Governor’s statement on the passage of Senate Bill 9

The following statement is from Governor Laura Kelly on the passage of Senate Bill 9, a $115 million payment to KPERS to make up for years of delayed and eliminated payments:

“After years of delayed, reduced and eliminated pension payments to prop up a failed tax experiment, it is encouraging to see lawmakers act responsibly to fix past mistakes. However, Senate Bill 9 does little to address ballooning KPERS payments in future years, and it does nothing to stabilize state finances as a whole. In January, I put forward a commonsense, structurally balanced budget that tackled our most urgent priorities, paid down debt, rebuilt our state savings, all without raising taxes.

“While I’m eager to compromise with Republican leadership on policy proposals, I will not compromise Kansans’ commitment to fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. I’m hopeful that Republican leadership will join me in that effort and come to the table to offer reasonable ideas so we can avoid the mistakes that made Senate Bill 9 necessary in the first place.”

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Department of Corrections Secretary Cautions Lawmakers to Consider Costs of Their Decisions During Testimony

Topeka, Kan. — During his neutral testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee this week regarding Senate Bill 80, which would expand the definition of weapon, Department of Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz reminded lawmakers to consider a series of questions and its subsequent impact on the Kansas Department of Corrections. The proposed change would add the word “ammunition” to law thus raising the severity level of the penalty resulting in lengthening prison sentences for criminals. On the surface the change may seem to impose relatively little impact for the Kansas Department of Corrections, however, he offered another perspective with a series of questions.

Those questions included:

1. What is the purpose of the legislation and the change in penalty? Is it to deter people from committing this offense? Is it simply to incapacitate them for a longer period of time?
2. If the goal is deterrence, I would ask you to consider how many convicted felons will be aware of this legislation or will know that someone with a criminal history of two non-person felonies will move from presumptive probation with an underlying prison sentence of 11 to 13 months to a presumptive prison sentence of 25 to 29 months. I would argue that these folks will not do a cost benefit analysis of possible penalties and decide not to commit the crime because of the new sentences proposed. The fact is, these offenders don’t think they will be caught or simply don’t think at all.
3. If the goal is incapacitation, how much more public safety will we buy by increasing prison time by 14 to 16 months, especially if the department does not have the program capacity to address the criminal behaviors that resulted in incarceration? We can certainly prevent offenders from doing much harm while imprisoned, but incapacitation is a very expensive strategy to pursue.

Werholtz cited legislative research requested by Rep. Ward Loyd in the past to determine how many changes were made to sentencing law for a multi-year period beginning in 2005. It was found that 108 changes to sentencing statutes were made. Of those 108 changes, 97 increased penalties.

“When considered independently, each of those decisions may seem to have insignificant impact on the Department of Corrections. However, the cumulative effect has considerable impact on our operations,” Werholtz said in his written testimony. “I chose to highlight this issue, with this legislation, because I think it is a good example of what can happen if we don’t look at the long-term consequences of a change.”

Secretary Werholtz provided a parallel of a truck that continued to have its cargo area loaded with more items. As more and more content is loaded into the truck it could seemingly handle the additional load, but eventually, he hypothesized, the load becomes too much and the truck’s chassis breaks and the truck is unable to be operated anymore. Similarly, the prison system, which is over its capacity will exceed its tipping point too.

“You are no doubt aware by now that we have insufficient space to house our population, insufficient staff to properly supervise them, and insufficient programming to effectively treat them,” Werholtz said in his written testimony. “My request is that, when considering all legislation impacting the size of KDOC’s inmate population, please be prepared to provide the necessary resources to safely house and treat them. Our current trajectory is unsustainable. Your careful consideration of this request is appreciated.”

KDOT requesting comments on STIP amendment

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) requests comments on an amendment to the FFY 2019-2022 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document.

The STIP is a project specific publication that lists all KDOT administered projects, regardless of funding source, and includes projects for counties and cities as well as projects on the State Highway System. The list of projects being amended to the STIP can be viewed at http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burProgProjMgmt/stip/stip.asp

The approval of the STIP amendment requires a public comment period, which concludes March 6. To make comments on the amendment, contact KDOT’s Bureau of Program and Project Management at (785) 296-2252.

This information is available in alternative accessible formats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOT Office of Public Affairs, (785) 296-3585 (Voice/Hearing Impaired-711).

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Describes the system as sound but needing updates

TOPEKA – Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Acting Secretary Lee A. Norman, M.D. testified during Friday’s Bethel Oversight Committee hearing on Kansas’s Medicaid program, Kancare. He stated that while the program should continue with improvements in several areas, the program itself is on the right track and valuable for Kansans.

“I liken the base of KanCare to the chassis of an automobile,” said Acting Secretary Norman. “If the car does not have a strong, well-built chassis, then it doesn’t matter how great the tires are that you put on it. The solid chassis for KanCare involves an updated IT system as well as the personnel to handle the amount of cases that come in, among other things,” said Norman.

“During my tenure as chief medical officer for the University of Kansas Health System I had great deal of experience working on KanCare issues. I saw firsthand that it is a system that is beneficial to Kansans. Like any large endeavor it has had its growing pains, but we have seen great improvements and we will continue to hone those areas to make sure it is effective for all KanCare members.”

Areas discussed by Dr. Norman and KDHE staff at the hearing included the transition to a new managed care organization (MCO), Aetna, improvements to the eligibility system and financial updates for the program.

KDHE, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) and the three MCOs for KanCare all provided testimony to the Bethel oversight committee which meets quarterly.