March 24, 2017

Horse and Dog Race Tracks in Kansas
This week the House Appropriations Committee held informational hearings on possible renovation plans for the Lansing Correctional Facility and the Osawatomie State Hospital. The hearing for the Lansing Correctional Facility, which was held on Tuesday, March 14, focused on the facility’s rising costs. Currently the facility, which was constructed in the 1860s, has the capacity of 2,405 inmates and 686 staff at a cost of $34,542,898 a year. Two plans of renovation were presented to the committee in order to decrease the prison’s cost. One being to build a new prison with bonds and another being a lease to purchase option. Both options increase the facility’s inmate capacity, decrease the number of staff needed by half, and decrease the cost of staff to $20,461,154 a year. The hearing for the Osawatomie State Hospital was held on March, 15. The Osawatomie State Hospital, just as with Lansing Correctional Facility, needs renovations and possible further changes. Seven different options for renovation were presented to the committee. These options differed in approach and value with the least costly option for recertification with a proposed cost of about $4.3 million for the expansion of 206 beds. The option of new construction would cost approximately $33,720,000. In addition to these requests for renovation, recommendations to improve the environment were given as well, one being to incentivize professional training and accreditation.

State Budget Progress
Last week through this week the State Legislature has been making considerable progress in preparing budgets for the next several fiscal years. The Senate substitute for House Bill 2052 was passed by the Senate on Thursday, March 16, 2017. On Monday, March 20, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee began work on House Bill 2364 and House Bill 2365. House Bill 2364 deals with appropriations for FY’ 2018 through 2021 for most state agencies, and House Bill 2365 deals with appropriations for the judicial branch in FY’ 2018 and 2019
Appropriations at Work: The Efficiency Study
Last week the Appropriations Committee heard from all the Budget Committees on the Alvarez and Marsal Efficiency Study. The study, which was conducted in 2016, made 105 recommendations on how to improve state operations for a savings of $2 billion over the next 5 years. The Budget Committees used the recommendations from the Alvarez and Marsal Study to provide feedback to the Appropriations Committee, both on whether the recommendations had been implemented and if the estimated savings had been achieved as prescribed in the study.
The budget committees have worked diligently on identifying cost savings for the state of Kansas with the items in the efficiency study, and we will incorporate some of those recommendations in the budget bill.

Tax Committee
The Taxation Committee heard and took action on House Bill 2387 last week. This bill provides sales tax exemptions for fence replacement in the areas of the state affected by the wildfire destruction. Governor Brownback signed House Bill 2387 into law on Wednesday, March 22.
The Committee also heard a number of other bills this week: House Bill 2380, regarding sales tax authority for Marion County for property tax relief; House Bill 2261, providing a sales tax exemption for certain veterans service organizations; House Bill 2381, providing a sales tax exemption for the land institute; House Bill 2368, allowing a deduction for business entities that create new jobs, and House Bill 2376, regarding the property tax lid; requiring cities and counties to publish notice of budget increases; and election requirements. On Thursday, the Committee heard from approximately 40 conferees on House Bill 2376. The bill is a collaborative effort between the Kansas Association of Counties and the League of Kansas Municipalities.

Bills Passed Out of Committees to the House Floor
Last week, the Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony regarding House Bill 2313, which would legalize the use of lottery ticket vending machines in the State of Kansas. These vending machines would allow an individual to manually purchase a lottery ticket, check the status of a lottery ticket, and would also be used to promote information regarding the Kansas Lottery. On Friday, March 17, the Committee amended the bill to include provisions that would nullify any ticket purchased by a minor, with the intent of discouraging the youth from purchasing tickets through their parents or guardians. Under current law, minors may purchase lottery tickets, but are unable to redeem prizes from such tickets. This bill passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, March 23, 100 to 25. I voted “yes.” The Committee also passed House Bill 2081, whereby public employers would not be liable for any wrongful or negligent act of an employee carrying a concealed handgun. The committee also passed House Bill 2042, which would require the State to recognize all valid concealed carry licenses and permits issues by other states to non-Kansans.

Kansas House Commemorates the Life of Srinivas Kuchibhotla
On Thursday, March 16, both Ian Grillot and Alok Madasani, survivors of the Olathe shooting in February, were recognized by in the House chamber during the adoption of HR 6023. Family members and friends accompanied them as we commemorated the life of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who immigrated to Kansas and exemplified the American Dream. Governor Brownback later signed a proclamation recognizing March 16 as Indian-American Appreciation Day.

Contact Information
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected]. Also, if you happen to visit the statehouse, please let my office know.

It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.

Troy L. Waymaster, (R-Bunker Hill) is the 109th Dist. State Representative and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Hello from Topeka!

It was good to receive some precipitation over the last few days and the land is starting to green up and before long all those long-awaited spring activities will be underway. As always, this time of the year, legislative activities move at a faster pace. There are many moving parts, so keep in mind, what you hear and see will probably not be the outcome, but they are points in the process.

One of the issues that most people are interested in is school finance. On Tuesday March 21, the House K-12 Education Budget Committee had an informational briefing on the proposed Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act, HB 2410. This bill represents the work product of an entire session of public input arrived at through a fair and open committee process. The bill encompasses components of several plans and ideas that were presented and is closely connected to the recommendations from the Legislative Post Audit cost study. Hearings on the bill were held the end of last week. with action planned for this week. The committee will continue to work on the bill to find the most sensible, student-focused, outcomes-based formula that provides our students with the best possible opportunity for excellence.

Documents detailing fiscal impact to each district and explanations were also released by the Kansas Department of Education: https://www.ksde.org/Agency/Fiscal-and-Administrative-Services/School-Finance/Whats-New

Again, this is a starting point. This proposal really hits many of the schools in the 110th District and any school with declining enrollments. The discussion and negotiations will continue to find what truly is equitable for all school children in Kansas.

Another issue which has been coming and needs to be address is cybersecurity. One of the primary functions of government is to protect its citizens from harm. House Leadership chose to make protecting our taxpayers’ highly sensitive and private personal data a high priority with the creation of the House Committee on Government Technology, and Security. The committee worked diligently to craft HB 2331, which centralizes IT and cybersecurity for the state. It would create the Kansas Information Security Office and establish the position of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The bill would also replace the Office of Technology Services (OITS) to the Kansas Information Technology Enterprise (KITE). KITE would be responsible for all functions of OITS. These changes would reflect the need to develop and implement comprehensive information security programs, and would centralize all IT and cybersecurity operations for the state. These efforts would protect all executive branch agencies, including the various departments, under one centralized system. The Committee of the Whole amended HB 2331 to exclude KPERS from the bill’s provisions. The bill passed out of the House and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.

Work continues the Mega Budget Bill and any tax reform measures, there are proposals for pay increases for state employees and a possible gas tax but there will be many changes through negotiations so nothing is certain for now so we will continue those discussions in future columns.

The House Committee on Federal & State Affairs heard testimony concerning HB 2307. HB 2307, also known as “Simon’s Law,” would prohibit a hospital from withholding, withdrawing, or restricting life-sustaining measures for any patient under the age of 18, without written parental consent. Additionally, the bill would prohibit hospitals from issuing a do-not-resuscitate order without written parental consent. Simon Crosier, of whom the bill is named, was denied life sustaining treatment due to his unique birth. Additionally, Simon’s doctors chose to issue a DNR without informing his parents. Simon passed without his family’s awareness of the order. The Crosier family described their traumatic experience with their son and testified in full support of the bill, wishing no other family to suffer such a tragic loss. Kansans for Life, the Family Policy Alliance, and the Disability Rights Center also offered their support for this legislation, expressing the need to protect the most vulnerable and defend the parents’ rights. The Center for Practical Bioethics and two medical doctors opposed the bill, and explained that written permission from at least one parent or legal guardian questions the expertise and motives of the medical community, and called this legislation “politically motivated.” Simon’s Law has already passed the full Senate in the form of SB 85with a final vote count of 29-9. The committee passed it out favorably on Monday.

Also, last week, the Federal and State Affairs Committee also held hearings on HB 2389, which would amend current law concerning amusement park inspections, permit fees, and would amend other provisions of the Kansas Amusement Ride Act. Proponents of the bill expressed their concern for the safety of amusement park rides and would enforce inspection protocol. In addition, the proponents noted the lack of safety measures in Kansas statute and requested greater inspection training requirements. Opponents asserted that HB 2389 would subject carnivals and travelling companies to burdensome regulations that may hamper business operations, and that National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials (NAARSO) certifications act as sufficient training for inspectors. Neutral testimony followed and highlighted potential lawsuits, age and size of different rides, and various certifications. The Committee articulated concern for the insurance policy of $100,000, insuring the owner or operator against liability for injury—they identified the need to increase that threshold.

The Kansas Department of Revenue has created a webpage regarding the recent wildfires. The page contains links to forms necessary for receiving refunds and sales tax exemption certificates: https://www.ksrevenue.org/wildfires.html

If you would like to contact me: Session phone number is: (785) 296- 7463 and email is: [email protected] and my cell number is (785) 302-8416. It is my honor to serve as your representative.

Ken Rahjes, (R-Agra), is the 110th District State Representative.