Dear Friend:

I had the privilege of honoring the Shawnee Mission East 6A State Football Champions in the House of Representatives last week.  Joining me in offering congratulations on this first-ever SM East Lancer football milestone were colleagues Barbara Bollier, Stephanie Clayton, Rob Bruchman and Jarrod Ousley, all of whom have ties to SME.  There are an endless variety of achievements among the students of the 25th District to honor, but I chose to highlight this one because of the historic “first” it represents.

I was proud to provide remarks to welcome Game On for Kansas Schools at a rally in Topeka this morning, the culmination of their 60-mile walk from Johnson County.

• PV Post article: Game On for Kansas Schools launches third 60-mile walk to Topeka on Friday

Education

My last newsletter was shared far and wide and I hope it helped dispel some of the myths about SB 7, the school finance block grant bill. Here’s the bottom line: The 460,000+ Kansas students deserve more than six days of deliberation about the future quality of their education.

Here’s a timeline of SB 7 since I wrote you last week:  

• Friday, March 13, 10:38 am: House final action vote, 64-57
• Friday, March 13, 11:04 am: The 3-judge panel considering the Gannon case issued an order calling for a hearing at 10:30 am, May 7 to review the status of the equity settlement in light of changes SB 7 makes.
• Lawrence Journal-World article
• Court Order
• Monday, March 16: Kansas Senate final action vote on, 25-14. In last week’s Prairie Village Post Capitol Update, I provided an update with reaction from across the state.
• Friday, March 20: Senate Bill 7 is presented to Governor Brownback for his consideration.
• Wednesday, March 25: Signed into law by Governor Brownback.
• Thursday, March 26:  Plaintiffs in the Gannon case filed a motion in Shawnee District Court to block implementation of the new formula.

Lawrence Journal World article

KCUR article

Wichita Eagle editorial

The legal action taken by the plaintiffs in the ongoing school finance litigation should not be a surprise to anyone.  While the proponents of the block grant scheme claim it will provide certainty and stability, nothing could be further from the truth. The illusion of stability in the form of static funding each of the next two years is only guaranteed if nothing, not a single variable, changes for a school district.  The moment a new student enrolls, or the needs of the students change, or a utility rate rises, or fuel costs more, or any number of things rise in cost, the district will be in a position of doing more with less.  Even less likely is the certainty that proponents guarantee will come from this plan.  Certainty of funding?  The delivery of these funds cannot be guaranteed when we as a legislature continue to ignore the reality of our budget deficit.

• Scott County Record editorial

On the Budget

In any given year, the sole constitutional duty of the state legislature is to pass a budget to fund state government. Easier said than done, under the best of circumstances. This year, the circumstances are about as dire as possible. The Governor’s original budget recommendations balanced, but did so only based on a series of ASSUMPTIONS (pictured below) that the legislature will pass a package of legislation that raises taxes, borrows money through KPERS bonding authority, and redefines the Medicaid drug formulary, among other things.. The tax proposals currently on the table involve the increase of alcohol, tobacco and gasoline taxes – consumption taxes that have received a cold welcome among lawmakers. 

That’s left us in the difficult position of trying to craft a budget for the coming two years against a backdrop of continued declining state receipts. So far, only the Senate has passed a budget, and even that budget is not based on the reality of existing resources (as the law requires). At this time, it is possible that we hold off voting on a budget in the House until after we return from the April recess and have the benefit of the April Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) report.

KPERS Borrowing

Having exceeded our limit on the “Bank of KDOT” credit card, the legislature is now turning to KPERS as a source of bonding (borrowing) authority to keep the state general fund (SGF) afloat. The House of Representatives approved by a vote of 67-57 a proposal (HB 2095) to allow $1.5 billion in bonds to shore up the state’s retirement system. The Senate has already approved a plan to issue $1 billion in bonds so a conference committee will likely meet this week to negotiate a final plan for a vote. Passage of this proposal represents one of the major cornerstones of the legislature’s “fixes” to the current budget shortfall, and another short-term solution to a long-term structural problem.  

The money saved in the restructuring of KPERS debt is one of the many “assumptions” built into the governor’s budget proposal to make it work – the savings on interest payments is set to be directed to the SGF instead of being used towards paying down our unfunded KPERS liability of over $7 billion. The payment schedule will be extended 10 additional years, from 2033 to 2043, because of this plan. This is yet another way of kicking the can down the road and placing the burden on our children.  I voted NO on HB 2095.

Payroll Deductions

I heard from many of you concerned about efforts to block charitable contributions through payroll deduction. For a bit of history on the issue, last year the legislature moved to prevent union members from using payroll deductions for voluntary political action committee contributions. This year, many sought to prevent union dues through payroll deduction. During Senate debate, an amendment extended the ban to any deduction, including charitable causes like the United Way (Senate Substitute for House Bill 2096). After much debate in the Senate, this bill got so bogged down in debate and controversy that Senate leadership pulled it from the calendar for more committee work. 

Committees

Committee work has wrapped up for this legislative session. The week ahead will involve conference committees meeting to iron out differences between House and Senate versions of legislation passed.  We will convene each day to vote on conference committee reports. At this juncture, there is no way to amend any legislation.  Watch for procedural maneuvers that can be invoked, but most bills that come out of conference committee end up on the governor’s desk for signature.

We will be on a break from “First Adjournment” set for Friday, April 3 until April 29 when we reconvene for the “Veto Session.”  

Upcoming events

Saturday, April 18, 10 am: Please join me for a League of Women Voters and Johnson County Library town hall meeting at the Corinth Library, 8100 Mission. Reps. Jarrod Ousley and Stephanie Clayton, and Sen. Pat Pettey will also be there. 

Wednesday, April 22, 6 pm: Rep. Barbara Bollier and I will be at a town hall meeting hosted by the Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce at the Prairie Village City Hall.