Classroom visit Iraq style (Articles from War #13)

By LTC Melanie Meier

My fellow passengers shared my nervousness as we traveled in the back of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle on our way to school. We were going to have to face classrooms of children. But what would we say? Would we do something culturally wrong? I wondered if we would be allowed to hug the kids or do "high fives" or what we would talk about.


Once we left the Main Supply Route (MSR), or highway as we would call it back home, the apprehension grew. It is not easy to see out of an MRAP. We were in full battle rattle and strapped down to our seats, with little windows about forehead level. By straining my neck, I could see that we were no longer on paved roads, eventually arriving at a cluster of buildings. Most looked like old brick buildings with the stucco cracking and falling off, each surrounded by walls. A few looked new and fairly modern. Several buildings were in the midst of the construction process and actually had large glass windows. Cars were parked along the roads and in front of some of the homes. An assortment of wires were strung from the roof tops.


The wires were not high on poles up high, which caused some problems for us in our huge vehicle. The gunner climbed out on top to try and raise a wire up so we could pass under it. We did not want to cut off electricity to the homes. Unfortunately, as the gunner let loose some colorful language, we learned that the wire was hot and not insulated correctly. He was okay though while we all had a nervous laugh. The driver finally maneuvered the top heavy vehicle down into a deep ditch to get low enough as the convoy commander yelled over the radio to just drive through because we were staying in one place too long. Crisis averted, our convoy finally arrived at the school.

Once in the classrooms, our apprehensions were out the window. We were greeted with smiles, some shy and some beaming. The small school had six classrooms, one for each grade, and it seemed the younger the students were, the more outgoing they were. The first graders wanted to say hello in English and shake hands while the fifth graders wanted to show off their English skills by reciting the alphabet and counting in English. The oldest class of sixth graders was all boys, but there were only seven of them. The fifth grade teacher told us that two of his students had recently lost their fathers in an automobile accident. I noticed that all of the instructors and the head master were men.

Through interpreters, we asked the children questions. The interpreter with my group was a young Army specialist who lived in Iraq as a child and is now in the Texas National Guard. She was having a great time with the kids. We started by asking the children their names and their favorite subjects in school. Although the fifth graders all said English, I think they may have been trying to impress us. I thought about recess myself, and asked them what sport they liked. Soccer was the all around favorite. Thumbs up seems to be an universal sign.

While there, we handed out school supplies to each child who had a small backpack. However, I couldn't help but notice how there were no book cases or cabinets in any of the classrooms, only desks that consisted of benches and a flat table that sat two to four students, depending on the size of the student. Each class room had a chalk board, but that was all. There did not seem to be a lunch room or even a bathroom. The windows did not have glass.

There was one little boy I noticed who had a Spiderman backpack so I asked him if he knew the "Spiderman" song. He shook his head no, so of course, I had to sing it for him. He looked at me as if I had three heads. Maybe that was the cultural faux pas that I had been worrying about on the way there?

Iraqi School in the background.

Making new friends!

Some soldiers read to the students at this school.

Adventures in the Statehouse #3

Melanie Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse

Kansas House of Representatives

40th District 

 

Volume 2010, Issue 3:  Turn Around Day

             This week was the turnaround deadline for most bills to clear their house of origin to stay alive in the current session.  The House and the Senate put in some long hours to debate and vote on their legislation in order to pass it to the other for hearings and final action.  Some anticipated Senate Bills failed and will not be coming to the House now, including a Bill on the Death Penalty.  Starting this week the House and Senate will hold their own hearings on each other's Bills and take their own votes.  If the Bills pass with no changes, they will go to the Governor for signature and become law.

Votes of Interest in the Senate

            The Death Penalty:  This past Friday the Senate debated a Bill that would have repealed the Kansas Death Penalty.  Many of us listened in intently for the outcome.  The Governor has implied that he would veto the Bill it if makes it to his desk, he actually authored the current law when he was in the legislature.  So word around the Statehouse was that the Bill would not be considered until after the next election and there is a new Governor, but the Senate went ahead and voted 20 to 20, so without a majority the Bill did not pass. 

 

Robo Calls:  On Friday, the Senate also considered a Bill to ban the use of Robo Calls, those pre-recorded calls that always seem to come during dinner time.  The Bill would make the calls illegal unless a human introduces the call and asks the receiver's permission to play it.  Arguments against the Bill were mainly for non-profit organizations who use the calls for education and fund raising.  An amendment was made to exempt political advertising but the Bill failed, 13 to 27.

The Castle Doctrine

            The House unanimously passed House Bill 2432, a Bill making important corrections to Kansas' current self-defense statute.  The recent Kansas Supreme Court Ruling in State v. Hendrix stated that if a person threatens force instead of actually using deadly force, the individual is not entitled to a self-defense jury instruction and could be charged with aggravated assault.  The ruling was applied to an individual who threatened force but never discharged the firearm, when his fiancée was assaulted.  Because he did not fire, he was subsequently charged and given a felony conviction.  Not only does HB 2432 correct this, the Bill also adds "place of work" to the list of specific places (such as your home or vehicle) that can be protected with force without retreat. The bill also says that if someone breaks into your home, car, or place of work, it is presumed that they are there to do you harm and whatever force you deem necessary to protect yourself is justified.  Now the Bill is on its way to the Senate.

Kansas Clean Air Act May Be Coming Up Soon

 

          There is anticipation that the much debated Kansas Clean Air Act may be coming up for debate and vote in the House soon.  HB 2221 was debated and passed the Senate as SB25.  The bill would ban smoking and make the act of smoking  in the following places an infraction: Public places; Taxicabs and limousines; Restrooms, lobbies, hallways and other common areas in public and private buildings, condominiums and other multiple-residential facilities; Restrooms, lobbies, and other common areas in hotels and motels and in at least 80 percent of the guest sleeping quarters within a hotel or motel; Access points of all buildings and facilities unless the building or facility is exempted by the bill; and Any place of employment.  Buildings and facilities exempted from the smoking ban would be those not defined as an enclosed area and the following exemptions: Outdoor areas of any building or facility beyond the access points of the building or facility; Private homes or residences, except when used as a day care home; Hotel or motel rooms designated for smoking guests if the percent of such rooms does not exceed 20 percent of the total hotel or motel rooms; The gaming floor of a lottery gaming facility or racetrack gaming facility; The portion of an adult care home that is designated as a smoking area and that is fully enclosed and ventilated; The portion of a licensed long-term care unit of a medical care facility that is designated as a smoking area and that is fully enclosed and ventilated; Tobacco shops; Class A and Class B clubs holding a license as of January 1, 2009, and who notify the Secretary of Health and Environment in writing within 90 days after the effective date of the bill that they wish to continue to allow smoking on the premises; and Private clubs.

 

Out and About this Week

 

          I was happy to visit with Dave Thomas, AC Byrd, George Grimm and Ralph Beckwith this week.  They were here in Topeka with the American Legion.  I headed back to Leavenworth on Saturday night to attend the annual Lincoln Days Banquet at the Leavenworth Riverfront Community Center and enjoyed visiting with many friends.  As always, please be sure to let me know if you are coming to Topeka so that I can be sure to meet you. 

Keep in Touch 

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative.  I 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 722, Docking State Office Building, Topeka, KS 66612.  You can reach me at (785) 296-7668 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me.  Additionally, you can e-mail me at Melanie.meier@house.ks.gov.  You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.   

Just a reminder, I have slots for Statehouse pages coming up on March 2^nd and April 28^th.  If you know of a young person who would like to come spend the day in Topeka with me to see how the legislature works, please let me know.  The slots are filling up!

 As always, if you no longer desire to receive updates and information from me, just let me know and I will take you off the mailing list. 

Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse #2

Melanie Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse

Kansas House of Representatives

40th District 

Volume 2010, Issue 2:  Speaking on the Floor Already!

             This past week I was honored to carry a Bill to the House Floor for consideration and vote.  It was HB 2445 from the Veterans Military & Homeland Security Committee.  This Bill ensures collaboration and communication between Military Installations in Kansas and the municipalities around them.  It was jointly authored by the military and municipalities with the hope to continue good will and cooperation despite any future personalities and to demonstrate the State of Kansas' good will toward the military that brings over $7.7 billion into our state in the form of jobs and contracts.  The Fort Leavenworth Garrison Commander testified in favor of the Bill and the City of Leavenworth sent written comment to me to include.  The Bill passed and is now on its way to the Senate for their consideration.

            As we approach turnaround – the deadline for most bills to clear their house of origin to stay alive in the current session – February 20th, the legislature will be working longer hours in order to get all the proposed bills through the hearing process. This is an exciting time of year, and I encourage each of you to take an active role in our state government.  All House and Senate sessions are open to the public.  Complete daily calendars are available for you to follow at www.kslegislature.org along with live broadcasts of Senate and House proceedings.  Thanks to all of you who listened in while I was on the floor this week and for sending comments!

Budget Update

            This past week the House passed its version of the Governor's Rescission Bill and now it goes back to a conference committee with the Senate for their concurrence before heading to the Governor's desk for signature.  The rescission bill is necessary to officially enact cuts made by Governor Parkinson during the interim and ensures that Kansas meets its constitutional requirement to end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance. 

 

In the House's version of the rescission bill, the Governor's original recommendations were accepted for the most part, with the exception of a few amendments. 

-          Specifically, a floor amendment was adopted that will reduce the salary of every elected official by 5 percent (this includes all public officials who are paid with state monies: statewide offices, state legislators, district judges, etc).  By including all State Officers, we were able to increase the money gain from approximately $260,000 to $1.5 million.

-          Some Medicaid cuts for the developmentally disabled were also shifted from a grant fund to a federally matched fund.  This will enable health care providers to receive more in matching funds.  The total state cut remains 10 percent, but by making a few changes we were able to lessen the loss of federal dollars. 

BUT, we probably aren't finished with FY 2010 budget.  Revenues were lower than expected again in January, and the state will likely be short approximately $40 million by July even with the additional cuts we approved this week.  I am told we will likely revisit this again in April when the most updated round of revenue estimates are released and we have a more accurate picture of the shortfall.  In the interest of the legislative calendar, it is best to turn our attention to FY 2011 for now

 

Bill Would Make it Easier to Return Unclaimed Property

The State of Kansas will be able to return more unclaimed money to Kansas residents starting next year if Senate Bill 479 is signed into law.  The bill, which was approved by the Senate on Thursday, will allow that Kansas Department of Revenue to provide information to the State Treasurer's Office in order to locate owners of unclaimed tax returns.  The information would include current and prior addresses of taxpayers, listed spouses and dependents.  There were no opponents to the bill.  It was introduced to the House Friday and hopefully will come up for a vote soon.

The State Treasurer's Office is currently holding more than $187 million in unclaimed money and property including court deposits, insurance benefits, dormant checking accounts, safe deposit box contents, and unclaimed wages, among many others.  To search for unclaimed property or to file a free claim, visit www.kansascash.com.

House Bill 2544 Proposes Expanded Beer Sales

The House Federal and State Affairs Committee is considering a bill that would allow convenience and grocery stores to sell beer with 4 percent alcohol rather than the 3.2 percent beer that they sell now.  The weaker beer was created to circumvent Prohibition regulations in the 1930s; the law was never changed to allow grocery and convenience stores to sell full-strength beer.  If the bill passes, it will not allow convenience and grocery stores to sell other types of liquor.  Also, Alcoholic Beverage Control would be in charge of cereal malt beverage vendors.

Opposition to this proposal comes primarily from local liquor stores, who are currently the only distributers of full-strength beer.  They argued that it is easier for liquor stores to ensure underage citizens are not sold alcohol because it is required by law that liquor store workers be at least 21-years-old.  They also voiced concern that this change would just be the first step in expanding alcohol sales to grocery and convenience stores, followed by wine and other hard liquors.  Because grocery and convenience stores offer a wider selection of products, this could ultimately put liquor stores out of business. 

Proponents- mainly owners of convenience and grocery stores- have been advocating for this law change for several years.  They argue that liquor stores profit from their ability to set the price of alcohol and have little competition.  They believe this bill would not only increase competition, it would also increase choice and convenience.  Convenience store owners contend that they do not have the room to carry the selection of beers a liquor store would carry and therefore would not put the liquor stores out of business.

Out and About this Week

 

          I was happy to see many folks from the district this week.  Folks like Bev McConaughey were here from Atchison and Dr. Joe Jones from Leavenworth.  I headed back to Leavenworth on Wednesday night for the monthly Fort Leavenworth Rod & Gun Club meeting and enjoyed a Valentine Luncheon at the CW Parker Carousel Museum. Please be sure to let me know if you are coming to Topeka so that I can be sure to meet you. 

Keep in Touch 

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative.  I 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 722, Docking State Office Building, Topeka, KS 66612.  You can reach me at (785) 296-7668 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me.  Additionally, you can e-mail me at Melanie.meier@house.ks.gov.  You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.   

Just a reminder, I have slots for Statehouse pages coming up on March 2^nd and April 28^th.  If you know of a young person who would like to come spend the day in Topeka with me to see how the legislature works, please let me know.  The slots are filling up!

 As always, if you no longer desire to receive updates and information from me, just let me know and I will take you off the mailing list.

 

Melanie Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse #1

Melanie Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse

Kansas House of Representatives

40th District

 

Volume 2010, Issue 1:  I'm Back!

 

            I was sworn back in to office on 20 January 2010, by Chief Justice Bob Davis, on the floor of the House and went straight back to work.  I am in the same committees as last year: Vision 2020, Veterans Military & Homeland Security, and Agriculture & Natural Resources.  Representative Navinsky sat on these same Committees when he stepped up to continue on for me.  Thanks Don, for volunteering to be apart from family and home and go to Topeka to represent us.  Thank you for your service!

 

Thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers throughout the last year as I completed my tour of duty in Iraq.  I am so happy to be safely home with my family, friends and neighbors.  It was a good tour of duty and I learned so much, but I am ready to get back to work for my District and the State of Kansas. 

 

I really appreciate all the cards, letters, emails and care packages.  Being so far from home in such a different environment, sometimes it can be easy to feel you have lost something.   But when the folks from home let you know that you are thought of, prayed for, missed, and that they want you to come home, it gives you a good grounding that the deployment environment is not forever.  If you know someone or have friends who know someone who is in the military and far from home, I encourage you to write or email even if you don't know them very well.  For many young people especially, it is difficult for them to see just how short the deployment is in the grand scheme of things, and that it is a TEMPORARY absence from the world back home.

 

Budget Update

 

Even while overseas, I could see that the Budget would be the subject that will dominate the thoughts of all Kansans this year.  But before we can begin work on the budget for FY 2011, we must first pass an FY 2010 rescission bill.  The rescission bill is necessary to officially enact cuts made by Governor Parkinson during the interim and ensures that Kansas meets its constitutional requirement to end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance. 

 

In the House's version of the rescission bill, the Governor's original recommendations were accepted for the most part, with the exception of the following amendments:

 

• An amendment limiting the number of leadership days that leaders of the Senate and House can claim in any one fiscal year to 25.  This would be a retroactive measure, starting on June 1^st 2009 until June 1^st of 2010.

 

• An amendment with an 11.1% reduction in legislative pay, totaling $247,000. This would be a 5% salary cut (not per diem), a $7 a day cut in per diem, and three furlough days. Overall, this is equivalent to a 15% reduction in legislative compensation. 

 

There were many amendments that failed.  One of them that caught my attention was the failed amendment that would have transferred $180,000  from the hazardous mitigation fund to the Kansas National Guard.  The funding would have allowed the 18 National Guard Armories slated for closure to remain open until the end of the fiscal year.  It would not have stopped the closing of the armories but would have allowed time to set up procedures to close armories with dignity and respect.  I know the Guard unit from Troy is currently deployed and now they will return to no armory. 

 

With a $40 million gap still left to fill in FY 2010, this is far from the final product.  The committee passed the bill out on Thursday.  We will hopefully see it on the House floor next week so we can begin to work through some of those tough decisions.

 

The Governor's Proposed Sales Tax Increase

 

The House Tax Committee voted on 27 January, to recommend HB 2475, the Governor's proposed one percent sales tax increase for three years, not be passed.  The vote effectively killed the bill.  With little discussion among the Committee members, the majority voted to report the measure unfavorably after rejecting a motion to table the Bill.  Few legislators would support the Bill at this time so early in the session.  The rescission bill for 2009 has not passed, the work on the fiscal year 2010 budget has not begun and final revenue reports are not in, so it is too early to know how much revenue will actually need to be raised.  Sales tax increases are an easy and quick way to raise revenue but may not be the most fair and are not the only option.  Although it seems imprudent to rush the Bill through, the Tax Committee is exempt from legislative deadlines for proposing Bills, so they can introduce a new tax bill at anytime.

 

Veterans, Military & Homeland Security Committee

 

The Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs (KCVA) gave an update on how budget cuts have affected our state's veterans.  Since the 2009 state budget bill passed, funding for the KCVA service centers have been cut to less than the initial funding it was allotted when the program started 3 years ago.  Even before these cuts, Kansas was last among all U.S. states in the number of veteran service offices and Veteran Service Representatives (VSR) per veteran in the state (1 VSR to 11,000 veterans).  Of 15 service offices in Kansas, 3 offices have already been closed and 7 more are at risk of closure.

 

Cutting services to veterans might save the state money in this fiscal year, but there is a heavy price tag for its long-term implications.  Veteran service representatives (whose salaries are funded by the KCVA and have been frozen because of cuts) help veterans navigate the complex VA system in order to receive compensation.  Those veterans who do not receive the federal benefits they need are then forced to rely on state-funded assistance. In Kansas, only 13% of our vets are receiving the benefits they are owed.  There is a clear connection between the money our state provides for veterans and their inability to obtain the federal benefits. 

 

The Veteran's Scratch off Lottery ticket proceeds to establish mobile VSR offices have been "swept" to fill gaps in the budget so the program is now on hold.  "Swept" is the finance term used when funds are diverted from their intended part of the budget to another.  The mobile offices would have provided an outreach to older veterans and veterans in rural areas far from VA Centers.  The KCVA estimates that over 100,000 older veterans do not even realize that their short enlistments and drafts into the military years ago make them eligible for federal benefits.

 

   Our veterans are heroes who left their homes and risked their lives to defend our way of life.  These men and women deserve our deepest gratitude, respect, and access to the first-rate care they have earned for their service and sacrifice. 

 

Agriculture & Natural Resources

 

            We heard testimony on several bills concerning hunting.  One proposes exempting non-residents who are under the age of 16 from having to purchase a hunting permit in the State of Kansas and proposes removing the requirement for having a hunting permit to hunt coyotes and prairie dogs.  A second proposes that bow hunters be required to take a doe before an antlered deer.   The third proposes removing the requirement to have a hunting permit to hunt rattlesnakes and a fourth proposes removing the prohibition of hunting mountain lions and wolves.  The Committee Chairman appointed a sub-committee to further research the proposals with the Department of Wildlife and Parks.

 

Medicaid cuts have devastating impact

 

There have been hearings in multiple committees for the last three weeks regarding the impact of the recently imposed 10% Medicaid cut.  Kansas has cut more from Medicaid than almost any state in the union.  Because the state receives 50-90% in matching funds from the federal government for this program, the total loss in revenue for health care providers who serve Medicaid patients is three times greater than the savings to the state.  Cuts of this magnitude force providers to cut staff, salaries, and critical health services for our most vulnerable citizens.  If funding is not restored in FY 2011 the impact will be twice as damaging, with a $130 million cut to providers in exchange for only a $70 million savings to the state. 

 

Keep in Touch

 

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative.  I 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 722, Docking State Office Building, Topeka, KS 66612.  You can reach me at (785) 296-7668 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me.  Additionally, you can e-mail me at Melanie.meier@house.ks.gov.  You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org. 

 

Please be sure to let me know if you are coming to Topeka so that I can be sure to meet you.  I have had the pleasure of visits from the City of Lansing, Saint Vincent Clinic, Parents as Teachers, pediatric dentist Dr. Kittle, and more. 

 

I have slots for Statehouse pages coming up on March 2^nd and April 28^th.  If you know of a young person who would like to come spend the day in Topeka with me to see how the legislature works, please let me know.  The slots are filling up!

 

As always, if you no longer desire to receive updates and information from me, just let me know and I will take you off the mailing list.

 

Useful Numbers and Resources:

 

The following is a list of the numbers I receive the most requests for during the legislative session.  You can find these as well as many others online at http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook.  I hope you will find this information helpful.

 

Adjutant General:                 Department on Aging:                      Attorney General:

785.274.1001                          800.432.3535                                      785.296.2215

 

Better Business Bureau:       Child/Adult Abuse Hotline: Child and Family Services:

785.232.0454                          800.922.5330                                      785.296.4653

Commerce:                            Consumer Protection:                       Crime Tip Hotline:               

785.296.3481                          800.432.2310                                      800.572.7463

 

Crime Victim Assistance:     Driver's License Bureau:                 Gov. Mark Parkinson:

800.828.9745                          785.296.3963                                      800.748.4408

Kansas Health Wave:            Highway Road Conditions:              Housing Hotline:

800.792.4884                          800.585.7623                                      800.752.4422 

 

Insurance Hotline:                 Kansas Lottery:                                 Legislative Hotline:               

800.432.2484                          785.296.5700                                      800.432.3924

 

Mental Health Services:        Department of Revenue:                  School Safety Hotline:

888.582.3759                          877.526.7738                                      877.626.8203

 

Social Security:                      State Capitol Tours:                          Taxpayer Assistance:

800.772.1213                          785.296.3966                                      800.259.2829 

 

Tax Refund Status:               Teacher Certification:                      Unclaimed Property:

800.894.0318                          785.296.2283                                      800.432.0386 

 

Unemployment:                     Vital Statistics:                                   Voter Registration:

785.296.5074                          785.296.1405                                      785.296.4561

 

Welfare Fraud Hotline:        Workers' Comp:                               Workforce Center:

800.432.3913                          800.332.0353                                      785.235.5627