February 16, 2018
Bills Passed In the House
This week was a busy one in the Kansas House of Representatives as we started to debate numerous bills as we near the point in the session that we refer to as “Turnaround.”
House Bill 2455 is a bill that requires the juvenile justice oversight committee to calculate and reduce expenditures with out-of-home placements. This bill passed, 118-2.
House Bill 2444 is in regards to the investments made by the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). This bill specifically prohibits the Board of Trustees with KPERS from investing any money in companies with certain business operations in Sudan. This passed, 111-9.
House Bill 2505 relates to a mayor’s position in local government. The bill makes a change that has mayors considered as part of the city governing body in all manners when the cities have a format of commission or commission-manager form of government. This bill passed the House, 122-0.
House Bill 2506 is in regards to the rehabilitation of abandoned property by a city. This bill makes changes to what is considered blighted which is highly relevant in eminent domain cases. For example, inadequate drainage would no longer constitute a property as being blighted. The bill also changes what is considered as “abandoned” property. This bill passed, 90-32. I voted “yes” on all.
House Bill 2533: Horse and Dog Tracks
On Tuesday, the Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony regarding the Horse and Greyhound tracks in the state. The main point of contention from those that own the racetracks is that since the passage of the Expanded Gaming Act of 2007, the allowable slot machines are taxed differently depending on the facility. The owners of the racetracks would like to reduce their slot machine tax from 40%, which is current law, to the same tax rate as that of state-owned casinos at 22%. During discussions with the racetracks and the casino managers, there has been this impending threat of a lawsuit by the casino managers if there are changes made to the existing law.
Appropriations Committee- Budget Work
This week was a busy one for the House Appropriations committee. We had a full week with the budget chairs reporting the reviewed budgets in their respective committees to the full committee.
On Monday, we had the budgets of the Department of Administration, Attorney General, and the office of the Governor. Tuesday, the budgets of the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, Office of the State Fire Marshall, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the Board of Indigents’ Defense Services were reported out.
Then on Wednesday, we reviewed the budgets of the departments of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and Agriculture, and the Kansas Commission on Veteran’s Affairs Office. On Thursday, we ended the week with reports on the budgets regarding the Board of Regents, Emporia State University, Wichita State University, and the University of Kansas Medical Center. This is the first full week of budget reports that will be included in the supplemental budget bill.
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.