The summer of 1997 was&nbsp;a period&nbsp;marked by great triumph&nbsp;and&nbsp;tragedy. In June, the world was introduced to the world of wizardry with the UK publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In July, NASA’s Pathfinder rover safely landed on Mars and began sending back data and stunning images from the “Red Planet.”&nbsp;And in August,&nbsp;the world learned of the tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris.&nbsp;<a></a>

The summer of&nbsp;1997&nbsp;was also significant at Fort Hays State University as we took a major strategic step forward into the future of learning.&nbsp;

<a></a>That spring and summer, now a&nbsp;decade&nbsp;into what would become&nbsp;more than&nbsp;27&nbsp;years of service as FHSU president,&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Edward Hammond saw an opportunity to deliver on a promise he made when he was first hired. During his interview,&nbsp;President Hammond&nbsp;told the Kansas Board of Regents-led search committee that he would transform FHSU into a “high touch-high tech” institution if given the opportunity.&nbsp;

Once hired, President Hammond immediately went to work building the foundation necessary to realize his goal. By&nbsp;the mid-1990s,&nbsp;he had positioned FHSU well to take advantage of the&nbsp;breakup of the Bell System monopoly in the 1980s&nbsp;that&nbsp;introduced competition and new opportunities to forge traditional (wired) and new (cellular) communications technology partnerships in rural Kansas.&nbsp;

President&nbsp;Hammond&nbsp;established several partnerships that expanded the reach of FHSU distance learning programs via fiber-wire-connected two-way video conferencing to students in Colby, Goodland, Garden City, and Dodge City. Under his leadership, FHSU became the first university in Kansas to deliver academic programs via this medium.

<a></a>Then came the Internet. Created in 1960 as a way for government researchers to share information, the Internet was initially designed for the military and major research institutions to share national security-related information.

Access to the&nbsp;Internet didn’t become available to the&nbsp;rest of the&nbsp;world until 1993. By 1997, there were 70 million users online. Today,&nbsp;that number exceeds 5 billion.&nbsp;

Sensing a fresh opportunity to&nbsp;leverage this emerging technology and&nbsp;expand the FHSU high touch-high tech model, President Hammond and Provost Rodolfo Arevalo charged Dean Tony Fernandez of the College of Health and Life Sciences with establishing a new unit tasked with transitioning FHSU distance education to online delivery.&nbsp;The new unit would be known as the Virtual College.

<a></a>Out of the gate, the fledgling Virtual College faced several challenges. While internet access was expanding, many homes still had no way to connect to the Internet. Those who could access the new technology did not enjoy the connectivity or bandwidth to stream instructional videos.&nbsp;There remained a dependence on CD or DVD production and distribution in Virtual College operations.&nbsp;

New processes for delivering course materials through the mail&nbsp;needed to be developed to address these issues, and the&nbsp;campus bookstore was&nbsp;the answer. The space was&nbsp;renovated to include an area in the&nbsp;bookstore&nbsp;basement where boxes could be filled with books, videotapes, and DVDs&nbsp;for shipment to Virtual College students.&nbsp;

Moving away from live, two-way videoconferencing meant that faculty needed to be licensed and trained in using a learning management system. To assist with the transition, Virtual College staff developed a tool kit called “Web Course in a Box” to help faculty restructure their courses for asynchronous or on-demand delivery.&nbsp;

In the early 2000s, the university licensed the Blackboard learning management system that offers a wealth of virtual course planning and delivery tools. A new organization staffed by instructional technology specialists, the Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning Technologies (CTELT), was created and charged with faculty training and learning technology research.&nbsp;

Now known as Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies&nbsp;(TILT), this group has led the effort on campus to research, test, evaluate, and adopt new technologies.&nbsp;

<a></a>The focus on high touch-high tech learning introduced by President Hammond back in the 1980s remains the principal focus of FHSU Online (formerly the Virtual College).&nbsp;

From an initial enrollment of around 900 students in 1997,&nbsp;annual&nbsp;online enrollment at FHSU now&nbsp;exceeds&nbsp;6,500 students and&nbsp;amounts to nearly 48% of total university enrollment.&nbsp;

<a></a>Unlike many universities, whose transition to online instruction&nbsp;was a direct result of the&nbsp;COVIDpandemic, we&nbsp;were&nbsp;already&nbsp;recruiting technology-savvy faculty and&nbsp;developing best practices in teaching and student support for online learners for nearly 25 years. &nbsp;

We were early adopters of services like online tutoring and professional advisors. Several years ago, we created a Virtual Student Senate to give online students a&nbsp;voice&nbsp;in major decisions that impact online students and the university. We remain&nbsp;one of very few&nbsp;universities to includeonline students in shared governance in this manner. FHSU is also one of six institutions to be awarded the rigorous United States Distance Learning Association quality certification.&nbsp;

It&nbsp;has&nbsp;been said that students learn as much or more in college out of the classroom. Part of our planning for the future will include spending more time and expertise on the development of what we call “ecosystem resources.”&nbsp;Simply put, we&nbsp;are creating&nbsp;expanded and more engaged learning environments that move the learning experience beyond the constraints of time, space, and the boundaries of traditional instruction.

<a></a>So,&nbsp;even as we celebrate an amazing 25 years of online learning, we are already looking ahead to the next 25 years of FHSU Online. We know that digital resources and online learning&nbsp;practices&nbsp;have evolved&nbsp;over the past few years, and we&nbsp;are&nbsp;investing time and talent to ensure we continue to evolve with that change.

Last year, we created a team of campus experts to develop what we are calling a digital master plan for the university. Much like a master plan that guides the building, renovation, and removal of obsolete buildings and structures, our digital master plan will guide our future efforts to remain leaders and innovators in this space.&nbsp;

The remarkable 25-year history of online learning at FHSU is a testament to what an innovative, resilient, and engaged campus community can do when unbounded by real and imagined barriers. The amazing people who built FHSU Online were instrumental in transforming this university into what we call today “the best value in education anywhere.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>The summer of 1997 was&nbsp;a period&nbsp;marked by great triumph&nbsp;and&nbsp;tragedy. In June, the world was introduced to the world of wizardry with the UK publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In July, NASA’s Pathfinder rover safely landed on Mars and began sending back data and stunning images from the “Red Planet.”&nbsp;And in August,&nbsp;the world learned of the tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris.&nbsp;<a></a>The summer of&nbsp;1997&nbsp;was also significant at Fort Hays State University as we took a major strategic step forward into the future of learning.&nbsp;<a></a>That spring and summer, now a&nbsp;decade&nbsp;into what would become&nbsp;more than&nbsp;27&nbsp;years of service as FHSU president,&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Edward Hammond saw an opportunity to deliver on a promise he made when he was first hired. During his interview,&nbsp;President Hammond&nbsp;told the Kansas Board of Regents-led search committee that he would transform FHSU into a “high touch-high tech” institution if given the opportunity.&nbsp;Once hired, President Hammond immediately went to work building the foundation necessary to realize his goal. By&nbsp;the mid-1990s,&nbsp;he had positioned FHSU well to take advantage of the&nbsp;breakup of the Bell System monopoly in the 1980s&nbsp;that&nbsp;introduced competition and new opportunities to forge traditional (wired) and new (cellular) communications technology partnerships in rural Kansas.&nbsp;President&nbsp;Hammond&nbsp;established several partnerships that expanded the reach of FHSU distance learning programs via fiber-wire-connected two-way video conferencing to students in Colby, Goodland, Garden City, and Dodge City. Under his leadership, FHSU became the first university in Kansas to deliver academic programs via this medium.<a></a>Then came the Internet. Created in 1960 as a way for government researchers to share information, the Internet was initially designed for the military and major research institutions to share national security-related information.Access to the&nbsp;Internet didn’t become available to the&nbsp;rest of the&nbsp;world until 1993. By 1997, there were 70 million users online. Today,&nbsp;that number exceeds 5 billion.&nbsp;Sensing a fresh opportunity to&nbsp;leverage this emerging technology and&nbsp;expand the FHSU high touch-high tech model, President Hammond and Provost Rodolfo Arevalo charged Dean Tony Fernandez of the College of Health and Life Sciences with establishing a new unit tasked with transitioning FHSU distance education to online delivery.&nbsp;The new unit would be known as the Virtual College.<a></a>Out of the gate, the fledgling Virtual College faced several challenges. While internet access was expanding, many homes still had no way to connect to the Internet. Those who could access the new technology did not enjoy the connectivity or bandwidth to stream instructional videos.&nbsp;There remained a dependence on CD or DVD production and distribution in Virtual College operations.&nbsp;New processes for delivering course materials through the mail&nbsp;needed to be developed to address these issues, and the&nbsp;campus bookstore was&nbsp;the answer. The space was&nbsp;renovated to include an area in the&nbsp;bookstore&nbsp;basement where boxes could be filled with books, videotapes, and DVDs&nbsp;for shipment to Virtual College students.&nbsp;Moving away from live, two-way videoconferencing meant that faculty needed to be licensed and trained in using a learning management system. To assist with the transition, Virtual College staff developed a tool kit called “Web Course in a Box” to help faculty restructure their courses for asynchronous or on-demand delivery.&nbsp;In the early 2000s, the university licensed the Blackboard learning management system that offers a wealth of virtual course planning and delivery tools. A new organization staffed by instructional technology specialists, the Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning Technologies (CTELT), was created and charged with faculty training and learning technology research.&nbsp;Now known as Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies&nbsp;(TILT), this group has led the effort on campus to research, test, evaluate, and adopt new technologies.&nbsp;<a></a>The focus on high touch-high tech learning introduced by President Hammond back in the 1980s remains the principal focus of FHSU Online (formerly the Virtual College).&nbsp;From an initial enrollment of around 900 students in 1997,&nbsp;annual&nbsp;online enrollment at FHSU now&nbsp;exceeds&nbsp;6,500 students and&nbsp;amounts to nearly 48% of total university enrollment.&nbsp;<a></a>Unlike many universities, whose transition to online instruction&nbsp;was a direct result of the&nbsp;COVIDpandemic, we&nbsp;were&nbsp;already&nbsp;recruiting technology-savvy faculty and&nbsp;developing best practices in teaching and student support for online learners for nearly 25 years. &nbsp;We were early adopters of services like online tutoring and professional advisors. Several years ago, we created a Virtual Student Senate to give online students a&nbsp;voice&nbsp;in major decisions that impact online students and the university. We remain&nbsp;one of very few&nbsp;universities to includeonline students in shared governance in this manner. FHSU is also one of six institutions to be awarded the rigorous United States Distance Learning Association quality certification.&nbsp;It&nbsp;has&nbsp;been said that students learn as much or more in college out of the classroom. Part of our planning for the future will include spending more time and expertise on the development of what we call “ecosystem resources.”&nbsp;Simply put, we&nbsp;are creating&nbsp;expanded and more engaged learning environments that move the learning experience beyond the constraints of time, space, and the boundaries of traditional instruction.<a></a>So,&nbsp;even as we celebrate an amazing 25 years of online learning, we are already looking ahead to the next 25 years of FHSU Online. We know that digital resources and online learning&nbsp;practices&nbsp;have evolved&nbsp;over the past few years, and we&nbsp;are&nbsp;investing time and talent to ensure we continue to evolve with that change.Last year, we created a team of campus experts to develop what we are calling a digital master plan for the university. Much like a master plan that guides the building, renovation, and removal of obsolete buildings and structures, our digital master plan will guide our future efforts to remain leaders and innovators in this space.&nbsp;The remarkable 25-year history of online learning at FHSU is a testament to what an innovative, resilient, and engaged campus community can do when unbounded by real and imagined barriers. The amazing people who built FHSU Online were instrumental in transforming this university into what we call today “the best value in education anywhere.”&nbsp;

Heart of a Tiger: FHSU Online at 25 years

By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie&nbsp;County farmer and rancher This past weekend was my favorite Kansas Farm Bureau event, the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&amp;R) Conference. I am going to let you in on a secret, I am over 35. I know you are all shocked, and I am a bit surprised they still let me through the doors. I guess they either take pity on me or they let me in because I am on the state board of directors. Either way I am always happy to sneak in and get my batteries recharged. I think I have figured out the fountain of youth, and it is to spend time around this outstanding group of young farmers, ranchers, agribusiness people and students. Their enthusiasm and energy is contagious, even for an old guy several years past the YF&amp;R expiration date. The conference itself is outstanding. The keynote speakers and information shared is some of the best and most timely for those of us in agriculture. Then there are the breakout sessions and workshops, again some of the leading experts in their fields and cutting edge information. Include that with contests showcasing our industry’s best and brightest along with social events and you have a great weekend. The best part is it is planned, coordinated and put on by the Young Farmer and Rancher committee, the best and brightest members 35 and younger in Kansas Farm Bureau. Does it sound like I am bragging? I hope so because I am. We hear all the time about the aging agriculture industry and often pundits wonder where we are headed. Will our producers age out? Will we be able to feed a growing, hungry population? Spend a weekend at the Young Farmer and Rancher Conference and you know we will be in good hands. Spending time with this group will renew your faith in the future. I love listening to the conversations and hearing the new ideas and enthusiasm. This conference was crucial for Jennifer and I as we started our journey in agriculture. So many times you feel alone and it seems like no one understands what you are going through. Then you come to your first YF&amp;R Conference and find out there are many others going through the same trials and tribulations. The networking in the hallways and the friendships you make over the weekend are truly the most valuable part of the conference. We still have friendships that were forged during this conference. That is why each year I look forward to this weekend. I must admit I am being a little selfish because I know I get more out of it than I give to the participants I meet. This old guy is transformed back into a time when anything was possible and my career was ahead of me. I wish I could bottle the excitement and energy up for all of you, it is something we all need these days. I can’t do that, but I can go forth knowing agriculture is in good hands.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576508626397.png" alt="Glenn Brunkow" />
 <figcaption>Glenn Brunkow</figcaption>
 </figure>By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie&nbsp;County farmer and rancher This past weekend was my favorite Kansas Farm Bureau event, the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&amp;R) Conference. I am going to let you in on a secret, I am over 35. I know you are all shocked, and I am a bit surprised they still let me through the doors. I guess they either take pity on me or they let me in because I am on the state board of directors. Either way I am always happy to sneak in and get my batteries recharged. I think I have figured out the fountain of youth, and it is to spend time around this outstanding group of young farmers, ranchers, agribusiness people and students. Their enthusiasm and energy is contagious, even for an old guy several years past the YF&amp;R expiration date. The conference itself is outstanding. The keynote speakers and information shared is some of the best and most timely for those of us in agriculture. Then there are the breakout sessions and workshops, again some of the leading experts in their fields and cutting edge information. Include that with contests showcasing our industry’s best and brightest along with social events and you have a great weekend. The best part is it is planned, coordinated and put on by the Young Farmer and Rancher committee, the best and brightest members 35 and younger in Kansas Farm Bureau. Does it sound like I am bragging? I hope so because I am. We hear all the time about the aging agriculture industry and often pundits wonder where we are headed. Will our producers age out? Will we be able to feed a growing, hungry population? Spend a weekend at the Young Farmer and Rancher Conference and you know we will be in good hands. Spending time with this group will renew your faith in the future. I love listening to the conversations and hearing the new ideas and enthusiasm. This conference was crucial for Jennifer and I as we started our journey in agriculture. So many times you feel alone and it seems like no one understands what you are going through. Then you come to your first YF&amp;R Conference and find out there are many others going through the same trials and tribulations. The networking in the hallways and the friendships you make over the weekend are truly the most valuable part of the conference. We still have friendships that were forged during this conference. That is why each year I look forward to this weekend. I must admit I am being a little selfish because I know I get more out of it than I give to the participants I meet. This old guy is transformed back into a time when anything was possible and my career was ahead of me. I wish I could bottle the excitement and energy up for all of you, it is something we all need these days. I can’t do that, but I can go forth knowing agriculture is in good hands."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Faith in the future of agriculture

I have a love-hate relationship with squirrels, also known as limb chickens or tree bacon in our neck of the woods. They taunt our two little pups from the top of my back fence or from the roof of our neighbor’s garage and work them into an absolute frenzy. They hang upside-down from their heels on the side of the tree, just out of reach and chatter away as if to say “Come and get me you yappy little mongrels!” 

Squirrels are not to be trifled with and can give a nasty bite, but just once I wish my dumb mutts would learn to work together and snag one. Like maybe one pup could prance around the tree with a big grin on its face, clutching an acorn in its teeth, luring the little bird-feeder-vandal near the ground, while the other pup sneaks up from the other side, pounces on its back and cleans it off the side of tree. But it would be just my luck&nbsp;that&nbsp;instead of crumpling to the ground with the pooch on its back, it would head for the top of the tree with the pooch on its back. At that point I don’t know which would be worse, the hapless hound hangin’ on to end up somewhere in the treetops, or fallin’ off somewhere over the middle of the yard.

Pesky as they are, I know of no other wild critter in the US more pampered than the squirrel. I have to admit squirrels are fun to watch as they roll around inside those glass jar feeders.&nbsp;We even found plans and built a “maize” feeder, where the squirrel must enter through one of two holes in the side, than navigate around partitions inside to reach ears of corn.&nbsp;People&nbsp;buy corn to feed them, and then buy feeders to hold the corn.&nbsp;My son’s father-in-law has his trained to take peanuts from his hand, and the little buggers even tap on his front door when they want a snack.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A couple years back a squirrel with only half a tail became a regular at our feeder; we named it “Ole’ Stumpy.” We thought at first that Stumpy was a male, but there&nbsp;were&nbsp;no bulging body parts on Stumpy’s underside,&nbsp;so we deemed her a girl. We can only guess at how Stumpy lost the end of her tail, but I did a little research on Ole’ Stumpy’s tail dilemma on a website named “The Squirrel Board” (I can’t make this stuff up!) It seems Stumpy&nbsp;was&nbsp;not alone and squirrel tails are made so they will “deglove” or snap off if a predator has hold of it. The jury seemed to still be out as to whether it would ever grow back and Stumpy would be whole again. The squirrel lovers on that site were&nbsp;way&nbsp;out of my league. One guy said “If you’re feeding peanuts to your squirrels make sure they are roasted…I feed mine chopped almonds because they are healthier than peanuts.” (Really; sounds like his squirrels eat better than I do.) He went on to say “Thanksgiving week we fed them almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts for a variety.” I have to admit that would make for some tasty squirrel if you roasted em’ while they were still full of nuts.&nbsp;

Now&nbsp;even though Cousin Eddy from the National Lampoon movie “Christmas Vacation” says squirrels are high in cholesterol, they are not. Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters of Walmart, has an annual World Champion Squirrel Cook-Off that draws TV crews, executive chefs and visitors from around the globe. Their theme is “Squirrel – it’s for Supper,” and they offer “organic tree-to-table squirrel” in dishes like squirrel pizza and squirrel flavored ice cream. And are you aware there is actually an organization&nbsp;called “Squirrels Unlimited?” (SQU for short) Its mission statement reads: “SQU is dedicated to the recognition and promotion of the squirrel as one of mankind’s greatest gifts.”&nbsp;

There is also a market for squirrel tails. Fishing lure manufacturer Mepps in Wisconsin actually pays for squirrel tails because they seem to work better as skirts on their fishing lures than any other product they have tried. Depending on the species of tails you send, they pay&nbsp;from 12 cents apiece for tails that are only partially useable to 25 cents apiece for&nbsp;tails that are fully useable.&nbsp;On their website they caution “Mepps is only interested in “recycling” tails from squirrels harvested for the table. We do not advocate taking squirrels strictly for their&nbsp;tails.” Mepps&nbsp;says that when they receive the tails, members of their experienced team will grade the tails as premium, average or unusable.&nbsp;

We never knew what became of Ole’ Stumpy, she just sort-of disappeared.&nbsp;Perhaps, because of her deformity,&nbsp;she was run-off by more dominant members of our squirrel community. Perhaps her&nbsp;snapper-off tail caused her such shame that she ended it all by throwing herself in front of a school bus. Or perhaps she simply died of old age and crossed the rainbow bridge with dignity. Every time I sit in a deer stand or turkey blind and hear a squirrel chattering and barking at me, I have to wonder if its Ole’ Stumpy reincarnated just to give me a few more minutes of entertainment…&nbsp;Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>I have a love-hate relationship with squirrels, also known as limb chickens or tree bacon in our neck of the woods. They taunt our two little pups from the top of my back fence or from the roof of our neighbor’s garage and work them into an absolute frenzy. They hang upside-down from their heels on the side of the tree, just out of reach and chatter away as if to say “Come and get me you yappy little mongrels!” Squirrels are not to be trifled with and can give a nasty bite, but just once I wish my dumb mutts would learn to work together and snag one. Like maybe one pup could prance around the tree with a big grin on its face, clutching an acorn in its teeth, luring the little bird-feeder-vandal near the ground, while the other pup sneaks up from the other side, pounces on its back and cleans it off the side of tree. But it would be just my luck&nbsp;that&nbsp;instead of crumpling to the ground with the pooch on its back, it would head for the top of the tree with the pooch on its back. At that point I don’t know which would be worse, the hapless hound hangin’ on to end up somewhere in the treetops, or fallin’ off somewhere over the middle of the yard.Pesky as they are, I know of no other wild critter in the US more pampered than the squirrel. I have to admit squirrels are fun to watch as they roll around inside those glass jar feeders.&nbsp;We even found plans and built a “maize” feeder, where the squirrel must enter through one of two holes in the side, than navigate around partitions inside to reach ears of corn.&nbsp;People&nbsp;buy corn to feed them, and then buy feeders to hold the corn.&nbsp;My son’s father-in-law has his trained to take peanuts from his hand, and the little buggers even tap on his front door when they want a snack.&nbsp;&nbsp;A couple years back a squirrel with only half a tail became a regular at our feeder; we named it “Ole’ Stumpy.” We thought at first that Stumpy was a male, but there&nbsp;were&nbsp;no bulging body parts on Stumpy’s underside,&nbsp;so we deemed her a girl. We can only guess at how Stumpy lost the end of her tail, but I did a little research on Ole’ Stumpy’s tail dilemma on a website named “The Squirrel Board” (I can’t make this stuff up!) It seems Stumpy&nbsp;was&nbsp;not alone and squirrel tails are made so they will “deglove” or snap off if a predator has hold of it. The jury seemed to still be out as to whether it would ever grow back and Stumpy would be whole again. The squirrel lovers on that site were&nbsp;way&nbsp;out of my league. One guy said “If you’re feeding peanuts to your squirrels make sure they are roasted…I feed mine chopped almonds because they are healthier than peanuts.” (Really; sounds like his squirrels eat better than I do.) He went on to say “Thanksgiving week we fed them almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts for a variety.” I have to admit that would make for some tasty squirrel if you roasted em’ while they were still full of nuts.&nbsp;Now&nbsp;even though Cousin Eddy from the National Lampoon movie “Christmas Vacation” says squirrels are high in cholesterol, they are not. Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters of Walmart, has an annual World Champion Squirrel Cook-Off that draws TV crews, executive chefs and visitors from around the globe. Their theme is “Squirrel – it’s for Supper,” and they offer “organic tree-to-table squirrel” in dishes like squirrel pizza and squirrel flavored ice cream. And are you aware there is actually an organization&nbsp;called “Squirrels Unlimited?” (SQU for short) Its mission statement reads: “SQU is dedicated to the recognition and promotion of the squirrel as one of mankind’s greatest gifts.”&nbsp;There is also a market for squirrel tails. Fishing lure manufacturer Mepps in Wisconsin actually pays for squirrel tails because they seem to work better as skirts on their fishing lures than any other product they have tried. Depending on the species of tails you send, they pay&nbsp;from 12 cents apiece for tails that are only partially useable to 25 cents apiece for&nbsp;tails that are fully useable.&nbsp;On their website they caution “Mepps is only interested in “recycling” tails from squirrels harvested for the table. We do not advocate taking squirrels strictly for their&nbsp;tails.” Mepps&nbsp;says that when they receive the tails, members of their experienced team will grade the tails as premium, average or unusable.&nbsp;We never knew what became of Ole’ Stumpy, she just sort-of disappeared.&nbsp;Perhaps, because of her deformity,&nbsp;she was run-off by more dominant members of our squirrel community. Perhaps her&nbsp;snapper-off tail caused her such shame that she ended it all by throwing herself in front of a school bus. Or perhaps she simply died of old age and crossed the rainbow bridge with dignity. Every time I sit in a deer stand or turkey blind and hear a squirrel chattering and barking at me, I have to wonder if its Ole’ Stumpy reincarnated just to give me a few more minutes of entertainment…&nbsp;Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.&nbsp;

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Ole’ Stumpy

A few years&nbsp;ago,&nbsp;when I began trapping beavers, one particular bend in a stream taught me a valuable lesson about wildlife sign. It was along a&nbsp;rutted dirt road&nbsp;somewhere between the middle of nowhere and the&nbsp;end of the line where&nbsp;an old bridge spanned the stream&nbsp;as it&nbsp;meandered through a&nbsp;sand hill&nbsp;pasture thick with cedars.&nbsp;Cottonwoods of various sizes grew near&nbsp;the stream, and from the&nbsp;truck I could see that several of the bigger ones had been&nbsp;severely gnawed by beavers. 

The owner had told me of&nbsp;fresh beaver chewings along this&nbsp;creek, but I hadn’t expected the amount&nbsp;I was seeing. I donned chest waders and shoulder length gloves, and with traps and stakes in hand headed for the stream. In a sharp bend ahead of me a scraggly brushy tree had toppled from the high bank above and lay intact in&nbsp;a&nbsp;deep pool in&nbsp;the creek below.&nbsp;I was pretty sure its thick mass of roots sheltered a beaver den dug deeply into the mud&nbsp;beneath, because cleanly stripped sticks floated around the edges&nbsp;of the pool, and pine boughs lay on the banks nearby.&nbsp;

The water around the uprooted tree was too deep to wade into, so&nbsp;I&nbsp;went a ways in both directions from the den,&nbsp;set four&nbsp;traps and&nbsp;headed home with visions of 4 beavers the next day. After all, given the amount of fresh sign, beavers had to be thick in this creek…&nbsp;or were&nbsp;they?&nbsp;Four days later, I&nbsp;had&nbsp;only1 large beaver to show for my enthusiasm. That year,&nbsp;I learned&nbsp;a valuable lesson about beaver trapping that I had&nbsp;long ago learned about hunting and trapping other species;&nbsp;the amount of sign left by our&nbsp;four-legged quarry is seldom a true picture of the number of critters.

Some weeks&nbsp;after&nbsp;that, following a&nbsp;good tracking snow, I headed for the woods&nbsp;to see what the fresh snow could show me. My first stop was a&nbsp;30-acre&nbsp;soybean stubble field nestled along the river and surrounded by hedge trees on all sides. There were quite literally&nbsp;thousands of deer tracks criss-crossing that field! It looked like an elementary school&nbsp;playground after recess.&nbsp;Now I know there are lots of deer there, but are there thousands? Look under any bridge that crosses a stream and you’ll find&nbsp;literally hundreds of raccoon tracks in the mud. There are lots of raccoons in this part of Kansas, but again, do hundreds visit that bridge?&nbsp;I’m learning that the same is true of signs left by beavers along any waterway. Severed branches floating everywhere and chewed &amp; toppled trees by the dozens do not mean dozens of beavers.&nbsp;

For starters,&nbsp;we need to consider that all mammals we hunt and trap have 4 legs, and 4 feet can leave a multitude of tracks in one night’s time. Secondly,&nbsp;animal’s&nbsp;lives revolve around survival, and a&nbsp;major part of that survival is foraging for food. Lots of steps&nbsp;are&nbsp;taken each night in pursuit of that, two-&nbsp;legged birds&nbsp;included.&nbsp;All of you who have watched deer browse or raccoons waddle along a stream know that they don’t stand in one place&nbsp;very long. Multiply&nbsp;their&nbsp;movements by&nbsp;eight&nbsp;hours&nbsp;or more&nbsp;and that’s a lot of tracks!&nbsp;If we were to freshly paint the floors and isles of our workplaces then observe the number of shoe&nbsp;prints there at the end of an&nbsp;eight-hour&nbsp;shift, we’d be amazed how many tracks just a few of&nbsp;us would make.&nbsp;Or if we could somehow count the number of&nbsp;human&nbsp;footprints&nbsp;in just one isle at the grocery store in one&nbsp;days’ time&nbsp;as&nbsp;shoppers wondered the store,&nbsp;it would be astounding, but would not be a true&nbsp;estimation&nbsp;of the number of shoppers.

As a&nbsp;side&nbsp;note, I was recently asked&nbsp;how to tell the difference between a large dog track and the track of a big cat. Canine tracks, which include dogs, coyotes and foxes, are slightly long and narrow, and will show claw marks in the mud or snow,&nbsp;while any cat track will be rounder&nbsp;(look at the paw of a house or barn cat)&nbsp;and will show NO claw marks as&nbsp;all cats have&nbsp;retractable&nbsp;claws, and walk with them retracted.

In the end, this all amounts to&nbsp;a few animals&nbsp;leaving a multitude of life-signs of various kinds. When scouting there is no better find&nbsp;than tracks and other signs left by our&nbsp;four- legged quarry. And while it is true that the more tracks and other signs&nbsp;you see, the more animals&nbsp;there are using&nbsp;that&nbsp;particular area, we just need to consider all the above when estimating&nbsp;wildlife numbers.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;to be on the conservative side, count the&nbsp;number of wildlife&nbsp;tracks and divide by four! Continue to Explore Kansas outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at&nbsp;stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>A few years&nbsp;ago,&nbsp;when I began trapping beavers, one particular bend in a stream taught me a valuable lesson about wildlife sign. It was along a&nbsp;rutted dirt road&nbsp;somewhere between the middle of nowhere and the&nbsp;end of the line where&nbsp;an old bridge spanned the stream&nbsp;as it&nbsp;meandered through a&nbsp;sand hill&nbsp;pasture thick with cedars.&nbsp;Cottonwoods of various sizes grew near&nbsp;the stream, and from the&nbsp;truck I could see that several of the bigger ones had been&nbsp;severely gnawed by beavers. The owner had told me of&nbsp;fresh beaver chewings along this&nbsp;creek, but I hadn’t expected the amount&nbsp;I was seeing. I donned chest waders and shoulder length gloves, and with traps and stakes in hand headed for the stream. In a sharp bend ahead of me a scraggly brushy tree had toppled from the high bank above and lay intact in&nbsp;a&nbsp;deep pool in&nbsp;the creek below.&nbsp;I was pretty sure its thick mass of roots sheltered a beaver den dug deeply into the mud&nbsp;beneath, because cleanly stripped sticks floated around the edges&nbsp;of the pool, and pine boughs lay on the banks nearby.&nbsp;The water around the uprooted tree was too deep to wade into, so&nbsp;I&nbsp;went a ways in both directions from the den,&nbsp;set four&nbsp;traps and&nbsp;headed home with visions of 4 beavers the next day. After all, given the amount of fresh sign, beavers had to be thick in this creek…&nbsp;or were&nbsp;they?&nbsp;Four days later, I&nbsp;had&nbsp;only1 large beaver to show for my enthusiasm. That year,&nbsp;I learned&nbsp;a valuable lesson about beaver trapping that I had&nbsp;long ago learned about hunting and trapping other species;&nbsp;the amount of sign left by our&nbsp;four-legged quarry is seldom a true picture of the number of critters.Some weeks&nbsp;after&nbsp;that, following a&nbsp;good tracking snow, I headed for the woods&nbsp;to see what the fresh snow could show me. My first stop was a&nbsp;30-acre&nbsp;soybean stubble field nestled along the river and surrounded by hedge trees on all sides. There were quite literally&nbsp;thousands of deer tracks criss-crossing that field! It looked like an elementary school&nbsp;playground after recess.&nbsp;Now I know there are lots of deer there, but are there thousands? Look under any bridge that crosses a stream and you’ll find&nbsp;literally hundreds of raccoon tracks in the mud. There are lots of raccoons in this part of Kansas, but again, do hundreds visit that bridge?&nbsp;I’m learning that the same is true of signs left by beavers along any waterway. Severed branches floating everywhere and chewed &amp; toppled trees by the dozens do not mean dozens of beavers.&nbsp;For starters,&nbsp;we need to consider that all mammals we hunt and trap have 4 legs, and 4 feet can leave a multitude of tracks in one night’s time. Secondly,&nbsp;animal’s&nbsp;lives revolve around survival, and a&nbsp;major part of that survival is foraging for food. Lots of steps&nbsp;are&nbsp;taken each night in pursuit of that, two-&nbsp;legged birds&nbsp;included.&nbsp;All of you who have watched deer browse or raccoons waddle along a stream know that they don’t stand in one place&nbsp;very long. Multiply&nbsp;their&nbsp;movements by&nbsp;eight&nbsp;hours&nbsp;or more&nbsp;and that’s a lot of tracks!&nbsp;If we were to freshly paint the floors and isles of our workplaces then observe the number of shoe&nbsp;prints there at the end of an&nbsp;eight-hour&nbsp;shift, we’d be amazed how many tracks just a few of&nbsp;us would make.&nbsp;Or if we could somehow count the number of&nbsp;human&nbsp;footprints&nbsp;in just one isle at the grocery store in one&nbsp;days’ time&nbsp;as&nbsp;shoppers wondered the store,&nbsp;it would be astounding, but would not be a true&nbsp;estimation&nbsp;of the number of shoppers.As a&nbsp;side&nbsp;note, I was recently asked&nbsp;how to tell the difference between a large dog track and the track of a big cat. Canine tracks, which include dogs, coyotes and foxes, are slightly long and narrow, and will show claw marks in the mud or snow,&nbsp;while any cat track will be rounder&nbsp;(look at the paw of a house or barn cat)&nbsp;and will show NO claw marks as&nbsp;all cats have&nbsp;retractable&nbsp;claws, and walk with them retracted.In the end, this all amounts to&nbsp;a few animals&nbsp;leaving a multitude of life-signs of various kinds. When scouting there is no better find&nbsp;than tracks and other signs left by our&nbsp;four- legged quarry. And while it is true that the more tracks and other signs&nbsp;you see, the more animals&nbsp;there are using&nbsp;that&nbsp;particular area, we just need to consider all the above when estimating&nbsp;wildlife numbers.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;to be on the conservative side, count the&nbsp;number of wildlife&nbsp;tracks and divide by four! Continue to Explore Kansas outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at&nbsp;stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Count the tracks and divide by four

2023 Senate Scene Week 3 January 30, 2023<a> </a>

Last week the Senate standing committees continued to hold hearings and bring forward legislation. The Ways and Means Committee is starting to work the budget bill with subcommittee meetings to report to the full committee in a few weeks. Hearings on bills in committees are continuing with the Senate returning to General Orders where we will see the first committee bills to have a vote from the entire Senate.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Tuesday, January 24th, Governor Kelly gave her State of the State address, where she outlined her budget and priorities for Kansas which included tax cuts, increased funding to special education, water supply, Medicaid expansion, and the legalization of medical marijuana.&nbsp; The Governor’s agenda for this session had no surprises and several familiar themes. Governor Kelly reiterated her plans to “meet in the middle” with legislative leadership.&nbsp; She reiterated her desire to completely eliminate the food sales tax immediately, create a sales tax holiday for school supplies, and gradually cut taxes on Social Security income.&nbsp; The issue of cutting income tax on Social Security benefits is a positive first step as it has long been supported by legislatures over the years.&nbsp;&nbsp; The budget was released earlier in the month and Ways and Means has begun the process of sorting through the budget proposed by the governor’s office.&nbsp;

Earlier this week, hundreds of Kansans came out on a cold day for the annual March and Rally for Life at the Statehouse.&nbsp;&nbsp;On January 22, 1974, the first&nbsp;March For Life was held on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol. An estimated 20,000 committed pro-life Americans rallied this day with attendance numbers rising every year.&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to the march and rally, events include workshops, pro-life educational booths, capitol tours, visiting legislators, and attending general legislative sessions and committees.

Two wind energy bills – SB46 and SB49 - received hearings in Senate Utilities last week.&nbsp; The bills are addressing&nbsp;light-mitigating technology systems and in particular&nbsp;ADLS&nbsp;(aircraft detection lighting system) which is a technology designed to reduce the impact of night-time&nbsp;lights.&nbsp; The latest radar-based&nbsp;system&nbsp;will only activate the&nbsp;lights&nbsp;when it detects low-flying aircraft nearby.&nbsp; SB49 will be for new construction moving forward and SB46 is retrospective for windfarms which are operating today.&nbsp; The goal of both bills will be to turn off the lights unless the radar system detects an aircraft. &nbsp;Each tower is also regulated by FAA for this technology and has the final approval at each location.&nbsp;

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam announced that the report of the Wildfire Task Force is not complete but will be available soon.&nbsp; He noted that the primary focus areas are: 1. Increased funding for weather monitoring through the MESONET program of Kansas State University; 2. More accurate reporting of wildfires to access federal financial support; 3.&nbsp;<a>Investigate ways to support volunteer firefighters (tax exemptions etc.) and incentivize employers to support volunteer firefighters</a>; 4. Improve communications systems for volunteers; 5. Investigate and mitigate causes of fires; 6. Increase awareness of steps citizens may take to reduce risk of fire (discussion included elimination of plant materials around structures, allow burn mitigation practices on CRP acres etc.). Representative Troy Waymaster and I both serve on The Wildfire Task Force committee.&nbsp;

Kansas Chief Justice Marla Luckert recently created a new committee to study unmet legal need in rural Kansas. The ratio of attorneys to population in Kansas ranges from two for every 535 residents in urban areas to one for every 808 residents in rural areas. Eighty percent of Kansas attorneys live in six urban counties — Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte — which make up about half the state’s population. Citing American Bar Association data, 40% of all counties in the United States — 1,272 of 3,141 — have fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 residents. There are about four lawyers for every 1,000 residents nationally. Forty-three percent&nbsp;of Kansans live in rural areas, but only 20% of Kansas attorneys live in rural communities. This leaves an attorneys-to-population-ratio of one active attorney for every 808 residents. In contrast, Kansans in urban areas have two active attorneys for every 535 residents.&nbsp; This is a select committee I was assigned to and I am looking forward to working with the Judicial branch and others in our 18-month time frame to offer solutions for this problem which also exists in other states across the nation.&nbsp;&nbsp;The next meeting will be held February 10th, 2023.

Kansas Day and Senate District #36

January 29th&nbsp;of 2023 marked the 162th&nbsp;anniversary of President James Buchanan signing a bill to make Kansas the 34th&nbsp;state of the United States of America.&nbsp; Kansas is named for the Kansa, the Algonquian word for the Kaw.&nbsp;&nbsp; Kansas is full of rich history, beautiful scenes of nature, and notable landmarks.&nbsp; In Kansas Senate District 36, we have remarkable landmarks such as memorial to Pony Express Riders in Marshall County, the Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia, Rock City outside of Minneapolis, and the “Home on the Range Cabin” in Smith County, birthplace of our state song.&nbsp; “Home on the Range” was adopted by the Kansas State Legislature as the official state song on June 30, 1947.&nbsp; Along with our state song, Kansas has not one, but two official state marches, “The Kansas March” and “Here’s Kansas.”&nbsp; But while the marches are grand, nothing brings as much pride into the hearts of the residents of the Sunflower State as that of seeing our great flag dancing in the breeze.&nbsp; The flag was designed by Hazel Avery of Lincoln County in 1925.&nbsp; Directly in the center on the field of blue is the Great Seal of the State of Kansas with our motto arching near the top: “Ad Astra Per Aspera” to the stars through difficulties. The flag was modified in 1961 by a bill introduced by Senator Ross Doyen of Concordia to add the word “KANSAS.”

VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF KANSAS -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansas.gov/" target="_blank">www.kansas.gov</a>

You can find a wealth of information at this well-designed website which focuses on Kansas with topics of business, education, government, residents, and services with links to agencies and staff to help answer any question you might have.&nbsp; Webfile will take you directly to the Department of Revenue to file your taxes; Form finder will take you to the Secretary of State’s office for all types of forms for businesses; Learning Quest will direct you to the State Treasurer’s Office; the three branches of Government; and Plan your Trip to Kansas will open to the Department of Wildlife and Parks.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas residents can access information on legislation, legislative procedure, state government, public policy issues, and more by calling 1-800-432-3924.&nbsp; Calls are answered by experienced reference/research librarians at the State Library of Kansas and kept confidential.&nbsp; Lines are open weekdays 8 a.m. -5 p.m.&nbsp; Callers can also leave brief messages to be delivered to legislators as well as request copies of bills, journals, and other legislative documents.&nbsp; Questions can also be left at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:infodesk@ks.gov" target="_blank">infodesk@ks.gov</a>&nbsp;on weekends and evenings.&nbsp; Kansans can now chat with a librarian in real-time through the library’s Ask A Librarian service found at kslib.info/ask. You will have the option of installing a mobile app connecting users to all the State Library’s services, including chat, texting, and email.&nbsp; Text questions to 785-256-0733.&nbsp; The State Library is located on the 3rd floor, north wing of the Capitol.&nbsp;

Senator Elaine Bowers Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E 300 SW 10th St. Topeka, KS 66612 <a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a> 785-296-7389 <a href="https://elainebowers.com/" target="_blank">https://elainebowers.com/</a> <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>

Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas which includes:

* Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties * Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer and Logan * Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Greenwood, Plum, Rushville, Solomon (part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644853578448.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, 36th Dist." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, 36th Dist.</figcaption>
 </figure>2023 Senate Scene Week 3 January 30, 2023<a> </a>SENATE HAPPENINGSLast week the Senate standing committees continued to hold hearings and bring forward legislation. The Ways and Means Committee is starting to work the budget bill with subcommittee meetings to report to the full committee in a few weeks. Hearings on bills in committees are continuing with the Senate returning to General Orders where we will see the first committee bills to have a vote from the entire Senate.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a>STATE OF THE STATE</a>On Tuesday, January 24th, Governor Kelly gave her State of the State address, where she outlined her budget and priorities for Kansas which included tax cuts, increased funding to special education, water supply, Medicaid expansion, and the legalization of medical marijuana.&nbsp; The Governor’s agenda for this session had no surprises and several familiar themes. Governor Kelly reiterated her plans to “meet in the middle” with legislative leadership.&nbsp; She reiterated her desire to completely eliminate the food sales tax immediately, create a sales tax holiday for school supplies, and gradually cut taxes on Social Security income.&nbsp; The issue of cutting income tax on Social Security benefits is a positive first step as it has long been supported by legislatures over the years.&nbsp;&nbsp; The budget was released earlier in the month and Ways and Means has begun the process of sorting through the budget proposed by the governor’s office.&nbsp;MARCH AND RALLY FOR LIFEEarlier this week, hundreds of Kansans came out on a cold day for the annual March and Rally for Life at the Statehouse.&nbsp;&nbsp;On January 22, 1974, the first&nbsp;March For Life was held on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol. An estimated 20,000 committed pro-life Americans rallied this day with attendance numbers rising every year.&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to the march and rally, events include workshops, pro-life educational booths, capitol tours, visiting legislators, and attending general legislative sessions and committees.SENATE UTILITY COMMITTEETwo wind energy bills – SB46 and SB49 - received hearings in Senate Utilities last week.&nbsp; The bills are addressing&nbsp;light-mitigating technology systems and in particular&nbsp;ADLS&nbsp;(aircraft detection lighting system) which is a technology designed to reduce the impact of night-time&nbsp;lights.&nbsp; The latest radar-based&nbsp;system&nbsp;will only activate the&nbsp;lights&nbsp;when it detects low-flying aircraft nearby.&nbsp; SB49 will be for new construction moving forward and SB46 is retrospective for windfarms which are operating today.&nbsp; The goal of both bills will be to turn off the lights unless the radar system detects an aircraft. &nbsp;Each tower is also regulated by FAA for this technology and has the final approval at each location.&nbsp;<a>WILDFIRE TASK FORCE</a>Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam announced that the report of the Wildfire Task Force is not complete but will be available soon.&nbsp; He noted that the primary focus areas are: 1. Increased funding for weather monitoring through the MESONET program of Kansas State University; 2. More accurate reporting of wildfires to access federal financial support; 3.&nbsp;<a>Investigate ways to support volunteer firefighters (tax exemptions etc.) and incentivize employers to support volunteer firefighters</a>; 4. Improve communications systems for volunteers; 5. Investigate and mitigate causes of fires; 6. Increase awareness of steps citizens may take to reduce risk of fire (discussion included elimination of plant materials around structures, allow burn mitigation practices on CRP acres etc.). Representative Troy Waymaster and I both serve on The Wildfire Task Force committee.&nbsp;RURAL KANSAS LAWYER SHORTAGEKansas Chief Justice Marla Luckert recently created a new committee to study unmet legal need in rural Kansas. The ratio of attorneys to population in Kansas ranges from two for every 535 residents in urban areas to one for every 808 residents in rural areas. Eighty percent of Kansas attorneys live in six urban counties — Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte — which make up about half the state’s population. Citing American Bar Association data, 40% of all counties in the United States — 1,272 of 3,141 — have fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 residents. There are about four lawyers for every 1,000 residents nationally. Forty-three percent&nbsp;of Kansans live in rural areas, but only 20% of Kansas attorneys live in rural communities. This leaves an attorneys-to-population-ratio of one active attorney for every 808 residents. In contrast, Kansans in urban areas have two active attorneys for every 535 residents.&nbsp; This is a select committee I was assigned to and I am looking forward to working with the Judicial branch and others in our 18-month time frame to offer solutions for this problem which also exists in other states across the nation.&nbsp;&nbsp;The next meeting will be held February 10th, 2023.Kansas Day and Senate District #36January 29th&nbsp;of 2023 marked the 162th&nbsp;anniversary of President James Buchanan signing a bill to make Kansas the 34th&nbsp;state of the United States of America.&nbsp; Kansas is named for the Kansa, the Algonquian word for the Kaw.&nbsp;&nbsp; Kansas is full of rich history, beautiful scenes of nature, and notable landmarks.&nbsp; In Kansas Senate District 36, we have remarkable landmarks such as memorial to Pony Express Riders in Marshall County, the Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia, Rock City outside of Minneapolis, and the “Home on the Range Cabin” in Smith County, birthplace of our state song.&nbsp; “Home on the Range” was adopted by the Kansas State Legislature as the official state song on June 30, 1947.&nbsp; Along with our state song, Kansas has not one, but two official state marches, “The Kansas March” and “Here’s Kansas.”&nbsp; But while the marches are grand, nothing brings as much pride into the hearts of the residents of the Sunflower State as that of seeing our great flag dancing in the breeze.&nbsp; The flag was designed by Hazel Avery of Lincoln County in 1925.&nbsp; Directly in the center on the field of blue is the Great Seal of the State of Kansas with our motto arching near the top: “Ad Astra Per Aspera” to the stars through difficulties. The flag was modified in 1961 by a bill introduced by Senator Ross Doyen of Concordia to add the word “KANSAS.”VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF KANSAS -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansas.gov/" target="_blank">www.kansas.gov</a>You can find a wealth of information at this well-designed website which focuses on Kansas with topics of business, education, government, residents, and services with links to agencies and staff to help answer any question you might have.&nbsp; Webfile will take you directly to the Department of Revenue to file your taxes; Form finder will take you to the Secretary of State’s office for all types of forms for businesses; Learning Quest will direct you to the State Treasurer’s Office; the three branches of Government; and Plan your Trip to Kansas will open to the Department of Wildlife and Parks.&nbsp;&nbsp;TOLL-FREE LEGISLATIVE HOTLINEKansas residents can access information on legislation, legislative procedure, state government, public policy issues, and more by calling 1-800-432-3924.&nbsp; Calls are answered by experienced reference/research librarians at the State Library of Kansas and kept confidential.&nbsp; Lines are open weekdays 8 a.m. -5 p.m.&nbsp; Callers can also leave brief messages to be delivered to legislators as well as request copies of bills, journals, and other legislative documents.&nbsp; Questions can also be left at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:infodesk@ks.gov" target="_blank">infodesk@ks.gov</a>&nbsp;on weekends and evenings.&nbsp; Kansans can now chat with a librarian in real-time through the library’s Ask A Librarian service found at kslib.info/ask. You will have the option of installing a mobile app connecting users to all the State Library’s services, including chat, texting, and email.&nbsp; Text questions to 785-256-0733.&nbsp; The State Library is located on the 3rd floor, north wing of the Capitol.&nbsp;Thank you for the honor of serving you!Senator Elaine Bowers Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E 300 SW 10th St. Topeka, KS 66612 <a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a> 785-296-7389 <a href="https://elainebowers.com/" target="_blank">https://elainebowers.com/</a> <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a> Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas which includes: * Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties * Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer and Logan * Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Greenwood, Plum, Rushville, Solomon (part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut

BOWERS: 2023 Senate Scene, Week 3

Senator Rick Billinger Newsletter January 30, 2023

Last week, hundreds of Kansans came out on a cold day for the annual March and Rally for Life at the Statehouse. Senator Masterson addressed the crowd and further committed us to a culture of life, telling those gathered that, “It will be a cold day in you-know-what before we stop fighting to protect women and children, including unborn children.” Republicans will continue to support a culture of life in Kansas and work to reduce abortions through support for crisis pregnancy centers and preserving protections currently in law that are supported by the vast majority of Kansans.

A bill of interest to our rural committees is SB13. This bill will allow local broadcast companies to broadcast sporting events for our rural schools. Currently KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association) has contracted with NFHS network to broadcast sporting events across the state of Kansas. The contract with NFHS prohibits local broadcasters from broadcasting regular and post season activities. The proposed SB13 would allow local broadcasters to broadcast regular season activities and post season activities. Rural broadcasters have been denied access to stream or broadcast sporting activities when a school has contracted with NFHS. When a school is contracted with NFHS our listeners are then required to pay a fee to listen to their favorite team play.

The Local Government Committee is working on a bill which would allow county commissioners to appoint members to a hospital board who would reside in adjoining counties. Many times, in rural communities finding people who are willing to serve on boards, including hospital boards is difficult to accomplish.

This week the Senate Ways and Means Committee will start with subcommittee hearings on the budget. The budget committee plans to focus this session on paying of debt, putting additional money into the rainy-day fund, looking at bonds that are payable and finding opportunities to use federal dollars to fund onetime expenses.

My office has several dates available for 6th&nbsp;graders through high school to serve as a page. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. If your child is interested in being a page for my office the following dates are available:

February 6, 13, 20 or March 6th. Please contact Donna at 785-296-7399 to reserve a date.

I am honored and grateful to represent the 40th&nbsp;Senate District in Kansas. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me by email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov</a>&nbsp;or call me with your questions or concerns, my office number is 785-296-7399 or my cell is 785-899-4700. If you are in Topeka, stop by my office at 545-S.

Rick Billingr, R-Goodland, is the 40th District senator which includes:

* Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Rawlins,&nbsp;Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego and Wallace counties * Phillips County: Cities: Logan, Long Island, Prairie View, Speed;&nbsp;Townships: Beaver, Belmont, Dayton, Granite, Logan, Long Island, Mound, Plainview, Prairie View,&nbsp;Solomon (part) and Towanda

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644852447177.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, 40th Dist. File photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, 40th Dist. File photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Senator Rick Billinger Newsletter January 30, 2023Last week, hundreds of Kansans came out on a cold day for the annual March and Rally for Life at the Statehouse. Senator Masterson addressed the crowd and further committed us to a culture of life, telling those gathered that, “It will be a cold day in you-know-what before we stop fighting to protect women and children, including unborn children.” Republicans will continue to support a culture of life in Kansas and work to reduce abortions through support for crisis pregnancy centers and preserving protections currently in law that are supported by the vast majority of Kansans.A bill of interest to our rural committees is SB13. This bill will allow local broadcast companies to broadcast sporting events for our rural schools. Currently KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association) has contracted with NFHS network to broadcast sporting events across the state of Kansas. The contract with NFHS prohibits local broadcasters from broadcasting regular and post season activities. The proposed SB13 would allow local broadcasters to broadcast regular season activities and post season activities. Rural broadcasters have been denied access to stream or broadcast sporting activities when a school has contracted with NFHS. When a school is contracted with NFHS our listeners are then required to pay a fee to listen to their favorite team play.The Local Government Committee is working on a bill which would allow county commissioners to appoint members to a hospital board who would reside in adjoining counties. Many times, in rural communities finding people who are willing to serve on boards, including hospital boards is difficult to accomplish.This week the Senate Ways and Means Committee will start with subcommittee hearings on the budget. The budget committee plans to focus this session on paying of debt, putting additional money into the rainy-day fund, looking at bonds that are payable and finding opportunities to use federal dollars to fund onetime expenses.My office has several dates available for 6th&nbsp;graders through high school to serve as a page. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. If your child is interested in being a page for my office the following dates are available:February 6, 13, 20 or March 6th. Please contact Donna at 785-296-7399 to reserve a date.I am honored and grateful to represent the 40th&nbsp;Senate District in Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov</a>&nbsp;or call me with your questions or concerns, my office number is 785-296-7399 or my cell is 785-899-4700. If you are in Topeka, stop by my office at 545-S.Rick Billingr, R-Goodland, is the 40th District senator which includes:* Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Rawlins,&nbsp;Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego and Wallace counties * Phillips County: Cities: Logan, Long Island, Prairie View, Speed;&nbsp;Townships: Beaver, Belmont, Dayton, Granite, Logan, Long Island, Mound, Plainview, Prairie View,&nbsp;Solomon (part) and Towanda

BILLINGER: Senate Update, Jan. 30, 2023

By TISA MASON, BEN SCHEARS and ERIC BURK FHSU, Northwest Tech and NCK Tech presidents

Fort Hays State University, North Central Kansas Technical College, and Northwest Kansas Technical College have long been beacons of opportunity and drivers of economic prosperity in rural Kansas. We, the three presidents and creators of a new institutional affiliation initiative, believe it is now more essential than ever that every Kansan must have a chance to develop their talents, skills, and interests fully.&nbsp;

Our affiliation initiative was created to deliver solutions for rural Kansas. These include the development of market-smart academic programs, integrated student services, and leveraging new efficiencies and optimizations that reduce unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to student success. We will also create a powerful coalition of businesses, industries, and communities focused on increasing opportunities for our students, expanding entrepreneurship, and meeting local workforce development needs.

You may ask why this affiliation and why now? Simply put, our institutions exist to serve our students and communities. This is the true north that guides all of our work. Our shared responsibility is to recognize and embrace our role in creating opportunities for rural Kansans and their communities. Today and in the days ahead, our communities face significant demographic and economic challenges, including:&nbsp;

•A shrinking rural population:&nbsp;Experts from the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State forecast a 33 percent decline in rural populations in Kansas by 2064.&nbsp;•An aging workforce:&nbsp;According to the Administration on Aging, more than one-half-million people in Kansas are now over 60. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts nearly 25 percent of the state’s population will be 60 or older by 2030.•A decline in the number of college-bound students in rural Kansas:&nbsp;According to a 2018 report titled&nbsp;Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education, Kansas will see a 15 percent drop in college-going students by 2029.

The economic impact of these demographic changes is unfortunately straightforward: a declining workforce means a declining rural Kansas economy.

As we work to implement our initiative, our primary focus will be to deliver better and more effective solutions for the students, businesses, and communities we serve.&nbsp;

For students, our efforts will focus on increasing access and creating new pathways to achieve our students’ educational goals. These include opportunities to earn a certificate, secure stackable credentials, or earn an associate, bachelor, or graduate degree.&nbsp;

We also will create new hands-on learning opportunities, expand career networks, and deliver integrated professional advising services that help students navigate what we expect to be an expanding range of choices and options.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For employers, the partnership will grow the talent pipeline, create more experiential learning partnerships, and allow employers to shape how those programs are developed and delivered. Employers will also benefit from expanding access to employee professional/workforce development programs and services ranging from training and consulting programs to continuing education opportunities.&nbsp;

This affiliation will create opportunities for employers to engage with and assess prospective employees through micro internships and “earn as you learn” programs.&nbsp;These programs will allow employers to&nbsp;recruit and train future employees who are job and work-culture-ready on day one. Our initial academic pilot programs in agriculture, nursing, and construction were selected purposefully to address critical workforce needs in rural Kansas.

This affiliation will build stronger communities by addressing our demographic and workforce challenges. Our efforts will keep our graduates local so they can contribute to the vitality of our region through the careers they build and through their many contributions to the economic, social, and civic health of our hometowns.

To turn the tide against the threats facing our rural communities, we will need your help. Join us as we work to identify new opportunities and strengthen our ties to the communities we serve.

Each of our institutions is prepared to pursue this initiative from a position of strength and at a time when the challenges we face may be proactively addressed. Our efforts will forge stronger connections between our three institutions, our students, and the communities, businesses, and industries we serve.&nbsp;This affiliation initiative is the right move at the right time.

Follow our strategic affiliation initiative and share your feedback and questions online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/president/affiliation/">fhsu.edu/affiliation</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1675012264290.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By TISA MASON, BEN SCHEARS and ERIC BURK FHSU, Northwest Tech and NCK Tech presidentsFort Hays State University, North Central Kansas Technical College, and Northwest Kansas Technical College have long been beacons of opportunity and drivers of economic prosperity in rural Kansas. We, the three presidents and creators of a new institutional affiliation initiative, believe it is now more essential than ever that every Kansan must have a chance to develop their talents, skills, and interests fully.&nbsp;Our affiliation initiative was created to deliver solutions for rural Kansas. These include the development of market-smart academic programs, integrated student services, and leveraging new efficiencies and optimizations that reduce unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to student success. We will also create a powerful coalition of businesses, industries, and communities focused on increasing opportunities for our students, expanding entrepreneurship, and meeting local workforce development needs.You may ask why this affiliation and why now? Simply put, our institutions exist to serve our students and communities. This is the true north that guides all of our work. Our shared responsibility is to recognize and embrace our role in creating opportunities for rural Kansans and their communities. Today and in the days ahead, our communities face significant demographic and economic challenges, including:&nbsp;•A shrinking rural population:&nbsp;Experts from the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State forecast a 33 percent decline in rural populations in Kansas by 2064.&nbsp;•An aging workforce:&nbsp;According to the Administration on Aging, more than one-half-million people in Kansas are now over 60. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts nearly 25 percent of the state’s population will be 60 or older by 2030.•A decline in the number of college-bound students in rural Kansas:&nbsp;According to a 2018 report titled&nbsp;Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education, Kansas will see a 15 percent drop in college-going students by 2029.The economic impact of these demographic changes is unfortunately straightforward: a declining workforce means a declining rural Kansas economy.As we work to implement our initiative, our primary focus will be to deliver better and more effective solutions for the students, businesses, and communities we serve.&nbsp;For students, our efforts will focus on increasing access and creating new pathways to achieve our students’ educational goals. These include opportunities to earn a certificate, secure stackable credentials, or earn an associate, bachelor, or graduate degree.&nbsp;We also will create new hands-on learning opportunities, expand career networks, and deliver integrated professional advising services that help students navigate what we expect to be an expanding range of choices and options.&nbsp;&nbsp;For employers, the partnership will grow the talent pipeline, create more experiential learning partnerships, and allow employers to shape how those programs are developed and delivered. Employers will also benefit from expanding access to employee professional/workforce development programs and services ranging from training and consulting programs to continuing education opportunities.&nbsp;This affiliation will create opportunities for employers to engage with and assess prospective employees through micro internships and “earn as you learn” programs.&nbsp;These programs will allow employers to&nbsp;recruit and train future employees who are job and work-culture-ready on day one. Our initial academic pilot programs in agriculture, nursing, and construction were selected purposefully to address critical workforce needs in rural Kansas.This affiliation will build stronger communities by addressing our demographic and workforce challenges. Our efforts will keep our graduates local so they can contribute to the vitality of our region through the careers they build and through their many contributions to the economic, social, and civic health of our hometowns.To turn the tide against the threats facing our rural communities, we will need your help. Join us as we work to identify new opportunities and strengthen our ties to the communities we serve.Each of our institutions is prepared to pursue this initiative from a position of strength and at a time when the challenges we face may be proactively addressed. Our efforts will forge stronger connections between our three institutions, our students, and the communities, businesses, and industries we serve.&nbsp;This affiliation initiative is the right move at the right time.Follow our strategic affiliation initiative and share your feedback and questions online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/president/affiliation/">fhsu.edu/affiliation</a>.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Presidents: Affiliation plan a powerful step forward for rural Kansas

One of the simplest ways to define politics is as a struggle for power.

This power struggle has flared up again. The legislature began their 2023 session by introducing a bill that would further disrupt the current power division between state and local and also undermine Kansas voters.

Often, in Topeka, this is a struggle between parties — Republicans versus Democrats — or between branches — the legislature versus the governor. But more and more often over the past few years we have seen the struggle for power play out as state government versus local government.

As you may recall, following the outbreak of COVID-19, the state legislature restricted localities’ ability to respond to the pandemic.

Last year, the state legislature also banned cities from declaring themselves “sanctuary cities” and from restricting single-use items such as bags, cups, and other packaging made of plastic — Governor Kelly signed the former and vetoed the latter.

Now, under current Kansas law, localities cannot regulate abortion services. That power is left to the state alone. This law was originally put in place to prevent certain cities from making access to abortion easier than could be found under state law.&nbsp;

Now however, following the state Supreme Court’s 2019&nbsp;Hodes&nbsp;decision and the failure of the “Value Them Both” amendment last August, it effectively prevents cities from restricting access to abortion services in opposition to the statewide constitutional protection.

Legislation has been introduced that would repeal this law, allowing localities to ban abortion.

On August 2, 2022, Kansans spoke loud and clear about their desire to protect access to abortion services in our state. The “Value Them Both” amendment was a resounding failure.

Not only does this bill show a lack of respect for the large number of voters who made their voices heard last August, but also for Home Rule, which is protected in the state constitution. Should it pass it would further establish a precedent that localities can be used as political pawns at the whims of the legislature.

Any restrictions would still be unconstitutional under the state constitution, but would set the stage for localities to challenge the state and create yet another power tug of war.

Kansans made their position clear twice last election cycle, in both the primary and the general election. They don’t want to increase the legislature’s power.

Across our country and our state, trust in government is at an all time low precisely because of actions such as these.

In the 2022 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey distributed by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, a mere thirty-one percent of Kansans expressed satisfaction with the performance of the state legislature.

And yet, legislators are supposed to be representing our voice in government.

As we celebrate Kansas Day on January 29, let’s not forget the long struggle for home rule and popular sovereignty that led to our statehood.

Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633377761670.jpeg" alt="Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University." />
 <figcaption>Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.</figcaption>
 </figure>One of the simplest ways to define politics is as a struggle for power.This power struggle has flared up again. The legislature began their 2023 session by introducing a bill that would further disrupt the current power division between state and local and also undermine Kansas voters.Often, in Topeka, this is a struggle between parties — Republicans versus Democrats — or between branches — the legislature versus the governor. But more and more often over the past few years we have seen the struggle for power play out as state government versus local government.As you may recall, following the outbreak of COVID-19, the state legislature restricted localities’ ability to respond to the pandemic.Last year, the state legislature also banned cities from declaring themselves “sanctuary cities” and from restricting single-use items such as bags, cups, and other packaging made of plastic — Governor Kelly signed the former and vetoed the latter.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Now, under current Kansas law, localities cannot regulate abortion services. That power is left to the state alone. This law was originally put in place to prevent certain cities from making access to abortion easier than could be found under state law.&nbsp;Now however, following the state Supreme Court’s 2019&nbsp;Hodes&nbsp;decision and the failure of the “Value Them Both” amendment last August, it effectively prevents cities from restricting access to abortion services in opposition to the statewide constitutional protection.Legislation has been introduced that would repeal this law, allowing localities to ban abortion.On August 2, 2022, Kansans spoke loud and clear about their desire to protect access to abortion services in our state. The “Value Them Both” amendment was a resounding failure.Not only does this bill show a lack of respect for the large number of voters who made their voices heard last August, but also for Home Rule, which is protected in the state constitution. Should it pass it would further establish a precedent that localities can be used as political pawns at the whims of the legislature.Any restrictions would still be unconstitutional under the state constitution, but would set the stage for localities to challenge the state and create yet another power tug of war.Kansans made their position clear twice last election cycle, in both the primary and the general election. They don’t want to increase the legislature’s power.Across our country and our state, trust in government is at an all time low precisely because of actions such as these.In the 2022 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey distributed by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, a mere thirty-one percent of Kansans expressed satisfaction with the performance of the state legislature.And yet, legislators are supposed to be representing our voice in government.As we celebrate Kansas Day on January 29, let’s not forget the long struggle for home rule and popular sovereignty that led to our statehood.Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Let's not forget home rule, popular sovereignty

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

The call came while she was sitting with her dad at a pizza place. Essentially, the message was: “Sorry, we’re canceling our entire order from your business.”&nbsp;

Since that was all the product that she had to sell, it seemed like disaster. But this was just a turning point in the development of what has become a remarkable business in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Jacquelyne Leffler is the founder of Leffler Prime Performance, a direct-to-consumer beef marketing business that she operates in conjunction with her family’s farm. She lives on the place where she grew up, near the rural community of Americus, population 776 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

“We’re the fourth generation on the farm,” Leffler said. “Our family has been here since 1941.”&nbsp;

The Lefflers produce beef cattle, corn, soybeans and wheat.&nbsp;

“My sister and I grew up in 4-H,” Leffler said. “My grandfather would give us a steer for 4-H each year, but the proceeds from the steer’s sale had to go into a savings account for our college education.”&nbsp;

She noticed that some local people would buy those steers directly after the fair.&nbsp;

Leffler was also involved in sports. She found she especially enjoyed track and field.&nbsp;

“We had a new teacher who had been a collegiate track and field coach, so he really helped develop our talents,” Leffler said. At Northern Heights High School, she became an eight-time state champion in the shotput and discus and was highly recruited nationally.&nbsp;

“I had coaches from Oregon to North Carolina sitting in my living room, but I’m a Kansas kid,” Leffler said. On her birthday in 2008, at her local church, she signed a letter of intent to Kansas State.&nbsp;

She would go on to a successful collegiate career, scoring highly at the Big 12 and NCAA national championships. After graduation, she coached track and field for two years at Emporia State while helping her dad and grandpa on the farm. Then she began coaching track and field athletes on her own. Now she is also working with a nearby sports academy.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, she saw an opportunity to add value to her family’s beef sales by doing direct marketing to consumers. She started with five head of cattle and reached a deal with a retail outlet to buy them. Then she got a call while she happened to be sitting at a pizza restaurant with her dad: The retailer was backing out of the deal.&nbsp;

Leffler had her entire inventory of five head ready to go to market, but suddenly there was no buyer. “I thought it was the end,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;She put a post on Facebook and essentially said, “If anybody needs beef, let us know.”&nbsp;

“The community rallied around me,” Leffler said. Friends and neighbors stepped up to buy the beef.&nbsp;

“I saw the power of social media and community,” she said. She grew her direct beef marketing business. Then the COVID pandemic hit and demand for local beef exploded.&nbsp;&nbsp;She started connecting with consumers and other producers in a big way. She also noticed that customers would purchase a half or quarter of beef, but didn’t know how to prepare beef cuts.&nbsp;

“The Kansas Beef Council had boxes of beef recipe books that they couldn’t take to trade shows that were cancelled due to COVID, so they made those available to me,” Leffler said. “The beef checkoff did a lot for us.”&nbsp;

Today, Leffler Prime Performance is marketing retail and custom beef to states throughout the Midwest. “I enjoy putting high quality protein in local people’s freezers at an affordable price,” Leffler said. “God has really provided me with the best support system,” she said.&nbsp;

For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lefflerprimeperformance.com/">www.lefflerprimeperformance.com</a>.&nbsp;

The call cancelling her first order came while she was out with her dad, but it was only a curve on her journey to success. We commend Jacquelyne Leffler for making a difference with creatively marketing her family’s products. Her decision to market those products directly was a good call.&nbsp;

What about that local sports academy?&nbsp;&nbsp;We’ll learn about that next week.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674656374396.png" alt="Jacquelyne Leffler / Courtesy K-State Extension" />
 <figcaption>Jacquelyne Leffler / Courtesy K-State Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;The call came while she was sitting with her dad at a pizza place. Essentially, the message was: “Sorry, we’re canceling our entire order from your business.”&nbsp;Since that was all the product that she had to sell, it seemed like disaster. But this was just a turning point in the development of what has become a remarkable business in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jacquelyne Leffler is the founder of Leffler Prime Performance, a direct-to-consumer beef marketing business that she operates in conjunction with her family’s farm. She lives on the place where she grew up, near the rural community of Americus, population 776 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;“We’re the fourth generation on the farm,” Leffler said. “Our family has been here since 1941.”&nbsp;The Lefflers produce beef cattle, corn, soybeans and wheat.&nbsp;“My sister and I grew up in 4-H,” Leffler said. “My grandfather would give us a steer for 4-H each year, but the proceeds from the steer’s sale had to go into a savings account for our college education.”&nbsp;She noticed that some local people would buy those steers directly after the fair.&nbsp;Leffler was also involved in sports. She found she especially enjoyed track and field.&nbsp;“We had a new teacher who had been a collegiate track and field coach, so he really helped develop our talents,” Leffler said. At Northern Heights High School, she became an eight-time state champion in the shotput and discus and was highly recruited nationally.&nbsp;“I had coaches from Oregon to North Carolina sitting in my living room, but I’m a Kansas kid,” Leffler said. On her birthday in 2008, at her local church, she signed a letter of intent to Kansas State.&nbsp;She would go on to a successful collegiate career, scoring highly at the Big 12 and NCAA national championships. After graduation, she coached track and field for two years at Emporia State while helping her dad and grandpa on the farm. Then she began coaching track and field athletes on her own. Now she is also working with a nearby sports academy.&nbsp;Meanwhile, she saw an opportunity to add value to her family’s beef sales by doing direct marketing to consumers. She started with five head of cattle and reached a deal with a retail outlet to buy them. Then she got a call while she happened to be sitting at a pizza restaurant with her dad: The retailer was backing out of the deal.&nbsp;Leffler had her entire inventory of five head ready to go to market, but suddenly there was no buyer. “I thought it was the end,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;She put a post on Facebook and essentially said, “If anybody needs beef, let us know.”&nbsp;“The community rallied around me,” Leffler said. Friends and neighbors stepped up to buy the beef.&nbsp;“I saw the power of social media and community,” she said. She grew her direct beef marketing business. Then the COVID pandemic hit and demand for local beef exploded.&nbsp;&nbsp;She started connecting with consumers and other producers in a big way. She also noticed that customers would purchase a half or quarter of beef, but didn’t know how to prepare beef cuts.&nbsp;“The Kansas Beef Council had boxes of beef recipe books that they couldn’t take to trade shows that were cancelled due to COVID, so they made those available to me,” Leffler said. “The beef checkoff did a lot for us.”&nbsp;Today, Leffler Prime Performance is marketing retail and custom beef to states throughout the Midwest. “I enjoy putting high quality protein in local people’s freezers at an affordable price,” Leffler said. “God has really provided me with the best support system,” she said.&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lefflerprimeperformance.com/">www.lefflerprimeperformance.com</a>.&nbsp;The call cancelling her first order came while she was out with her dad, but it was only a curve on her journey to success. We commend Jacquelyne Leffler for making a difference with creatively marketing her family’s products. Her decision to market those products directly was a good call.&nbsp;What about that local sports academy?&nbsp;&nbsp;We’ll learn about that next week.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Leffler Prime Performance 

Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, is the Kansas House&nbsp;Appropriations Chairman and 109th District state representative which includes:

* Osborne, Russell, and Smith Counties * Barton County: Cities: Albert, Claflin, Galatia, Odin, Olmitz and Susank; Townships: Beaver, Cheyenne, Clarence, Cleveland, Fairview, Grant, Independent, Logan, Union, Walnut and Wheatland * Jewell County: Cities: Burr Oak, Esbon and Mankato; Townships: Athens, Browns Creek, Burr Oak, Calvin, Center, Erving, Esbon, Harrison, Highland, Holmwood, Ionia, Limestone, Odessa, Walnut and White Mound * Lincoln County: Cities: Lincoln Center (part) and Sylvan Grove; Townships: Battle Creek, Beaver (part), Cedron, Elkhorn (part), Golden Belt, Grant, Hanover, Highland, Indiana, Marion, Orange, Pleasant, Valley and Vesper * Rush County: Cities: Bison, Otis, Rush Center and Timken; Townships: Banner, Center, Garfield, Illinois, Lone Star, Pioneer and Pleasantdale

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633970422056.jpeg" alt="Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, 109th Dist.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, 109th Dist.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674766299953.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674766368119.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, is the Kansas House&nbsp;Appropriations Chairman and 109th District state representative which includes:* Osborne, Russell, and Smith Counties * Barton County: Cities: Albert, Claflin, Galatia, Odin, Olmitz and Susank; Townships: Beaver, Cheyenne, Clarence, Cleveland, Fairview, Grant, Independent, Logan, Union, Walnut and Wheatland * Jewell County: Cities: Burr Oak, Esbon and Mankato; Townships: Athens, Browns Creek, Burr Oak, Calvin, Center, Erving, Esbon, Harrison, Highland, Holmwood, Ionia, Limestone, Odessa, Walnut and White Mound * Lincoln County: Cities: Lincoln Center (part) and Sylvan Grove; Townships: Battle Creek, Beaver (part), Cedron, Elkhorn (part), Golden Belt, Grant, Hanover, Highland, Indiana, Marion, Orange, Pleasant, Valley and Vesper * Rush County: Cities: Bison, Otis, Rush Center and Timken; Townships: Banner, Center, Garfield, Illinois, Lone Star, Pioneer and Pleasantdale

WAYMASTER: From the Dome to Home, Jan. 27, 2023

By LAURA HAFFNER Ellis County farmer Farmers and ranchers are some of the most resilient people I know. They weather incredible odds, pun intended, from droughts, to floods, fire, hail, blizzards and more. This doesn’t even touch the volatile input costs, family dynamics, inflation and increased regulations we are seeing. Despite these adversities, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and continue to provide for our families while often being the first to give the shirts off our own backs for a neighbor in need. But what happens when that proverbial bootstrap snaps? Do we fix it right away and make it whole again, or do we slap a little duct tape and bailing wire on it and call it good? While that solution may work for a short time, the tape will eventually lose its sticky and the wire will start poking one in the calf. That’s when a whole new set of challenges surface. In my own life, agriculture has provided me with some of life’s greatest highs, but it has also contributed to some of my darkest lows. It is curious how something we love so much can cause so much stress, and we often ignore or fail to address the signs.&nbsp; Several years ago, I invited a counselor with an agriculture background to my classroom. He walked students through an exercise where they wrote down all the agriculture-related stressors they could think of. Within a few short minutes, one group had listed more than 40. Upon evaluation, class members determined the only thing in all those items we could control was ourselves. That left more than 40 other major items that we had little to no control over. Talk about the perfect storm for some real stress in our industry! Using the results from the exercise, our guest speaker guided us through an eye-opening experience to help us learn how we view and handle our stress. Those in the room realized they weren’t alone, and there are others who have experienced similar stressors. That may have been just as powerful as any coping skill we could have learned — we are not alone in the battles we face in agriculture.&nbsp; Some battles we face are short and quick. They may annoyingly take our time and make us uncomfortable, but we can quickly adjust to take on another day. Some battles rage on for months and even years. Even the toughest, most resilient warriors can get worn down. In some cases, the burden is so great it feels like the battle may never end or we may be left behind on the field. But it doesn’t have to be that way.&nbsp; Our fellow members within the Farm Bureau family are standing up and recognizing that something needs to change. Farmers and ranchers are passionate about this topic because we’ve lived it or have seen our families and friends struggle with it. We are sounding the alarm, rallying the troops and fighting alongside each other to ensure no one is left on the field alone.&nbsp; Maybe you know something needs to change mentally but taking that first step to attack the topic of mental health is scary. Maybe the first step is opening up to a trusted friend, family member, doctor, pastor or exploring some resources to learn more. Perhaps you’re not experiencing any of your own mental health battles at the moment but would like to learn how to be an ally.&nbsp; While these don’t substitute for the opinion of a health care professional, Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) has been building an arsenal of resources that may serve as good place to start. You can find them by searching for Rural Minds Matter at&nbsp;<a href="http://kfb.org/">kfb.org</a>. “Kansas Living,” KFB’s quarterly lifestyle magazine, featured three members who have experienced challenges, and are working to help themselves and others. Read more at<a href="https://kfb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=45bba928f411d21617c5eadbe&amp;id=8ebc3f402e&amp;e=5bf0f0e5fe">www.kansaslivingmagazine.com</a>&nbsp;or visit KFB’s YouTube channel to hear their stories firsthand.&nbsp;KFB’s Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) teamed up with KFB’s Young Farmers &amp; Ranchers Committee at the organization’s annual meeting in December for a three-part farm family resilience workshop series. The WLC also plans to host a women’s wellness retreat in November. These are just a few examples of how farmers and ranchers are mobilizing and working together to offer a hand to friends and family when a bootstrap wears thin. It will take all of us doing our part to end the stigma, but together we can help ourselves, friends, families and communities continue to be healthy and resilient.&nbsp; If you or someone you know are experiencing an immediate emergency, call or text the national suicide hotline at 998.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674486447566.jpeg" alt="Laura Haffner" />
 <figcaption>Laura Haffner</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURA HAFFNER Ellis County farmer Farmers and ranchers are some of the most resilient people I know. They weather incredible odds, pun intended, from droughts, to floods, fire, hail, blizzards and more. This doesn’t even touch the volatile input costs, family dynamics, inflation and increased regulations we are seeing. Despite these adversities, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and continue to provide for our families while often being the first to give the shirts off our own backs for a neighbor in need. But what happens when that proverbial bootstrap snaps? Do we fix it right away and make it whole again, or do we slap a little duct tape and bailing wire on it and call it good? While that solution may work for a short time, the tape will eventually lose its sticky and the wire will start poking one in the calf. That’s when a whole new set of challenges surface. In my own life, agriculture has provided me with some of life’s greatest highs, but it has also contributed to some of my darkest lows. It is curious how something we love so much can cause so much stress, and we often ignore or fail to address the signs.&nbsp; Several years ago, I invited a counselor with an agriculture background to my classroom. He walked students through an exercise where they wrote down all the agriculture-related stressors they could think of. Within a few short minutes, one group had listed more than 40. Upon evaluation, class members determined the only thing in all those items we could control was ourselves. That left more than 40 other major items that we had little to no control over. Talk about the perfect storm for some real stress in our industry! Using the results from the exercise, our guest speaker guided us through an eye-opening experience to help us learn how we view and handle our stress. Those in the room realized they weren’t alone, and there are others who have experienced similar stressors. That may have been just as powerful as any coping skill we could have learned — we are not alone in the battles we face in agriculture.&nbsp; Some battles we face are short and quick. They may annoyingly take our time and make us uncomfortable, but we can quickly adjust to take on another day. Some battles rage on for months and even years. Even the toughest, most resilient warriors can get worn down. In some cases, the burden is so great it feels like the battle may never end or we may be left behind on the field. But it doesn’t have to be that way.&nbsp; Our fellow members within the Farm Bureau family are standing up and recognizing that something needs to change. Farmers and ranchers are passionate about this topic because we’ve lived it or have seen our families and friends struggle with it. We are sounding the alarm, rallying the troops and fighting alongside each other to ensure no one is left on the field alone.&nbsp; Maybe you know something needs to change mentally but taking that first step to attack the topic of mental health is scary. Maybe the first step is opening up to a trusted friend, family member, doctor, pastor or exploring some resources to learn more. Perhaps you’re not experiencing any of your own mental health battles at the moment but would like to learn how to be an ally.&nbsp; While these don’t substitute for the opinion of a health care professional, Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) has been building an arsenal of resources that may serve as good place to start. You can find them by searching for Rural Minds Matter at&nbsp;<a href="http://kfb.org/">kfb.org</a>. “Kansas Living,” KFB’s quarterly lifestyle magazine, featured three members who have experienced challenges, and are working to help themselves and others. Read more at<a href="https://kfb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=45bba928f411d21617c5eadbe&amp;id=8ebc3f402e&amp;e=5bf0f0e5fe">www.kansaslivingmagazine.com</a>&nbsp;or visit KFB’s YouTube channel to hear their stories firsthand.&nbsp;KFB’s Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) teamed up with KFB’s Young Farmers &amp; Ranchers Committee at the organization’s annual meeting in December for a three-part farm family resilience workshop series. The WLC also plans to host a women’s wellness retreat in November. These are just a few examples of how farmers and ranchers are mobilizing and working together to offer a hand to friends and family when a bootstrap wears thin. It will take all of us doing our part to end the stigma, but together we can help ourselves, friends, families and communities continue to be healthy and resilient.&nbsp; If you or someone you know are experiencing an immediate emergency, call or text the national suicide hotline at 998."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Rural minds matter

By DOUG WILLIAMS Executive Director, Grow Hays

&nbsp;The
Greek philosopher Aristotle is credited with being the first to coin the
concept that the “whole is greater than
the sum of the parts.” Some call it synergy. In sports, it is referred to
as teamwork, but regardless of how it is described, it is the secret sauce that
can make great things happen.&nbsp;

At Grow Hays, we are blessed to be a
participant in several of these projects.

The Heart of America Development housing
project in the Tallgrass 2nd Addition, located east of the NCK campus on East
22nd street, is a great example. Grow Hays, a local not-for-profit
organization, partnered with Heart of America Development, a not-for-profit developer,
to create a development for workforce housing. Still, it took many others to
make this happen.&nbsp; The property owner,
the Lusk family from Wichita, Kansas, agreed to sell the land below market
value to facilitate a more viable project. Using the State of Kansas Rural
Housing Incentive District (RHID), the City of Hays, Ellis County, and USD 489
agreed to delay their shares of property tax revenues generated from the homes
constructed. Add to this a group of local builders committing to build multiple
homes and maintain a price point for the homes below market value. And all of
this occurred in the middle of the pandemic.&nbsp;

The results have been outstanding. The street
improvements for the 36 lots in Phase 1 were completed in the fall of 2021. In
the 14 months since then, all 36 homes have sold. 19 homes have been completed
and are now occupied, 17 are under construction, with 5 nearing completion, and
the remaining 12 will be finished this summer. The buyers have included
first-time homeowners, people relocating to Hays, and existing homeowners who
have sold their existing homes, thus providing housing inventory to a very
tight market. In addition, due to the use of an RHID, all homeowners will enjoy
their new homes without the burden of special assessments for street and
infrastructure improvements. Street and infrastructure improvements on the 18
lots in Phase 2 are nearing completion, and new home construction will commence
this spring. 

Our entire community has benefited from this
project. It has created over $10,000,000 in direct economic impact. It has
provided desperately needed housing to the local market. It has created jobs
and revenue for general contractors, plumbers, electricians, framers,
drywallers, appliance stores, material providers, flooring providers, lenders,
and many others. 

Another great example is the Grow Hays
MicroFactory project. In March of 2022, Grow Hays was awarded a 2.63 million
dollar BASE Grant from the State of Kansas to construct a 30,000-square-foot
MicroFactory facility. A MicroFactory is a business incubator for manufacturing
startups and small manufacturers looking to grow their businesses. In addition
to the BASE Grant, Grow Hays received a $500,000 grant from the Patterson
Family Foundation, a donation of land valued at $275,000 from the Heart of
America Development Corporation, Industrial Revenue Bonds from the City of
Hays, and a loan with very favorable terms from the Northwest Kansas Economic
Innovation Center. 

In addition to the immediate $4 million dollar
direct economic impact this project will create, it will also generate economic
benefits for our community for decades to come. The tenants in the MicroFactory
will provide employment opportunities for community members, purchase goods and
services locally, and ultimately when they outgrow their space, will relocate
to their own facility freeing up their space for the next tenant. This process
will be repeated again and again.

These two examples are not only impactful
projects occurring in our community, but they do represent what can happen when
a group of organizations who are dedicated to making our community a better
place come together to make “the whole
greater than the sum of the parts”&nbsp;1+1=3.

<div><iframe title="Grow Hays exec. director discusses recently released building permit data" allowtransparency="true" height="450" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=j59e9-1370ff7-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=450" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By DOUG WILLIAMS Executive Director, Grow Hays&nbsp;The
Greek philosopher Aristotle is credited with being the first to coin the
concept that the “whole is greater than
the sum of the parts.” Some call it synergy. In sports, it is referred to
as teamwork, but regardless of how it is described, it is the secret sauce that
can make great things happen.&nbsp; At Grow Hays, we are blessed to be a
participant in several of these projects.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632709486720.jpeg" alt="Doug Williams / Hays Post file photo" />
 <figcaption>Doug Williams / Hays Post file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The Heart of America Development housing
project in the Tallgrass 2nd Addition, located east of the NCK campus on East
22nd street, is a great example. Grow Hays, a local not-for-profit
organization, partnered with Heart of America Development, a not-for-profit developer,
to create a development for workforce housing. Still, it took many others to
make this happen.&nbsp; The property owner,
the Lusk family from Wichita, Kansas, agreed to sell the land below market
value to facilitate a more viable project. Using the State of Kansas Rural
Housing Incentive District (RHID), the City of Hays, Ellis County, and USD 489
agreed to delay their shares of property tax revenues generated from the homes
constructed. Add to this a group of local builders committing to build multiple
homes and maintain a price point for the homes below market value. And all of
this occurred in the middle of the pandemic.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574881377018.jpeg" alt="Grow Hays" />
 <figcaption>Grow Hays</figcaption>
 </figure>The results have been outstanding. The street
improvements for the 36 lots in Phase 1 were completed in the fall of 2021. In
the 14 months since then, all 36 homes have sold. 19 homes have been completed
and are now occupied, 17 are under construction, with 5 nearing completion, and
the remaining 12 will be finished this summer. The buyers have included
first-time homeowners, people relocating to Hays, and existing homeowners who
have sold their existing homes, thus providing housing inventory to a very
tight market. In addition, due to the use of an RHID, all homeowners will enjoy
their new homes without the burden of special assessments for street and
infrastructure improvements. Street and infrastructure improvements on the 18
lots in Phase 2 are nearing completion, and new home construction will commence
this spring. Our entire community has benefited from this
project. It has created over $10,000,000 in direct economic impact. It has
provided desperately needed housing to the local market. It has created jobs
and revenue for general contractors, plumbers, electricians, framers,
drywallers, appliance stores, material providers, flooring providers, lenders,
and many others. Another great example is the Grow Hays
MicroFactory project. In March of 2022, Grow Hays was awarded a 2.63 million
dollar BASE Grant from the State of Kansas to construct a 30,000-square-foot
MicroFactory facility. A MicroFactory is a business incubator for manufacturing
startups and small manufacturers looking to grow their businesses. In addition
to the BASE Grant, Grow Hays received a $500,000 grant from the Patterson
Family Foundation, a donation of land valued at $275,000 from the Heart of
America Development Corporation, Industrial Revenue Bonds from the City of
Hays, and a loan with very favorable terms from the Northwest Kansas Economic
Innovation Center. In addition to the immediate $4 million dollar
direct economic impact this project will create, it will also generate economic
benefits for our community for decades to come. The tenants in the MicroFactory
will provide employment opportunities for community members, purchase goods and
services locally, and ultimately when they outgrow their space, will relocate
to their own facility freeing up their space for the next tenant. This process
will be repeated again and again.These two examples are not only impactful
projects occurring in our community, but they do represent what can happen when
a group of organizations who are dedicated to making our community a better
place come together to make “the whole
greater than the sum of the parts”&nbsp;1+1=3.

🎙 WILLIAMS: 1 plus 1 equals 3

The 2023 Kansas Legislative Session officially commenced on Monday, January 9, 2023. It truly is an honor to serve the constituents of the 109th Kansas House District and to remain as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

On Tuesday, January 10, House and Senate Leadership unveiled their plan for the 2023 Legislative Session in regards to an array of areas from taxes to the economy.

The plan calls to pass a balanced budget that eliminates wasteful spending, pay down our debt, and adds more money to the Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy-Day Fund.

During the announcement, leadership expressed the desire to make the tax code flatter and simple to assist families and businesses. Reducing the tax burden on retirees and families was also included in the “A Better Way.”

In regards to the economy, the plan prohibits ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing in the state retirement system and post-secondary institutions. It would authorize the Attorney General to investigate companies that conspire to constrain the fossil fuel industry. It would also prohibit state investment in entities owned or operated by hostile foreign governments.

There were also other areas of interest in the “A Better Way” plan that would address education, workforce development, healthcare, law enforcement and the state budget, which I will address in subsequent newsletters.

This announcement of the “A Better Way” was introduced prior to Governor Kelly’s budget on Thursday, January 12.

The first week of the Kansas Legislative Session was a light week for the House Appropriations Committee. On January 12, we held a joint committee meeting with the members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee to have the details of the Governor’s budget publicly released. The Budget Director for the state of Kansas released the details of the budget, which I will discuss in the next section. On January 18, we had an update on the Budget Stabilization Fund, the expenditures from the SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas) process, and update on the Docking Building. Thursday, we discussed the report from the Legislative Task Force on Community and Technical Colleges and had a discussion of the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) grants for economic development purposes with the institutions of higher education.

As mentioned above, the Governor’s proposed budget was introduced on Thursday, January 12. Here are some of the details of her budget:

· Full elimination of the state level sales tax on food to this year;

· Adding a four day “Back-to-School” sales tax holiday starting September 2023;

· Increasing the exemption on Social Security income tax.

· Deposit $500 million in the Budget Stabilization Fund;

· Add $220 million to the Infrastructure Leveraging

· Fund to unlock streams of Federal dollars that have either matching requirements or competitive grants;

· The retiring of two lake reservoir debts early and paying cash for the state share of the new Veterans Home.

The Governor’s proposed budget estimates that the ending balance in fiscal year 2024 would be $1.984 billion and that would not include the $500 million transferred to the Budget Stabilization, which make the balance of that fund over $1.5 billion.

· The Legislative Research Department is now dissecting the Governor’s budget. We will soon have the budgets reported back to the House Appropriations Committee.

Anytime that you would like to participate and listen to the developments of committee hearings or discussion on the House floor, you can tune in by visiting the live footage at <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>.

As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me 785-296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, or email me at troy.waymaster@house.ks.gov. Please contact me regarding any issues and legislation that we are discussing during session.

It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the

* Osborne, Russell, and Smith Counties * Barton County: Cities: Albert, Claflin, Galatia, Odin, Olmitz and Susank; Townships: Beaver, Cheyenne, Clarence, Cleveland, Fairview, Grant, Independent, Logan, Union, Walnut and Wheatland * Jewell County: Cities: Burr Oak, Esbon and Mankato; Townships: Athens, Browns Creek, Burr Oak, Calvin, Center, Erving, Esbon, Harrison, Highland, Holmwood, Ionia, Limestone, Odessa, Walnut and White Mound * Lincoln County: Cities: Lincoln Center (part) and Sylvan Grove; Townships: Battle Creek, Beaver (part), Cedron, Elkhorn (part), Golden Belt, Grant, Hanover, Highland, Indiana, Marion, Orange, Pleasant, Valley and Vesper * Rush County: Cities: Bison, Otis, Rush Center and Timken; Townships: Banner, Center, Garfield, Illinois, Lone Star, Pioneer and Pleasantdale

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633970422056.jpeg" alt="Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, 109th Kansas House" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, 109th Kansas House</figcaption>
 </figure>January 23, 2023The "A Better Way"The 2023 Kansas Legislative Session officially commenced on Monday, January 9, 2023. It truly is an honor to serve the constituents of the 109th Kansas House District and to remain as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.On Tuesday, January 10, House and Senate Leadership unveiled their plan for the 2023 Legislative Session in regards to an array of areas from taxes to the economy.The plan calls to pass a balanced budget that eliminates wasteful spending, pay down our debt, and adds more money to the Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy-Day Fund.During the announcement, leadership expressed the desire to make the tax code flatter and simple to assist families and businesses. Reducing the tax burden on retirees and families was also included in the “A Better Way.”In regards to the economy, the plan prohibits ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing in the state retirement system and post-secondary institutions. It would authorize the Attorney General to investigate companies that conspire to constrain the fossil fuel industry. It would also prohibit state investment in entities owned or operated by hostile foreign governments.There were also other areas of interest in the “A Better Way” plan that would address education, workforce development, healthcare, law enforcement and the state budget, which I will address in subsequent newsletters.This announcement of the “A Better Way” was introduced prior to Governor Kelly’s budget on Thursday, January 12.Appropriations CommitteeThe first week of the Kansas Legislative Session was a light week for the House Appropriations Committee. On January 12, we held a joint committee meeting with the members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee to have the details of the Governor’s budget publicly released. The Budget Director for the state of Kansas released the details of the budget, which I will discuss in the next section. On January 18, we had an update on the Budget Stabilization Fund, the expenditures from the SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas) process, and update on the Docking Building. Thursday, we discussed the report from the Legislative Task Force on Community and Technical Colleges and had a discussion of the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) grants for economic development purposes with the institutions of higher education.Governor’s BudgetAs mentioned above, the Governor’s proposed budget was introduced on Thursday, January 12. Here are some of the details of her budget:· Full elimination of the state level sales tax on food to this year;· Adding a four day “Back-to-School” sales tax holiday starting September 2023;· Increasing the exemption on Social Security income tax.She has also proposed the following:· Deposit $500 million in the Budget Stabilization Fund;· Add $220 million to the Infrastructure Leveraging· Fund to unlock streams of Federal dollars that have either matching requirements or competitive grants;· The retiring of two lake reservoir debts early and paying cash for the state share of the new Veterans Home.The Governor’s proposed budget estimates that the ending balance in fiscal year 2024 would be $1.984 billion and that would not include the $500 million transferred to the Budget Stabilization, which make the balance of that fund over $1.5 billion.· The Legislative Research Department is now dissecting the Governor’s budget. We will soon have the budgets reported back to the House Appropriations Committee.Contact InformationAnytime that you would like to participate and listen to the developments of committee hearings or discussion on the House floor, you can tune in by visiting the live footage at <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>.As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me 785-296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, or email me at troy.waymaster@house.ks.gov. Please contact me regarding any issues and legislation that we are discussing during session.It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of theTroy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, is the Kansas House&nbsp;Appropriations Chairman and 109th District state representative which includes:* Osborne, Russell, and Smith Counties * Barton County: Cities: Albert, Claflin, Galatia, Odin, Olmitz and Susank; Townships: Beaver, Cheyenne, Clarence, Cleveland, Fairview, Grant, Independent, Logan, Union, Walnut and Wheatland * Jewell County: Cities: Burr Oak, Esbon and Mankato; Townships: Athens, Browns Creek, Burr Oak, Calvin, Center, Erving, Esbon, Harrison, Highland, Holmwood, Ionia, Limestone, Odessa, Walnut and White Mound * Lincoln County: Cities: Lincoln Center (part) and Sylvan Grove; Townships: Battle Creek, Beaver (part), Cedron, Elkhorn (part), Golden Belt, Grant, Hanover, Highland, Indiana, Marion, Orange, Pleasant, Valley and Vesper * Rush County: Cities: Bison, Otis, Rush Center and Timken; Townships: Banner, Center, Garfield, Illinois, Lone Star, Pioneer and Pleasantdale

WAYMASTER: From the Dome to Home, Jan. 23, 2023

Sen. Rick Billinger Newsletter January 23, 2023

The 2023 legislative session began on Monday, January 9th&nbsp;with the swearing in of Senator Ron Ryckman, Sr., and new Senator Chase Blasi. Ron Ryckman Sr. replaced Senator Bud Estes two years ago and was reelected for two more years. Senator Chase Blasi is familiar with the Senate having served on staff for both President Wagle and currently President Masterson the past few sessions. Senator Blasi was elected to serve the remaining two years of Senator Suellentrop’s term.

Newly elected Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson is taking a hard look at whether ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) policy influences pension fund investment and who manages the investments. Johnson said one of his priorities is making sure that state pension funds are focused on the best return on investment and not ESG principles.

Normally in the first week of session the State of the State is held. Because Governor Kelly tested positive for Covid her address has been postponed until January 24th.

Even though the Governor did not have her State of the State, budget director Adam Proffitt laid out the Governors $24.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2024. Some of the proposals in the budget include accelerating the elimination of the food sales tax, adding $500 million to the rainy day fund, additional money for special education, 5% salary increase for state employees,

Chief Justice Marla Luckert, from northwest Kansas, delivered the state of the Judiciary address in a joint session to the legislature. Ms. Luckert highlighted the specialty courts across the state, the need for attorneys in rural Kansas, and raising judicial pay.

America has always been the land of opportunity, a land where freedom is secure, and our hopes and dreams can be achieved with hard work and perseverance. In the last few years, this optimism has been replaced by a profound pessimism, as employers struggle to find workers, paychecks remain stagnant, and the cost of living is going through the roof. The good news is that we are Kansans, and we value hard work, faith, freedom, and family which will guide us through the current challenges and toward a better future. Republicans from the House and the Senate joined together in a press conference to announce a comprehensive legislature agenda entitled, “A Better Way: Our Commitment to Kansas.”

In the last three elections, the winner of the Kansas Governor’s race failed to crack 50% of the vote. Lawmakers are looking at the trend and wondering whether Kansas might need a runoff election if a candidate for statewide office fails to get a majority of the vote in the general election. A bill was introduced late Tuesday in the House Elections Committee that would establish runoff elections for statewide elected officials: governor, secretary of state, insurance commissioner, treasurer, and attorney general. The proposal would cover general elections and not apply to any other campaigns of the Legislature, state school board or local offices. The runoff would be held on the first Tuesday of December after the final canvass of votes.

Please contact Donna at 785-296-7399 to reserve a date.

I am honored and grateful to represent the 40th&nbsp;Senate District in Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov</a>&nbsp;or call me with your questions or concerns, my office number is 785-296-7399 or my cell is 785-899-4700. If you are in Topeka, stop by my office at 545-S.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644852447177.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, 40th Dist. File photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, 40th Dist. File photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Sen. Rick Billinger Newsletter January 23, 2023The 2023 legislative session began on Monday, January 9th&nbsp;with the swearing in of Senator Ron Ryckman, Sr., and new Senator Chase Blasi. Ron Ryckman Sr. replaced Senator Bud Estes two years ago and was reelected for two more years. Senator Chase Blasi is familiar with the Senate having served on staff for both President Wagle and currently President Masterson the past few sessions. Senator Blasi was elected to serve the remaining two years of Senator Suellentrop’s term.Newly elected Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson is taking a hard look at whether ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) policy influences pension fund investment and who manages the investments. Johnson said one of his priorities is making sure that state pension funds are focused on the best return on investment and not ESG principles.Normally in the first week of session the State of the State is held. Because Governor Kelly tested positive for Covid her address has been postponed until January 24th.Even though the Governor did not have her State of the State, budget director Adam Proffitt laid out the Governors $24.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2024. Some of the proposals in the budget include accelerating the elimination of the food sales tax, adding $500 million to the rainy day fund, additional money for special education, 5% salary increase for state employees,Chief Justice Marla Luckert, from northwest Kansas, delivered the state of the Judiciary address in a joint session to the legislature. Ms. Luckert highlighted the specialty courts across the state, the need for attorneys in rural Kansas, and raising judicial pay.America has always been the land of opportunity, a land where freedom is secure, and our hopes and dreams can be achieved with hard work and perseverance. In the last few years, this optimism has been replaced by a profound pessimism, as employers struggle to find workers, paychecks remain stagnant, and the cost of living is going through the roof. The good news is that we are Kansans, and we value hard work, faith, freedom, and family which will guide us through the current challenges and toward a better future. Republicans from the House and the Senate joined together in a press conference to announce a comprehensive legislature agenda entitled, “A Better Way: Our Commitment to Kansas.”In the last three elections, the winner of the Kansas Governor’s race failed to crack 50% of the vote. Lawmakers are looking at the trend and wondering whether Kansas might need a runoff election if a candidate for statewide office fails to get a majority of the vote in the general election. A bill was introduced late Tuesday in the House Elections Committee that would establish runoff elections for statewide elected officials: governor, secretary of state, insurance commissioner, treasurer, and attorney general. The proposal would cover general elections and not apply to any other campaigns of the Legislature, state school board or local offices. The runoff would be held on the first Tuesday of December after the final canvass of votes.My office has several dates available for 6th&nbsp;graders through high school to serve as a page. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. If your child is interested in being a page for my office the following dates are available:February 6, 13, 20 or March 6thPlease contact Donna at 785-296-7399 to reserve a date.I am honored and grateful to represent the 40th&nbsp;Senate District in Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me by email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">rick.billinger@senate.ks.gov</a>&nbsp;or call me with your questions or concerns, my office number is 785-296-7399 or my cell is 785-899-4700. If you are in Topeka, stop by my office at 545-S.Rick Billingr, R-Goodland, is the 40th District senator which includes:* Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Rawlins,&nbsp;Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego and Wallace counties * Phillips County: Cities: Logan, Long Island, Prairie View, Speed;&nbsp;Townships: Beaver, Belmont, Dayton, Granite, Logan, Long Island, Mound, Plainview, Prairie View,&nbsp;Solomon (part) and Towanda

BILLINGER: Senate Update, Jan. 23, 2023

<a>2023 Senate Scene Week 1 and 2</a>

As we get settled into the first and second week of the 2023 legislative session, most of our work is concentrated in committees where bills are being prioritized and vetted. The Senate has 19 standing committees which cover many different topics, including education, agriculture, judiciary, budget, and utilities—to name a few.&nbsp; Once a committee completes hearings and votes on a bill, if passed, it will then make its way to the Senate floor and the full body will begin to debate and vote on the measure. Floor debates and votes will begin in the coming weeks. At the end of the 2nd&nbsp;week, over 170 bills have been introduced.&nbsp; 

If you’re interested in tracking our work, you can follow us at our website at&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YDBQy8-rsja0IE-azP2XHdnoiX7Ql4nNWrgHxHHtC7o4HeAA-0Aqe73zytd32tHFJOLxmvcn9GmLmACkPZbxMCH8a9zXNkiD1EVgLLAQsAwZitpKf2khnVK0mX6afJLmB2EKV17zX7f7tcasgCeiEQ==&amp;c=i2w4lkseQgtBVS4zSQ_aahnejaFbU1aDQFBhokGNh0NtT6pPxPG4Kg==&amp;ch=zcIfvSl6GRRuKxTv2Gjm07rByrF453B_cAk8d6LJKMN6JaX0CJJ3gA==" target="_blank">http://www.kslegislature.org</a>.&nbsp; A daily calendar is available as well as directions on how to view committee work live-time and view archive past committee and floor action.&nbsp;

My committees remain the same as last year - the Ethics, Elections and Local Government committee is two committees renamed Transparency and Ethics and Local Government.&nbsp; I will Chair Transparency and Ethics and will serve as the Vice-Chair of Local Government.&nbsp; I continue to serve on the Transportation, Judiciary, and Utilities committees and remain on the Historical Preservation Committee, the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, and most recently selected to serve on&nbsp;the Kansas Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial committee established last year with HB2712.

<a>SWEARING IN CEREMONIES – SESSION OPENING</a>

On Monday, January 9th, Governor Laura Kelly was sworn into office for her second term.&nbsp; Her speech reflected on the past four years, the impact of COVID-19 on the state of Kansas, and the plan for her final term.&nbsp; In addition, the new Attorney General Kris Kobach and State Treasurer Steven Johnson, as well as re-elected Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and the Secretary of State Scott Schwab were sworn in.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a></a>The 2023&nbsp;Senate legislative session began on Monday, January 9thth, at 2:00 p.m. with the swearing in of Senator Ron Ryckman, Sr. and new Senator Chase Blasi.&nbsp; Senator Blasi is familiar with the Senate, having served on staff for both Presidents Wagle and Masterson the past few sessions.&nbsp;On Tuesday, Senator Tom Hawk (D-Manhattan) gave his retirement speech and his replacement, Senator Usha Reddi, was sworn into office on Wednesday.&nbsp;

On Wednesday afternoon, Chief Justice Marla Luckert delivered the state of the Judiciary address in a joint session of the legislature.&nbsp; Luckert highlighted the specialty courts across the state, raising judicial pay, and the need for attorneys in rural Kansas.&nbsp; Near the end of 2022, Chief Justice Luckert signed an order to create the Kansas Rural Justice Initiative.&nbsp; The goal of the committee is to examine the legal needs of rural Kansans related to a lower ratio of attorneys to population in contrast to urban areas.&nbsp; According to statistics given in their news release, 43% of Kansans live in rural areas, but only 20% of Kansas attorneys live in rural communities.&nbsp; This leaves an attorneys to population ratio of one active attorney for every 808 residents.&nbsp; In contrast, Kansans in urban areas have two active attorneys for every 535 residents.&nbsp; This is a select committee I was assigned to.&nbsp; I am looking forward to working with the Judicial branch and others in our 18-month time frame to offer solutions for this problem which exists in other states across the nation as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

State law in Kansas requires that certain appointments by the Governor or other state officials be confirmed by the Senate prior to the appointee exercising any power, duty, or function of the office.

Judge Rachel Pickering had her confirmation hearing in the Judiciary Committee and was confirmed in the Senate on Thursday to the Kansas Court of Appeals.&nbsp; In addition to Judge Pickering, fifteen additional appointments to boards and commissions were also confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, January 19th.&nbsp; Among these confirmations,&nbsp;Ray C. Walling was confirmed as the 18th&nbsp;Kansas State Librarian since 1870.&nbsp;

SB3 –&nbsp;AN ACT designating Silvisaurus condrayi as the official state land fossil

Senate District #36 – Ottawa County

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644853578448.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, 36th Dist." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, 36th Dist.</figcaption>
 </figure><a>2023 Senate Scene Week 1 and 2</a>SENATE HIGHLIGHTSAs we get settled into the first and second week of the 2023 legislative session, most of our work is concentrated in committees where bills are being prioritized and vetted. The Senate has 19 standing committees which cover many different topics, including education, agriculture, judiciary, budget, and utilities—to name a few.&nbsp; Once a committee completes hearings and votes on a bill, if passed, it will then make its way to the Senate floor and the full body will begin to debate and vote on the measure. Floor debates and votes will begin in the coming weeks. At the end of the 2nd&nbsp;week, over 170 bills have been introduced.&nbsp; If you’re interested in tracking our work, you can follow us at our website at&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YDBQy8-rsja0IE-azP2XHdnoiX7Ql4nNWrgHxHHtC7o4HeAA-0Aqe73zytd32tHFJOLxmvcn9GmLmACkPZbxMCH8a9zXNkiD1EVgLLAQsAwZitpKf2khnVK0mX6afJLmB2EKV17zX7f7tcasgCeiEQ==&amp;c=i2w4lkseQgtBVS4zSQ_aahnejaFbU1aDQFBhokGNh0NtT6pPxPG4Kg==&amp;ch=zcIfvSl6GRRuKxTv2Gjm07rByrF453B_cAk8d6LJKMN6JaX0CJJ3gA==" target="_blank">http://www.kslegislature.org</a>.&nbsp; A daily calendar is available as well as directions on how to view committee work live-time and view archive past committee and floor action.&nbsp;COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTSMy committees remain the same as last year - the Ethics, Elections and Local Government committee is two committees renamed Transparency and Ethics and Local Government.&nbsp; I will Chair Transparency and Ethics and will serve as the Vice-Chair of Local Government.&nbsp; I continue to serve on the Transportation, Judiciary, and Utilities committees and remain on the Historical Preservation Committee, the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, and most recently selected to serve on&nbsp;the Kansas Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial committee established last year with HB2712.<a>SWEARING IN CEREMONIES – SESSION OPENING</a>On Monday, January 9th, Governor Laura Kelly was sworn into office for her second term.&nbsp; Her speech reflected on the past four years, the impact of COVID-19 on the state of Kansas, and the plan for her final term.&nbsp; In addition, the new Attorney General Kris Kobach and State Treasurer Steven Johnson, as well as re-elected Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and the Secretary of State Scott Schwab were sworn in.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a></a>The 2023&nbsp;Senate legislative session began on Monday, January 9thth, at 2:00 p.m. with the swearing in of Senator Ron Ryckman, Sr. and new Senator Chase Blasi.&nbsp; Senator Blasi is familiar with the Senate, having served on staff for both Presidents Wagle and Masterson the past few sessions.&nbsp;On Tuesday, Senator Tom Hawk (D-Manhattan) gave his retirement speech and his replacement, Senator Usha Reddi, was sworn into office on Wednesday.&nbsp;STATE OF THE JUDICIARYOn Wednesday afternoon, Chief Justice Marla Luckert delivered the state of the Judiciary address in a joint session of the legislature.&nbsp; Luckert highlighted the specialty courts across the state, raising judicial pay, and the need for attorneys in rural Kansas.&nbsp; Near the end of 2022, Chief Justice Luckert signed an order to create the Kansas Rural Justice Initiative.&nbsp; The goal of the committee is to examine the legal needs of rural Kansans related to a lower ratio of attorneys to population in contrast to urban areas.&nbsp; According to statistics given in their news release, 43% of Kansans live in rural areas, but only 20% of Kansas attorneys live in rural communities.&nbsp; This leaves an attorneys to population ratio of one active attorney for every 808 residents.&nbsp; In contrast, Kansans in urban areas have two active attorneys for every 535 residents.&nbsp; This is a select committee I was assigned to.&nbsp; I am looking forward to working with the Judicial branch and others in our 18-month time frame to offer solutions for this problem which exists in other states across the nation as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a>CONFIRMATIONS</a>State law in Kansas requires that certain appointments by the Governor or other state officials be confirmed by the Senate prior to the appointee exercising any power, duty, or function of the office.Judge Rachel Pickering had her confirmation hearing in the Judiciary Committee and was confirmed in the Senate on Thursday to the Kansas Court of Appeals.&nbsp; In addition to Judge Pickering, fifteen additional appointments to boards and commissions were also confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, January 19th.&nbsp; Among these confirmations,&nbsp;Ray C. Walling was confirmed as the 18th&nbsp;Kansas State Librarian since 1870.&nbsp;SB3 –&nbsp;AN ACT designating Silvisaurus condrayi as the official state land fossilSenate District #36 – Ottawa CountyIn 1955, Warren Condray, a farmer and rancher in Ottawa County, discovered this fossil in his pasture.&nbsp; His son, Jettie Condray who was the Ottawa County Historical Museum director, and his son Joel now a teacher in Goddard School district, promoted this fossil to be named a state fossil.&nbsp; Joel’s 6th&nbsp;grade class worked on this bill as a project to learn about the process of a bill (an idea) turning into a Kansas statute.&nbsp; The fossil was&nbsp;a one-ton armored ankylosaur approximately 13-feet long that walked across Kansas during the late cretaceous period of the mesozoic era.&nbsp; SB3 was heard in Senate Federal and State affairs on Wednesday, January 18th, and will be on the Senate Calendar next week.&nbsp; It will pass over to the House of Representatives, the students again will testify in committee (41 students and a few administrators attended the hearing), then a full House vote, and to Governor for her signature.&nbsp; With an early start on their project, there is a very good chance it will be signed in law before session and school ends.&nbsp;&nbsp; The fossil is currently on display in Lawrence at the KU Natural History Museum.&nbsp;HELPFUL KANSAS INFORMATONKansas Insurance DepartmentHaving problems with your insurance company?&nbsp; Contact the Kansas Insurance Department for assistance with your claim.&nbsp; File a complaint online at&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.kansas.gov/" target="_blank">insurance.ks.gov</a>, by phone at 785-296-3071, or by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:kid.webcomplaints@ks.gov" target="_blank">KID.webcomplaints.ks.gov</a>.Property Tax ReliefDuring the 2022 session, there were several changes to tax law.&nbsp; One change is a first step in a property tax freeze for low-income seniors and disabled veterans via a rebate program administered by the KS Department of Revenue.&nbsp;&nbsp; Applications for property tax relief must be submitted by April 18, 2023 and can be found here:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/pdf/k-40svr.pdf/" target="_blank">https://www.ksrevenue.gov/pdf/k-40svr.pdf/</a> **Please note that to qualify for the “freeze” a household annual income must be $50,000 or below, a homeowner must be 65 years or older, and the value of the home cannot be above $350,000.&nbsp; A disabled veteran must be at least 50% disabled.&nbsp; Property taxes are still paid to the county and then a homeowner may apply to KDOR for a refund on their increase, resulting in a freeze.&nbsp;Storefront business – property tax reliefTo help small storefront businesses shutdown or negatively impacted by the shutdown during COVID, the legislature established a program to provide some property tax relief.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Details can be found here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/taxnotices/notice22-04.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ksrevenue.gov/taxnotices/notice22-04.pdf</a> Applications can be found at:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/Misc/PropTaxAssistance/StoreFront" target="_blank">https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/Misc/PropTaxAssistance/StoreFront</a>Following the Kansas LegislatureYou can view video streaming of both chambers via the Kansas Legislature YouTube page. In addition, many committees are now audio streamed and can also be viewed on the Kansas Legislature YouTube page. The Kansas Legislature website is easy to use with Senate and House calendars and journals as well as the rosters of both chambers. Here are the relevant links:Website:&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YDBQy8-rsja0IE-azP2XHdnoiX7Ql4nNWrgHxHHtC7o4HeAA-0Aqe73zytd32tHFJOLxmvcn9GmLmACkPZbxMCH8a9zXNkiD1EVgLLAQsAwZitpKf2khnVK0mX6afJLmB2EKV17zX7f7tcasgCeiEQ==&amp;c=i2w4lkseQgtBVS4zSQ_aahnejaFbU1aDQFBhokGNh0NtT6pPxPG4Kg==&amp;ch=zcIfvSl6GRRuKxTv2Gjm07rByrF453B_cAk8d6LJKMN6JaX0CJJ3gA==" target="_blank">http://www.kslegislature.org</a>YouTube Streaming:&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YDBQy8-rsja0IE-azP2XHdnoiX7Ql4nNWrgHxHHtC7o4HeAA-0Aqe73zytd32tHF34R6w-q9Yyc4qETkM4i0oK77_HAcUcgnTEzGR0bc3XlkSfwIv7NNomoykZXxAe6JYkaUz8mVZZ4=&amp;c=i2w4lkseQgtBVS4zSQ_aahnejaFbU1aDQFBhokGNh0NtT6pPxPG4Kg==&amp;ch=zcIfvSl6GRRuKxTv2Gjm07rByrF453B_cAk8d6LJKMN6JaX0CJJ3gA==" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/2CZj9O0</a>Committee Hearings:&nbsp;<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001YDBQy8-rsja0IE-azP2XHdnoiX7Ql4nNWrgHxHHtC7o4HeAA-0Aqe73zytd32tHFxPF3ofZot5nNQg29dl4IyyVwRxdehplaQI7UbFxYaMuHnBMclSTctfgUBGJFJhfBo5ERAz73sU3LnGPhP0mE6TsXQN3ZnpUtIzuCJEE31Q7s8BoUqzHzoE_0wonREwYfL5UydW56Tj2K886u6fhh9w==&amp;c=i2w4lkseQgtBVS4zSQ_aahnejaFbU1aDQFBhokGNh0NtT6pPxPG4Kg==&amp;ch=zcIfvSl6GRRuKxTv2Gjm07rByrF453B_cAk8d6LJKMN6JaX0CJJ3gA==" target="_blank">http://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00287/Harmony/en/View/Calendar/</a><a>Page Dates</a>Each year we are assigned dates for students to page for the Senate.&nbsp; The students should be twelve and over and will spend the full day with us including running errands for all Senators and a tour and trip to the Capitol Dome top.&nbsp; I was a page myself for Representative Bill Fuller from Miltonvale in 1981!&nbsp; Our dates this year are -&nbsp;Wednesday, February 8; Wednesday, February 15; Wednesday, February 22; Wednesday, March 1; and Wednesday, March 15th.&nbsp;Office InformationMy office remains in the same suite, 223E (East wing second floor) next to the cage elevator.&nbsp; Randi Walters who has worked in the Capitol for 20 years as an assistant and a committee assistant is in our office.As session progresses, not every bill introduced will make it to the Governor’s desk, but that doesn’t mean opinions, facts and testimony wasn’t heard. Your participation in the state legislature is vital. As we continue to weed through the different bills, I hope to hear from you. I want to know how legislation will impact you and our district, or the ideas you have to improve a bill.&nbsp; A personal email with your thoughts is the best way to reach us as we sit in committees for most of the day and seldom get to stay at our desks for long periods.&nbsp;Thank you for the honor of serving you! Senator Elaine Bowers Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E 300 SW 10th St. Topeka, KS 66612 <a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a> 785-296-7389 <a href="https://elainebowers.com/" target="_blank">https://elainebowers.com/</a> <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a> Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas which includes: * Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties * Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer and Logan * Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Greenwood, Plum, Rushville, Solomon (part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut

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