By Rep. Ken Rahjes
R-Agra, 110th Dist.
Hello from Topeka.
We are nearing “halftime” of this legislative session with what is termed “turnaround.” This means the bills which were passed in the house go to consideration in the Senate and vice-versa. At the time of writing this, we still have a number of bills to debate and vote on before a break of several days out of Topeka. We will resume the session on March 2nd and continue working on bills. A first adjournment scheduled for March 25th. The veto session is scheduled to begin on April 27th and could be short or extended depending on the number of unresolved issues.
The budget for FY 17 has been passed by both houses. I voted for the budget, as I felt it was a way to move forward and protect KPERS. I have real concerns about much of the sweeping of funds which took place to get to the ending projected balance and what measures will need to be taken if tax revenues continue to come in lower than projected. We began the process of exploring some of the suggestions from the efficiency study which was commissioned by the legislature to find savings in running state government. There were 105 recommendations, some that can be done with policy changes within certain agencies or departments while others will take action by the legislature. Many are well-intentioned, but could also bring unintended consequences that could end up costing more money than it was projected to save. I believe it is worth a try to find ways to run government services in a prudent and conservative manner.
Another issue voted on the floor of the house last week was a bill expediting licensure for Kansas doctors to be able to practice medicine in the 12 other states that have joined a new interstate license compact. The bill will not only expand practice options for Kansas doctors, but also for Kansans across the state by increasing access to specialists who may reside in others states. A patient in Kansas could be treated by a doctor from the Mayo Clinic without having to travel to Minnesota, because the Mayo physician can get an expedited Kansas license. The compact will especially help patients in rural Kansas by increasing telemedicine options from out of state specialist physicians. If doctors choose to practice telemedicine in another state they must adhere to the jurisdiction of the state medical board where their patient is located. The states that have already enacted the compact include: Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, West Virginia, Alabama, and Montana.
A reminder: there will be opportunities to meet and talk face-to-face on Monday February 29th from 11:00 – Noon in Hill City at Red’s Family Restaurant; Tuesday, March 1st: 1:00 – 2:00 pm at the Rooks County Health Center, Plainville and then 3:00 – 4:00 pm in Agra at the Agra City Building/Library. I hope to see many of you there. I appreciate those who attended legislative updates last weekend in Ellis, Prairie View and Norton.
Those from the 110th in Topeka this past week included: Kansas 4-H Citizenship in Action event participants Clay Pelton and Sarah Pelton, Paradise (Rooks County 4-H’ers); Hannah Peak, Kirwin; Noah Peak, Kirwin; Nathan Thomas, Stockton; Royce Turner, Phillipsburg; Anna Muir, Stockton and Patsy Maddy, Norton. Terry Nelson, Almena with the Kansas Livestock Association and Arianne Fischer, Plainville, FHSU student.
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. I look forward to seeing you when you are in Topeka or out and about in the district.