FLOOR ACTION
EXTENDING RURAL OPPORTUNITY ZONE PROGRAM (
SB 125): Senate Bill 125 would extend the Rural Opportunity Zone Program by five years. SB 125 extends the deadline for a participant to begin in the student loan repayment portion of the program to July 1, 2026 and the individual income tax credit portion of the program would be extended through tax year 2026. This bill passed the Senate 29-11(This is a bill that I sponsored and voted in favor of).
ADDING CERTAIN COUNTIES TO LIST OF RURAL OPPORTUNITY ZONES (
SB 135): Senate Bill 135 would expand the list of eligible counties for participation in the Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ) Program. SB 135 would add the following counties: Atchison, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Ford, Franklin, Miami, Pottawatomie. This bill passed the Senate 30-8(This is a bill that I sponsored and voted in favor of).
THE KANSAS CLOSED CASE TASK FORCE (
SB 102): Senate Bill 102 would create the Kansas Closed Case Task Force. SB 102 requires the task force to create a plan relating to hits on closed cases, including a mechanism to ensure uniform compliance at the local law enforcement agency level. This bill was passed and placed on the Consent Calendar 38-1(I voted in favor of this bill).
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LICENSES (
SB 164): Senate Bill 164 would amend law relating to the issuance of licenses by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) within the Department of Revenue, by providing license terms commence on the effective date specified on the license. Currently, the license term commences on the date the license is issued by the Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control. SB 164 also provides that licenses for Class B clubs, drinking establishments, public venues, and caterers will be issued for two years commencing on the effective date specified on the license. Current law provides such licenses expire two years after issuance. This bill was passed and placed on the Consent Calendar 39-0.
CALCULATING COST OF KEEPING CIVIL PRISONERS IN COUNTY JAIL (
HB 2097): House Bill 2097 amends law relating to the cost of keeping civil prisoners in county jail. HB 2097 changes the amount taxed as costs in an action for keeping a civil defendant imprisoned in county jail from $1.50 per day to an amount equal to that provided by the county for the maintenance of other prisoners. The bill also requires the same provision be made for civil prisoners as made for other county prisoners. This bill was passed and placed on the Consent Calendar 39-0.
AMENDING THE KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (
HB 2123): House Bill 2123 would remove the requirement that an eligible Kansas National Guard member have at least one year remaining on such member’s enlistment contract at the beginning of any semester for which the member receives assistance under the Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance Program to participate. This bill was passed and placed on the Consent Calendar 39-0.
ELIMINATING MARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN TRUCKS (
HB 2127): House Bill 2127 would remove statutory requirements for lettering to be painted or otherwise durably marked on the sides of a truck or truck tractor with a registered weight of more than 12,000 pounds to identify owner or lessee. HB 2127 also removes requirements for findings by the Division of Vehicles regarding insignia or trademarks on such a vehicle and associated permits. This bill was passed and placed on the Consent Calendar 39-0.
SALES TAX EXEMPTION FOR NONPROFIT INTEGRATED COMMUNITY CARE ORGANIZATIONS (
SB 178): Senate Bill 178 would provide a sales tax exemption for purchases made by nonprofit integrated community care organizations. Nonprofit integrated community care organizations would be defined as any entity that is exempt from federal income taxation, certified to participant in Medicare as a hospice focused on providing care to the aging and indigent population across multiple counties, and approved by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services to provide services under the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. This bill passed the Senate 39-0.
REGULATING USE OF ELECTRIC SCOOTERS (
HB 2126): House Bill 2126 regulates the use of electric scooters. HB 2126 prohibits any person from operating an electric scooter on any interstate highway, federal highway, or state highway. The bill also allows the governing body of a city or county to adopt an ordinance or resolution further restricting or prohibiting the use of electric scooters on public highways, streets, or sidewalks within such cities or counties. HB 2126 would apply traffic regulations applicable to bicycles to electric scooters. The bill does not prohibit electric scooters from crossing a federal or state highway. This bill passed the Senate 39-0.
ALLOWING THE BOARD OF REGENTS TO PURCHASE CYBERSECURITY (
HB 2209): House Bill 2209 would amend law pertaining to the Committee on Surety Bonds and Insurance to permit the Kansas Board of Regents to purchase cybersecurity as they deem necessary to protect student records, labor information, and other statutorily protected data the Kansas Board of Regents maintains. This bill passed the Senate 39-0.
SENATE BUDGET PACKAGE (
Sub SB 75): On Thursday, the Senate passed their budget package on a vote of 21-18(I voted against this bill. In FY 2017 our State General Fund Spending was $6.3 billion, this bill proposes increasing spending to $7.7 billion for FY 2020, while continuing to rob Peter to pay Paul.)
