Governor Laura Kelly Signs Military Family Bill

TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly signed a bipartisan measure to help keep veterans and their families living and working in Kansas.

House Bill 2066, the Occupational License Reciprocity bill, provides License Reciprocity – recognition of a license gained in one state by another, in this case Kansas – to military spouses and all Kansans. The bill was signed into law by Governor Kelly in a public ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.

“This bill is a win-win for our veterans and military families and our continued economic recovery following COVID-19,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By providing Occupational Licensing Reciprocity, this bipartisan legislation will benefit our state’s military community, help our employers who rely on licensing for hiring, and spur economic growth statewide.”

HB 2066 expands the existing law to make it easier for military spouses from other states to use their professional licenses in Kansas by expediting key elements of the licensing process.

Occupational Licensing has grown rapidly in the U.S., with nearly 25% of all Americans relying on a license for employment. As each state has developed its own set of guidelines for each license, transferability of licensing has become expensive and time consuming unless a reciprocity program is in place.

“Our state’s Framework for Growth is clear: Kansas is facing a significant working-age population decline,” Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “Transferable occupational licensing and eased requirements on license reciprocity for military spouses represent a creative approach to making sure our state is able to accommodate as many professionals as possible. Kansas veterans are unmatched in their conviction and professionalism, and we should do everything we can to keep them and their families in our state. Thank you to Representative Croft, our other partners in the Legislature and Governor Kelly for making this happen.”

To read HB 2066, click here.

April 16, 2021

Governor Vetoes Tax RELIEF that would Slow Government Growth

It is not a surprise but disappointing the Governor vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 50.  The bill would provide some RELIEF for Kansas taxpayers by allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned money.  There were several items in the bill.  There are too many to list but here are a few key items.  It would give Kansas taxpayers the option to itemize whether they itemize on their federal return or not.  The bill would also increase state standard deductions by $500 so individual deductions would increase to $3,500 and married filing jointly to $8,000.  It also would allow a deduction on money spent on business meals.  Additionally, it would allow net operating losses to be carried forward and would allow all to expense tangible property deductions, something corporations in Kansas can already do.  It would also extend the corporate filing deadline by 30 days past the IRS deadline.

The Governor called the bill “irresponsible”.  Since when is it irresponsible to lower the tax burden for Kansans, especially since taxes collected from July 2020 to March 2021 are up $232.8 million above estimates.  The Department of Revenue estimates that SB 50 will decrease taxes collect by $94 million.  The responsible action would be to make SB 50 the law decreasing taxpayers’ burden, especially with the hardships they have faced this past year.  There will be an attempt at a veto override in early May when the legislature returns to Topeka.

Unemployment

The Kansas unemployment system has been one of the largest mismanaged disasters in Kansas.  It did not happen overnight.  It has been building for years and when the Governor shut down most businesses last year, the system that had been a failure became a complete disaster.  Over the years the legislature has allocated money to update the system, but it was never completed.  Kansas had one of the highest numbers of known fraudulent unemployment applications in the nations.  The unemployment funds have been depleted and businesses that pay unemployment tax were looking at major increased payment obligations.

Senate Substitute for House Bill (Sen Sub HB) 2196 addresses all these issues.  Representative Sean Tarwater lead the effort and I was glad to help.  We spent many hours on this legislation.  It is unique because we were trying to mandate a new unemployment system.  The bill establishes an oversight council that is a major stakeholder in the project to help keep the system update on target.  The bill also changes the tax table for businesses and shores up funds with federal corona virus relief aid.  The bill passed both chambers unanimously.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12^th District State Senator.

Caryn

Governor Laura Kelly Signs Several Pieces of Bipartisan Legislation

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today signed several bipartisan bills that will implement meaningful changes for Kansans, communities, and businesses.

House Bill 2071

HB 2071, as amended, would amend the definition of the crime of stalking to include intentionally engaging in a course of conduct targeted at a specific child under the age of 14 that would cause a reasonable person in the circumstances of the targeted child, or a reasonable person in the circumstances of an immediate family member of such child, to fear for such child’s safety.

House Bill 2085

HB 2085 creates the Students’ Right to Know Act, which requires the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to ensure the distribution, electronic or otherwise, of certain information to all students in grades 7 through 12. Information to be distributed will include:

• The State Board of Regents degree prospectus information;
• The placement and salary report of the Kansas Training Information Program;
  and
• Any other information relevant to students’ understanding of potential earnings as determined by the Department of Labor and each branch of the armed services of the U.S. military.

The bill also authorizes KSDE to enter into memorandums of understanding and other agreements with state agencies or other entities as needed to accomplish this task.

House Bill 2101

HB 2101 extends the current transfer of the first $10.5 million credited to the Expanded Lottery Act Revenues Fund (ELARF) from ELARF to the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – KU, the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – KSU, and the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – WSU with each fund receiving equal amounts of $3.5 million in each fiscal year, for FY 2023 through FY 2032. The transfer first occurred in FY 2013 and is currently scheduled to end with the transfer in FY 2022.

House Bill 2165

HB 2165, as amended, would amend the definition of an antique vehicle for purposes of vehicle registration.

House Bill 2167

HB 2167, as amended, would add two exceptions to law requiring a license plate to be attached to the rear of a motor vehicle. The bill would allow concrete mixer trucks the option to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle rather than on the rear of the vehicle and would require a dump truck with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or more to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle. The requirement for a dump truck to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle would not apply to a vehicle registered as a farm truck.

House Bill 2245

HB 2245, as amended, would add law authorizing the Division of Vehicles (Division), Department of Revenue, to collect emergency contact information and would provide for the use of such information by law enforcement agencies.

House Bill 2247

HB 2247, as amended, would designate portions of highway in Johnson, Marshall, and Norton counties as memorial highways and would designate certain bridges in Cowley, Riley, and Seward counties as memorial bridges.

House Bill 2379

HB 2379 enacts the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Vehicle Sharing Program Act.

Senate Bill 16

SB 16 would amend statutes to remove requirements that the following reports and certifications be provided to the Legislative Division of Post Audit (LPA), the Post Auditor, or the Legislative Post Audit Committee.

Senate Bill 89

SB 89, as amended, would amend law on securing loads on vehicles to create an exemption for trucks, trailers, or semitrailers when hauling agricultural forage commodities intrastate from the place of production to a market or place of storage or from a place of storage to a place of use. The bill would state this exemption would not apply to trucks, trailers, or semitrailers hauling hay bales or other packaged or bundled forage commodities. Continuing law requires securing a load on a vehicle so as to prevent any of this load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping.

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Governor Laura Kelly Signs Several Pieces of Bipartisan Legislation

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today signed several bipartisan bills that will implement meaningful changes for Kansans, communities, and businesses.

House Bill 2071

HB 2071, as amended, would amend the definition of the crime of stalking to include intentionally engaging in a course of conduct targeted at a specific child under the age of 14 that would cause a reasonable person in the circumstances of the targeted child, or a reasonable person in the circumstances of an immediate family member of such child, to fear for such child’s safety.

House Bill 2085

HB 2085 creates the Students’ Right to Know Act, which requires the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to ensure the distribution, electronic or otherwise, of certain information to all students in grades 7 through 12. Information to be distributed will include:

• The State Board of Regents degree prospectus information;
• The placement and salary report of the Kansas Training Information Program;
  and
• Any other information relevant to students’ understanding of potential earnings as determined by the Department of Labor and each branch of the armed services of the U.S. military.

The bill also authorizes KSDE to enter into memorandums of understanding and other agreements with state agencies or other entities as needed to accomplish this task.

House Bill 2101

HB 2101 extends the current transfer of the first $10.5 million credited to the Expanded Lottery Act Revenues Fund (ELARF) from ELARF to the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – KU, the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – KSU, and the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – WSU with each fund receiving equal amounts of $3.5 million in each fiscal year, for FY 2023 through FY 2032. The transfer first occurred in FY 2013 and is currently scheduled to end with the transfer in FY 2022.

House Bill 2165

HB 2165, as amended, would amend the definition of an antique vehicle for purposes of vehicle registration.

House Bill 2167

HB 2167, as amended, would add two exceptions to law requiring a license plate to be attached to the rear of a motor vehicle. The bill would allow concrete mixer trucks the option to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle rather than on the rear of the vehicle and would require a dump truck with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or more to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle. The requirement for a dump truck to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle would not apply to a vehicle registered as a farm truck.

House Bill 2245

HB 2245, as amended, would add law authorizing the Division of Vehicles (Division), Department of Revenue, to collect emergency contact information and would provide for the use of such information by law enforcement agencies.

House Bill 2247

HB 2247, as amended, would designate portions of highway in Johnson, Marshall, and Norton counties as memorial highways and would designate certain bridges in Cowley, Riley, and Seward counties as memorial bridges.

House Bill 2379

HB 2379 enacts the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Vehicle Sharing Program Act.

Senate Bill 16

SB 16 would amend statutes to remove requirements that the following reports and certifications be provided to the Legislative Division of Post Audit (LPA), the Post Auditor, or the Legislative Post Audit Committee.

Senate Bill 89

SB 89, as amended, would amend law on securing loads on vehicles to create an exemption for trucks, trailers, or semitrailers when hauling agricultural forage commodities intrastate from the place of production to a market or place of storage or from a place of storage to a place of use. The bill would state this exemption would not apply to trucks, trailers, or semitrailers hauling hay bales or other packaged or bundled forage commodities. Continuing law requires securing a load on a vehicle so as to prevent any of this load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping.

Governor Laura Kelly Remains Committed to Fiscal Responsibility, Vetoes Senate Bill 50

TOPEKA – The following message is from Governor Laura Kelly regarding her veto of Senate Bill 50:

“Last year, despite COVID-19, Kansas experienced a record-setting $2.5 billion in new investment from businesses. These companies chose to make Kansas home in large part due to the state’s recent investments in our economic development tools, prioritizing funding for infrastructure improvements, and reinvesting in our students.

“As many of you with whom I served well remember, in order to provide sustainable funding for essential government services, we cannot return to the era of perennial, self-inflicted budget crises that undermine the very fabric and foundation of our state.”

“Therefore, under Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Constitution, I hereby veto Senate Bill 50.”

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Reports on Third Year of Statewide Survey of Mothers

Topeka – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has released its third annual report from the Kansas Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). The 2019 PRAMS Surveillance Report provides insight from women who were interviewed in the months following the birth of their infant, about their health and experiences around the time of pregnancy. Forty-seven states participate in the PRAMS survey, covering about 83% of all live births in the United States.

Kansas joined the PRAMS project in 2016 and began data collection in 2017. The PRAMS survey helps shed light on issues that affect the well-being of mothers and infants. Some of these issues, such as postpartum depression and stressors experienced around the time of pregnancy, had never been studied at the statewide level in Kansas before the PRAMS study.

Some notable findings from the 2019 Kansas PRAMS survey include:

• Nearly 1 in 8 mothers who went for prenatal care (12.1%) reported not receiving prenatal care when they wanted it. Among those who either did not get prenatal care when they wanted it, or did not have any prenatal care, the most frequently reported barriers were that they couldn’t get an appointment when they wanted one (36.4%), and that they didn’t know they were pregnant (32.5%).
• More than 1 in 6 mothers (16.9%) had smoked cigarettes in the 3 months before pregnancy. Among those who smoked 3 months before pregnancy and went for prenatal care, 79.4% reported that a healthcare worker had advised during a prenatal care visit that they quit smoking.
• More than 1 in 8 mothers (13.8%) reported that there was a time after their infant was born that they thought they needed treatment or counseling for depression, but did not get it.
• Nearly 3 in 4 mothers (72.1%) reported breastfeeding their infants for at least 8 weeks.
• More than 1 in 17 women (6.1%) reported having at least “a lot” of difficulty with at least one of six tasks (seeing, hearing, walking, remembering or concentrating, self care, or communicating).

This report also includes information on trends and demographic disparities for some outcomes, from survey years 2017 through 2019. For instance, the prevalence of reporting that prenatal care started in the first trimester increased, from 85.7% among women with a live birth in 2017, to 90.0% among women with a live birth in 2019. However, racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were observed. For instance, non-Hispanic Black women and Hispanic women with a live birth in 2017-2019 had a lower prevalence of self-reported first-trimester prenatal care, compared to non-Hispanic White women.

“This report reveals many gaps that still need to be addressed,” said Dr. Farah Ahmed, Environmental Health Officer and State Epidemiologist with KDHE. “For instance, we continue to see many women reporting needing counseling for depression after having a baby and not receiving it. We also see missed opportunities to advise all pregnant women who smoke to quit smoking during prenatal care visits.”

“Current data validates the collaborative work underway to support mothers in accessing the care they need at a time that’s right for them,” said Rachel Sisson, Director of the KDHE Bureau of Family Health. “Mothers reported they did not receive prenatal care when they wanted it. For some, a contributing factor to timely prenatal care was not knowing they were pregnant. It’s critical that community providers caring for women of childbearing age conduct comprehensive assessments at every visit to determine their goals and needs.”

The report is available online at:  www.kdheks.gov/prams/downloads/Kansas_PRAMS_2019_Surveillance_Report.pdf.  For more information about the PRAMS project in Kansas, visit: www.kdheks.gov/prams.

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Governor Kelly’s Advantage Kansas Coordinating Council Holds First Meeting on Improving Workforce Development in Kansas

TOPEKA – The Advantage Kansas Coordinating Council held its first meeting Monday, officially beginning its work to implement Governor Laura Kelly’s vision of Kansas having the best educated, most skilled workforce in the Midwest.

The Governor signed an Executive Order in March establishing the Advantage Kansas Coordinating Council, which creates a statewide forum for crafting policy and legislative proposals aimed at workforce development.

“This council will align our education system with the needs of business and industry to build the robust pipeline of skilled workers needed to ensure we don’t fall behind in a constantly-evolving economy,” Governor Kelly said. “We must invest in our children and our businesses to create opportunities for all Kansans.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, the Council committed itself to the Governor’s 5-year vision of being the best in the Midwest in three key areas:

1. Post-secondary readiness and success;
2. Preparation for high-wage, high-demand, high-skilled, critical need occupations and;
3. Business expansion, attraction, and retention.

The Council reviewed findings surrounding Kansas’s economic competitiveness from the state’s new economic development strategy, the Framework for Growth. After assessing the state’s existing advantages and areas for growth, the Council delved into educational attainment data in Kansas, identifying information gaps and metrics to assess growth in workforce development opportunities like apprenticeships, certifications, and more. The group concluded the meeting by organizing itself into three workgroups, each focused on one of three priority areas identified by the Governor:

• The Jump Start Kansas team will work on post-secondary readiness and success, helping to improve work based and applied learning opportunities in the state;
• The Talent Ready Kansas team will focus on preparation for high-wage, high-demand,, high-skilled, critical need occupations in Kansas, working to expand apprenticeship programs and increasing industry preparation in higher-education;
• The Opportunity Kansas team will center its work on business expansion, attraction, and retention, helping to make Kansas the best place to live, invest, and grow.

The Advantage Kansas Council will meet monthly, with the next full-council meeting scheduled for May 12^th. All meetings will be streamed live and notice will be posted via Public Square. Members of the public can view the meeting on the Board of Regent’s YouTube page here and access the meeting documents here.

Governor Kelly appointed the following members:

• Alan Cobb, Topeka, Co-Chair
• Shelly Kiblinger, Cherryvale, Co-Chair
• Vijay Ramasamy, Topeka, Governor’s Office Representative
• Dr. Cindy Lane, Kansas City, Governor’s Office Representative
• Ann Mah, Topeka, State Board of Education Representative
• Jean Clifford, Garden City, State Board of Education Representative
• Dr. Randy Watson, McPherson, KS Commissioner of Education
• Dr. Blake Flanders, Topeka, President and CEO of KBOR
• Trent Armbrust, Manhattan, KS Department of Commerce
• Matt Lindsey, Lawrence, Kansas Independent Colleges Association
• Becky Wolfe, Augusta, Chamber of Commerce Executives of Kansas
• Bob Hale, Kansas City, Organized Labor Association Representative

April 9, 2021

Protecting Elections

Every vote is important.  “Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process.” Hilary Clinton.  So why are so many Democrats in Kansas trying to block legislation to protect our elections? Even worse, the U.S. House passed legislation that will destroy the integrity of our state elections (H.R.1, For the People Act of 2021).  Hopefully, HR-1 dies in the U.S. Senate.  The Kansas legislature passed HCR 5015 rejecting H.R.1 and S.1 (the senate version of H.R.1).

Kansas didn’t have the problems that other states had in the November 2020 elections but there is room for improvement.  Elections are too important and we need 100% accuracy.  The legislature passed Conference Committee Report (CCR) 2183 and CCR 2332.

CCR 2183 will limit ballot harvesting, make it unlawful to alter postmarks on mailed ballots, and require signature verification on mailed ballots.  It would also make it a crime to act like or try to appear to be a county clerk or Secretary Of State (SOS).  In November 2020, there were advance ballot applications and websites that appeared to be official.  They were not and just confused voters.  The bill would also require the SOS to post registered voter data and stop county clerks from accepting money from 3^rd parties for elections – an example would be the Zuckerberg money that some clerks applied for and received in Kansas.  The CCR passed the Senate 27 to 11.

The legislature also passed CCR 2332 that would require residential and mailing addresses to be maintained and strengthen requirements for advance ballot applications, including signature verification.  The CCR passed 27 to 11.

I was able to strengthen election legislation with amendments through the chairman in committee and on the senate floor.  Some Senators argued these CCRs and the HCR promote voter suppression and that they are not needed.  That is not even true.  They help protect the integrity of our elections.  To paraphrase a friend, “What voter integrity checks would they ever support?  When will they opine that banks don’t need safeguards since bank robbery is so rare?”

Hopefully, the Governor will not veto these important bills.

Women’s Sports

CCR 55, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, would stop anyone who is not a biological female from participating in sports designated for females, women, or girls.  The CCR passed the House and Senate.  I was one of 26 who voted yes in the Senate.  There were 11 no votes.  We’ll see what the Governor does with the bill.

Legislature Break

While the legislature is on break for the next few weeks, I will continue to update you on topics covered during session.  All of the legislation is posted online at www.kslegislature.org.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12^th District State Senator.

Caryn