Kansas House of Representatives
40th District
Volume 2012, Issue 13: April 25-27, 2012
In This Issue
- We Are Back
- Tax Plan
- Senate Redistricting Committee
- Month of the Military Child
- Keep in Touch
We Are Back
On Wednesday, the legislature returned to the Capitol for the "Wrap
Up" or "Veto" Session. No votes were taken by the House or
Senate, but some committees met. The Tax Conference Committee worked to
blend the Governor's, House and Senate plans together. The various
budget committees met every day to continue work on the Omnibus Budget.
Hundreds of folks from the Developmentally Disabled community rallied on
the Statehouse steps. They were there to let the Governor and the
Legislature know that they are not convinced that their services can be
transferred to private out of state insurance companies by January 2013,
without negative consequences.
The Governor did veto some bills while we were on break, but there has
been no motion to override them as of yet.
Tax Plan
The Senate and House Taxation Conference Committee agreed on a merged
version of the different tax plans.
Key Points:
- The plan keeps the Governor's proposal to go to two tax brackets.
For those with incomes from $0 to $30,000, the rate would be 3%. For
those with incomes above $30,000, the rate would be 4.9%.
- The plan requires Kansans to choose between the Earned Income Tax
Credit and the Food Sales Tax Rebate, currently you can receive both if
you qualify for both.
- The proposal to eliminate the sales tax on food was removed.
- Renters will no longer be eligible for the Homestead Tax Rebate.
- The tax credits for adoption, disabled access improvements, child day
care, and child & dependent care are all eliminated.
- The elimination of the two-year tax holiday on new oil wells that pump
more than 100 barrels a day.
- Non-wage income taxes on limited liability corporations, Subchapter S
corporations, and sole proprietorships are phased out over the next 5
years.
- The Local Ad Valorem Tax Refund Fund is funded for two years at $45
million each year. This is a restoration of the fund to be used by local
governments to lower property taxes.
- The temporary Sales Tax increase that is due to expire next year will
expire as originally planned.
We just received the estimated numbers for the cost of the proposed plan
from the Legislature Research Department this weekend:
FY2013: Cost $153.9 million, Ending Balance $611.7 million
FY2014: Cost $495.3 million, Ending Balance $167.3 million
FY2015: Cost $486.6 million, Ending Balance $-205.2 million
FY2016: Cost $500.7 million, Ending Balance $-466.8 million
FY2017: Cost $575 million, Ending Balance $-654.9 million
FY2018: Cost $676.4 million, Ending Balance $-910.7 million
As this tax plan compromise appears to be very expensive, I would expect
the plan to change again!
Senate Redistricting Committee
The Senate Redistricting Committee met on Friday and passed out a new
bill that includes the proposed House districts that have passed the
House, a new proposal for Senate districts, and a proposal for the State
Board of Education districts. You can go to redistrictingks.com and see
all the proposed maps. This latest version of the Senate plan is called
"Ad Astra Revised."
Word is that Kansas is the only state still working on its redistricting
maps. The Secretary of State has warned that if the plan has not made
it out of the Legislature by May 10th, the dates of the elections this
year will have to be adjusted. The Attorney General has warned that if
the process takes too long, the State may face legal costs for the
courts to settle litigation or to draw the Congressional map themselves.
I found an interesting website to check on the status of every state's
redistricting process. It was created by a professor at Loyola Law
School, http://redistricting.lls.edu.
The Month of the Military Child
On Friday, April 27th the Governor signed a proclamation recognizing
April as the Month of the Military Child. Children from Fort
Leavenworth and the Military Teen Council were present for the signing
and then were honored by resolutions in the Senate and House. The Month
of the Military Child celebration is a legacy of former Defense
Secretary Caspar Weinberger and was established to underscore the
important role children play in the Armed Forces community. This year,
the kids got a special treat by being at the Capitol with members of the
Men's and Women's KU Jayhawk Basketball teams. I know I was in awe
when I stepped on the cage elevator, looked up and there was Conner
Teahan standing over me!
Keep in Touch
You can track my activities on my website www.meier4kansas.com, my
FaceBook page www.facebook.com/Meier4Kansas, and Twitter
www.twitter.com/melaniemeier. I am privileged and honored to be your
voice in the Kansas Capitol.
If I can ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me at
home or in Topeka. My office is still in the Docking State Office
Building on the 7th Floor, Room 722. 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. You can also follow the legislative session
online at www.kslegislature.org.
If you need to directly contact a particular agency in state government,
you can find useful telephone numbers online at
http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook.
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