Adventures in the Statehouse, Vol 2012, Issue: 18

Melanie Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse
Kansas House of Representatives
40th District

Volume 2012, Issue 18: June 4 –22, 2012

In This Issue

- Redistricting Results in a New Legislature, 2013 Session
- New Laws effective July 1st
- Keep in Touch

Redistricting Results in a New Legislature, 2013 Session

By now, many have heard and read about the redistricting results for
Kansas. The court released their decision after 9:30 pm on Thursday
night, June 7th. The court did not use any of the maps that were
previously drawn by the Legislature and, in their words, "pressed the
reset button" on Kansas. They drew the maps based solely on
population and communities of interest, with no regard to where
incumbents lived. The filing deadline for State offices was Monday,
June 11th, so the floodgates opened and candidates flocked to the
Secretary of State's office to file, un-file, or re-file for the
upcoming August 7th Primary election. It appears that all this
remapping has gotten people excited to run for the House or Senate.
There are only 20 uncontested races this year, compared to 39 two years
ago.

By my count of the 48 districts with no incumbent, the 20 incumbents who
chose not to run, the 27 incumbents running against another incumbent
(so that will be 14 less incumbents), or 17 filing for a different
office (16 Reps running for the Senate and 1 Senator running for the
House), I estimate that Kansas will have about 70 new Representatives in
the House and 12 new Senators next session.

New Laws Effective July 1st

As the redistricting unfolded, the bills signed by the Governor and
enrolled as new law were tallied. I counted 70 bills that became law
between May 20th and June 3rd. Many of these were combinations of
several bills. A few of them that go into effect on July 1st include:

- Annual State park RV permits will be available for a reduced price
($15.50), if you buy it when you renew your vehicle license plate. The
new fee for an annual pass purchased at the park is $22.50 and for a
daily pass is $3.50.
-Temporary vehicle registrations issued by vehicle dealers or county
treasurers will now be valid for 60 days, rather than 30.
-Counties will be allowed to accept credit or debit cards for any
payment, including taxes and utilities.
-County treasurers will be allowed to accept partial payments as part of
a payment plan for delinquent personal property taxes.
-The Sheriff's fees for delivering any summons, pleading, writ, order,
or notice issued by a court clerk or court will be set at $10. The fee
will increase to $15 on July 1, 2013.
-It will now be a crime for a person to refuse to submit to a test to
determine the presence of alcohol or drugs, if the person has had a
prior refusal or prior DUI conviction on or after July 1, 2001.
-The campaign contribution limit for State Board of Education candidates
will be raised from $500 to $1000 for both the primary and general
election.
- The Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bonds program was extended to July 1,
2017. It had been scheduled to end on July 1, 2012.
-Grandparents who request custody of a child who has been removed from
both parents will be given substantial consideration for custody, and if
they are not awarded custody there will be a written report that
explains the reasons why.
-The Creative Arts Industries Commission was created within the
Department of Commerce by merging together the Kansas Arts Commission
and the Kansas Film Commission.
-Liquor stores will be able to conduct wine, beer, and distilled spirits
tasting on their licensed premise or adjacent premises. The samples
must be free and consumed on the premises.
-The sale of individual drinks at different prices throughout the day
will be allowed, in other words – Happy Hour will be legal again.
-There will be a new senior hunting and fishing pass for those 65 years
or older effective January 1st 2013. You will no longer be eligible for
a free one until you are 75. The program for the new senior passes will
end on June 30, 2020.

Keep in Touch

I am privileged and honored to be your voice in the Kansas Capitol. You
can track my activities on my website www.meier4kansas.com, my FaceBook
page www.facebook.com/Meier4Kansas, and Twitter
www.twitter.com/melaniemeier.

If I can ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me at
home or in Topeka. My office in Leavenworth is at 309 Cherokee St. My
Topeka office address is Kansas State Capitol, Topeka, KS 66612. You can
also reach me at the legislative hotline, 1-800-432-3924 or e-mail me at
melanie.meier@house.ks.gov.

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.

Meier Refiles for the new 41st District

June 11, 2012
Rep. Melanie Meier files for re-election to Kansas House

LEAVENWORTH – After the federal court dramatically altered the
boundaries of the 40th House District, Rep. Melanie Meier,
D-Leavenworth, today announced that she is filing for election in the
41st House District. Meier previously represented much of what is now
the 41st District, including Fort Leavenworth and the City of
Leavenworth.

"As someone who has been connected to the Leavenworth area and
veterans issues both personally and professionally for my entire life,
it is very important to me to continue representing that constituency.
Unfortunately, the court moved Ft. Leavenworth and the City of
Leavenworth into another district. I chose to relocate so I can continue
representing constituents I have represented for the last four years. I
know their values and their needs and I feel I am the best candidate to
represent them in the Legislature."

"Tom and I have been working to restore our home in the City of
Leavenworth for some time and are excited that it is in both the old
40th and new 41st District, allowing me the opportunity to continue
serving the people of Leavenworth. Although certainly the new district
maps kicked our remodeling plans into high gear - Tom is excited for the
chance to focus on this project." Meier and husband, Tom, have owned
a 1860's home just south of downtown Leavenworth for 12 years, which
is where they are relocating.

Meier is the Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Veterans, Military,
and Homeland Security in the Kansas House. Within the Kansas House,
Meier is considered the expert on Veterans and Military affairs issues.
She also serves on the Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee and
the Judiciary Committee. A graduate of Leavenworth High School, she
received a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of
Kansas where she was a member of the Army ROTC and graduated as a
Distinguished Military Graduate. Meier went on active duty in 1990 as an
Army Air Defense Artillery Officer. She served in Fort Hood, Texas and
Seoul, Korea. After eight years active duty, Meier joined the Reserves,
and after a tour in Iraq in 2009, she joined the Kansas National Guard
in 2010. Meier met her husband, Tom, at Fort Hood, and they reside in
Leavenworth.

The 2012 election will take place on Nov. 6, 2012. Kansans may now
register to vote online at https://www.kdor.org/voterregistration/. A
valid driver's license or nondriver's identification card is
necessary to complete the online registration process. You must
re-register to vote if you have changed your address, your name or your
party affiliation since the last election.

# # #

Adventures in the Statehouse, Vol 2012 Issue 17

Melanie Meier's Adventures in the Statehouse
Kansas House of Representatives
40th District

Volume 2012, Issue 17: May 24 – June 1, 2012

In This Issue

- Sine Die
- KPERS Bill Signed
- Budget Line Item Vetoes
- Keep in Touch

Sine Die

On Friday, June 1st, the Kansas Legislature adjourned "sine die."
Sine die is a Latin term that means, "without assigning a day for a
further meeting or hearing." It is normally just a ceremonial day, with
an occasional attempt to override a veto and speeches by legislators
that have decided not to run for re-election. There were no attempts to
override a veto. This year the Speaker of the House announced that he
would not be running for a 15th term. He is retiring after 28 years in
the House of Representatives.

County Attorney Todd Thompson was also in Topeka on Friday to witness
the ceremonial signing of his bill that makes it illegal to sell
electronic cigarettes to minors. The Governor signed several bills that
morning including the bill that allows military veteran truck drivers to
obtain their Kansas Commercial Drivers Licenses without going through
all the training again – and so getting them back to work faster and
putting experienced drivers on the road in Kansas.

We are still waiting to see what happens with redistricting.

KPERS Bill Signed

Another of the bills the Governor signed Friday was the KPERS bill.
KPERS is the retirement program for Kansas State employees. The bill
makes some changes to the current Tiers 1 & 2, and adds a Tier 3 (cash
balance plan) for new employees. The details include:

- 50% of any casino money over the first $10.5 million per year, will go
to pay down the unfunded liability debt.
- Tier 3 starts January 1, 2015. It would be a cash balance plan which
is a type of defined benefit plan.
- Gives Tier 1 employees a choice of continuing their employee
contribution at 4% with a reduced multiplier (from current 1.75 to 1.4),
or increasing their contribution to 6% and increasing their multiplier
to 1.85%.
- Eliminates Tier 2 cost of living increases and raises the multiplier
from 1.75 to 1.85, retroactive to July 1, 2009.
- Increases caps on employer contributions to .9% in 2014, to 1% in
2015, to 1.1% in 2016, and 1.2% in 2017.
- Allocates $2.75 million to implement and run the new cash balance
plan, which includes an additional 11 full time employees .

Budget Line Item Vetoes

The Governor signed the budget into law on Thursday, 31 May 2012. He
made 16 line item vetoes. Of note, he did NOT veto the money for the
arts this year. He did NOT veto the pay raises for state employees that
earned less than the poverty level – part 4 of a 5 year plan to bring
up their salaries that had not been funded in several years. To read the
Governor's message to the Senate explaining the vetoes, go to
https://governor.ks.gov under latest news to press release of June 1,
2012, Gov signs & delivers budget bill….

The Items vetoed:
- Sec 12(a) and 12(b): The Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board fee
fund limitation to pay no more than $14 per square foot for leased
office space.
- Sec 35(b): Funding of $805,504 from the fiscal year 2012
appropriations for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
- Sec 35(l): Funding of $91,429 in the fiscal year 2012 for mental
health and retardation services aid and assistance.
- Sec 36(a): Funding of $99,634 in the fiscal year 2012 for Medicaid -
Sec 42(a): Additional Funds appropriated for the Department of Education
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, of $50,000 operating expenses.
- Sec 75(h) and 75(i): Fee sweeps from the Department of Revenue of
$8.15 million to the State General Fund.
- Sec 84(c): Funds appropriated from the State Water Plan Fund for
specific environmental projects ($800,000).
- Sec 88(a): Funding for Mentor Teacher Program grants of $484,337.
- Sec 113(c): Funding of $25,000 for State Fair marketing promotion.
- Sec 114(c): Funding for the Water Resource Education Program of
$40,000.
- Sec 114(d): Funding of $550,000 from the Expanded Lottery Act Revenues
Fund (ELARF) for the Wichita Aquifer Recharge Project.
assistance for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS/FE).
- Sec 119: The state agency rules for buying a new vehicle.
- Sec 122: Requirements for the State to reimburse the Home and
Community Bases Services providers at the rates in their contracts with
the State.
- Sec 156(d)(1): Requirements for the State Treasurer to make payments
to the Kansas Bioscience Authority on specific dates.

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 the
legislative hotline, 1-800-432-3924. 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.