By DAVE RANNEY
KHI News Service

TOPEKA — Nichole Hulaether has been a foster parent for 17 years. She’s cared for dozens of children.

“I consider myself to be a fierce advocate for the children in my care,” the 41-year-old Topeka woman told a panel of legislators today. “That’s my role, that’s my job.”

Hualaether, who spent a year in foster care herself when she was 12, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that the state’s foster care system is broken.

Foster parents, she said, are “treated like babysitters,” allowed to have little or no say in what happens to a child in their care and are told keep quiet about the system’s shortcomings.

Foster parents who complain about being left out of the decision-making, she said, are punished for speaking out.

“I have a boy in my home now that has had four case managers in nine months,” she told KHI News Service later. “I won’t say anything about the latest (case manager) because he’s new, but the other three were worthless.”

Hulaether said when she complained to the third worker’s supervisors and directors, the worker arranged to have her monthly payment reduced by $300.

“She did it without talking to me, without telling me she was going to do it,” she said. “Keep in mind, this was for a child that I was paying a tutor $35 an hour for because when I got him, he couldn’t read or write.” The child, she said, was 8 years old.

Many foster parents, she said, fear similar punishment.

“I had 30 foster parents that were supposed to be here today,” Hulaether said. “And almost none of them showed up because they said they were afraid of what would happen if they spoke out. There’s this constant fear of retaliation” from the state’s foster care contractors or subcontractors.

‘Bill of rights’

Hulaether testified in favor of Senate Bill 394, which she and other supporters called the foster parents’ bill of rights.

Included in the bill are provisions for ensuring that foster parents:

• Have access to “all pertinent information” about a child placed in their care;
• Are allowed to participate in determining when a child should be returned to a parent or family member’s care;
• Can know what happens to a child after being removed from their care;
• Receive 30-days advance notice when a child is to be removed from their home, except in emergency; and
• Receive “appropriate preferential consideration” for being allowed to adopt children who’ve been in their care.

The bill also would create an eight- to 10-member board for advising DCF on foster care and adoption issues.

“This bill is designed to give foster parents a voice,” said Lori Ross, executive director at the Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, a group that represents more than 400 foster and adoptive parents in Kansas and Missouri.

Kansas privatized most of its foster care system in 1996.

Kathy Armstrong, DCF staff attorney in charge of prevention and protection services, said most of proposed “rights” in the proposed legislation already are spelled out in DCF policy.

“We value and appreciate the role that foster parents play in the lives of kids who, for various reasons, have been removed from their homes,” she said.

Armstrong said she wasn’t aware that some foster parents were afraid to challenge caseworkers’ decisions.

Complaints of that sort, she said, would warrant case-by-case investigation by DCF.

Most of the state’s foster care services, she said, are provided by two non-profit contractors: KVC Behavioral Health and St. Francis Community Services. Both agencies, she said, rely on several sub-contractors.

Armstrong said DCF was neutral on the bill.

Representatives of KVC and St. Francis attended the hearing but did not testify.

Shared frustration

Barbara Allen, a former legislator who became a foster parent four years ago, said she shared Hulaether’s frustration with the system.

Allen, an attorney whose husband is a district court judge in Johnson County, said she was being denied information on the whereabouts of a baby girl that had been in her care for about three months.

The child, she said, was moved to an unidentified relative’s home on Tuesday.

“I have no idea where she is or with whom she’s been placed,” Allen said. “Was it in our foster baby’s best interest to be moved to a relative placement? I don’t know because I don’t know anything about the placement.”

Allen said she felt like she and her husband had been taken for granted by the system.

“I’m an attorney, my husband is a judge,” she said. “If we feel this way, I don’t know that any of us can say we’re surprised when foster parents who’ve been doing this a while decide they don’t want to do it anymore.”

Kansas Historical Society

TOPEKA—In commemoration of Black History Month, the Kansas Historical Society announced that a handwritten account of the last organized Underground Railroad journey through Kansas is available on Kansas Memory.

The author, Charles Frederick William Leonhardt, describes how he assisted fugitive slaves as they passed through eastern Kansas in June 1860.

The Underground Railroad was a loose network of antislavery sympathizers who helped fugitive slaves from southern slaveholding states escape north to Canada.

Leonhardt’s account is available at kansasmemory.org/item/221986. Kansas Memory is the Historical Society’s online digital archives.

 

 

 

The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency that operates the Kansas Museum of History, State Archives, Kansas State Capitol Visitor Center, and 16 state historic sites. For more information, visit kshs.org.

 

 

By EVAN DUNBAR
KU Statehouse Wire Reporter

TOPEKA — Kansas college students are one step closer to having a little more cash in their pockets next school year as the House unanimously approved a bill Wednesday to refund sales tax on textbooks.

With an average of $660 spent per year on textbooks, a student would save $40. The bill now moves to the Senate.

Originally, House Bill 2557 would have made textbooks for students tax exempt. However, Rep. Brandon Whipple, D-Wichita, amended the bill Tuesday to make the refund retroactive, writing: “Sales tax paid on and after July 1, 2014, on the gross receipts received from the sale of required textbooks purchased in Kansas by a student enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution in this state shall be refunded.”

According to a supplemental note on HB2557, the refunds would be claimed pursuant to forms developed by the Director of Taxation. Students looking for the tax refund would also have to accompany the forms with sufficient documentation of the textbook purchases. Essentially students would need to send in the proper forms and their textbook receipts in the mail to receive the refund of the sales tax.

At the end of the amendment, “post-secondary educational institution” is defined as “any university, municipal university, community college and technical college, whether public or private.” This means that many other schools will potentially be affected by this legislation, not just the seven public, Kansas Board of Regents’ universities. But it was the student leaders from those universities who pushed for the legislation at higher education day at the Capitol last week.

“This is a good sign that student voices were heard by legislators,” University of Kansas Student Body President Marcus Tetweiler said.

The bill will now be referred to a Senate committee for consideration.

“The students need to be ready to testify at the Senate,” Rep. Mario Goico, R-Wichita, said. “They need to stay in contact with Sen. Les Donovan (R – Wichita, Assessment and Taxation Committee Chairman). I will also be writing letters to the Senate president.”

But the bill is not quite what student leaders had hoped for when they first proposed the elimination of sales tax on textbooks. Tetweiler said that it is still money coming out of students’ pockets, but he is excited about the bill’s passing the House.

“It is more of a rebate than a complete tax exemption, but again, I’m excited that what was proposed was passed,” Tetweiler said. “We (student leaders) will be completely ready to testify when the time comes. I am very excited for the opportunity.”

Rep. Goico originally sponsored the student leaders’ proposal when they went to the House Taxation Committee last week. Goico said he was surprised when Whipple proposed the amendment to HB2557. Because the student’s proposal is not its own bill, Goico said the bill could be split when it goes to the Senate and that “things might happen.” However, he did say he is confident the bill will pass the Senate.

“I wanted a bill, I did not expect an amendment,” Goico said. “But sometimes we do things to take a shortcut in Legislature.”

By KYLE CRANE
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — The Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would enable low-spending legislative candidates to avoid filing campaign finance reports. The bill is one of several efforts by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee to update campaign finance statutes.

Senate Bill 98 raises the limit, from $500 to $1,000, for how much a candidate can receive and spend in their campaigns before being required to submit a campaign finance report, which lists all donors and expenses.

Sen. Mitch Holmes, R-St. John, chair of the committee sponsoring the bill said the $500 threshold was adjusted to account for inflation in the 40 years since the statute was first enacted. He said the increase would especially benefit candidates in local races.

“It should be quite a boost for them,” Holmes said. “That $500 limit gets implemented pretty quick.”

Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, said doubling the limit is appropriate because most candidates spend more than $500. She said the responsibility of submitting finance reports might turn away candidates who want to spend more.

“We don’t want to discourage individuals from having an opportunity as a candidate to express concerns that they have,” Francisco said.

The bill now will move to the House where Sen. Holmes said it is likely to pass.

The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee advanced two other bills aimed at campaign finance reform that likely will make it to the Senate floor in the near future.

Senate Bill 339 passed a preliminary vote in the Senate on Wednesday. The bill would eliminate the requirement for treasurers of candidates, political committees and party committees to report the identity, industry and occupation of contributors who give more than $150.

Also, Senate Bill 156 was sent to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The bill would raise limits on individual campaign donations and the value of gifts accepted by legislative candidates.

K-State Research and Extension

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University, in partnership with Purdue University, will offer a workshop featuring an overview of basic first responder training for incidents at grain facilities on Feb. 26 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in Omaha, Neb. following the 2014 GEAPS Exchange.

The training is designed at the basic awareness level and is designed to reduce the risks of secondary injuries to first responders. The training will be held in CenturyLink Center, 455 North 10th Street in Omaha.

As a result of the workshop, participants will possess the knowledge to safely respond to crises that may arise in a grain handling facility and have the resources to improve the safety culture of their grain facility.

This initiative is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor-Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
There is no pre-registration required to attend the workshop. More information is available by contacting Brandi Miller at [email protected] or 785-532-4053785-532-4053.

Topeka – Kansas First Lady Mary Brownback announced today the start of the Kansas Book Festival Writing Contest. The contest begins now and runs through April 30, 2014. Winners will be contacted by July 31 and announced at the 2014 Kansas Book Festival on September 13 at the Kansas State Capitol. The contest is open to students in grades 3-12 in the state of Kansas.

“The writing contest is in its third year and is thriving as we see the talent level of our future Kansas authors continue to grow,” said Mary Brownback. “It is our hope that this writing contest will help spark a love for reading and writing among children across the state and inspire them to use writing as a creative outlet.”

The theme for this year’s contest is “My Journey on the Kansas Plains.” The theme asks students to think back to what life might have been like for their friends and family in the early years of Kansas’ statehood and to write a creative story depicting that life.

There will be a first and second place winner in each grade level division, per congressional district. Divisions consist of the following: grades 3-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12.

For more information about this contest or the Kansas Book Festival, scheduled for September 13, visit kansasbookfestival.com.

 

 

By ELISE REUTER
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — Kansas legislators are discussing a bill that would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell beer, wine and spirits. After a similar bill was shot down in the Statehouse last year, legislators revised it to give local liquor stores a 10-year adjustment period to prepare for the shift in licenses.

House Bill 2556 would separate liquor retail licenses into three categories: Class A, for retailers who can only sell beer, Class B, for those selling both beer and wine, and Class C, for those who sell beer, wine and liquor. If the bill is passed, then all existing liquor stores licenses would be turned into Class C licenses, and the total number of Class C licenses would be frozen until 2024.

During this 10-year period, liquor store owners will be able to sell their Class C licenses to grocery and convenience store owners in the same county. In 2017, all stores would be able to obtain licenses to sell beer, and in 2020, they would be able to sell both beer and wine. Lawmakers hope that this gradual transition will give liquor store owners time to prepare to share the market with larger chains, such as Dillon’s or Walmart.

Liquor store owners would be able to sell their licenses to these chains, or sell other wares, such as groceries, in order to stay abreast of the competition.

“It’s easy to position this as a big-box issue, but it’s not,” said Jessica Lucas, with Uncork Kansas. “It’s as much about the viability of small grocers, whether they’re specialty stores, serving a niche population in Overland Park, or they are that singular grocery store in a rural Kansas county. Both need this law passed.”

Opponents of the bill disagreed, saying that liquor sales do not fall under the free market, as they are heavily regulated by the state.

“This is not really about the free market, but changing the way we market alcohol in our state,” said Rep. Jim Howell, R-Derby. “It’s all about convenience.”

According to the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, there are currently 748 liquor stores in Kansas. Tuck Duncan, with the Kansas Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association estimated that this number could increase to anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 stores, if the bill passes. He said that as far as competition was concerned, the distinction between licenses was moot.

“We’re not selling beer, we’re not selling wine or spirits,” Duncan said. “We’re selling alcohol that happens to be contained within a brew or a vinted or a distilled product.”
With the addition of groceries and convenience stores, the bill stated that minors would be able to sell alcohol if they were supervised by another employee over the age of 21. Opponents of the bill questioned whether this would make alcohol more accessible to minors, especially if the beverages were available at a larger number of stores.

“Very rarely have I heard anything that would keep this retail establishment from providing alcohol to minors,” said Chris Williams, with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s gonna make this more difficult for law enforcement agencies.

At the hearing, many small-town grocers and liquor store owners did provide written testimonies in support of the bill. However, those opposing it filled the court room.
Jeff Breault, owner of R&J Discount Liquor in Wichita, said the bill might not affect businesses in larger cities as greatly, but could be devastating to liquor store owners in small towns.

“This is a job killer, not a job creator,” Breault said.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Hospital has received $3.5 million in private donations toward construction of a new facility.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported the donations were announced Monday at a news conference at the hospital’s campus in Kansas City, Kan.

The hospital bought 14 acres of land near the campus in 2005 with the expectation of needing to accommodate more patients and surgery space. There’s no timetable yet for construction of what’s planned as a 92-bed facility.

Hospital spokesman Dennis McCulloch says the donations announced Monday are the first funds raised so far for the $250 million project. McCulloch says officials hope to raise $100 million in gifts.

By RYAN McCARTHY
KU Statehouse Wire Service

In 40 years as a baseball umpire, Mike Holmes has seen plenty of abuse.

“I’ve had Coca-Colas thrown in my face by irate mothers of 13-year-olds,” Holmes said.

Holmes was at the state Capitol on Monday to testify in favor of House Bill 2532, which would increase the penalty for assault and battery against a sports official. The bill would increase from a class C person misdemeanor to a higher misdemeanor, including a class B.

Legislators on the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee said the bill was necessary because of the increase in physical assaults on sports officials.

Holmes cited a report from the National Association of Sports Officials that documented 2,218 physical acts against sports officials during or after games in 2011. In 2001 there was 709 acts.

According to NASO’s website, there are 23 states that have laws protecting sporting officials from assaults.

“Violence should not be tolerated in any situation, but specifically, violence committed in public has perhaps a more profound effect on society,” said Rep. Larry Campbell, R-Olathe. “It has been reported to me that sports officials are seeing a dramatic increase in violence against them. Many times this occurs in front of small children.”

John Dehan of Call The Game, a Kansas City area group that oversees officials and administrators and schedules officials to games, said officials need more protection from irate fans.

“We really don’t have an issue at high school level because we have game administrators there, we have ADs (athletic directors) that are there, they have security,” Dehan said. “Those people are taken care of. It’s the youth leagues. It’s the adult leagues.”

Dehan said there have been reports of three assaults the last three summers to his organization.

“What were doing is educating parents the best way we can,” Dehan said. “We’re talking to coaches and parents and we don’t allow that to occur, but the one or two individuals that will take to the extreme.“

After his testimony, Rep. Tom Moxley, R-Council Grove, asked Dehan how concealed weapons laws could affect officials and fans.

Dehan said it scared him even more for fans to have concealed weapons while officiating games.

“It makes me more nervous about more people on school campuses carrying guns because when I’m umpiring I’m at home plate and my back is to the crowd,” Holmes said. “When my attention is on the game not the crowd.”

Chairman Rep. John Rubin, R-Shawnee, went to clarify that the proposed changes in the law do not deal with assault with a deadly weapon or a gun, and there were already plenty of felony charges on the books for that.

Testifying in favor of the bill, Holmes said there should be a more severe penalty for assault on a sport official.

“We’re not looking to change society,” he said. “What were looking to do is giving our law enforcement officials and prosecutors more ammunition to better punish and handle these situations.”

When the session closed there was not a decision on where the bill will go next.