Senate Committees continued to review bills which have been sent over from the House and we had two days of General Orders this week in the Senate. As we work though committee bills on the floor, we will also begin to have Conference Committee reports to vote on as well. A Conference Committee is a small, bipartisan and bicameral committee that works to smooth out the differences between the House’s and Senate’s version of a similar bill. Once the Conference Committee comes to a compromise, the committee’s version of the bill will be sent to both the House and the Senate for a final vote, before advancing the bill to the Governor’s desk.
FLOOR ACTION
EXTENDING RURAL OPPORTUNITY ZONE PROGRAM – Senate Bill 125 would extend the Rural Opportunity Zone Program by five years. SB 125 extends the deadline for a participant to begin in the student loan repayment portion of the program and the individual income tax credit portion of the program to July 1, 2026.
ADDING CERTAIN COUNTIES TO LIST OF RURAL OPPORTUNITY ZONES – Senate Bill 135 would expand the list of eligible counties for participation in the Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ) Program. SB 135 would add the following counties: Atchison, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Ford, Franklin, Miami, Pottawatomie.
THE KANSAS CLOSED CASE TASK FORCE – Senate Bill 102 would create the Kansas Closed Case Task Force. SB 102 requires the task force to create a plan relating to hits on closed cases, including a mechanism to ensure uniform compliance at the local law enforcement agency level.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LICENSES – Senate Bill 164 would amend law relating to the issuance of licenses by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) within the Department of Revenue, by providing license terms commence on the effective date specified on the license. SB 164 also provides that licenses for Class B clubs, drinking establishments, public venues, and caterers will be issued for two years commencing on the effective date specified on the license.
CALCULATING COST OF KEEPING CIVIL PRISONERS IN COUNTY JAIL – House Bill 2097 amends law relating to the cost of keeping civil prisoners in county jail. HB 2097 changes the amount taxed as costs in an action for keeping a civil defendant imprisoned in county jail from $1.50 per day to an amount equal to that provided by the county for the maintenance of other prisoners.
AMENDING THE KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM – House Bill 2123 would remove the requirement that an eligible Kansas National Guard member have at least one year remaining on such member’s enlistment contract at the beginning of any semester for which the member receives assistance under the Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance Program to participate.
ELIMINATING MARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN TRUCKS – House Bill 2127 would remove statutory requirements for lettering to be painted or otherwise durably marked on the sides of a truck or truck tractor with a registered weight of more than 12,000 pounds to identify owner or lessee.
SALES TAX EXEMPTION FOR NONPROFIT INTEGRATED COMMUNITY CARE ORGANIZATIONS – Senate Bill 178 would provide a sales tax exemption for purchases made by nonprofit integrated community care organizations. Nonprofit integrated community care organizations would be defined as any entity that is exempt from federal income taxation, certified to participate in Medicare as a hospice focused on providing care to the aging and indigent population across multiple counties, and approved by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services to provide services under the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.
REGULATING USE OF ELECTRIC SCOOTERS – House Bill 2126 prohibits any person from operating an electric scooter on any interstate highway, federal highway, or state highway. The bill also allows the governing body of a city or county to adopt an ordinance or resolution further restricting or prohibiting the use of electric scooters on public highways, streets, or sidewalks within such cities or counties. HB 2126 would apply traffic regulations applicable to bicycles to electric scooters.
ALLOWING THE BOARD OF REGENTS TO PURCHASE CYBERSECURITY- House Bill 2209 would amend law pertaining to the Committee on Surety Bonds and Insurance to permit the Kansas Board of Regents to purchase cybersecurity as they deem necessary to protect student records, labor information, and other statutorily protected data the Kansas Board of Regents maintains.
SENATE BUDGET PACKAGE – Sub SB 75
The $18.1 billion appropriation bill includes $92.7 million in court-ordered funding for K-12 to settle the lawsuit, an additional $100 million for KDOT bringing the total new money for KDOT to $160 million through FY20, and additional funds for mental health programs that help disabled Kansans. The budget does assume $200 million from Senate Bill 22, which returns the unexpected federal windfall from the federal tax cuts and provides a 1 percentage point food sales tax reduction. The budget also assumes the $115 million KPERS debt payment from Senate Bill 9 all credited to the school group and then an additional payment of $736 million for the FY20 payment. The budget adds $1.5 million, all from the State General Fund, to fund Hepatitis C treatment for the 100 inmates within correctional facilities that the agency’s health care provider is capable of providing treatment to in FY 2019. It adds $6 million, all from the Evidence Based Juvenile Program account of the State General Fund, in FY 2019. The budget will also add $2.1 million from the State General Fund in FY 2019 to provide funding for Community Mental Health Centers providing Crisis Center services due to an estimated shortfall of revenue from lottery vending machines.
VISITORS FROM SENATE DISTRICT #36
Two student groups visited Topeka this week – Rock Hills seniors and Rooks County government students both sponsored by Farm Bureau. For the 15th year in a row, Lincoln County Leadership held their annual trip to the Capitol with tours and lunch with the Kansas Grain and Feed sponsoring the trip. Angie, Mike, Bryleigh and Brooklyn McKenna from Russell were special guests on the Senate floor for the reading of the World Down Syndrome Day resolution.
MARCH 21ST – WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY RESOLUTION – 2019
Senators Bowers, Alley, Baumgardner, Berger, Billinger, Braun, Denning, Doll, Estes, Faust-Goudeau, Francisco, Givens, Goddard, Haley, Hardy, Hawk, Hensley, Hilderbrand, Holland, Kerschen, Longbine, Lynn, Masterson, McGinn, Miller, Olson, Petersen, Pettey, Pilcher-Cook, Pyle, Rucker, Skubal, Suellentrop, Sykes, Taylor, Tyson, Wagle, Ware and Wilborn introduced the following Senate resolution, which was read:
SENATE RESOLUTION No. 1726―
A RESOLUTION recognizing World Down Syndrome Day in Kansas. WHEREAS, World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated on March 21, 2019; and WHEREAS, In 2006, World Down Syndrome Day was observed for the first time by many nations across the globe; and WHEREAS, On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly designated March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day to raise public awareness on Down syndrome. The third month and its 21st day were chosen to symbolize the triplication or trisomy of the 21st chromosome; and WHEREAS, Down syndrome is the most common irregular chromosomal condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 6,000 infants, or 1 in 700, are born annually with Down syndrome in the United States; and WHEREAS, While Down syndrome is a lifelong condition, the CDC reports that when infants and children are offered intervention services early in life, they are often able to improve their physical and intellectual abilities. These services are typically offered across the nation and may include speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy; and WHEREAS, Known Down syndrome organizations in Kansas include the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City, the Down Syndrome Society of Wichita, the North Central Kansas Down Syndrome Society, the Northwest Kansas Down Syndrome Society, the Southeast Down Syndrome Society and Team Up for Down Syndrome. These estimable organizations are committed to raising public awareness and providing aid and empowering individuals and families of individuals with Down syndrome: Now, therefore, Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas: That we recognize March 21, 2019, as World Down Syndrome Day in Kansas; and Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate shall send five enrolled copies of this resolution to Senator Bowers. On emergency motion of Senator Bowers SR 1726 was adopted unanimously.
Thank you for all of your calls, emails, and letters regarding your thoughts and concerns about happenings in Kansas. As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the last few weeks before the break this spring. Schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. It is easy to “get into the weed” on pieces of legislation that seem on the surface to have universal appeal, but for those who want to pursue a more in-depth analysis of the ones which did not have such agreement, pull up “Bills & Laws,” then Senate Bills,” before scrolling to the desired number and hitting “SN” (Supplemental Notes) for a general explanation which is written by the Legislative research & reviser staff. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. This week both the House and the Senate will meet at 10:00 a.m.
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.