If you are a moderate or traditional Republican pining for the days of Governors Bob Bennett, Mike Hayden, and Bill Graves, then Ed O’Malley is your candidate.
If the field does not narrow quickly, Kris Kobach will win the GOP primary in a walk, leaving only the Democratic nominee and wild card Greg Orman standing between our lawsuit-losing, anti-immigration firebrand and the Kansas governorship.
Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
Kobach ally Donald Trump won Kansas by 20 points, so his defeat by even the best Democrat is far from certain. Meanwhile, Orman is depending on an infusion of independent votes that nearly all political scientists find highly implausible. In truth, Orman may cost the Democrats precious votes. This may leave Kobach the last man standing. Kobach’s economic and educational policies would largely mirror Brownback’s.
On paper, the strongest alternative to Kobach is Governor-any-day-now Jeff Colyer, who has proven quite effective at fundraising. However, Colyer will have trouble disassociating himself from the unpopular Brownback Administration in which he served, and from policies he has consistently supported. Nor is Colyer much of a public speaker. Pundits may be reminded of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the political scion, mainstream darling, and fundraising powerhouse. The conventional wisdom predicted Bush would be the 2016 Republican Presidential nominee. Yet Bush was unprepared for this age of reality-TV politics and backlash against “the establishment.” In the primaries, Bush did not even make the first cut. Colyer may face a similar fate. Furthermore, Colyer has not distinguished himself during the on-again, off-again, will-he-or-won’t-he saga of Brownback’s new job, stepping aside quietly while the outgoing Governor gave the State of the State Address this month. This is not the kind of aggressive, no-sissies leadership that Republicans expect.
O’Malley
Other Republicans have trouble differentiating themselves. Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer is running on his qualifications as a CPA—outstanding for his current job, but too technical for a governor. Former state representative Mark Hutton promises to bring together the GOP factions, but that is a tall order given the vehement opposition of moderates to Brownback’s legacy. Hutton also lacks statewide name recognition or much political experience. Former state senator Jim Barnett is a possibility, but he would have to overcome the legacy of a decisive defeat by Kathleen Sebelius in 2006. Barnett has often identified as a moderate, but he has a history of vacillation on the moderate-conservative question. Can he project the “here I am, take it or leave it” persona that Republicans demand in the Trump era? Finally, libertarian businessman Wink Hartman is a dark horse with no prior service in public office.
Only O’Malley stands as unequivocally and unabashedly moderate. As a legislator, he helped negotiate a school finance formula that was fully funded for several years. O’Malley has proven a constant, vocal critic of the Brownback-Colyer-Kobach legacy, and unlike several others, he has no ties to Brownback. O’Malley’s base includes the vote- and contribution-rich Johnson County, which he once represented in the statehouse, and Wichita, where he now leads the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), making quiet, behind-the-scenes contacts around the state. O’Malley seems able to seek input from across the political spectrum without trying too hard to be all things to all people.
The GOP field needs to narrow sharply, and soon, or it is Kobach’s to lose. One candidate stands to inherit the Graves, Hayden, and Bennett mantle as a true and consistent moderate. The GOP field should narrow to a Kobach-O’Malley race, and it should do so posthaste.
Michael Smith is Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.
Linda Beech“It costs too much to eat healthy food!”
Many people have said this to me during my years as an Extension agent. But as a frugal home economist and a person who raised two kids for nine years by myself, I respectfully disagree.
Several years ago I developed an Extension presentation called “Be Waist and Wallet Wise.” I wrote the program because I’d heard countless people say that it was too expensive to eat a healthy diet. I didn’t believe it was true and I set out to collect as many tips for low-cost, healthy eating as I could find.
Now, several years later, I continue to believe that it is possible to control costs and eat healthfully at the same time. And, thanks to budget-minded, health-conscious audiences across the state, I’ve added to my original list of healthier, less-expensive examples.
If you’d like to host this presentation for your group, just give me a call at the Hays office of the Cottonwood Extension District– 785-628-9430– and I’ll be glad to make arrangements to come and share. In the meantime, here are a few ideas that might be helpful as you try to eat well on a budget.
Online Grocery Cost Calculator
How much is a reasonable amount to spend on food for a family like yours? Now you can find out with a few clicks.
Figure your food costs with the online calculator at the helpful website from Iowa State Extension called Spend Smart. Eat Smart: www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/fooddollar/. To do the calculation, you’ll be asked for the ages of family members and the number of meals each person eats away from home each week.
With a touch of a button, you’ll see the estimated cost of groceries for your family based on the USDA Low-Cost Food Plan. When reading the report, keep in mind that this information is based on nationwide averages, and it excludes non-food items purchased at grocery stores. I was happy to find that my grocery bills are below the national average for my size family– how about yours?
Is fruit really too expensive?
One of the examples from my lesson is the cost of fruit—bananas to be specific. Their cost rose pretty dramatically a few years ago and the price has never gone down.
It doesn’t seem that long ago when I could buy bananas for 20 cents a pound. Today, the cost of bananas is about 59 cents a pound. That’s nearly a 200 percent price increase. It’s no wonder families are tempted to buy snack food to satisfy their hungry members instead of fruit.
So, being curious, I decided to do a comparison. I bought 5 small bananas that together weighed 1.5 pounds for a total cost of 88.5 cents. That meant each banana cost 17.7 cents.
Next, I strolled over to the snack aisle and looked at a package of name brand flavored tortilla chips. The regular size bag cost $3.99. The bag said it contained 12 servings, meaning each serving cost 33 cents. Wow, almost twice as much!
Next, I wondered how many bananas could I buy for the cost of a bag of chips? The answer– twenty-two bananas! For a family of four, each member could have a banana a day for more than 5 days for the cost of one bag of chips.
The lesson for me was that the price of bananas may seem rather expensive, but when you calculate it per serving (a small banana is one serving), the cost is reasonable after all.
Bananas taste so good and cost so little, it may be hard to eat just one. Hmm, that sounds like the start of an ad campaign— “I bet you can’t eat just one.” Oh, right, that’s already been used by a national snack company to encourage us to spend nearly $4 for a bag of chips!
More resources for eating well on a budget
You are not alone in trying to eat a balanced diet on less money. Books, the internet and social media are full of ideas for food shopping, menu planning, home cooking and recipes. Here is one more resource from K-State Research and Extension to add to your repertoire. Check out the KSU website called Eating Well on a Budget at www.ksre.k-state.edu/humannutrition/nutrition-topics/eatingwell-budget/index.html
These resources are compiled by trained Extension nutrition experts whose job is to provide reliable, unbiased information to help you make good decisions for your family. You’ll find a wealth of helpful information to increase your ability to improve nutrition while controlling food costs.
I hope you’ll consider these examples and check out some of the additional Extension resources. Maybe then you’ll find you no longer have to say “it costs too much to eat healthy food.”
Linda K. Beech is Cottonwood District Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
Randy Clinkscales
I first wrote this article while traveling with my wife in November. I had a meeting in Atlanta. As the airplane climbed above the clouds and my wife drifted off to sleep, I had some time to reflect on recent events.
Just before the trip, I received a telephone call from a very good friend, Lane. The first day of college, I was riding on an elevator, knowing no one. The elevator surged and my co-companion on the elevator and I looked at each other, wondering if the first day of college would be our last. That co-companion was Lane. We have been close friends ever since.
Lane and I have always been active together. For over 40 years, at least annually, we hunt, sometimes in Colorado and, most recently, in Kansas. Though it is only once or twice a year, every time we get together it seems as if we had just finished the conversation from the year before. Lane’s call to me in November was to inform me that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Earlier in the year, a good friend 30 years my junior, shared with me that one of her parents had received a terrible diagnosis of stage-4 cancer. She was beside herself, asking many difficult life questions.
In both cases, I feel so worthless in trying to help. I feel inadequate, helpless, frustrated and disappointed. I do not have the words.
Recently, I met with a woman in her 50s. She and her husband have been married over 30 years. They did all the right things, and though he is older than she, when he retired they had great travel ambitions. Within months after his retirement, he was diagnosed with dementia. Now, traveling makes him anxious to the point that he really cannot leave home (that is not an uncommon feature of Alzheimer’s).
This woman (now my client) said something interesting to me. Though they cannot travel, she quit her job to stay at home with him. It is not so much to care for him, but she said to me, “It is my opportunity to visit and spend time with him while we can both appreciate it, reliving old memories.” It was one of those conversations that I know will burn in my memory forever.
When Lane came up to hunt after I did the first draft of this article, it was interesting. Lane is a psychologist, and of course, I do what I do. Both of us deal with families facing devastating news.
Lane and I spent almost a week together during our hunt. On at least three occasions, we had really good opportunities to discuss what was going on. I had tried to talk to him and he assured me he was OK.
Finally, Saturday morning rolled around. His truck was literally running, warming up to take off to return him to Texas. It was only then that he said, “Can we sit down and talk?” With the sound of the truck in the background, Lane and I talked about his reaction to the diagnosis, his fears, concerns, and what he needed to do next. I think in my mind, I was a little bit like a deer in the headlights.
I thought it so curious that the two of us, as close as we are, had such a difficult time talking about this—dealing with a chronic illness and end of life.
I know there are many of you out there facing a chronic illness and may be facing the end of life sooner than you expected. It is okay for it to be a difficult discussion, but it is a discussion you need to have with your family.
I think that what I have learned in dealing with both Lane, my other friend, and my clients, is that sometimes you just need to step back, fly above the clouds and appreciate everything that has happened. You can then sit back down and deal with the decisions that need to be made.
Randy Clinkscales of Clinkscales Elder Law Practice, PA, Hays, Kansas, is an elder care attorney, practicing in western Kansas. To contact him, please send an email to [email protected]. Disclaimer: The information in the column is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Each case is different and outcomes depend on the fact of each case and the then applicable law. For specific questions, you should contact a qualified attorney.
John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.When I think about the perils associated with winter travel, I think about my dad’s simple, but sound advice, “Stay off the roads.”
Dad lived by this creed for more than 70 years in northwestern Kansas. He’d seen his share of blowing and drifting snow. When he talked about western Kansas blizzards, the years of ’31 and ’57 come to mind.
The ’31 blizzard hit on April Fool’s Day and killed hundreds of cattle, Dad said. One of his neighbors lost 80 head of cattle in a pasture less than a mile west of the small community of Seguin in Sheridan County.
When I was a youngster, I experienced the blizzard of ’57. Snow drifted as high as the roof on my friend, Vernon Rietcheck’s two-story home. We sledded down the drifts and played in the snow all day.
Our parents weren’t so lucky. There were roads to open and cattle to feed and water. Our homes were without electricity for five days.
My father and those hearty souls who lived on the High Plains learned from these storms. They learned to travel only when necessary – to feed, water and care for livestock.
They rarely traveled anywhere in their pickups without several pairs of gloves, a scoop shovel, a log chain as well as chains for the rear tires. Four-wheel drive vehicles in the ‘50s and ‘60s were uncommon in those days.
Dad always wore a cap with ear protection and carried a couple extra on the front seat of his pickup in the winter. The trunk of our car also had extras. He knew a person couldn’t last long outside in freezing weather with all your body heat escaping through the top of a bare head.
If we traveled anywhere during the winter months, the trunk of the family car was always packed with extra warm clothes, blankets, overalls, gloves, a flashlight, fresh batteries, chains and a shovel to clear the snow from in front or back of the tires.
Dad had been stuck in snow many times. He’d heard of, and known of a neighbor who was stranded and froze to death in one of the fierce northwestern Kansas blizzards. Before every winter season began, and often throughout, he’d remind us of these stories.
My father always topped off his fuel tanks for winter travel as well. He believed a full tank provided extra weight on the rear wheels.
“Besides, it runs better on the top half (of the tank),” he always said.
Although Dad never carried sand bags in the back of his car or trucks, he did carry extra weight during the winter. He always lugged around tractor tire weights while some of his neighbors preferred sand and sprinkled the gritty stuff in front of their tires for extra traction in snow and ice.
If someone absolutely had to go out during a winter storm, Dad preached extra time and patience.
“If you’re frightened or overly concerned about weather conditions – don’t drive,” he’d always say. “Wait the storm out.”
Dad’s advice was sound then and it’s sound today. Remember, it takes a while to find your “driving legs” each new winter season, he’d say.
Relax. Sit back in the seat. From time to time take deep breaths. Don’t grip the wheel until your knuckles turn white.
Try to anticipate what other drivers intend to do. At the same time, keep an eye on them as well.
Let them speed, spin, slip and slide. Allow at least twice as long to reach your destination. Concentrate on the road ahead, behind and on your right and left.
While driving during hazardous weather brings out the worst in some drivers, it can also bring out the best in others. Some welcome the chance to brave the elements. To drive safely under such conditions can provide a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Drive safely and know your limitations. Remember, if you must take a chance that could result in an accident or worse, “Stay off the road.”
John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.
Edward Cross is President of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.
By EDWARD CROSS Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association
During the give and take of public discourse, few truly stop to think how absolutely essential oil and natural gas are to our lives, to our prosperity and security, and to our future. Oil and natural gas are the foundation of our energy-dependent economy. They profoundly affect how we live and work. They are key to our mobility, to keeping our homes and businesses warm, to providing us with electric power, and to supplying the raw materials for countless consumer and industrial products.
The energy policy choices our nation makes today are among the most important and far-reaching policy decisions we will make in the 21st century. If we are to continue our nation’s positive energy trends, we must implement energy policies based on current reality and our potential as an energy leader. American energy policy should focus on what’s important: American jobs, American energy security, and American global energy leadership.
Building a better future takes energy, and oil and natural gas are central to continued progress. To do this, we need policies based on science and the free market to continue the positive effects of American energy abundance. We appreciate both the Trump Administration and members of Congress from both parties for recognizing the benefits of domestic energy abundance and its role in national security.
Policymakers at the federal and state levels can move forward and build upon our nation’s new era of energy abundance, self-determination, and global leadership. The Trump Administration, the 115th Congress, and state policymakers have a unique opportunity to find solutions for many of today’s most prominent issues such as creating middle class jobs, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for consumers, and enhancing our national security. And for all of these goals, and more, the 21st century American energy renaissance offers a solution.
The good news is that recent polls show that the American voter clearly want policymakers to set aside outdated assumptions and partisan talking points and work together on safe, responsible, and fact-based energy policy that grows our economy, creates well-paying jobs, and maintains our nation’s global energy leadership.
Voters’ clearly expect their elected leaders to place what’s best for our state and nation’s economy and energy future above partisan ideology and political posturing. I strongly believe that the American people need and want moral, intellectual, and strategic clarity and courage from our policymakers.
A growing world demand for energy is why energy experts, economists and government agencies around the world, including the U.S. government’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA), estimates that fossil fuels will continue to provide most of the U.S. and world energy needs far into the future.
Worldwide energy consumption will increase 27% by 2040, and 77% of that energy consumption will be met by fossil fuels. The world will need more energy in the future and oil and natural gas are poised to be the primary sources for that energy for decades to come.
Beyond consumption we continue to make and pursue advancements in energy efficiency. A recent EIA study indicated the U.S. used 15% less energy and emitted 23% fewer energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 than in 2005. Methane emissions too have declined even as oil and natural gas production has soared.
According to the EIA, U.S. air pollutants have fallen by 70% since 1970. Further, thanks in part to the increased use of domestic natural gas, ozone concentrations have dropped by 17% since 2000; all of which makes the U.S. not just an energy superpower, but also a global emissions reduction leader.
The fact is our nation’s 21st century oil and gas renaissance has made domestically produced oil and natural gas economical and abundant. This market-driven success has helped our nation achieve significant emission reductions. The oil and gas industry has helped prove, conclusively, that oil and natural gas production and environmental stewardship are compatible. Clearly, a majority of Americans reject the stale mindset of last century’s thinking peddled by some that oil and natural gas production and environmental stewardship are not compatible.
Going forward into 2018, we need smart pro-growth energy policies. If our nation is to achieve energy security and maintain competitiveness and not let our standard of living slip, we need a well-reasoned, fact-based energy policy that recognizes the central role that fossil fuels will play in meeting future energy demand.
Americans support developing domestic energy resources and believe that can be done in a way protective of our environment. Policymakers at all levels should pursue energy policies that drives economic growth, lower costs for consumers, protects the environment, increases American competitiveness, and uses our considerable energy resources as a way to lift people up. American energy policy is not a Republican issue or Democrat issue. It is an American prosperity and leadership issue.
Edward Cross is President of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.
On Tuesday of last week, the committee received a briefing on the November Consensus Revenue Estimate (CRE) and the monthly revenue reports through December 2017 from the Kansas Legislative Research Department. For the monthly reports, receipts are up $83 million for fiscal year 2018. Virtually that entire total is in individual income tax receipts. The Kansas Legislative Research Department indicated that it will not have all the information on individual income tax until the end of the fiscal year.
On Wednesday of last week, the Committee heard from Budget Director Shawn Sullivan who presented an overview of the Governor’s Budget. Sullivan made brief comments on the CRE and provided a state comparison of various taxing sources. His presentation focused on the Governor’s Education funding proposal. The Governor proposes expending $200 million in fiscal year 2019 and $100 million in each of the following four fiscal years. Of that $200 million, we learned that $87 million was already part of the funding passed during the 2017 session.
Some of the foundation aid increase proposed for fiscal year 2019 uses $13.9 million from the Children’s Initiative Fund. The Governor’s Education funding proposal also contains goals and objectives, which was laid out in the overview. Additional costs are associated with the objectives, including offering 15 credit hours of dual credit coursework to every Kansas high school student and offering every Kansas high school student the ACT or Work Keys assessments.
Cyber Security
John Dickson of the information and technology consulting firm, The Denim Group, testified before the Government, Technology and Security Committee regarding the state of state’s cybersecurity systems. He described how the threat of cyberattacks is always present, however not often thought about. Cyberattacks have affected the states of Utah and South Carolina and have led to large data breaches. Important information has been stolen, such as Medical and disease data, payroll, tax, DMV, and many other types of data. Dickson promoted the idea of expanding Kansas’ digital infrastructure to protect taxpayer data.
Introduced Legislation
House Bill 2448, introduced by the Committee on Financial Institutions and Pensions, would make changes to the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System. Changes would include adding corrections officers to the pension system currently used by police and fire officers.
House Bill 2460, which is in the Federal and State Affairs committee, would allow schools to opt into a program that would provide firearm accident prevention training to K-12 students.
There are two separate programs for different student age groups. Students who are enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade would have a program based on the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe program offered by the National Rifle Association. For students enrolled in grades nine through twelve, the program would be based on hunter education which is currently offered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism.
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.
Troy L. Waymaster, State Representative, 109th Kansas House
This week, the House Local Government Committee will hold a hearing on HB2506, a bill regarding abandoned and blighted property in Kansas cities. The League will offer testimony on this issue during the hearing on Tuesday, January 23 at 1:30 p.m. in 281-N at the capitol.
The League supports legislation to streamline and expedite the process for local governments, neighborhood organizations, and private businesses to deal with the blight of abandoned, nuisance, and foreclosed property.
The League, and eight member cities, provided written testimony supporting legislation to address abandoned property. This issue affects all cities in Kansas — from small to large. The League recently completed a member survey about the impact of blighted and abandoned property. Overwhelmingly, 89% of our member cities indicated abandoned or blighted property was a significant or very significant concern for their communities and that the median length of time a property was reported as abandoned was four years. An alarming one-third of the respondents noted they have properties that have been abandoned for over 10 years.
Why does this issue matter to Kansas’ cities?
Abandoned structures erodes property values for adjacent landowners, creates dangerous conditions for public safety officers, generates code enforcement complaints, and leads to an influx of vermin and pests.
Abandoned property affects the health, safety, and the welfare of the entire community, including property owners and residents of rental property. These abandoned properties lead to an increase in police calls for theft, intruders, drug issues, and squatting. Not only are these properties a problem for law enforcement, they also lead to an increase in fire calls from accidental fires and arson.
These properties also lead to many code enforcement issues that include overgrown vegetation, dilapidated structures, wildfires, illegal dumping, and additional demand for sanitation services. Abandoned properties have the potential to become dangerous structures as they deteriorate.
Abandoned properties can result in unpaid property taxes, which in turn creates a higher tax burden on other property owners for government resources. As these properties fall further into disrepair, the neglect will cause a blighting effect on the surrounding properties, and it rapidly leads to a loss in values to surrounding properties. This loss in property value makes it difficult for surrounding property owners to secure financing to improve their property and for potentional buyers to obtain a mortgage.
Abandoned properties regularly provide a home for vermin and pests including snakes, raccoons, rats, cockroaches, and other insects. These vermin and pests unfortunately do not remain contained to the abandoned property but rather become an issue for neighboring properties.
Cities have long had tools available to them to address issues when a dangerous structure is involved, but have limited resources to deal with abandoned property. HB2506 would give cities the same ability to deal with abandoned and blighted real estate as they now have when dealing with dangerous structures. HB2506 would allow rehabilitation action to be taken before the property became a “dangerous structure.”
The following cities submitted testimony for Tuesday’s hearing. The testimony can be found online at the League’s website. These cities offer real-world examples of how this issue affects their communities and we thank them for their support in providing testimony.
City of Chanute
City of El Dorado
City of Lansing
City of McPherson
City of Olathe
City of Salina
Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS
City of Wichita
The League encourages the House Local Government Committee to support HB2506 and favorably recommend the bill to the House for full debate.
Established by municipal officials in 1910, the League of Kansas Municipalities is a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of over 500 Kansas cities. The League works for its member cities through advocacy, legal advice, education and other services.
Martin HawverThere is yet another split in the Kansas Legislature that is starting to be quietly whispered about in the Statehouse, as if there aren’t enough splits among the 165 lawmakers who are drawing daily legislative ($88.66) salaries this spring.
OK, we know the salaries are low, and there are some expenses that the state covers, but it’s not much of a salary. If you told your mom you’d found a job that pays $22,880 a year, but you will only work maybe 90 days for not quite $8,000, well, she’d probably tell you to keep looking…
Now, those conventional splits, Republicans vs. Democrats, conservatives vs. moderates, urban vs. rural, men vs. women, well, you name it and there’s a split that might or might not matter when it comes to counting votes on bills.
But the pace of the Legislature has slowed to a crawl, mostly due to the K-12 school finance lawsuit. Lawmakers are waiting until likely mid-March to get their analysis of just what it should take to finance schools, fight about whether they believe whatever number comes up, and then fight over the bill to accomplish whatever that is.
The information for all of that is about 60 days off. That means that there isn’t a lot of legislating going on right now. And might not be for several weeks, as bills of all sorts are heard by committees and voted to the full House or Senate for votes and maybe sent to the opposite chamber for consideration there.
That means that the pace is slow.
That’s why some are watching use of “pro forma” sessions on Fridays by both chambers.
Pro forma days are days when attendance is pretty much optional, each chamber needing maybe three or four members present to convene and adjourn, and everyone else can go home for what turns out to be a three-day weekend. Not a bad deal.
Oh, and that $88.66 a day salary? That gets paid to everyone on pro forma days, there or not.
So far, there have been two pro forma days this session. The first, on Jan. 12, well, it was the Friday of the week the 2018 session opened. After lawmakers introduced a few bills, heard the last-ever State of the State address by Gov. Sam Brownback, got his budget delivered, and generally heard how every other legislator spent his/her summer, there just wasn’t enough work to do to have a full session on that Friday. No real issue there.
Last Friday was another pro forma day, with pay, and just a handful of legislators here to do the formal gaveling-in, no rollcall was taken, a couple bills introduced. It gave all but a few legislators a three-day weekend.
Now, actually, in the roughly $6 billion State General Fund budget, several thousand dollars for legislators who aren’t in Topeka doesn’t amount to much…but we’re thinking that there are challengers to House members who are keeping track. “Getting state pay when they aren’t working” sounds catchy, even if there isn’t any work to be done.
Oh, and the Senate knows those nothing-to-do pro forma days which they enjoy, too, will be forgotten by the time they seek reelection in 2020, but not for House members who stand for election this year.
With virtually not much work to do…as there might be for weeks…we’re wondering whether the school finance freeze has already worked to the disadvantage of House members, or how many more pro forma days it might take for the general public to notice…
See how this one works out…
Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
I’m pretty sure rock and fossil hunters are born looking at the ground. Since I was tiny, stones and prehistoric bones, teeth, and impressed creatures have fascinated me. Fortunately, Western Kansas fits perfectly for someone with such interests.
Recently, friends and I held a “rock” party. We shared our three favorite rock stories over tea and scones. If you’re one of those collectors, you know we couldn’t stop at three. By the end of our visit, I’d dug into my treasure cabinet to reveal my shark tooth collection that began 40 years ago with finds from Ellis, Trego, and Logan Counties.
As fingers sifted through a 100 serrated-edged triangles, I recalled the thrill of finding them under late winter sun rays. While it’s harder to find land owners who allow people to search for shark teeth, I’ve since discovered the Oceans of Kansas website. With study, I’ve a good shot at identifying chompers collected years ago.
Mike Everhart published an award-winning book about seas that once covered our state and the toothy creatures that lived either in those waters or nearby. Soon after, he created an online parallel resource. One of those folks born with eyes glued to the ground, he’s collected fine specimens and contacted others who added to his knowledge. His book and website provide photos, descriptors and locales, making it possible for amateurs to identify teeth, vertebra, and bone collected over time.
My favorite and most productive area, and one he mentions, was in southern Trego County in a Dakota formation. Nearly forty years ago, this was public land accessible to a person who could walk a mile over uneven ground. I hunted it several times before it was privatized. Discoveries were best following heavy rain or soon after deep snow melted. Even if I thought I’d found every possible treasure on a previous visit, the next one revealed new specimens–a bit of nature’s magic that keeps fossil hunters hoping.
At the time, I knew little about ancient Kansas sea creatures and assumed everything I found was from the same species. Despite my ignorance, I collected round discs that clearly weren’t teeth. Now I realize I picked up vertebra. I also kept rounded nubs that I’ve since discovered are either crusher shark or ray teeth. After further study, it’s clear I collected bits from various creatures. Unfortunately, I’ve given some away and may never know exactly what I had.
While the teeth I found in Trego and Ellis counties were typically small, a guided fossil hunt in Logan County offered an opportunity to collect a much larger, heavier tooth. Professional Chuck Bonner identified this find as Cretoxyrhina and provided a protective case. When I discovered a cream-colored, oval-shaped sediment, he laughed when I mentioned it looked like poop. It was. I’d landed a fish coprolite for my box of plunder.
Private property and an aging body may soon limit actual shark tooth hunts, but I’m thrilled to spend hours online figuring out what I’ve already found. This investigation is a never-ending puzzle, nature’s gift that keeps on giving.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.
Steve GillilandIt’s a proven fact that as we grow older, parts of our body slow down and deteriorate. I also believe that as we grow older some parts speed up, even becoming overactive; for me it’s my bladder, but for my wife, it’s her mind.
I know you’ve heard me extol the virtues of a hunting blind, and as we sit there in silence listening for an answering turkey gobble or awaiting a deer to step from the shadows, Joyce’s designing mind whirs a mile-a-minute, and our imaginations run wild to create or redesign the darnedest things. For instance, when we used to hunt in western Kansas, we’d have to distinguish between Whitetail and Mule Deer, often at a moments notice, so one year we mentally designed flash cards that would Velcro onto the inside wall of the blind, showing both species side-by-side in various poses.
We have designed folding camp chairs with swivel seats that raise and lower and clothing with insulation that would shrink or swell according to the temperature.
Our main deer hunting haunt here at home has a dry stream bed running through it, and the deer come from different directions and travel on different sides of the stream bed. A few years before we built our raised permanent blind, after moving several times in attempts to out-maneuver the deer, we sat in our snug little pop-up blind and designed a portable hunting blind that would be built on an old pickup bed trailer. The ends would be round and the entire rig painted to resemble a big round hay bale with drop-down shooting windows on all sides. It would give us a portable rig that could simply be backed into the brush and weeds somewhere and moved around as crops and deer patterns change over the years. We’ve since built that blind, minus the round bale thing and it works well. Also, a few companies now offer commercially build hay bale blinds that look and work pretty much like we had ours planned.
Perhaps the most fun we have involves imagining what nearby deer would be thinking or saying amongst themselves as we sit there like a spider on its web attempting to ambush them. Once, a mule deer doe nonchalantly grazed within mere feet of our blind. We had whitetail either sex tags and could not harvest her, so as we watched, we fabricated a story about her presence. We pictured her and her “deer” friends drawing tumbleweeds to see which one of them would become the decoy. Ole’ Mable lost and had to wander around in front of us while the rest slunk away unnoticed.
Another time as a woodpecker drummed away on a tree somewhere behind us. We pictured two deer, Harvey and Bessie, hiding in the nearby tree row. “I told you that bird was a good investment,” Harvey said. “That Morse code is the cat’s meow!” Hunting blinds have zippers on the windows and doors which seem to sound like freight trains on calm evenings. We imagined Bessie suddenly stopping Harvey in his tracks and saying “I just heard a zipper; they’re here again!” We were hunting near an abandoned farmstead, so we parked our pickup out of sight amidst the old buildings. We imagined Harvey crawling up onto the pickup hood, lying on his side with his tongue hanging out and saying “Look Bessie, they got me.” “That’s not funny; you come down from there this instant!” Bessie ordered. “No wait,” Harvey replied “I think I see why deer like it up here. It’s nice and warm!”
Jeff Foxworthy would probably say “If your hunting blind has more amenities than your house, you just might be a redneck.” I like to look at a hunting blind as a redneck think-tank. I believe all presidential cabinet meetings, United Nations Assemblies and World Summits should be held in huge hunting blinds from here on out. Who knows what diseases could be cured, what discoveries made and what mortal enemies might shake hands again. Who knows, it might even spur congress into working together for a change! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
As we get settled into the second week of the 2018 legislative session, most of our work is concentrated in committees where bills are being prioritized and vetted. The Senate has 13 standing committees which cover many different topics, including education, agriculture, judiciary, and utilities—to name a few. In observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the legislature and state offices were closed Monday, January 15th. However, the abbreviated week did not slow committees from introducing and holding hearings on proposed legislation – as of Friday, the Senate has introduced roughly 50 bills in the first two weeks. Once a committee completes hearings and votes on a bill, if passed, it will then make its way to the Senate floor and the full body will begin to debate and vote on the measure. Floor debates and votes will begin in the coming weeks.
If you’re interested in tracking our work, you can head to our website at www.kslegislature.org and click on the calendar tab at the top of the webpage to view the senate’s daily schedule. You can also view live streams of the Senate sessions on the Legislature’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com – KS Legislature. Our Committee meetings are also audio live-streamed this year – you can find the agendas and listen-live button on the legislative website as well. You can also listen to archived committee meetings.
Floor Action
Seventeen Kansans were confirmed by the Senate to various positions and boards during the week for the first recorded votes. Irvin Mitchell (Russell County) and Leonard Wolfe (Marshall County) were confirmed on a vote of 39-0 to the State Banking Board.
Committee Assignments
My committees will remain the same as last year – I am the Chairman of Ethics, Elections and Local Government; I will serve on the Judiciary and Utility committees and will remain on the Historical Preservation Committee. I also was assigned to serve on the joint Legislative Post Audit Committee. This committee will not meet often during session but during summer and fall to consider specific subjects assigned to us by the Legislative Coordinating Council.
State of the State
On Tuesday, Governor Brownback gave his eighth and final State of the State address. The one point that received the strongest response was his proposal for Kansas to spend an additional $600 million on school funding over the next five years. Governor Brownback gave five strategic objectives for K-12 education – higher average teacher pay than surrounding states, increase the number of school counselors and school psychologists in Kansas schools by 150 positions each year; have at least 50 schools participating in the Kansans Can school redesign project; have every Kansas high school offer at least 15 credit hours of dual credit coursework to every high school student at no additional cost to parents and the choice of taking either the ACT college entrance exam or the Work Keys assessment at no cost. He also touched on added funding for the Department for Children and Families of $16.5 million and hiring 20 additional child welfare staff. He also proposes additional funding for the aviation industry in Wichita and requests an additional $1 million to an apprenticeship program which helps students seeking certification from trade schools and community colleges such as a CNA or mechanical license. The governor’s proposal would leave the government with a $266 million ending balance for FY 18. In the following fiscal year, the proposal would again boost state spending by $290 million leaving FY 19 with an ending balance at $150 million. The ending balances for this year and next year are only capable by further delaying state payments to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System and drawing from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Governor Brownback mentioned Kansans he remembered during his public career including Leo Lange of Marysville – I also had the pleasure of meeting a 107-year old World War I veteran in Marysville, Kansas when I was in the Senate. Leo Lange was one of the very few World War I veterans still alive at the time. Mentally sharp, but laying in a deteriorated body, I asked him what was the biggest change he had seen in our nation over his many years. Again, without hesitation, he said, “When I was young we didn’t have anything but we were a lot happier.”
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER STATUE
On Wednesday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on S.B. 262 – a Capitol Preservation Committee bill – which would authorize the construction of a statue honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower. S.B. 262 which is sponsored by myself and Senator Randall Hardy (R-Salina) would allow for construction to begin on the northwest quadrant of capitol grounds.
State law requires legislation to be passed before any statue or memorial be placed on capitol grounds. The monument would be a replica of the Jim Brothers statue of Eisenhower that resides in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The funds required for the installation and construction of the statue were raised through a private fundraising campaign. At Wednesday’s hearing the great-grandson of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Merill Eisenhower Atwater, spoke to endorse the legislation. Final action on S.B. 262 in the Senate Ways and Means Committee is scheduled for next week.
2018 Keep it Clean Kansas Calendar – Kansas Department of Health and Environment
This yearly calendar features the winning artwork of Kansas students grades K through 12 who entered the calendar contest. The Bureau of Waste Management has sponsored this contest since 2000 to encourage students, their families and other Kansans to respect and take care of our Kansas land, water and air. Tess Cecrl of Washington County High School drew the artwork for the December calendar page. Calendars are available at no cost at KDHE by calling Bill Bider at785-296-1600.
Page Dates
The Page program is designed for students in middle school, junior high or high school. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. I was a page in 1981 for Representative Bill Fuller and I still have my black and white photo as a memento hanging in my office. The dates assigned to us are Monday, February 5th, Thursday, February 8th, Tuesday, February 13th and Thursday, February 22nd. Please call my office and speak to Randi or email [email protected] to reserve a space.
Office Information
My office remains in the same suite, 223E (East wing second floor) next to the cage elevator. Randi Walters who has worked in the Capitol for 15 years as an assistant and a committee assistant will be my assistant again this year. When visiting the Capitol, look for the two kiosks in the Visitors Center where you will be able see the calendar of the day, events and now directions to find the offices of Capitol staff and legislators.
As session progresses, not every bill introduced will make it to the governor’s desk, but that doesn’t mean opinions, facts and testimony wasn’t heard. Your participation in the state legislature is vital. As we continue to weed through the different bills, I hope to hear from you. I want to know how legislation will impact you and our district, or the ideas you have to improve a bill. There’s still plenty of time to get involved, but the legislative calendar does move quickly, so if you have interest in a particular subject, be sure to engage soon. An email with your thoughts (not a form letter) is truly the best way to reach us as we sit in committees for most of the day and seldom get to stay at our desks for long periods.
Senate District 36 includes:
Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties
Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer, Logan, Marysville, Oketo, Walnut and Waterville
Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom,
Glenwood, Greenwood, Kirwin, Phillipsburg, Plum, Rushville, Solomon(part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut
Billinger, R-GoodlandBy Sen. RICK BILLINGER R-Goodland
In observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the legislature and state offices were closed. The abbreviated week did not slow committees from introducing and holding hearings on proposed legislation. As of Friday, the senate has introduced roughly 50 bills in the first two weeks.
The only floor action this week was held Tuesday when the Senate voted to confirm 17 governor nominated appointments.
We had two days of hearings on S.B. 263 in my Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee last week. This bill would create a program to research the use of industrial hemp. The Department of Agriculture, alone or in coordination with a state educational institution (regent schools), may cultivate industrial hemp grown from certified seed and promote the research and development of industrial hemp.
In 2017 H.B. 2182 was passed in the house and allowed for the growth of industrial hemp across the state. In H.B. 2182, industrial hemp would not be considered a controlled substance or marijuana as defined by state law. Representatives from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and various law enforcement officer associations spoke in opposition to H.B. 2182 in 2017. They expressed concern the bill would provide a legal defense to the possession of marijuana by a person holding an industrial hemp license. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation testified neutral to S.B. 263 but were opposed to H.B. 2182. The Farm Bureau testified in support of S.B. 263 but was neutral to H.B. 2182.
In the Senate Ways and Means we held a hearing on S.B. 262 which would authorize the construction of a statue honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower. State law requires legislation to be passed before any statue or memorial be placed on capitol grounds. The funds required for the installation and construction of the statue were raised through a private fundraising campaign and when approved the statue will be placed on the northwest quadrant of capitol grounds.
The State Finance Council was scheduled to meet on Thursday January 18th to vote on a plan to rebuild Lansing Correctional Facility, however, Governor Brownback postponed the vote. According to a spokesman for the governor “There are some questions that still need to be answered. It’s not dead.” The plan introduced would be a 20 year, $362 million contract that would finance, design, construct and maintain a new state prison in Lansing.
On Thursday, in the Ways and Means Committee, I introduced a bill on home-owned amusement rides and agritourism activities. This bill should be read in and receive a senate bill number either Monday or Tuesday. I will keep you informed as this bill progresses.
Once a committee completes hearings and votes on a bill, if passed, it will then make its way to the senate floor and the full body will begin to debate and vote on the measure. Floor debates and votes will begin in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in tracking our work, you can sign on to our website at http://www.kslegislature.org and click on the calendar tab at the top of the webpage to view the senate’s daily schedule. You can also view live streams of the senate sessions on the Legislature’s YouTube page by clicking
Kansas currently has a record 1.4 million people employed. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
“The most recent figures show just shy of 86% of Kansas kids get their high school diplomas.
That’s slightly above the national average, which is at a record high.”
After one year of Trump’s presidency: with the stock market at an all-time high KPERS should report a $2 billion-dollar investment gain for 2017. This should bring the total asset level to around $19 billion and improve the funding ratio.
TransCanada announced it has secured commitments of half a million barrels per day, Keystone Pipeline expansion across Nebraska to move forward. The company says its preparing for construction and working with the new list of landowners to get the necessary easements along the new route approved by state regulators in November.
Opponents filed court challenges to the new route and say the company’s announcement changes nothing. Arguments are expected before the state Supreme Court later this year. If the challenge succeeds, the company would have to file for a new permit, which could take up to a year.
Federal investigators believe a broken wheel caused a May 2015 oil train derailment and fire that prompted the evacuation of Heimdal, North Dakota. Investigators found a mark on the track indicating a broken wheel and found pieces of a broken wheel at the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said workers had repaired another defective wheel on the train two days before the catastrophe. Five derailed cars breached and spilled nearly 100,000 gallons of crude oil, fueling a massive fire that forced 30 people had to evacuate.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reported a slight decline in the number of active drilling rigs across Kansas, with seven in the eastern half of the state, down two, and 25 west of Wichita, down one. Baker Hughes reported 936 active drilling rigs nationwide Friday, adding two gas rigs but losing five exploring for oil. Canada reports 325, an additional 49 active rigs.
Kansas operators filed 45 permits to drill at new locations last week, 28 east of Wichita and 17 in the western half of the state.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 34 newly-completed wells in Kansas last week, 13 in eastern Kansas and 21 west of Wichita. There were two completions in Barton County, three in Ellis County and two in Stafford County.
OPEC and others insist they’ve reduced crude consumption by 1.8 million barrels per day as part of last year’s agreement. But one analyst insist the actual reduction was closer to a quarter million barrels. Robert Boslego claims the Saudis and Russians are posting normal seasonal declines as new production cuts.
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said Sunday that OPEC and other big-oil producing allies like Russia should find ways to cooperate beyond their current production agreement. He said OPEC’s message should be that this is something that is here to stay.
North Dakota oil production increased about 1 percent in November to 1.19 million barrels per day. Director Lynn Helms of the Department of Mineral Resources says he expects later this year his state will beat the its best-ever production of 1.23 million barrels per day, set back in December of 2014.
Last week CNN reported the oil spill from a sunken tanker off the coast of China was “…bigger than Paris.” Now it’s bigger than Paris, Lisbon and Zurich combined. China’s State Oceanic Administration said Sunday there are three spills, which have tripled in size to 128 square miles in the week since the tanker exploded and sank.
Revised numbers released this week show North Dakota’s oil industry failed to meet the state gas capture target in October. The Department of Mineral Resources reports the industry flared slightly more than 16 percent of Bakken natural gas produced in October. The target is 15%, but that increases to 88% in November. Director Lynn Helms said it will take “serious investment” in natural gas gathering and processing to meet that target.
U.S. shale oil production will grow by 111,000 barrels a day to 6.55 million barrels a day in February, according to a government forecast. Most of that increase came from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico which gained 76,000 barrels a day. Surging shale production is poised to push total US output to record levels not seen in nearly 50 years, rivaling the world’s leading producers.
EIA this week also reported the highest demand for gasoline in January since 2011. That pumped up prices by about four cents on the week to a nationwide average of $2.534. Triple-A says the statewide average in Kansas jumped about nine cents in the last week to $2.375. Prices at the pump in Hays and Great Bend were up to $2.33 a gallon.
Two oil patch trade groups in Oklahoma are supporting “Step Up Oklahoma,” a plan proposed by a civic group that would double the production taxes on new wells. One of the groups has already gone to court to block a different effort that would nearly quadruple that tax. The Oklahoma Oil & Gas Association and The Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association announced their support for the alternative plan, that, among other things, would essentially do away with a two percent tax reduction granted for new wells a few years ago. After 36 months the rates go up to seven percent anyway. OIPA last week filed legal challenges against a ballot initiative that would tax all production, including those first three years, at seven percent.
