull money away from other essential state services.
Chougule, whose group flexed its muscle in scuttling an alternative expansion plan in Tennessee earlier this year, predicted political consequences for legislators who vote for expansion or work for its passage.
“We certainly plan to hold accountable any legislator who supports this misguided scheme,” Chougale said.
Even the most conservative members of the committee had questions about how the status quo could be sustained, though.
The ACA cut Medicare payments to hospitals on the assumption that expansion of Medicaid would make up the lost revenue. But the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the ACA also said that states could opt out of expansion, and about half the states — all controlled by Republican legislatures — have done so.
Rep. Jim Kelly, a Republican from Independence, asked Chougule what would happen to rural towns in his district if their hospitals closed and whether they would be able to attract new businesses to an area that was without a medical center.
Rep. Dick Jones, a Republican from Topeka, told Clancy he was not sure KanCare coverage was the ultimate answer. But Jones said he was struck the previous day by the testimony of Marcillene Dover, an uninsured Wichita State University student who said she faced delays getting her multiple sclerosis diagnosed and was further “devastated” when she had to figure out how to pay for costly treatments.
“This is what we want to prevent,” Jones said.
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
