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 2nd and April 28th. 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.
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