By Becky Kiser
Hays Post
The operating procedures of the Kansas legislature will be different for the 2021 session due to the coronavirus pandemic, "we don't want problems to be brushed aside," said Rep. Barb Wasinger, Hays.
The second-term legislator and incumbent Sen. Rick Billinger of Goodland, both Republicans, spoke , Thursday night during the Hays city commission work session about issues they anticipate will be considered this year.
Beginning Monday, the 125 state representatives will be in session in Topeka every day as normal, but will communicate with each other in their offices using video conferencing software Webex and the internet, Wasinger reported.
When it's time to vote on a bill, the House reps will be on the floor - just one day a week - and they'll be spread out, even into the visitors' gallery. They'll be using laptop computers to vote.
State law requires legislators to vote on the statehouse floor and nowhere else.
"So whatever day it ends up being we vote, we'll be doing a lot of voting and a lot of discussions," Wasinger said. "It's all new. We're going to try everything and see how it goes."
Social distancing - and business as usual - will be easier for the Kansas senate, with just 40 members.
Wasinger remains on the same committees as she was last term and for the first time will serve as vice-chair of the Higher Education Budget Committee. She will also chair the Joint Rules and Regulations Committee.
Although she expects the first few days of the session to be jumbled, Wasinger said there are a lot of pre-filed bills. "I know there is a [anti-] stalking bill that's coming up."
"We'll most certainly be discussing emergency powers for the governor because as they were written in the last session, they expire on January 26th."
According to Sen. Billinger, this is the first time the Emergency Powers Act has been used for a pandemic.
"It needs further adjustment," Billinger said.
In an attempt to bring down the 6.5 percent sales tax on food, Wasinger said the state will look at enforcing equitable sales taxes for online companies doing business in Kansas as bricks and mortar businesses charge their customers.
"Apparently, Kindle (a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon) and other places have not been taxed in Kansas. It would bring in about $26 million a year, bringing down the food sales tax down incrementally."
Kansas is among the top 13 states with the highest food sales tax in the country.
Vice-mayor Sandy Jacobs - who will be installed as mayor next week - asked about the trending population shift from rural counties to urban areas such as Wichita.
"That means less political clout," Jacobs said, "and it's going to be tougher to get things done in western Kansas. How do you hope to work through that?"
"It's something that we can't avoid," Wasinger answered. She talked about the possibility of redistricting.
"The rural caucus that we have in the house - and I know that the senate does too - we have to stand together. We can't be bickering. Look at our national [Congress.]
"We're fortunate that Rick has been such a strong voice for western Kansas and has always stood up for us."
Wasinger also talked about problems in the state's foster care system and alleged harassment and intimidation issues within the Kansas Highway Patrol that still need to be addressed.
"I've talked to foster care parents around here and they want the state to follow foster care kids wherever they go. And they're right. So many times you can't see where a child was before.
"Communication needs to improve. You can find your phone from anywhere but we can't find our foster care kids. That's a sin," Wasinger declared.
Billinger's role in the Kansas Senate has changed in 2021.
"I've agreed to chair the Ways and Means Committee and by doing that I'm not going to serve on any other committees," Billinger told city commissioners. "I'll be involved in every budget that comes through. That's enough on one plate," he laughed.
Billinger has been spending a lot of time working with Kansans who are in dire need of financial help because of the pandemic.
"Months and months into this we still have folks that have not received unemployment.
"We have a disaster in the [Kansas] Department of Labor. We can blame everybody we want to blame but we're not fixing it.
"When you get an email from folks that don't have food, can't pay the gas or electric bill, the water's being shut off, they're losing their cars and homes, it's sad," Billinger said.
"We've got to do better. Barb and I are going to do everything we can to make sure people get help."
Billinger also talked about COVID-19 vaccines in Kansas, saying the state is not doing a good job of distributing the supplies and eligible people are being left out of the process.
He talked on Wednesday with Dr. Norman Lee, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, about the need for better communication between the state and local entities providing the shots.
"We just need to get it distributed, especially to our seniors."
Property tax relief is likely to be among the first bills up for debate in the senate, Billinger predicts. Governor Laura Kelly vetoed a bill last year which would have eliminated the tax lid.
Despite the pandemic, sales tax revenues have been better than expected for the state, as well as the city of Hays.
"Pretty much all of our taxes have been ahead of projections," Billinger reported, "including income and corporate. A year ago we quickly passed a budget to get out of town (ahead of pandemic restrictions). I thought at the time our projections were very, very low.
"I'm glad we're above those. It's going to make things easier, but it's still going to be tough. We're looking at some shortfalls."
Although many Kansas businesses have seen drastic reductions in their sales and some have even had to close their doors, Billinger noted there's been an uptick for restaurants with drive-throughs for food orders or have been able to create takeout and delivery services.
"In Goodland, the Pizza Hut said they've done so much more business that they do in a normal year."
Both Billinger and Wasinger promised commissioners they would continue to support Hays in seeing through its long-term water supply project at the R9 Ranch in Edwards County.
The Kansas legislature convenes Monday morning. Gov. Kelly will deliver her state of the state address Tuesday night.