Who brings us the news? Mostly it’s still men, according to a new Women’s Media Center study, “Divided 2017.”

The report says that among the major TV networks, online versions of CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast, and the nation’s ten largest newspapers:

Male anchors and reporters predominate by about three to one among broadcast news outlets, which the Center notes is a “regression” from how things used to be. Work by women anchors, field reporters and correspondents actually declined, falling to 25.2 percent of reports in 2016 from 32 percent when the WMC published its 2015 “Divided” report.

For newspapers and wire services such as The Associated Press and Reuters, “bylines” run about 62 percent male. Online, men receive 53.9 percent of bylines.

WMC reports that “men produce the most stories on sports, weather, and crime and justice. Women’s bylines are largely on lifestyle, health and education news.”

The gender disparity shown in the WMC survey is obvious in terms of numbers and simple equity, considering that women make up 51 percent of the population. But its implications, including the impact on news credibility, may not be so clear to news consumers. WMC Director of Communications Cristal Williams Chancellor noted in an interview that many of our fellow citizens are “comfortable” with men in anchor chairs or dominating story bylines. But in an era in which a majority of people say they distrust the news media and its motives, the most credible news operations should have diverse staffs that represent both their subjects and their audiences, she said.

Clearly, the news industry still falls short of having enough women to meet that goal. Why?

It’s not for a lack of qualified female job candidates-in-training: Women made up two-thirds of the student body enrolled in journalism and media-oriented degree programs during the fall 2013 semester, according to data from most recent Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Enrollment.

One factor in the lack of overall visibility may come from the finding that “lifestyle, health and education” remain the topics where women most likely appear. I can recall that same circumstance in newsrooms of the 1960s.

Another bit of history: The American Society of News Editors’ annual newsroom census found in 2016 that the number of women leaders and employees has remained nearly the same since the 1990s. The survey that year reported that “women made up about a third of newsroom employees overall, with a higher number employed at online-only sites than at newspapers. Women comprised 38 percent of daily newspaper employees in this year’s survey and nearly 50 percent of online-only news organization employees.”

At a 2014 ASNE conference, women who were editors also called for changes in hiring and the review/promotion process to address old canards of how women in leadership roles are perceived. Fast Company senior editor Kathleen Davis referenced a study of 248 performance reviews of 180 men and women in media, prepared by both men and women, which showed the word “abrasive” was used 17 times for women and never for men.

None of these stats or biases is the sole province of newsrooms, to be sure. And going back to the mid-20th century, women in leadership roles in major news operations — from the news desk to the corporate suite — more often resulted from inherited ownership than from corporate diversity considerations.

But the profession that represents us all in gathering and reporting the news ought to be more of a leader in the 21st century in being representative of all of us.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @genefac.

April 3, 2017

2017 State Budget: Committee Consensus
On Tuesday, March 28th, the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means Conference Committee just built consensus on the Senate’s substitute for House Bill 2052. The Senators and Representatives present came to agreement on four different and important sections of the bill. First, the House of Representatives agreed to Senate recommendations for deleting funds to KPERS for the last quarter of FY 2017. The Senate agreed to the House recommended position of allocating $40.3 million for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services in FY 2017. The third area, in which the House agreed to the Senate recommendations, creates a layered repayment option plan to payback the proposed delay of the fourth quarter payment to KPERS for the current fiscal year. A mechanism was discussed to repay the $115.5 million from State General Fund to the KPERS Trust Fund for the delayed payment in FY 2016, repaid with interest, that statutorily is to be repaid in FY 2018. The last important area of consensus was one in which Representatives conceded to a modified version from the Senate which orders the Director of the Division of Budget, consulting with the Director of Legislative Research to transfer 10 percent of the State General Fund to the budget stabilization fund, otherwise commonly referred to as the “Rainy Day” Fund, on or before August 15, 2020.
K-12 Education Budget

Tuesday, March 21st, the House K-12 Education Budget Committee was briefed on the Kansas Equity and Enhancement Act, House Bill 2410. This bill, which relates to the finances and instructions for education in FY 2018 and FY 2019, represents the work product of an entire session of public input derived through a fair and open committee process. The bill encompasses components of several plans and ideas that were presented and is closely connected to the recommendations from the cost study prepared by the Kansas Legislative Post Audit. Hearings on the bill were held Thursday the Friday of last week and concluded on Monday, March the 27th. The committee will continue to work on the bill to find a formula that provides our students with the best possible opportunity for excellence.

Medicaid Expansion Fails: House Bill 2044
The vote to override Governor Brownback’s veto on House Bill 2044, Medicaid Expansion, failed in the House of Representatives on Monday, April 3rd, by a vote of 81 to 44. The motion to override the veto from the Governor was made just within minutes of the Governor vetoing the bill. Although it was debated considerably, a motion was made to table the veto reconsideration and for discussion to resume later. Although I did vote against House Bill 2044, I did vote in favor of overriding the veto because I have received additional information on how the implementation of the bill would benefit our local hospitals in our area of the state.

The 2018 & 2019 Mega Budget Bill
The House Appropriations Committee passed out favorably, Substitute for House Bill 2364 last Thursday, March 30th. The bill contains the deliberative work of the Budget Committees and Appropriations Committee on the FY 2018 and FY 2019 budget. Initial estimates have an ending balance of approximately $100 million for FY 2017, ($248.6) million for FY 2018, and ($237) million for FY 2019. Kansas Legislative Research Department will provide an explainer and various budget documents on the bill. Once these documents are finalized, they can be found at: http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRDweb/Appropriations&Revenue.html. The bill will be updated online, once the Committee Report is read in. Expect to see floor action on the bill next week.

Tax Committee
On Tuesday, the Committee began its work on House Bill 2395, a bill containing what is referred to as a “flat tax.” The Committee recommended the bill favorably on Wednesday. The bill collapses the current two income tax brackets into a single bracket of 5.0 percent, starting in Tax Year 2018. The bill also repeals the non-wage business income tax, effective for Tax Year 2017. A key component of the bill is the reduction of the food sales tax rate from 6.5 to 5.0 percent, beginning on January 1, 2019. Medical expenses would also be allowed to be itemized deductions in Tax Year 2018. Standard deductions would also be increased. The bill also repeals the formulaic component of 2012 tax law, commonly referred to as the “glide path to zero.” The Department of Revenue estimates an increase of SGF receipts of $373.7 million for FY 2018 and $472.7 million for FY 2019.

On Tuesday, the Tax Committee worked two bills related to collection of internet sales taxation. The Committee passed out favorably two bills, following adoption of technical amendments from the Revisor’s Office. HB 2400 is based on South Dakota law. HB 2235 reflects Colorado law. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Colorado’s favor and that ruling was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in late 2016. This coming week, the Tax Committee will have hearings on: HB 2399, tax credit for child and dependent care services and HB 2406, repealing property tax exemption for certain pipeline property.

Simon’s Law
On Thursday, Senate Bill 85, also known as “Simon’s Law,” overwhelmingly passed the House with a vote count of 121-3. The bill would prohibit a hospital from withholding, withdrawing, or restricting life-sustaining measures for any child, without written parental consent. Senate Bill 85 would also prohibit do-not-resuscitate orders from being issued without parental consent. The Crosier family lost their son, Simon, after a DNR was issued and life-sustaining treatment was withheld, without their consent or knowledge. Simon’s Law ensures that parents, families, and providers are included in difficult medical decisions concerning the child. Kansas is the first state in the nation to approve of this pro-life legislation. The bill will advance to the Governor for his consideration.

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, (R-Bunker Hill) is the 109th Dist. State Representative and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Hello from Topeka.

We are in the last week of the 2017 legislative session with first adjournment scheduled for this Friday. It will be a week filled with many votes on school finance, budget, taxes and other year-end business.

To begin the week, the biggest issue is the vote on rather to override the Governor’s veto of Medicaid expansion in Kansas. I heard from several from the 110th District and many from all over Kansas and from around the nation. Because of the deadline of this column, the vote has not been taken at the time this is being written, but I am voting against overriding the veto. I voted against expansion a few weeks ago, and while I appreciate the passionate discussion from citizens, I still believe that the cost of expansion will place Kansas in a deep financial strain for many years to come.

The Kansas federal delegation is working on a solution, and I believe over time a workable solution will be put into place. While one of the caveats is that Kansas would drop out of the program if the reimbursement rate goes under 90 percent, I find it hard to believe that Kansans would not want to remain in the program and where would the money come to pay for it? I see it coming back to the counties in the form of property tax and that is something that I do not support.

This issue has brought many passions on both sides and I am sure there are those who will like my position and those who will not like it.

(Editor’s Note: Just before noon Mon., April 3, the Kansas House failed to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto on Medicaid expansion, 81 to 44. 84 votes in favor of the override were needed.)

I ask that you continue to contact me with your questions and concerns, it is better than hearing something second hand or reading something on social media which may not be the full story. There are many issues in these last days of the session which are not settled and I will do my best to discuss ideas with you at any time. My contact information is at the end of this column.

This week we will be voting on a flat income tax proposal of 5 percent, it puts back things like full exemption of medical expenses, but does not have any exemption for home ownership. I do not think it will pass out of our chamber and we will continue to look at some form of tax structure which both houses and the Governor can agree on. It will be a compromise of some sort, and it will probably be May before a final agreement is reached.

The Mega Budget bill is not balanced, so it will be still be worked on and will be something that will be finalized in the veto session and I did not add discussion points on a school finance formula because it is not compete yet and the preliminary ideas are not reality, but do keep in mind that U.S.D.’s which have lost students over the last few years will have some reduction in funding, we are working with members of the committee to keep those losses at a minimum.

I would encourage you to keep up with what is going on in these final days of the session to go to www.kslegislature.org, this will keep you up to date with changes in bills and votes taken on legislation.

The legislature will be out until May 1st when the veto session will get underway and per the schedule will last until May 14th. If business is wrapped up we could be done early, or possibly go longer.

I always like hearing from you. Some ways to contact me: email is: [email protected]. My cell number is (785) 302-8416.  You can also follow along with what is going on through social media: kenforkansas on Facebook, @kenrahjes on twitter or my website: kenforkansas.com.

It is an honor to serve as your representative.

Ken Rahjes, (R-Agra), is the 110th District State Representative.

SENATE HIGHLIGHTS

WEEKLY OVERVIEW
It was a big week in the Kansas Senate, as we spent most of the week on the floor debating and voting on legislation. We passed 45 bills, confirmed 4 appointments to boards and authorities, and sent numerous bills to the Governor’s desk for his signature. The Governor has now signed 12 bills into law this session and vetoed two. By law, the Kansas governor has 10 calendar days to sign the bill into law, veto the bill or allow the bill to become law without his signature.

At this point in the session, most committees have wrapped up their work – only exempt committees, including Ways & Means, Assessment & Taxation and Federal & State Affairs, are still holding standing meetings.

Additionally, Conference Committee work has begun to gear up, and we anticipate to vote on Conference Committee reports all this week. 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.

This week is the last legislative week before first adjournment, so debating Conference Committee will be a top priority to ensure we can get as many bills to the Governor’s desk as possible before the break.

HB 2044 – Medicaid Expansion
On Monday, the Kansas Senate debated HB 2044 – Establishing the KanCare bridge to a healthy Kansas program and providing Medicaid reimbursement for clubhouse rehabilitation services. This bill, a Medicaid expansion bill, passed the House with a vote of 81-44 earlier this month, and passed out of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on voice vote last week. Debate on this bill was robust, especially in the wake of the Republican-led Congress’s inability to push through an anticipated repeal and replace vote on the Affordable Care Act, which would have dramatically altered Medicaid and states’ expansion eligibility.
The bill would expand Medicaid coverage to Kansans making up to 133 percent of the federal poverty rate totaling about 150,000 otherwise uninsured Kansans. HB 2044 passed the Kansas Senate 25-14.

Thursday morning, the Governor vetoed HB 2044 and the House began debate on the bill, in anticipation of voting on the veto. After hours of debate, a representative made a Motion to Lay on the Table, delaying the debate until further notice. The House now has 30 days to vote to override the veto. If the House overrides the veto with 2/3 majority, the bill will then come to the Senate for a vote; if the House fails to override and sustains the veto, the bill is dead for this legislative session.

Senate Substitute for SB 189 – Appropriations for FY’17-20
On Thursday, the Senate passed Senate Substitute for SB 189, an appropriations bill containing FY 2017 adjustments and a two-year budget for FY 2018 and FY 2019. The proposed budget includes additional funding for the University of Kansas and Kansas State University to moderately restore the cuts both these schools received in 2016. It also includes funding for a two percent pay raise for state employees, who haven’t seen an across-the-board increase in 10 years. (The raise does not apply to legislators.) The bill removed many of the Governor’s budget proposals, such as selling off the state’s future tobacco settlement payments in exchange for a lump sum and consolidating all K-12 school employees into a single state-run health plan. During debate on the floor, an amendment was brought to allow the Senate to wait until May, once updated revenue estimates are received, to decide whether to add roughly $140 million to make a final quarterly payment into KPERS in 2018 and another $198 million at the end of fiscal year 2019. The bill would spend roughly $6.3 billion State General Fund (SGF) and close to $16 billion all funds. This does not include any additional funding for K-12 education, which is being handled through separate bills in both the House and Senate.

FLOOR ACTION:
STATUTORY REFERENCES RELATING TO KDADS – SB 217 updates several statutory references in accordance with SB 449 a bill which was enacted in 2016. SB 217 would replace the term “mentally retarded and other handicapped persons” in statutes with “individuals with intellectual or other disabilities” in accordance with current law.

KANSAS PHARMACY ACT – HB 2030 changes the minimum age from 18 to 12 years of age for a person to whom a pharmacist or a pharmacy student or intern working under the direct supervision and control of a pharmacist would be authorized to administer a vaccine, other than the influenza vaccine, pursuant to a vaccination protocol and with the requisite training. The bill would allow the person vaccinated or, if the person is a minor, the parent or guardian of the minor, to opt out of the registry reporting requirement.

DIABETES INFORMATION REPORTING -HB 2219 would require the Secretary of Health and Environment to identify goals and benchmarks and develop plans to reduce the incidence of diabetes in Kansas, improve diabetes care, and control complications associated with diabetes.

HEARING PROCESS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – HB 2312 would require that notice be provided and there is an opportunity for a hearing under the Kansas Administrative Procedure Act before final action could be taken on the certain fertilizer orders.

BOARD OF NURSING – HB 2025 would make several changes to law regarding the Board of Nursing. Of those changes, the bill would allow appointment by the Attorney General of more than one assistant attorney general to represent the Board. Current law provides for the appointment of an assistant attorney general, whose salary is paid from the Board of Nursing Fee Fund to represent the Board in proceedings arising in the discharge of its duties and to perform duties of a legal nature as directed by the Board. The bill would also amend the Kansas Nurse Practice Act to authorize the Board to revoke a license for three years and establish an application fee not to exceed $1,000 for the reinstatement of a revoked license. The bill would allow a person whose license has been revoked to apply for reinstatement after three years from the effective date of the revocation.

CHILD CARE FACILITIES BACKGROUND CHECK AND SLEEPING AREA REQUIREMENTS –Senate Sub. for HB 2304 would amend the statute governing standards and regulation of maternity centers and child care facilities and the statute concerning restrictions on persons interacting with child care facilities. The bill would require child care facilities to ensure children under 12 months of age could be placed to sleep only on a surface and in an area approved for use as such by the Secretary of Health and Environment and the sleep surface would be required to be free from soft or loose bedding, including blankets, bumpers and pillows, as well as toys, including mobiles and other types of play equipment or devices. Child care facilities would be required to ensure that children over 12 months of age are placed to sleep only on a surface and in an area approved for use as such by the Secretary.

GREAT PLAINS INTERSTATE FIRE COMPACT – HB 2140 adopts the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact, and immediately authorize the Governor of Kansas to enter into an interstate compact to promote effective prevention and control of forest fires in the Great Plains region of the United States.

LICENSES, PERMITS STAMPS AND OTHER ISSUES OF THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, PARKS AND TOURISM – HB 2191 would make several technical changes to law pertaining to hunting and fishing regulations. The bill would amend current law that allows a resident of Kansas charged with violating provisions of law requiring a license, permit, stamp, or other issue from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) to avoid being convicted if the person presents to the court or the office of the arresting officer an issue of KDWPT that was valid at the time of the arrest. The bill would amend the provision to require the issue of KDWPT to be valid at the time of the person’s alleged violation rather than on the date of the arrest.

FINGERPRINTING OF APPLICANTS FOR A RESIDENT INSURANCE AGENT LICENSE -HB 2067 would modify a provision in the Uniform Insurance Agents Licensing Act concerning application requirements for resident agent licensure to authorize the fingerprinting of resident insurance agent applicants for the purposes of obtaining a state and national criminal history record check. Under the bill, the Insurance Commissioner would be permitted to require an applicant to be fingerprinted and submit to a state and national criminal history record check. The fingerprints would be used to identify the applicant and to determine whether the applicant has a record of criminal arrests and convictions in Kansas or in other jurisdictions.

GOVERNING BODY MEMBERS, CERTAIN VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES – HB 2137 would allow any county commissioner or member of a city governing body to serve as an emergency medical service volunteer, ambulance service volunteer, or volunteer fire fighter, and receive the usual compensation or remuneration for their volunteer service.

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETINGS – HB 2102 would require the board of county commissioners meet on such days and times each month as established by resolution adopted by the board. The bill would strike language differentiating meeting requirements of commissioners in counties with more than 8,000 inhabitants. HB 2102 would allow for a special session to be called for the transaction of any business by a call of most board members and would remove language about transacting general or special business and calling special sessions as often as the interest and business of the county may demand. Additionally, the bill would replace the term “chairman” with “chairperson.”

MUNICIPALITIES; CONTRACTS WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES – HB 2094 would expand the definition of “municipality” in the statute allowing contracts between municipalities to include a school district, library district, road district, water district, drainage district, sewer district, fire district, park and recreation district, recreation commission, any other political or taxing subdivision, or any other authority, commission, agency, or quasi-municipal corporation created by state law. Currently, only a city, county, or township is included in the definition. The bill also would exempt from review by the Attorney General interlocal cooperation agreements entered into for joint or cooperative action that is subject to the oversight and regulation of a Kansas regulatory agency.

EXPANSION OF COMMISSIONERS – HB 2006 would address how vacancies on county commissions are filled when the vacancies are created by an increase in the number of county commissioner districts pursuant to KSA 2016 Supp.19-204. The bill would remove the requirement that the Governor appoint the new members and would replace it with a requirement to hold an election.

ADVANCE BALLOTS SUBMITTED BY MAIL ON ELECTION DAY – HB 2158 adds a requirement that all advance voting ballots received at any polling place in the county not later than the hour for closing of the polls on any election date for all elections be delivered by the county election officer to the appropriate special election board. The bill would also add requirements for the receipt by mail of advance ballots be delivered to a special election board or the county board of canvassers, in a manner as consistent as possible with canvassing of other advance ballots, those received after the closing of the polls on the date of any election and which are postmarked before the close of the polls on the election date.

KANSAS OPEN RECORDS ACT – SB 86 would modify the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) regarding fees charged for public records, who may request and inspect public records in Kansas, and the format of minutes kept at meetings of state legislative and administrative bodies and agencies.

LOTTERY TICKET VENDING MACHINES – HB 2313 allows the use of lottery ticket vending machines, amends law concerning underage purchasing of lottery tickets, repeals the sunset provision for the Kansas Lottery in current law, amends law directing transfers from the Lottery Operating Fund, and amends law concerning the State Debt Setoff Program.

BICYCLE REAR LAMP OR REFLECTOR – HB 2170 requires a bicycle in use at nighttime to be equipped on the rear with a red reflector visible from 100 feet to 600 feet, a lamp emitting a red light visible from 500 feet, or the operator wearing clothing that emits light visible from 500 feet. Current law requires both a reflector and a red light visible from the rear and also a lamp on the front emitting white light.

DISTINCTIVE LICENSE PLATES AND DECALS ON DISTINCTIVE LICENSE PLATES – Senate Substitute for HB 2174 establishes two distinctive license plates, authorize decals on distinctive license plates to indicate transportation of a person with a disability, and authorize additional decals indicating military honors on certain military-related distinctive license plates. The bill establishes the Autism awareness license plate. The new plate will require paying annual vehicle registration fees and a logo use royalty fee of between $25 and $100 to the organization Autism Hope for Families, Inc. Royalties would be deposited into the Autism Awareness Royalty Fund, which the bill creates. The bill also establishes Kansas 4-H Foundation license plate which would require an annual vehicle registration fee and a logo use royalty fee of between $25 and $100 to the Kansas 4-H Foundation, Inc. Those royalties would be deposited into the Kansas 4-H Foundation Royalty Fund, which the bill creates.

SPECIAL VEHICLE PERMIT FOR CERTAIN VEHICLE COMBINATIONS – HB 2095 would authorize the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to issue an annual overweight divisible load operating permit for a truck-tractor semitrailer combination vehicle and a truck-tractor semitrailer, trailer combination vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 85,500 pounds but not more than 90,000 pounds transporting divisible loads on 6 or more axles. The permit would be with respect to highways under the Secretary’s jurisdiction, including city connecting links. The fee for the annual permit would be $200, and collected fees would be deposited into the State Highway Fund. No single-trip permits would be issued. This bill passed the Senate 39-1.

DEATH BENEFITS FOR KP&F SPOUSES – HB 2111 would revise death benefits for certain surviving spouses covered by the Kansas Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (KP&F). Upon the service-connected death of a KP&F member, the member’s spouse would receive an immediate lump-sum benefit equal to 100 percent of the member’s final average salary and an annual spouse’s benefit equal to the greater of: Fifty percent of the member’s final average salary or the amount the member would have been paid had the member elected the joint and survivor retirement benefit option and retired as of the first day of the month following the date of death.

KPERS LICENSED SCHOOL WORKING AFTER RETIREMENT EARNINGS LIMITATION – SB 138 changes the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) pertaining to working after retirement. The bill would exempt from the earnings cap those retirees who retired on July 1, 2009, or later; were retired for more than 60 days prior to July 1, 2017; and were subsequently hired in a school position requiring a license. Under current law, only retirees who retired prior to May 1, 2015, are eligible for this exemption. The special exemption, which is scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2020, would become permanent. The bill would repeal the 48-month or four school-year limit on the term of employment. The special exemptions for special education and certified hard-to-fill positions would be eliminated; the exemption for licensed school personnel would remain.

ASBESTOS BANKRUPTCY TRUST CLAIMS TRANSPARENCY ACT – Senate Sub. for HB 2053 would enact the Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act (Act), which would require plaintiffs to provide certain statements and materials within 30 days of filing an asbestos action or within 30 days after the effective date of the Act. The bill would define “asbestos action” to mean a claim for damages or other civil or equitable relief presented in a civil action arising out of, based on, or related to the health effects of exposure to asbestos and any other derivative claim made by or on behalf of a person exposed to asbestos or a representative, spouse, parent, child, or other relative of that person. Specifically, a plaintiff would be required to provide a sworn statement indicating an investigation of all asbestos trust claims has been conducted and all asbestos trust claims that can be made by the plaintiff have been filed, as well as all trust claims materials.

PAGES – MARCH 2017
Four groups of pages from Senate District 36 visited the Capitol in the month of March. Sonny Johnson, Burr Oak, Brent Kussman, Formoso, Braden Brownell, Rope Dorman, Scott Blochlinger, Luke Blochlinger – Eagle Scouts from Concordia, Katherine Krauss and Shelby Ney, Russell, Trent Beier, Kaitlyn Beikmann, Clifton and Haley Uffman from Greenleef. They met Governor Brownback, took the Dome tour, worked in my office and ran errands for the Senate during session.

Visitors from Senate District #36
Two senior classes from home visited Topeka and the Capitol this week sponsored by Farm Bureau – Rock Hill School from Jewell County and Stockton High School from Rooks County. Each class was able to tour the building and climb the 296 steps to the top of the dome. The Aggregate Producers & KS Ready Mixed Concrete Association members held their annual meeting and met with legislators Tuesday night.

Thank You for Engaging
Thank you for all of your calls, emails, and letters regarding your thoughts and concerns about happenings in Kansas. Constituent correspondence helps inform my decision-making process and is taken into great consideration when I cast my vote in the Kansas Senate.

As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the last week before the break this spring. 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 Senate will be in session each day at 10:00 a.m. 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, R-Concordia, 36th District
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
(785) 296-7389

Friends,

It was a busy week on the House floor, as we passed multiple bills. Some of these are listed below. I supported all of the following bills:

Last Week on the House Floor
HB 2273: an act concerning consumer protection; relating to the Kansas no-call act; restricting use of automatic dialing-announcing devices.

HB 2047: an act concerning the office of inspector general.

HB 2306: an act concerning the Kansas sexually violent predator act; relating to examinations; transitional release; conditional release.

SB 112: an act concerning crimes, punishment and criminal procedure; relating to evidence; videotaping of certain felony, custodial interrogations; domestic battery; creating the crime of aggravated domestic battery; controlled substances; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia; burglary; expungement; arrest records.

Sub SB 74: an act concerning persons needing assistance with cognition; relating to motor vehicle, placards, identification cards; state-issued identification cards and driver’s licenses.

H Sub SB 101: an act concerning crime victims; relating to protection orders; protection from abuse act; protection from stalking act; sexual assault evidence collection examinations and parental notification; the crime victim’s compensation board and claims for compensation.

Medicaid Expansion Bill
Two weeks ago, the Kansas House passed a Medicaid expansion bill (HB 2044) that would help cover more than 150,000 Kansans without insurance and aid our numerous hospitals and clinics whose budgets have been slashed multiple times over the last few years.

Last week, the bill hit the Senate floor with the Medicaid expansion amendment, and passed. The bill was sent to Governor Brownback, who vetoed the expansion bill on Thursday morning.

The veto brought the Medicaid expansion bill back to the House floor later Thursday morning, where a debate ensued over whether to override the veto. In the end, the bill was tabled until likely next week. This means the debate will continue and the vote will occur when it’s reintroduced on the floor.

It will be a close vote on the veto override. The Kansas House needs 84 votes in order to override. If an override does happen, the bill will go back to the Senate for an override vote. The Senate needs 27 votes to override a veto.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 43-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-4683 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Sincerely,

Eber Phelps, D-Hays
111th Dist. Kansas House of Representatives
Serving Hays and Ellis County

My thank you to Hays, America…thank you for who and what you are.

On September 4, 2015, my family and I visited Hays and FHSU for the first time, as my daughter was being recruited to play basketball for Coach Hobson and the Lady Tigers. Not one of us had any idea as to what was about to happen. We drove in a night early and just “checked out” the University, neighborhoods, restaurants, churches, parks, brick streets, etc.

We woke up on the day of her visit and ate a nice breakfast at a local restaurant, visited with locals and then headed to the campus to meet the coaches. Our visit was nothing short of tremendous and our daughter instantly felt connected with the coaching staff. And how could you not fall in love with Gross Memorial Coliseum?! I watched my daughter just stand there and look around without saying much, knowing that in her mind she was visioning winning championships in front of a packed house cheering on the Lady Tigers. All that and more were taking place in the mind of my 17-year-old daughter, who ever since she was a little girl, dreamed of playing college basketball. Her dreams were about to become a reality.

Her visit at FHSU and our day in Hays was incredible and as we pulled out of town, not wanting to leave and yearning to find something else to keep us there just a bit longer, she told me to cancel her other visits, as FHSU was calling her. I, of course, insisted that she see other campuses and we did, but her heart had been won over by an incredible pair of coaches, an awesome gymnasium and campus and a town that just felt right.

This past August, we brought her and all her belongings to her dorm at FHSU and she began her college career as a student/athlete. I can’t say that it wasn’t really tough pulling out of town again that day, but my wife and I had a sense of peace, just like she did on the day of that initial visit. Since then, she has fallen in love with not only her coaches, teammates and FHSU, but also the town, all the great people who call it and the surrounding area home and all those that come out and so energetically support the Lady Tigers.

Our first basketball season is now in the books and as we drove back and forth from the KC area to Hays for games this first season, my wife and I have come to really love our time visiting and meeting all the wonderful people and fans that support FHSU. We have also enjoyed our time at all the wonderful restaurants and businesses that make up this diamond of a town in western Kansas. I could go on and on about you, Hays, America, but I’ll stop there and just say “thank you.”

Thank you for making a young girl with big dreams feel special, thank you for making a mom and dad who miss their daughter dearly have a sense of peace knowing she’s in the right place and thank you to all of you who come out and support all these young women who have the same dream as my daughter and have also landed in Hays America.

Thank you. You are a very special place!

Steve Kennett

Medicaid Override On Thursday, the House attempted to override the Governor’s veto of HB 2044 which would have expanded Medicaid in Kansas.  After vigorous discussion, the motion was eventually tabled to allow all 125 members a chance to vote on an issue which many consider critical.  If it becomes law, the bill would create the Bridge to a Healthy Kansas program which would provide affordable health care to about 150,000 low income Kansans.  I covered the details of the program in an earlier newsletter but the eligibility requirements include the following: Must be between 18 and 65 years of age.  Has an annual household income of no more than 133% of the federal poverty level, after the 5% income set aside allowed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Cannot participate in Medicare or are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid.  Federal law requires Medicaid recipients must be US citizens or legal residents.   Preventive care – the program covers qualifying preventive care at no expense to participants. Federal funding – the program is funded in part by federal funds as set forth in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the program will automatically terminate if federal funding is reduced below the requirements set forth in the ACA. While it’s easy to recognize some of the benefits associated with Medicaid expansion it’s also important to realize that the ever-increasing costs of Medicaid, as well as changes in Washington, leave many unanswered questions. The Bridge to a Healthy Kansas program would provide the following benefits: More low-income individuals will have access to health care coverage, which in turn helps maintain access to local health care services in rural Kansas. It also will reduce the occurrence of uncompensated care for the uninsured and the associated costs that are passed along to hospitals and other health care providers.  As you may remember Kansas hospitals have endured federal reimbursement cuts for health care services. These reductions were supposed to be offset by federal funding for expanding Medicaid. The total benefit for the 128 hospitals in Kansas would be nearly $7.4 million. The expansion of Medicaid in Kansas does raise significant concerns, including: Medicaid’s share of the State General Fund continues to increase, and this has forced the State to shift funding from other priorities. The Federal Government will begin reducing their share of coverage from 100 percent to 90 percent and there is concern that the Federal Government may further reduce its match rate even further at some future time. Flat Tax Proposal Passes Out of Committee As the legislature considers various options to solve the state’s current fiscal imbalance, the House tax committee considered and passed out HB 2395 this week, which would replace Kansas’ current income tax system with a single rate flat tax of 5%.  Low income earners (below $12,500 married filing jointly and $5,000 single taxpayers) would be exempt from Kansas income tax.  Additionally, the standard deduction would increase from $3,750 to $7,500 for joint filers and from $3,000 to $6,000 for single filers.  Medical deductions would once again be 100% deductible, and the income tax exemption granted to pass-through income (LLCs, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and farmers) would be entirely repealed.  And finally, beginning January 1, 2019 the sales tax on food would be reduced from 6.5% to 5%. Advantages of the plan: Simplicity.  One rate for everyone Lower taxes for taxpayers compared to Kansas tax policy prior to 2012 It restores pass-through income (the “LLC loophole”) to the tax rolls, thereby restoring greater equity to Kansas tax policy Reduced sales tax on food, particularly important to low income Kansans Disadvantages of the plan: A flat tax is widely considered to be regressive, placing a greater burden on low income taxpayers than a multi-bracket system as found in the current Kansas plan or as previously proposed in HB 2178 Economists point out that a flat income tax is less elastic than a multi-bracket plan.  That means as the economy expands, revenue produced by the flat tax will not keep pace as well as it would with alternative income tax systems. Tax policy theorists advocate for policy which is simple, broad-based, equitable and stable.  HB 2395 would score high for simplicity, although the low-income exemption and double deductions add some complexity.  Due to the low-income exemption, the plan could not be categorized as broad-based. Although equity is somewhat in the eye of the beholder, it is generally accepted that a multi-bracket system is more equitable than a flat tax.  And finally, the flat tax could create stability issues due to its inelasticity. Although HB 2395 has passed out of the committee, it is not yet a final product, and is only one of several options for tax reform currently under consideration by the legislature. School Finance Plan Last week the House K-12 Education Budget Committee held its two days of hearings on HB2410, which will serve as a template during the upcoming discussions on school finance.  The objective of Chairman Campbell since early January has been to allow full participation by all stakeholders. The committee remains focused on the goal of creating a formula which: 1) best serves the students of our state, 2) will be deemed constitutional when reviewed by the Kansas Supreme Court, and 3) affirms the legislature’s support for our teachers, schools, and communities. Looking at the numbers, HB2410 as introduced would provide just shy of $1.9 billion in base state aid and $437 million for special education services along with appropriations for several other educational functions.  The total amount increases spending on K-12 education by roughly $75 million over last year, but still falls over $600 million short, in terms of real dollars, of 2009 funding levels.  It is generally accepted that we will need to increase state support for education by an amount in between those two figures to satisfy the “adequacy” requirement imposed by the state constitution. Chairman Larry Campbell and the K-12 Education Budget Committee members have worked diligently since the 2017 legislative session began in January.  Many hours have been devoted to examining alternatives and crafting the bill as it now stands.  The committee began debating and amending the bill on Thursday, working from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  It is anticipated that the committee will complete work on the plan early next week, and move it out for consideration by the full House. Budget This week, the House Appropriations Committee passed its initial budget proposal for the next two fiscal years.  The bill, House Sub HB2052, will be considered by the full body next week.  Below is a quick rundown of the numbers.  The proposal adds up to $6.27 billion in spending for FY18, only $16 million above the governor’s recommended spending, but leaves us with an ending balance of negative $248 million even with the delay of a quarterly KPERS payment.  These are still estimates, as the Consensus Revenue Estimates will not be released until mid-April.  Obviously, the three big issues of school finance, budget, and tax reform are intertwined, and final decisions regarding each of them will be related to decisions on the other two. Additionally, the rescission bill, which finalizes the budget for the current year ending June 30 made it through conference last week and will move through the Senate and House (in that order) before being presented to the Governor upon passage.  The proposal removes $67 million in KPERS payments scheduled for this year as well, and would borrow just enough from the long-term investment fund to leave the state with a $50 million ending balance. Town Hall Meeting Tuesday, April 11, 6:30 p.m at the Leoti CARE center, with Senator John Doll   Cowboy Logic If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong. Quote of the Week I can explain it to you but I can’t understand it for you. Sermon in a sentence “Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin

Several years ago, mom gave me a sweatshirt advertising Hooker, Oklahoma, as the Tumbleweed Capital of the world. After a recent drive across the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle, I’m certain Hooker is not the only center point of Russian thistle abundance. Winds that day blew an average of 40 mph so we saw droves of prickly Russian immigrants racing pell-mell across three states. Fence lines trapped enough to fuel miles of potential prairie fire. Clearly, this transplant’s adjusted well to arid western soils.

These herbaceous invaders adapted to the Great Plains environment better than many homo sapien immigrants who hit American shores during the same era. The tumbleweed’s human counterparts often left for easier pickings that included more moisture and less wind. This forb, however, took root and multiplied like creatures mentioned in biblical plagues. It prefers disturbed soil—so farmers breaking virgin grassland and then abandoning their efforts unintentionally supported the hardy newcomer. Aridity doesn’t hurt them, and winds strong enough to deform trees and make flags fly at 90 degree angles guarantees each plant sows its 250,000 seeds.

Think of that–one plant produces several hundred thousand potential offspring. Scientists have documented how many actually take root, mature, and reproduce. By the 1890s, researchers reported the first of these Ukrainian hitchhikers arrived in Scotland, South Dakota, in the 1870s. Before 1900, the government assigned U.S. botanist Lyster Hoxey Dewey to investigate this curse to western agriculturists. Dewey, wrote, “The rapidity with which the Russian thistle has spread, both in infesting new territory and in thoroughly covering that already infested, far exceeds that of any weed known in America.” According to writer Doug Main, the only two states that don’t have tumbleweeds are Alaska and Florida. That’s a record-breaking invasion!

The day I drove across the Panhandle, herds of rolling thistles bounded over barbwire fences, surging across roads. This dark force made me think of millions of roaming bison 150 years ago. Due to sheer size, these mammals halted train travel. The tumbling seed-sowers I encountered didn’t halt traffic, but they slowed it.

Due to wind speeds, thorny orbs, small and large, rocketed across flat grasslands. I was glad to travel protected in a vehicle and not afoot like pastured cattle or wild critters. A thistle scouring of this magnitude would leave a being picking stickers for weeks. Unfortunately, these dried plants came in numbers so enormous I couldn’t avoid whacking one after another and dragged several beneath my vehicle until friction shattered and scattered them.

While I smacked some, others slammed into the sides of my Toyota hard enough I felt vibrations through the steering wheel. I’d like to think these collisions halted their seed dispersion, but that’s a vain wish. In fact, I’ve probably introduced Oklahoma thistle DNA to Kansas varieties.

Hookerites may disagree, but that sweatshirt’s claim to fame limits the scope of this invasive plant. The entire Great Plains is the Tumbleweed Capital of America.

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.

It is a treat to eat out at a favorite restaurant or community event. Consumers expect the food to be safe. It is up to the food handlers to provide the safest meal possible.

Preparing food for the public, whether at a volunteer group fund-raiser or at a restaurant, often means dealing with larger quantities of food than those used at home. With larger amounts of food, different food practices and special attention to detail become critical.

A Servsafe food handler short course for food service employees and volunteer groups will be held on Tuesday, April 11, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Ellis County Extension Office, 601 Main Street in Hays. The cost is $10.00 per person and includes the Servsafe Food Handler Guide, a nationally-recognized food safety training resource, plus training materials and refreshments. Linda Beech, County Extension Agent and trained Servsafe instructor, will be the presenter.

Register and pay fees soon to reserve your seat at the training.

The class covers basic food safety principles, personal hygiene, preventing cross-contamination, food allergens, time and temperature controls, cleaning and sanitation. This course would be appropriate for commercial food service employees, dietary staff at nursing homes, hospitals and schools, and volunteer groups who serve concession stands, church dinners, community meals or fund-raisers. The class does not include an exam and does not provide national certification, however, a certificate of attendance will be provided to each participant.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year one in six Americans gets sick from a foodborne illness. On average, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3000 people die from something they eat every year. Foodborne illness is highly under-reported, and outbreaks do happen in Kansas.

The economic impact of foodborne illness is staggering. The CDC estimates that foodborne illness costs $15.5 billion annually, which includes factors such as direct medical costs, lost wages, time lost, and pain and suffering. That makes the average cost of one foodborne illness incident about $77,000. Proper food safety is important to reduce illness, but also to protect the reputation and reduce costs and legal repercussions for those who serve food to the public.

Plan now to attend the upcoming Servsafe food handler training. Register and pay fees at the Ellis County Extension Office to ensure adequate training materials and class supplies. Drop-ins cannot be accommodated for this class. Enrollment is considered complete when fees are paid. A minimum attendance is required to hold this class.

Obtain a registration form at www.ellis.ksu.edu/health-nutrition in the right box under “Upcoming Events.” For more information, call the Ellis County Extension Office, 785-628-9430.

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

Bird watching has never much appealed to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love birds as much as the next outdoorsman, especially hawks and owls. I would be content to spend the rest of my life in the woods at dusk listening to the soft, soothing hoots of great horned owls and the soulful, staccato cries of barred owls pierce the darkness.

I could watch forever the effortless soaring of a hawk high overhead as it searches the ground for a snack with eyes like spotting scopes. I can spend hours fantasizing that I’m riding along on the immense outstretched wings of a vulture as it glides high on the Kansas winds. But bird watching per say doesn’t sound like my bag.

For those of you who know me, picture this; me clad in some natty outfit complete with stylish headgear, a bird book and note pad under my arm, a pair of high-dollar binoculars around my neck and a couple-thousand dollar camera on a tripod in front of me. First of all, I’d have one of my “bull-in-a-china-closet” moments and knock over the tripod, dumping the couple-thousand dollar camera into the dirt, then the stylish headgear would blow away as I bent over to rescue the camera, banging the high-dollar binoculars into the ground in the process, and then……well you get the picture. Bird watching for me would better consist of crawling into a tumble-down old barn to observe a mother turkey vulture on her nest (which both Joyce and I have done.)

All joking aside, now that I have managed to completely tick-off every legitimate bird watcher in the state, real authentic bird watchers have my utmost respect. I know they dress nothing like I described, and most can probably tell a warbler from a waxwing with a mere glance. Well Kansas bird watchers, listen up! The 2017 Wings and Wetlands Birding Festival will be April 28 -29 at Great Bend, KS, headquartered at the Best Western Angus Inn Courtyard there in Great Bend. Just outside Great Bend are two of the best birding spots in the Central Flyway; Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira are both wetlands of international importance that provide a stopover resting spot for thousands of birds on their north and south migration routes. The festival dates coincide with the peak of the annual shorebird migration, and approximately 180 species of birds have been documented during most previous festivals.

Curtis Wolf, site manager of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC) says “The main focus of the festival is getting participants out on field trips with experienced guides to find as many bird species as we can. We are excited to be able to bring a diverse crowd of birders into the area to experience our wetlands and our communities.”

Besides the wetlands birding trips, participants in this year’s 2 day festival can attend a shorebird identification workshop, a presentation by renowned birder and photographer Bob Gress, attend night birding and prairie chicken lek tours, and see other area attractions along the Wetlands and the Wildlife National Scenic Byway. If you’d like more information on this event contact the KWEC at 1 -877-243-9268.

Maybe I should give proper bird watching a chance; I might find I was good at it and even liked it. I’m afraid though that the rest of the group might take exception to my dressing in full camo with my 46 dollar Fuji camera from Walmart mounted on a garage sale tripod, all the while carrying my 12 gauge strapped on my back in case the errant snow goose flew overhead and gave me a chance to shoot it down to take home for the freezer; especially when I began carelessly knocking over everyone else’s tripods and cameras. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Click to play the audio or read below.

Both my mother and father were graduates of Bucklin High School. As were both my brother and I. Dr Ebert, an Osteopath, delivered both Max and I in the north downstairs bedroom of the home place, Max in November of 1926 and I in May of 1930. He called us Max and Climax. 

But he was a pretty good guy anyway, except he left town shortly after I was born. I have never believed  the story that because I weighed 12 pounds at birth and was almost a month late in arriving had anything to do with his escape to Oswego to establish his practice.
   

The above facts really don’t have anything to do with today’s story, but I wanted to shed a little more light on my very early days and surroundings.
  

My dad was a pretty good athlete.  He played a tough game of football, and was an excellent softball 2nd baseman, a game he played during the dusty days on one of the town’s league teams.  But his best sport in school was Track.  He was only 5’8″ tall and was very proud of the fact that he never weighed more than 162 pounds in the winter nor less than 154 pounds in the summer.
   

Dad’s specialty in Track was the relays, but especially the 440 yard dash, now known as the 400 meter run.  As I recall, his best time in high school was 52.8, certainly not record setting by today’s standards but very good in 1919.  He ran anchor in most of the relays and accumulated many ribbons, medals, and trophies, some of which are still in the family.     
   

And so when Max and  I were growing up, pressure was applied to run the dashes. Neither one of us made any headlines in those events, although both of us were out for Track all four years.  I think my best time in the 440 was something like 58.8, which was sometimes good for 5th place if I was lucky.
   

My best efforts were the field events where I pole vaulted and threw the javelin.  My best vault was an inch or two above 11 feet, but we didn’t have one of those “catapult” type of poles like they do now.  My best javelin throw was just a bit over 170 feet.  I would later become very happy when grandson Daniel beat my best height by several inches in the pole vault, and grandson Andrew out -threw me in the javelin, also by several inches.  Can’t win ’em all!
   

When Max and I were growing up on the farm, we built a pole vaulting standard by setting two 2 by 4’s in the ground after pounding several nails in the side of each so that the crossbar would stay up.  The pole we used was a discarded piece of wooden well rod like those used with windmills.  The crossbar was an old bamboo fishing rod.  We would spade up the ground behind the standard for a safer landing, although it probably wouldn’t have been necessary when you’re falling only 5 or 6 feet.  I remember that in high school competition, the landing area was the same….spaded earth, and not the three foot thick air mattress of today. 
  

We didn’t have a stopwatch, or even a wrist watch, so I carried the family alarm clock with me when running the half mile down to the mailbox, just to see if I could run that distance in less than two minutes.  Inevitably, the time was close to twice that, as near as I could tell.
   

Still, I managed to win a few ribbons in track and field in my high school days.  All of them, plus all my 4-H ribbons, were lost in a house fire that destroyed everything sometime in the sixties.  If you’ll take my word for it when I talk about winning lots of ribbons, I’ll feel a lot better!


Kay Melia is a longtime broadcaster, author and garden in northwest Kansas.

Friend,

As I fly back to see many of you in Manhattan tomorrow, I wanted to let you know some of what I have been up to this week.

In addition to what you will see below, I joined two of my colleagues in leading a letter to defund the WOTUS rule. WOTUS has been a thorn in the side of the Kansas farmer, and those across the country, who know better than a bureaucrat in Washington as to how to maintain their land. This remains a top issue for farmers in Kansas, and across the country, and I am proud to be a part of returning control from the federal government back to the farmer.

I look forward to seeing some of you this weekend. More Listening Tour dates will be released next week!

On the Floor

This week, I spoke from the House floor on behalf of the HONEST Act, which requires transparency in any scientific research that could lead to EPA regulation. (Click the video above to watch.)

In the House

KLA and the Beef Caucus

I was glad to meet with the Kansas Livestock Association while they were in Washington for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Legislative Conference. While we discussed tax reform and immigration, the overriding concern was the continued recovery from this year’s wildfires. I could not be more inspired by the work the KLA is doing to help out the farmers and ranchers impacted.

I was also proud to participate in the Congressional Beef Caucus’ inaugural event. The Beef Caucus will help those of us representing farm and ranch country magnify our voice and continue our work on behalf of ranchers.

Meeting with NIFA Director

It was great to meet with National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) director Sonny Ramaswamy this week.

In addition to looking great in a purple tie, he leads one of USDA’s most critical agencies. NIFA provides $14 million in formula funds to Kansas State University each year, plus targeted funds through their flagship grants program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.

Developing relationships like these is an essential part of my job in representing you. Being able to maintain and attract the attention of these agencies to the resources in our district amplifies our voice and influence on a national, and international stage.

Meeting with Catholic Charities

I met with Deborah Snapp, a representative from Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas. Catholic Charities is a national organization that offers support to member agencies, provides disaster relief and promotes poverty reduction through research and legislative reform. Each year they serve thousands of individuals in our state. I enjoyed hearing the work they do in Kansas, and how I can be helpful to their organization.

I have worked with Catholic Charities for years through my medical practice, and I look forward to continuing that relationship!

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.

It comes as no surprise that the House budget panel will undoubtedly make the decision to hold back a few hundred million dollars in retirement contributions “at this stage” in the budget crafting process. At this stage! What other stage is there? How many years have legislators been kicking the can down the road?

Rep. Henry Helgerson, a democrat from Wichita, expressed the fact that “this is not an enhancement, this is a debt. If this is put off for too long, the state is financially vulnerable to bankruptcy”. And yet, the mindset for years has been, “We’ll deal with this later.”

Landlords can attest to the fact that when a tenant gets behind on their payments, 99 times out of 100, there is not a happy ending. Instead of one month’s rent payment, it becomes two, then three, and in most cases it’s just a matter of time before an eviction or a “midnight exit” takes place. The state of Kansas delayed a quarterly payment in 2016, and will do the same in 2017. Current law stacks an 8% interest payment on top of the expected contribution. In fact the state has been paying less in contribution rates than needed, according to actuarial assessment, for the last 20 years. Unfortunately, with the state of Kansas, pension recipients can’t evict representatives, and being accountable only while they’re in office allows them to put off proper funding with the mindset that someone else can worry about it– until it’s too late.

The KPERS representatives are firm on the fact that providing pension benefits to its employees is a contractual guarantee that has to be paid. And they will continue to assert that right up to the time that the state pension plan runs out of money.

Jeff King, a former representative from Independence, led the Senate KPERS Committee several years back and at least made a stab at correcting this situation. Most of his efforts have either been reversed or worsened, and he did not run for re-election. This not only includes not making the expected contributions on time, but more desperate moves like issuing a one billion dollar pension bond. His parting words to the decision makers were “This kind of news makes me feel a lot better about what I’ll be doing next year.”

When governor Brownback was questioned by reporters on the KPERS situation, he stated, “Where we were when I started-we were 52 or 54% funded, and we’re 67% funded today. We are in so much better shape on KPERS today than when I came in as governor.” Well, Governor Brownback, in most people’s grade book, 67% is still a flunking grade. So little Sammy is still flunking, just not as bad. And if we use assumptions used by neutral entities, like the Pew Center, instead of the decision- makers’ lofty assumptions, we’re in bigger trouble than they will admit.
However, all of this cannot be blamed on our current governor, because this has been the mindset of our legislators for years.

We no longer only read about bankrupt pension plans in Greece or far-away places. It’s happening in these United States and it’s high time our state government stops kicking the can down the road and address these issues for the sake of the hundreds of thousands that are depending on them in their retirement.

Tim Schumacher represents Strategic Financial Partners in Hays.