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This week’s links:

The future of KPERS… 

What are the details of the proposal on a different KPERS plan for future teachers and state employees?

Click here to read the KPERS issue brief on the plan.

Click here to read SB 362, the newly introduced bill to enact the plan.

Special Note: current employees would not be under this plan! Your plan can only be changed if a change includes a benefit enhancement!

Want to be a legislative know-it-all?

Stop hoping someone forwards this to you!

Subscribe to Under the Dome, KNEA’s daily legislative report.

School bills:

What’s passed the House?

HB 2014, extending the Technical and Vocational Education Commission. (104-17)

HB 2123, deleting the 10-mile rule for transporting students. Under current law a bus from a neighboring district can come into another district to pick up a student if the student lives more than 10 miles from his/her school of residency and less than 10 miles from a school in the neighboring district. This deletes the requirement that the neighboring district school be less than 10 miles away. (121-1)

HB 2159, adjusting the military second count day for schools due to a change in redeployment of soldiers. This is a good one for Ft. Riley and Ft. Leavenworth neighbors in particular. (120-0)

HB 2130, requiring schools to have policies on bullying and programs to implement those policies. It was amended on the floor by Rep. Kasha Kelley to have a “character education” requirement. (109-13)

HB 2343, an early graduation incentive program for students going into the construction trades. (122-0)

HB 2459, not actually passed; this is the character education bill amended into the bullying bill.

What’s passed the Senate?

SB 22 provides grants to universities expanding teacher prep programs. (39-0)

SB 23 consolidates a number of teacher scholarship programs into one mega-program. (40-0)

SB 68 extends the non-proficient at-risk weighting that is set to sunset at the end of this school year. (35-5)

SB 69 would allow districts to use the declining enrollment and cost of living local property taxes if they have an LOB of at least 25%. Current law requires the maximum LOB. (39-1)

SB 109 allows school districts to pay employees at the first regularly scheduled pay date even if that is before September. (38-0)

SB 129 is an adjustment in the school safety and security act to give districts and law enforcement more reasonable time limits and protect the rights of students. (40-0)

All of the above bills still need to pass the second chamber to become law. What’s the only bill to already pass both chambers?

Senate Bill 30 – the school finance lock box!

What’s passed a Committee but has been blessed so it can be considered after the turnaround break?

SB 93 changes the high poverty at-risk to a linear transition.

SB 144 which extends the statewide 20 mill property tax levy for schools for another two years.
 

Among the many bills withering away due to lack of action are…

• HB 2022; Employees can serve on school boards
• HB 2063; Reduce the transportation mileage from 2.5 miles to 1.0 miles
• HB 2090; Calculating weight and height of students in grades 4, 7, 9, and 12
• HB 2223; ESOL training grants to school districts
• HB 2253; Special education vouchers
• HB 2275; Shutting off vending machines during the school day
• HB 2338; Changing at-risk from a head count of kids in poverty to an FTE count of kids in programs
• HB 2347; Required gifted training for all teachers
• HB 2389; Charter school appeals to the State Board
• SB 61; Eliminating the required election to go to  31% on the LOB
• SB 70; Allowing school districts to bring buses into their neighboring districts to get students.
• SB 142; Changing the Cost of Living weighting from housing cost to a comparative wage index
• SB 170; Putting limits on vending machines and beverage sales in schools
• SB 171; Requiring schools to provide fresh fruits and vegetables between meals
• SB 280; Dealing with corporal punishment
• SB 281; Requiring minutes of PE, fitness tests, and body mass index calculations of students
• SB 282; Special Education vouchers

Tax Bills:

Franchise tax elimination would cut state revenue by over $44 million each year!

The House passed HB 2031 repealing the franchise tax on business against the advice of the Governor and the Department of Revenue.

According to the budget department this repeal would cost the state $44 million in revenue in 2008. Extending the cut out results in even greater revenue reductions in subsequent years - $45 million in 2009, $46 million in 2010, $47 million in 2011, and $48 million in 2012.

The resulting revenue loss will lead to a shift in taxes and a possible tax increase down the line a few years.

KNEA and KASB jointly opposed the franchise tax elimination.

Radical property tax cuts pending in the Senate!

The Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee has fired out a constitutional amendment that, if passed, would allow the legislature to cap property tax valuations for all Kansans over age 65.

This amendment takes some real explaining. It is a constitutional amendment that allows the Legislature to cap valuations for seniors – it would not automatically enact those limitations. Of course, any voter voting YES is likely to expect the Legislature to enact those limits.

In addition the amendment allows the Legislature to limit the application of the cap. For example, the Legislature could say only low-income seniors get the break. But this decision would be made after voters passed the amendment expecting that they would get the break. Which senators do you think would sponsor a bill to limit this tax break to only low-income seniors after Kansans had passed the amendment?

If passed, SCR 1602 would dramatically reduce revenue from property tax collections. Local units of government that depend on property taxes – cities, counties, and schools – would be forced to either cut services or raise mill levies to stay even.

Like every so-called tax cut, this is really a tax shift. Seniors would pay less while those under 65 and businesses would pick up the slack.

At this moment SCR 1602 is sitting on the debate calendar of the full Senate.

What’s a cut-happy legislator to do?

If legislators want to make the people of Kansas happy with their tax burden then they need to stop monkeying with the tax system in a piecemeal fashion.

KNEA and KASB are urging the Tax Committees to take a comprehensive look at the entire Kansas tax system to ensure that our many provisions result in a system that will provide stable funding for all state services and that is fair to both citizens and business.

A bill to do this is Senate Bill 305 which would create a Tax Modernization Commission charged with reviewing the system and restoring common sense.

SB 305 is tentatively scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee on March 6. We’ll be there!

KPERS Bills: Waiting in the wings

No action has as yet been taken on any bill dealing with KPERS.

Three bills exist each of which would provide a 3% COLA for current retirees. Those bills are:

HB 2178 by Harold Lane (D-Topeka),

SB 167 by John Vratil (R-Leawood), and

SB 263 by Anthony Hensley (D-Topeka)

Introduced just today in the Senate for consideration in the second half of the session are:

SB 362 would establish a two-tiered retirement system. Under this bill new teachers beginning in 2009 would be under a different retirement plan that has a 6% employee contribution, 5 year vesting, a later retirement age, and a regular 2% COLA after retirement. Current employees would stay under the current plan.

SB 364 would increase the current employee’s rate from 4% to 6% and would add a regular 2% COLA after retirement.

At the end of yesterday’s business, House Speaker Melvin Neufeld announced the appointment of a Select Committee on KPERS. Members of this committee are;

Rep. Richard Carlson, Chair (R-St. Mary’s)

Rep. Kevin Yoder, Vice-Chair (R-Overland Park )

Rep. Lana Gordon (R-Topeka)

Rep. Ty Masterson (R-Andover)

Rep. Clark Shultz (R-Lindsborg)

Rep. Sharon Schwartz (R-Washington)

Rep. Geraldine Flaharty, Ranking Minority (D-Wichita)

Rep. Harold Lane (D-Topeka)

Rep. Margaret Long (D-Kansas City ) 

Other Bills:

House reaffirms lowest minimum wage in the nation!

Declaring an increase in Kansas ’ abysmal minimum wage of $2.65 an hour a “European-style socialist bill,” House Republicans slapped down a motion by Rep. Valdenia Winn (D-Kansas City ) to amend HB 2316 that would raise the Kansas minimum wage to the federal $5.15.

Only Alabama , Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee have a minimum wage lower than Kansas – they don’t have one at all! Of the other 44 states, 16 use the federal minimum wage and 28 have a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage.

Following the vote, Rep Geraldine Flaharty, D-Wichita, said, “This is a crime against humanity. Kansans deserve better.”

Flaharty is a KNEA member from Derby while Winn is a KNEA member from Kansas City, Kansas Community College.

Oh, and who said the minimum wage was European-style socialism? Republican Representative Ben Hodge of Overland Park.

House declares English our official language!

Yes, it’s official! We use English in Kansas!

The House passed HB 2140 declaring English to be the official language of the state but allowing schools and other units of government to continue to serve the public in other languages.

An amendment to the bill by Rep. Sue Storm (D-Overland Park ) added $500,000 in funding for ESOL programs for adults.

As finally passed the bill is among the better English-only proposals in the nation. It allows schools to continue whatever bilingual programs they have now and to deal with parents and community members in the appropriate language. The same is true for all other units of Government.

The Storm amendment makes sure that Kansas puts its money where its language is – we’re actually going to help immigrants learn English!

Storm is a KNEA member from Shawnee Mission.

House helps former Kansans come back for a college education!

On a vote of 123 – 0, the House approved HB 2185 which would allow Kansans who have left the state to return within five years and qualify for in-state tuition.

This bill would especially help those who have pursued undergraduate degrees out of state to return for graduate work in Kansas – and hopefully to stay here!

Another bill, SB 287 by Sen. Karin Brownlee (R-Olathe) is pending in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. SB 287 would allow the children of alumni to qualify for resident tuition rates.

Some legislators really want to bring brains into Kansas!

House wisely nixes initiative and referendum!

The full House refused to advance HB 2082 to final action putting the skids on an effort to expand initiative and referendum to counties.

Had the bill passed, it likely would have inspired the pursuit of initiative and referendum state wide. That would put us in with states like Oregon, California, and Colorado where anyone with enough money can put their crazy ideas on the ballot. Think TABOR in Colorado or funding cuts in California.

Good thinking on the part of the House – we don’t need initiative and referendum in Kansas!

Senate doubles speeding fines in school zones!

It comes back every year but this year it’s got legs! SB 8 by Senator Phil Journey (R-Haysville) would double the fine for speeding if caught in a school zone. In addition, the bill adds “disobeying a school crossing guard” to the state’s uniform fine schedule.

KNEA has supported this legislation every year.

Coming up next week!

Three days more or less off, then the start of the second half

Monday and Tuesday the legislature will not meet (and so you won’t get your daily dose of Under the Dome).

Most committees will not be meeting on Wednesday (including the Education Committees).

Work gets under way in earnest on Thursday. Look for your next report on Thursday, March 1 unless something really exciting happens on Wednesday!

KNEA Legislative Contacts

Blake West, President
Mark Desetti, Director, Legislative and Political Advocacy
Terry Forsyth, Director, Political Action

The KNEA Lobby Team consists of elected leaders and staff. The Lobby Team welcomes member feedback on issues before the Legislature and on this site.