Friends,
It was a busy week on the House floor, as we passed multiple bills. Some of these are listed below. I supported all of the following bills:
Last Week on the House Floor
HB 2273: an act concerning consumer protection; relating to the Kansas no-call act; restricting use of automatic dialing-announcing devices.
HB 2047: an act concerning the office of inspector general.
HB 2306: an act concerning the Kansas sexually violent predator act; relating to examinations; transitional release; conditional release.
SB 112: an act concerning crimes, punishment and criminal procedure; relating to evidence; videotaping of certain felony, custodial interrogations; domestic battery; creating the crime of aggravated domestic battery; controlled substances; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia; burglary; expungement; arrest records.
Sub SB 74: an act concerning persons needing assistance with cognition; relating to motor vehicle, placards, identification cards; state-issued identification cards and driver’s licenses.
H Sub SB 101: an act concerning crime victims; relating to protection orders; protection from abuse act; protection from stalking act; sexual assault evidence collection examinations and parental notification; the crime victim’s compensation board and claims for compensation.
Medicaid Expansion Bill
Two weeks ago, the Kansas House passed a Medicaid expansion bill (HB 2044) that would help cover more than 150,000 Kansans without insurance and aid our numerous hospitals and clinics whose budgets have been slashed multiple times over the last few years.
Last week, the bill hit the Senate floor with the Medicaid expansion amendment, and passed. The bill was sent to Governor Brownback, who vetoed the expansion bill on Thursday morning.
The veto brought the Medicaid expansion bill back to the House floor later Thursday morning, where a debate ensued over whether to override the veto. In the end, the bill was tabled until likely next week. This means the debate will continue and the vote will occur when it’s reintroduced on the floor.
It will be a close vote on the veto override. The Kansas House needs 84 votes in order to override. If an override does happen, the bill will go back to the Senate for an override vote. The Senate needs 27 votes to override a veto.
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both 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 43-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-4683 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.
Sincerely,
Eber Phelps, D-Hays
111th Dist. Kansas House of Representatives
Serving Hays and Ellis County