Kansas House of Representatives
40thDistrict
Volume 2011, Issue 12: March 28 – April 3, 2011
In This Issue
· This Week in the Capitol
· Around Home
· Budget Update
· Bills on the Way to the Governor for Signature
· Vietnam Veterans Medallion
· Easter Fun
· Keep in Touch
This Week in the Capitol
After12 weeks, we have reached First Adjournment and have completed the
2011 regular session. We worked on the floor debating bills all week
and conference committees tried to meet during breaks and in the early
morning. We will now break for a few weeks and return for the Veto/Wrap
Up Session on April 27th to finish. Throughout the break, the Governor
will review the bills that have been sent to his desk for signature or
veto.
I am looking forward to being back in the district full time for the
next few weeks. I hope to see you at legislative forums, coffees, and
other events in the community to further discuss the important issues
that have come before the Legislature this session.
Around Home
Monday, March 28th, the Leavenworth/Wyandotte County delegation had
lunch with Dr. Burke, the President of Kansas City Kansas Community
College (KCKCC), and members of his board. They came to Topeka to
discuss the State of KCKCC and the SB143 which recently passed with
strong support in the House and Senate that created a new funding
formula for community colleges, technical colleges and the Washburn
Institute of Technology.
Tuesday night, March 29th, I joined the Leavenworth County Humane
Society for our monthly board meeting. We received an update from the
"Trap Neuter and Return" team and all the great work they have done
to reduce feral cat breeding in colonies across the county. The colonies
have volunteer caretakers and the TNR team assists with traps,
transportation and low cost spay and neutering. The Humane Society is
looking for more volunteers to help with this important program.
Wednesday, March 30th, the President,Kenny Bowen, and Vice President,
Lynn Rolf Jr., of the Leavenworth Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of
America came to Topeka and joined us on the floor for the reading of
House Resolution 6018, designating March 30th as"Welcome Home Vietnam
Veterans Day." Nathan Butler, a Leavenworth High sophomore, and Bo
Pursel, a Lansing High junior, also joined us Wednesday to be recognized
as 6A and 5A State Champions in wrestling with their coaches Jay
Johnston and Ron Averill. That evening the House concurred with the
Senate on HB2132, the "Families of the Fallen" license plate. I was
very happy to make the call to local Gold Star Mother, Diana Pitts, to
give her the news of the unanimous vote and HB2132 is now waiting for
the Governor's signature to become law.
Thursday, I had planned to attend an Easton School Board meeting with
the members of the school district to discuss priorities for the limited
funds we will have in 2012, but the House spent the whole day and late
into the night, debating the budget.
Friday, my intern for the session,David Madden from Leavenworth,spent
most the day listening to the debate on HB2390, the bill that proposes
the elimination of KAN-ED. He then headed off for a track meet.
Saturday was the Atchison County Chamber of Commerce Legislative update
at the historic Santa Fe Depot.
Budget Update
Thursday was devoted to debate on HB2383, the House version of the 2012
Budget. After many hours and 30 attempted amendments, the $14 Billion
Budget passed with a 69-52vote. It has many differences with the
Senate's budget that they passed out on Tuesday with a 36-3 vote.
Hopefully, the conference committee will workout a compromise while the
rest of the legislature is on this 3 week break. Another variable to
throw into this process is the April 15th revenue estimate. If tax
collections fall short by a significant amount, the mega budget approved
this week will not balance and we will be forced to revise it during the
veto session in late April. Once the session adjourns in May, the
Governor can make adjustments during the interim to prevent the state
from operating in the red,or he can call a special session.
Bills Headed to the Governor for Signature
The House voted on a number of conference committee reports this week
that sent Bills to the Governor for signature. HB2134 is a historic
compromise between the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Labor updating
Workman's Compensation laws and is on its way for signature with a
120-0 vote in the House. HB2192 had become a combination of 6 different
bills in conference committee. It contains proposals to limit seat belt
fines to $10, raises the speed limit to 75 mph on certain 4 lane divided
highways, requires a car to pass a bicycle only if there is at least 3
feet space in between, allows motorcycles and bicycles to travel through
a red light if the sensors do not trigger the light, allows electronic
signatures for on-line registration of vehicles, and sets the fee for
VIN inspections at $15. SB23 became a combination of 3 bills while in
conference committee. It now includes jury trials for juveniles,high
school diplomas for seniors in the Juvenile Justice Authority or foster
care if they meet Kansas graduation requirements, and allows
grandparents to be interested parties in child placement decisions by
the court.
One of the bills that made the news was HB2067 on voter identification.
Several changes in conference committee made this a better piece of
legislation which most of the House and Senate could support. Voter and
poll worker education was included and it gives the county election
officers until 2013 to implement the requirements for proof of
citizenship for registration. This will allow the new citizenship
verification tools of the drivers' license to develop more fully.
This final version of HB2067 was passed by the House 111-11 and the
Senate 36-3. Prior to these changes, the original version would have
stopped all on-line registration which would have been in contravention
with SB103 that has already been enrolled and sent to the Governor.
SB103 expands voting in Kansas elections to comply with federal law,the
Uniformed Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and the Military
&Overseas Voter Empowerment Act of 2009, by allowing military, federal
employees and their family members to register to vote electronically,
to submit federal write-in ballots, and to vote on local issues.
Vietnam Veterans Medallion
The Kansas Commission of Veterans Affairs is accepting applications for
the Vietnam Veterans Medallion from veterans who served in the US
Military forces between February 28th, 1961 and May 7th, 1975. Just
visit the KCVA.org website to download the application. Mail it and a
copy of the veteran's DD214 to the Director of Veterans Services, 700
SW Jackson Ave, Suite 701, Topeka, Kansas 66603.
Easter Fun
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and his wife, Mary, are inviting young
children and their families to take part in an Easter egg hunt in
Topeka. The hunt takes place April 16th on the grounds of Cedar Crest,
the governor's official residence in northwest Topeka. The Governor's
office says a free shuttle service from the Security Benefits Group
parking lot on 6th Street will begin running at 9 a.m. The hunt is open
to children ages 1 through 9, who will be divided into age groups. There
will also be music, cartoon characters and prize giveaways.
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. To
write to me, my office address is Kansas State Capitol, Topeka, KS
66612. You can also 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. Don't forget that you
can also follow the legislative session online at
www.kslegislature.org,including live broadcasts of the House and Senate
while on the floor.
