Troy L. Waymaster, State Representative, Kansas House District 109
Education Bill Passes Out of Appropriations Committee
In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned that the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing and attempted to work House Bill 2731, which was the education bill drafted to adhere to the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling from February. Since that bill did not make it out of committee, on Tuesday, March 22, we held a hearing on a new education funding bill; House Bill 2740.
House Bill 2740 made various amendments regarding school finance. Currently, as under the language of the Block Grant Funding Bill, school districts receive the same amount of funding for supplemental general state aid as they did in the 2014-2015 school year. House Bill 2740 establishes a statutory formula for determining the amount of supplemental general state aid. This bill stipulates that the State Board of Education will determine the average valuation per pupil (AVPP) and will categorize those from highest to lowest, then the median AVPP is used to determine the amount that the individual districts shall receive. This provision, as like the Block Grant Funding Bill, will sunset on June 30, 2017.
House Bill 2470 also provides school district equalization state aid, which is a new form of state aid for certain school districts across the state. In order for a school district to be eligible for this particular state aid, a school district’s combined supplemental general state aid and capital outlay state aid, for fiscal year 2017 only, must be less than what the school district received under the Block Grant Funding for the school fiscal year of 2016. If the school district is eligible, then the amount they would receive would be the difference from the fiscal year 2017 amount and the amount received in fiscal year 2016.
Another change from the Block Grant Funding bill is the dispersement and allocation of funds from the Extraordinary Needs Fund by changing the authoritative body from the State Finance Council to the State Board of Education. School districts will still need to apply to determine whether their request for additional funding is warranted or not, however, under this bill the State Board of Education will have the authority to approve or deny those applications submitted by the school districts.
This bill passed out of the Appropriations Committee on March 23, as House Substitute for Senate Bill 59 in order to expedite it through the legislative process. A similar bill, Senate Substitute for House Bill 2655, passed out of the House, 93-31, on Thursday, March 24.
Common Core Has Floor Debate
For the first time in my four years in the House of Representatives, we were finally able to debate a bill regarding the Kansas Career and Readiness Standards, otherwise referred to as Common Core. Even though the State Board of Education is re-evaluating the current standards, we debated this bill on the House floor. However, this bill generated more questions than solutions. The language of the bill was extremely ambiguous, which made the bill complicated and open to more deliberation, and it actually generated more legal questions and about its constitutionality if the bill were to pass.
There was a large fiscal note associated with this bill as well. Not only have the school districts spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on new text books, this bill came with a fiscal note of at least $9 million, plus possibly more if there were federal infractions, and with the current unstable state budget, and instability of our revenues, passing this bill would be fiscally irresponsible. This bill failed in the House, 78-44.
43 Bills Debated
During the House Sessions on Monday and Tuesday of this week, the House deliberated on a total of 43 bills within the course of those two days. Some of the bills were innocuous and some were more contentious. Below is a list of the bills debated in the House and the outcomes:
• House Bill 2739, which would modify the current budgeting process for state agencies and how their respective budgets are approved by the state legislature. The modification would be completed on or before January 14, 2019. I voted yes on this bill;
• House Bill 2724, regarding the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS), would make changes in compensation which can be considered in pension calculations. This bill would also require each employer to submit the amount of vacation and sick time each employee has accumulated and the employee’s rate of compensation. I voted no.
• Senate Bill 387 allows for a bank, savings bank, savings and loan association, or a credit union to conduct a savings promotion in which a person would deposit money into a savings account in order to enter a promotion. As a former banker, I voted “yes.”
• House Bill 2729 would require school districts to contract with the Kansas Department of Administration for purchases made in regards to food and informational technology and software. This bill was voted to be referred back to the Education Budget Committee for further work.
• Senate Bill 99 increases the length limit for stinger-steered automobile transporters from the current length of 75 feet to 80 feet. This bill is specifically targeted to those who are custom harvesters making it easier for them to transport equipment in the state of Kansas. I voted “yes.”
Calendar and Contact Information
Friday, March 25, marks the final day of the 2016 Legislative Session, commonly referred to as “Drop Dead Day” in the statehouse. We will then adjourn for almost the entire month of April. We will return to Topeka on April 27 and will then begin what is referred to as “Veto Session.”
As to the duration of the veto session, that is uncertain. We will be waiting for the Consensus Revenue Estimate Group to meet on April 20, and we are scheduled to have Appropriations meetings on April 21 and 22. We will also be eagerly awaiting the revenue numbers that will be released on April 1 and May 1, to see where the state of Kansas is financially.
If you have any concerns, feel free to contact my office at (785) 296-7672, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected].
The honor to serve you in the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas is one I do not take lightly. Do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas.
Troy L. Waymaster,
State Representative
109th Kansas House
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612