2/6/10 Rep. Wetta Legislative Report
FROM THE STATEHOUSE - Vince Wetta Report
Vince Wetta, Representative, 80th District * 1204 N. Poplar * Wellington, KS 67152 * 620-326-5205 (home)
Sumner & Harper Counties
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From The Statehouse: Week 4
We began to see some movement here in Topeka during the fourth week of the session. The House Appropriations Committee worked the FY 2010 rescission bill and passed it out of committee on Thursday. I am hopeful that we will see it on the floor early next week so we can get it passed and focus on FY 2011. The $400 million hole has to be filled some way so we need to stop wringing our hands and start figuring out how to fill it.
The House adjourned on Thursday for the weekend, and due to inclement weather many legislators headed home. Marilyn and I came home Thursday night and went to Blackwell Friday morning. The Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad has not been able to come to Wellington for about 14 months. The river washed the railroad out just north of Blackwell and they have been out of service since. The State of Oklahoma and the Blackwell Business community worked out the money to fix the washout and repair the railroad. They gave me a “Riverbank Restoration Golden Spike”. This railroad comes into Kansas just east of Hunnewell and then into Wellington. We need to encourage more business from Blackwell and South Haven to connect with our BNSF here. There are plans for an ethanol plant among other businesses in the area. Anything I can do to encourage jobs in this area is what I will do. The fact that I worked on this line for years and many of my friends still working could benefit from more business also helps drive the issue.
Raymond Schalk and over 30 seniors came and visited the Capitol recently. I think they were worn out after all the walking. From the reports I have gotten, they all enjoyed the experience. Lt. Governor Troy Findley came by and talked to us for a few minutes. The building is being remodeled and is a mess but if you have never been to the State Capitol, it would be worth your time to visit. Mike Wilmoth and Aleta were up this past week with the Wellington Senior High Government Class. It was nice visiting with them and Steve Sturgis. I hope the students weren’t too bored with my talking to them.
Gus Collins and Roger Stallbaumer visited Wednesday for City Day at the Capitol. We had a good visit and talked to Ed Van Petten about where we are in the casino process. There should be some movement one way or the other next week, so I should have something to report in next week’s update.
Greg Olsen and Tom Kohmetscher were up also Wednesday. We had a meeting with Don Jordan, the Secretary of SRS. I think it was a very productive meeting and they relayed some serious concerns about Futures and Sumner Mental Health. If we continue to cut these vital programs, it will cost the state much more to help people with serious problems.
Dennis Metz and others from Sumner County Farm Bureau came up recently. They will be helping sponsor the forum next Saturday at the Donut Shop along with Shelley and the Chamber of Commerce. Steve Abrams, our state Senator from Arkansas City, will be there also. Please come out Saturday at 9:00 and get an update from Topeka. Vance and Shelley (Hansel) Williams were up for the State Chamber of Commerce banquet. We didn’t get to visit long but it was nice seeing them.
Bob Bean from Sumner Regional Medical Center and I had some productive meetings with the KDHE and the KCC a few weeks ago. Dean Drouhard, from Argonia, and I met with the KDHE also a few weeks ago. Della Rowley, the County Assessor, came up one evening and we had a good visit. I am leaving some people out but the session has not been too productive so far, but we have met with and solved many problems for constituents. That is really more important than anything else I could be doing right now.
There is room for a few more Junior High students to come up and page for me if anyone is interested. Three girls from Caldwell are coming on the 17th and I have another date in March. The more we interact with our legislators, the more we realize that we can make a difference. Most of my friends in Topeka are regular people like we are who are trying to help our state and country. All the negative media reports don’t tell the whole story.
Budget Update
The House Appropriations Committee worked this week on the FY 2010 rescission bill, which reconciles last year’s budget and will ensure that we end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance. Unfortunately, revenue estimates have been consistently lower than anticipated, and we learned late last week that we will still be almost $40 million short by July, even with the latest round of cuts included in this bill.
Of course I am deeply concerned about further cuts, but the House Appropriations Committee’s job is to pass a balanced budget bill out of committee, which so far, they have not (despite having four weeks of session and six extra working days during the interim). The Legislature is constitutionally required to end the year with a positive ending balance, so now we must either hash out $40 million more in cuts as a chamber when the bill comes before the House body, or force the Governor to make additional cuts later- with only a month or two left in the fiscal year- giving agencies very little time to make the adjustments to their operating budgets.
The Governor’s original recommendations were accepted for the most part, with the exception of the following amendments:
- Rep. Doug Gatewood attached an amendment limiting the number of leadership days that leaders of the Senate and House can claim in any one fiscal year to 25. This would be a retroactive measure, starting on June 1st 2009 until June 1st of 2010.
- Rep. Ray Merrick proposed an amendment with an 11.1% reduction in legislative pay, totaling $247,000. This would be a 5% salary cut (not per diem), a $7 a day cut in per diem, and three furlough days. Overall, this is equivalent to a 15% reduction in legislative compensation.
- On a failed amendment from Rep. Jerry Henry, $180,000 would have been transferred from the hazardous mitigation fund to the Kansas National Guard. The funding would have allowed the 18 National Guard Armories slated for closure to remain open until the end of the fiscal year. It would not have stopped the closing of the armories but would have allowed time to set up procedures to close armories with dignity and respect. This would have allowed the state to work with local communities to make sure the closures would happen as seamlessly as possible.
With a $40 million gap still left to fill in FY 2010, this is far from the final product. The committee passed the bill out on Thursday. We will hopefully see it on the House floor next week so we can begin to work through some of those tough decisions. Frustrated does not begin to describe the feelings among my friends in the House.
K2 bill passes both House and Senate
On Wednesday, the House followed suit with the Senate by passing a bill that will add three chemicals to the state’s list of illegal drugs. Two of the chemicals, called “K2" or “Spice”, are added to herbs and smoked like marijuana. The substance is typically sold as incense. The third is a form of the drug Ecstasy. Under this legislation, it will become illegal to possess or sell those chemicals, just as it is for marijuana. No other state has banned this substance.
Of course I want to do my part as a lawmaker to keep drugs off the street, but this bill was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction based on one particular newspaper story last summer and no scientific evidence. Additionally, it has been argued for years that marijuana has a medicinal effect. If K2 is a synthetic version of marijuana, illegalizing it so quickly eliminates one possible option for easing the discomfort of cancer patients without exposing them to THC.
The bill passed the House 110-11. There are some differences between the House and Senate versions, so the two chambers must reconcile those differences before the legislation can go to the Governor for his signature or veto. A ban would take effect within two weeks of the Governor’s signature.
Secretary of State briefs House Elections Committee
Secretary of State Ron Thornburg briefed the House Elections Committee Wednesday about the 2008 election cycle, predictions for 2010, and various tactics that have been enacted to protect the voters and the voting process.
Kansas saw a record breaking turn out of registered voters in 2008, as did the rest of the country. In our state specifically, the way voters are choosing to cast their ballot has dramatically shifted. Between 2006 and 2008, there was an increase from 22 percent to 34.7 percent of votes cast prior to the election (advance balloting). In counties such as Sedgwick and Johnson County, an astounding 50 percent of votes were cast prior to Election Day. Satellite voting has also helped this increase of advanced voting options for constituents. This is terrific news for Kansas and for the Democratic process. The Secretary of State predicts that the 2010 election should be another successful election year with regard to turnout, although not record breaking. The turnout of voters during presidential election years is often much higher than gubernatorial cycles.
Also, for the first time every voter now has the right to a secret ballot thanks to the Help America Vote Act. Voters with a disability were previously required to have someone with them to help them vote, that is no longer required.
I was very encouraged to hear about the increased voter turnout and increased voting options in Kansas. Democracy doesn’t work unless the people participate. As technology continues to advance, even more voting options will be offered for your convenience. In fact, just this year online voter registration was made available to Kansas citizens for the first time ever. If you are not registered to vote, if you’ve gotten married, or if you’ve moved in the last year, I encourage you to visit this website and register today: https://www.kdor.org/voterregistration. The 2010 election is just around the corner, and it is critically important for you to make your voice heard next November.
Keep in Touch
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room L 8, Docking State Office Building, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7665 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at vince.wetta@house.ks.gov. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.
