February 03, 2023
Committee Work was still the main focus during the fourth week of session. A record number of bills, including tax bills, have been introduced this year. There have been several hearings. Most likely, bills will be worked in the next week or so. “Working” a bill is lingo for debating, amending, and/or voting on a bill. Bills, schedules, and recordings of meetings can be found at http://www.kslegislature.org.
Taxes Collected (often referred to as “revenue”) continues to exceed estimates. January taxes collected exceeded estimates by over $50 million. That puts the fiscal year collection over $700 million above estimates. Keep in mind this is after revenue estimate adjustments and tax cuts in 2021 and 2022, including reducing the state grocery sales tax to 4.0. In 2021, the Governor called the income tax and other tax cuts “reckless”. The legislature overrode her veto and implemented the cuts. It is obvious with the increased “revenue”, there could have been more tax cuts. There appears to be agreement, so the question is, what taxes get cut and by how much?
Energy Policy A constituent at a legislative coffee asked why Kansas doesn’t have an energy policy and why electricity being produced in Kansas is being sent out of state with Kansas rates continuing to climb. Excellent questions. There have been a few bills introduced attempting to chip away at some of these problems. One bill would elect the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) board members, who oversee utility companies in Kansas, instead of the Governor appointing them. Almost everyone at the coffee agreed that there needs to be a balance of our energy supply and that Kansas should reap some benefit for having the energy production in our state.
Privacy Free Speech and Foreign Threats News of the China spy balloon this week should be a wake-up call. However, it is not the first wake-up call. For years, China, Russia, some technology companies, and others have been challenging the very protections created by our Founding Fathers. They have been spying, limiting our speech, and manipulating information. You may not have heard that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a $1.5 million fine to GoodRx for unauthorized disclosure of its users’ medication data with third parties for advertising. Of course GoodRx denies it and said the fine was less expensive than fighting the accusation. The notion of privacy is being eliminated. Technology and complacency have moved us to a surveillance state. There are a few bills that have been introduced in the Kansas Legislature, but the real change comes down to the choices we make, like choosing browsers and software that don’t track you, and educating yourself and others on threats.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn