We are in the final days of the 2016 legislative session, with plans to have first adjournment by Easter weekend. Then we will spend about a month in our districts and come back for the veto session which could be quick or take several days. It is a ‘5 hour energy & Red Bull’ week as there are many bills to be worked and voted on, in addition to finding answers to the budget situation and the future of school finance.
Several bills were passed out of the house last week.
SB 175 concerns Religious Liberty on Campus. It maintains that religious clubs be treated the same as other student associations and reserves the right to the same benefits, such as access to facilities, campus communications, recognition and registration on campus, and any funding stream that is also available to other student associations. The freedom to practice sincerely held religious beliefs is enshrined in the founding documents of our country, transcending ever-changing cultural trends. This is a religious liberty bill that protects campus religious groups from discrimination. Clubs should be able to establish and maintain parameters for leadership and membership as directed by their sincerely held religious belief. Doing so should not compromise their recognition from universities because that would be a violation of the constitution’s protection of the free exercise of religion. This bill reinforces Kansas’s protection of the rights of religious groups to gather as their conscience and beliefs dictate. I voted in favor of the bill and will watch closely that we do not experience dangerous unintended consequences.
HB 2468 is a bill that will maintain the ability of BB gun clubs, such as those operated by 4-H chapters, to continue to use tax-payer funded school facilities to practice target shooting after school hours, similar to other clubs or sports teams. The bill does not require local school boards to allow BB guns to be kept on campus or stored in lockers. That is a regulation left to the school board. In our area, most of these programs are conducted in buildings on the fairgrounds or armories. I voted in favor of the bill.
And a bill that took on a lot of debate was HB 2595 which declares that cities, counties and other political subdivisions cannot adopt their own nutritional labeling or regulations of food products on private businesses within their jurisdiction, such as when NYC Mayor Bloomberg imposed a ban on sugary drinks above a certain size. The bill is intended to prevent intrastate disparities in the guidelines restaurants and other food services are required to meet. The bill does not keep local entities from adopting regulations on their own food service facilities, or prevent them from offering healthy food education.
The House also gave initial approval to monumental reform of the Kansas juvenile justice system, paving the way for a system focused on hope, rehabilitation, and community based services, rather than incarceration for underage offenders in the form of SB 367. The bill moves toward rehabilitation that uses a home-based approach of community service and parental participation. Juvenile offenders who may not have family structure to support rehabilitation will be eligible to be classified as a child in need of care (CINC), rather than as an offender, which will help keep them out of juvenile correctional facilities and prevent exposure to any negative influences there that may lead to further crime.
The goal of the reform is to focus on rehabilitation for youth instead of incarceration, which statistics show can prevent them from reoffending. Incarceration will remain an option for youth who present a danger to society. Rehabilitation instead of incarceration is shown by evidence to be more effective, less costly, and keep youth offenders closer to home. I voted in favor of the bill, which will probably need to be tweaked again next year. Many are pleased that it is a start.
Visitors in Topeka this week included: Joyce & Dennie Lofgreen, from Norton, their daughter Holly and grandchildren Ava and Jillian. Also, the seniors from Northern Valley High School in Almena: Elexsa Anderson, Colten Bach, Brooke Baird, Sarah Baird, Camden Cox, Mat Florence, Briana Fuemmeler, Allison Keith, Talia Lowry, Brianna Martin, Dalton Smith and Shayna Vincent. Their sponsor and van driver was Mr. Jason Dibble and another van was driven by Richard Ames.
I visited with many people over the weekend in Hays, Nicodemus, Phillipsburg and Plainville, and hope to see you in your community in April.
Please reach out to me if you have concerns, questions or issues that need to be addressed. You can keep up on things by following and liking Ken for Kansas on Facebook. During the session I can be reached: Ken Rahjes, Kansas State Capitol, 168-W, Topeka, KS 66612; Phone: (785) 296-7676; Email: [email protected]; or 1798 E 900 Rd, Agra, KS 67621; Cell: (785) 302-8416 or [email protected].
You can also track bills and get specific information by going to kslegislature.org.