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Kansas celebrated its 156th birthday on Sunday, celebrating its entry into the Union as the 34th state on January 29, 1861. The Kansas House of Representatives will celebrate Kansas Day on Monday, January 30 and will recognize Robert Bergen, artist and creator of the 22-foot bronze Kansa warrior statue on top of the statehouse dome. In addition to the activities on the House floor, there are opportunities to view the Home on the Range documentary in the Capitol on Monday, January 30.  Here are some fun coloring pages featuring Kansas facts and symbols: http://www.kshs.org/educate/students/pdfs/symbols_coloring_book.pdf I note that the coloring book is a bit outdated, as it does not contain the newest state symbols, the state flying fossil, Pteranodon, and the state marine fossil, Tylosaurus Mosasaur. Hopefully that is corrected soon. Budget This past week the House Appropriations Committee and the budget subcommittees dug into Governor Brownbacks rescission bill for fiscal year 2017, which ends June 30. The state is currently facing a shortfall of $340 million in FY 2017, and the governor has recommended adjustments to end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance. Here are the highlights:
When all the additions and deletions are accounted for, total SGF expenditures would be reduced by $24 million from the amount approved during the 2016 legislative session. Although the committee has had a hearing on the bill, it will quite likely be amended before the committee passes it out. The appropriations committee also heard HB 2161, which would clear the way for liquidation of the long-term investment fund. Although many view this as fiscally questionable, there appears to be growing recognition that it is a move which will probably be necessary in order to avoid choices which are even less desirable. Tax On Monday, the Committee continued its hearing on HB 2023, which would require non-wage business income to be included for Kansas income tax purposes. After the hearing, Acting Revenue Secretary Sam Williams provided the Committee with a revised fiscal note, increasing the revenue estimates to $230.9 million in FY 18 and $181 million in FY 19. That amount of revenue will not fill the projected hole budget, and other actions will be necessary in order to achieve true structural balance between revenues and expenditures. And if any income tax bill is to provide revenue for FY 18, then it will be necessary to make the tax changes retroactive to 1/1/2017, since most income tax revenue is remitted after the fact. On Tuesday, the Committee discussed Sales Tax Exemptions. Committee members heard from Tom Browne, Jr., Department of Revenue. He covered the 3 categories of exemptions: (1) Legal; (2) Conceptual; and (3) Public Policy. The Committee selected a handful of exemptions to further study. In my experience, the topic of tax exemptions is one which attracts plenty of attention but little action. Admittedly, the dollar amount of all sales tax exemptions is huge. But those particular exemptions which would generate significant revenue are easily justified, and their removal would be very unpopular. Imposing sales tax on goods consumed in production by business or agriculture, or on services, or on consumers utility bills would create major disruptions to the Kansas economy. My guess is that we will not go very far down that road. Fort Riley Tour On Friday a busload of legislators and spouses traveled west for a tour of Fort Riley. It was highly interesting, including an inside look at the hangar for Grey Eagle drones, a tour through the historic district, a briefing on Big Red One activities, a first-hand look at the extensive use of gaming and technology in troop training, and a full tour of the new hospital. While the facilities were certainly impressive, my wife Betsy and I were most impacted by the genuine pride and gratefulness expressed by everyone we met during the tour. General Pat Frank and his team are to be congratulated for their capable administration of the post and their ongoing vision for its future. Interview With Editorial Board On Tuesday afternoon the House leadership team of Speaker Ron Ryckman (R-Olathe), Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab (R-Olathe), and Majority Leader Don Hineman (R-Dighton) met with the editorial board of Topeka Capital-Journal. Our overriding message to them was that we prefer an open and inclusive legislative process as the best approach to dealing effectively with the challenges we face: http://cjonline.com/news/state-government/2017-01-24/kansas-house-gop-leaders-working-compromise-budget-tax-deal Coming Up Next Week
Live Streaming The 2016 Legislature authorized the expansion of livestreaming Committee rooms in the Statehouse. Previously, only the Old Supreme Court Room (346-S) could livestream. For the 2017 Session, Rooms 112-N, 548-S, and 582-N are now livestreaming (audio only). To listen in live, go to the Kansas Legislatures website committee tab and click on the specific committee that you are interested in following: http://kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/committees/ Currently, Kansans can listen in live to the following Committee meetings:
Later in the session, perhaps late February or early March, the following rooms will be added to audio live streaming: Rooms 152-S, 218-N, 281-N, and 546-S. Financing for the livestreaming project was made possible with grants from the Information Network of Kansas (INK) Board. Cowboy Logic My people skills are just fine. Its my tolerance for idiots that needs work. Quote of the day “A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.” – Thomas Carlyle Sermon in a sentence Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing.” – Napoleon Hill |
HINEMAN: Happy birthday, Kansas!
