SENATE HIGHLIGHTS
The Kansas Senate finished the ninth week of session with committee meetings and bills coming forward. The Senate held floor debate on Wednesday and Thursday passing out bills with the possibility of these bills having hearings next week in the House which will be the last week for committees to meet and pass out bills.
FLOOR ACTION
CEMETERY DISTRICT TERRITORY VALLEY CENTER – SB 155: Senate Bill 155 would de-annex all of Valley Center territory within the Hillside Cemetery District, located in Sedgwick and Harvey counties, from the cemetery district.
SALE OF PROPERTY IN DOUGLAS COUNTY – SB 173: Senate Bill 173 would authorize the State Board of Regents to sell the Oldfather Studios in Douglas County on behalf of the University of Kansas with proceeds from the sale deposited to the restricted use account of the University of Kansas to be used for deferred maintenance.
STATE USE LAW EXTENSION – HB 2174: House Bill 2174 extends the sunset date for the State Use Law Committee which is organized within the Department of Administration.
TEMPORARY PERMITS FOR THE SELLING AND SERVING OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR -SB 70: Senate Bill 70 modifies and consolidates laws concerning temporary permits to serve liquor for consumption on premises.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT DELETING REQUIREMENT FOR ADJUSTMENT OF CENSUS DATA – SCR 1605: Senate Concurrent Resolution 1605 removes the census adjustment requirement in the Kansas Constitution for military personnel and students. Currently, the state is required to contact every college student and member of the military who resides in Kansas to determine official residence. The census adjustment will ask ‘what is your permanent residence’, then adjusts the official census numbers accordingly based on that answer. This adjustment is only used for reapportionment of Kansas Senate districts, Kansas House of Representatives districts, and State Board of Education districts. During the 2010 adjustment, approximately 13,000 individuals were subtracted from U.S. Census bureau numbers because they told the State of Kansas, they considered themselves to be a resident of another state. If SCR1605 does not pass, the Secretary of State’s office anticipates needing $834,000 in state general funds to cover the costs of the adjustment as part of the 2020 Census. In addition to state savings, SCR1605 has the benefit of allowing for expedited redistricting. On average, it takes three to six months after official U.S. Census data is provided to Kansas to complete the adjustment and provide redistricting data to the Kansas Legislature. Historically, Kansas has been among the last states to complete its reapportionment requirements and SCR 1605 provides the Legislature with additional time to complete redistricting. Kansas is the only state which has this requirement.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES-RELATED STATUTES – SB 99: Senate Bill 99 creates the designation of inactive certificate, authorizing the Board to issue an inactive certificate to persons currently certified by the Board who make a written application on a Board form and pay the corresponding fee.
HOUSE PROTECTIONS FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, HUMAN TRAFFICKING OR STALKING – SB 150: Senate Bill 150 creates law prohibiting certain actions from being taken against a tenant, lessee, or applicant for a lease because such person has been or is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or stalking. An applicant, tenant, or lessee would qualify for the protections of the bill if the applicant, tenant, or lessee provides a statement regarding the circumstances to the landlord or property owner, who could also request the applicant, tenant, or lessee provide additional documentation specified by the bill. A landlord or property owner could impose a reasonable termination fee, not to exceed one month’s rent.
AUTHORIZING A STUDY OF RETAIL RATES OF KANSAS ELECTRIC RATES – Sub SB 69: Substitute for Senate Bill 69 authorizes an independent $1 million study of retail rates charged by public utilities. The bill requires the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC), a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders, to select a firm or organization to perform the study which is scheduled to be completed in 2020. The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), the state’s utility regulator, would have to cooperate with the organization hired to conduct the study. Sub SB 69 requires the study to be paid for by utility companies.
$90 MILLION SCHOOL FUNDING INFLATION PLAN – SB 142: Senate Bill 142 appropriates funds to the K-12 base aid for FY 2020 and FY 2021. The legislation supplements the state’s $525 million, five-year investment that passed last year, with a series of additional $90 million bonuses during the next four years. SB 142 was crafted to comply with the Kansas Supreme Court’s instructions to add an inflation adjustment.
ALLOWING KANSANS TO BENEFIT FROM FEDERAL TAX REFORM – SB 22: Senate Bill 22 was originally introduced in response to the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 and the revenue windfall Kansas is expected to receive because of federal tax reform. SB 22 addresses both individual and corporate taxes by decoupling state law from federal tax provisions. The bill will provide individuals with the ability to itemize when using the federal standard deduction on their tax return. SB 22 provides Kansans with the right to deduct interest on their mortgage, property taxes, and health care expenses. The bill also provides incentives for businesses to invest and create jobs in Kansas since it places Kansas on par with surrounding states that have already decoupled from federal law, increasing Kansas’ competitiveness. The House of Representatives added two amendments before it passed the House chamber. One amendment added by the House provided a one percentage point reduction in the state’s 6.5 percent sales tax on food. The food sales tax reduction is expected to provide a $43 million reduction in sales tax, beginning October 1st. The second amendment was an internet sales tax amendment that requires out-of-state vendors to pay sales tax. Online sales tax is expected to generate about $21 million annually.
GOVERNOR KELLY SIGNS SENATE BILL 9 INTO LAW
Last Friday morning, Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 9 into law. Senate Bill 9 allocates $115 million from the state general fund to the school group of the Kansas Public Retirement System (KPERS). The $115 million pays back a previously missed KPERS payment, bringing the funding ratio to the highest point it has been in 25 years. The school group of KPERS has had the lowest funding ratio, at 61.6 percent, well below the total KPERS funding ratio which is 68.4 percent. Senate Bill 9 passed both the Senate and House unanimously.
GOVERNOR KELLY CABINET APPOINTMENTS
On day 37 of a 90-day session, Governor Kelly submitted four of her acting Cabinet secretaries for Senate confirmation. The Senate read in the Cabinet secretaries on Wednesday to send to committees for screening and consideration. Once committees have held hearings on the appointment, they will then be forwarded to the full Senate for a vote.
Current Appointments submitted include:
Commerce Secretary – David Toland
Transportation Secretary – Julie Lorenz
Secretary of Health and Environment – Lee Norman
Secretary of Revenue – Mark Burghart
From the State Library
The Kansas Constitution, including the Ordinance, Preamble, and Bill of Rights, is available to print in a pocket sized version from the State Library’s website http://kslib.info/constitution. Just click on the link and follow the instructions. A helpful diagram shows how to fold and where to cut to assemble your booklet. Helpful tip: print double sided and flip on the long edge.
Visitors from Senate District #36
We had another busy week with visitors from home including Russell High School senior students and Northern Valley students from Phillips County. The Kansas Optometric Association and the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents held their annual meeting and receptions along with the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees and Phi Theta Kappa 2019 scholars. The Kansas Department of Transportation Division of Aviation their 5th annual Aviation Day with city officials from Concordia attending.
As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the second half of the session. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. The House meets at 11:00 AM and the Senate at 2:30 PM. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.
Thank you for the honor of serving you!
Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
785-296-7389
www.kslegislature.org
Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is the 36th Dist. state senator and serves as the Senate Majority Whip. The 36th Senate District includes Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties and portions of Marshall and Phillips counties.