April 5, 2021
Budget Passes the House
This past Tuesday, the Kansas House of Representatives debated and voted on Substitute House Bill 2397, which is the state budget for fiscal years 2021 and 2022 and some details for the 2023 and 2024 budgets.
Here are some of the details of the budget bill for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. In fiscal year 2021, there were adjustments made from the budget that was passed during last years legislative session. We also addressed some of the allotments that were made by Governor Kelly when the fiscal year began on July 1, 2020.
We addressed the needs of our nursing care facilities by adding additional funds for these facilities, which was needed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also included an increase in the daily reimbursement rates for the Community Based Services for the Intellectual/Developmental Disability waiver.
Due to the pandemic, our court system saw a reduction in revenue since most court proceedings did not happen, so we backfilled the lost revenue for the courts.
In fiscal year 2022, we had the same additional funding for the nursing care facilities. We also provided additional funding for the Senior Care Act to keep our senior citizens in their homes. We also did not reamortize the unfunded liability for KPERS. We also provided for a statewide program for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
There were two notable amendments during the debate. One, introduced by a Democrat member, was a 2% cut on State General Fund Spending in all areas, which passed and I voted, “yes.” The other was to add Medicaid Expansion in the Budget. This amendment failed because Medicaid Expansion is substantive legislation that should not be added to the budget since it is only valid for the years of the stated budgets and no additional funding in the out years was provided. I voted, “no.”
The budget bill passed, 71-52, and I voted, “yes.”
30/30 Federal Plan
Since I returned home for the Easter break, I have received many calls, texts, and messages regarding the proposed Kansas Nebraska Heritage Area Partnership and an Executive Order by President Biden that is perceived as a land grab by the Federal Government. This would include twenty-five counties in Kansas, five of those counties are in the 109th House District.
The intended purpose of this order is to protect 30% of the US land and 30% of US oceans by 2030. After receiving these messages from many constituents, I have had discussions with both Governor Laura Kelly and US Senator Moran’s office. I have expressed my concern regarding the potential affects of this Executive Order and it is one I do not support. There was a meeting about a week ago in Mankato regarding this matter and another scheduled for April 11 in Vesper. I will continue to monitor the developments and work with Governor Kelly and Senator Moran.
More Bills In the House
This past week, the House debated nearly twenty-five bills before the Easter break. Here are some of the bills that we debated:
House Bill 2119, which includes the full funding for K-12 Education. This bill also includes the creation and expansion of school choice options.
Senate Bill 159 which is the standard Claims Against the State Bill, with the addition of a reimbursement to an individual for deer antlers.
House Substitute for Senate Bill 84 would incorporate changes with gaming in Kansas. This bill would allow for sports wagering in Kansas, implements iLottery, and allows for a revote in Sedgwick County for slot machines. This bill failed on the House Floor.
House Bill 2448 permits the Secretary for Children and Families to license certain family foster homes where a former foster care youth with juvenile adjudications resides.
We will be returning to Topeka on Tuesday and will be working with the Senate on bills, which are referred to as conference committees. During these meetings, the House and the Senate negotiate on the differences in the respective bills that passed each chamber. Once an agreement is made, then both chambers vote on the Conference Committee Report, and, if passed in both chambers, it will then go on to Governor Kelly to sign into law or veto. We are planned to adjourn April 9 and then return to what is referred to as veto-session on May 3.
Contact Information
Anytime that one would like to participate and listen to the developments of committee hearings or discussion on the House floor, one can tune in by listening to the audio footage at www.kslegislature.org.
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, follow on twitter at @waymaster4house, or email me at [email protected]. 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 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.
Troy L. Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, is the 109th Kansas House District state representative and chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
The 109th District includes Osborne, Russell, and Smith counties, and portions of Barton, Jewell, Lincoln and Rush counties.