2021 SENATE SCENE WEEK 11
SENATE HIGHLIGHTS
Senate Committees continued to review bills which have been sent over from the House and we had two days of General Orders last week in the Senate. As we work though committee bills on the floor, we will also begin to have Conference Committee reports to vote on as well. A Conference Committee is a small, bipartisan and bicameral committee that works to smooth out the differences between the House’s and Senate’s version of a similar bill. Once the Conference Committee comes to a compromise, the committee’s version of the bill will be sent to both the House and the Senate for a final vote, before advancing the bill to the Governor’s desk.
GOVERNOR SIGNS REPUBLICAN SOLUTION REFORMING KANSAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACT – KEMA
Last week, the governor signed SB 40 which contains a number of provisions including ending all COVID-19 related statewide mandates, including the mask mandate, on March 31. It prohibits the governor from closing businesses, civil organizations, and churches. It protects 2nd Amendment rights and establishes due process rights for Kansans aggrieved by an issued order and preserves local control of schools and elected officials at the state and local level.
SENATE FLOOR ACTION
The Senate confirmed the appointments of Jacy Hurst and Lesley Isherwood to the Kansas Court of Appeals.
HB 2008 would authorize the Attorney General to coordinate training regarding missing and murdered indigenous persons for law enforcement agencies throughout Kansas.
HB 2014 permits
military surplus vehicles to register with the division of vehicles for road
use.
HB 2321 would require
certain electric utilities to take steps before exercising eminent domain to
acquire an interest in land related to the construction of an “urban electric
transmission line.”
HB 2022 would amend
law concerning the filing of complaints and investigations pertaining to
abandoned wells and for plugging abandoned wells.
SB 2 would amend
law related to the consumption of alcohol on the grounds of the Kansas State
Fair and collection of associated liquor taxes, allowing for the consumption of
alcohol at the State Fair in more situations.
S Sub 2102
would update
Kansas Egg Law regarding repackaged eggs.
HB 2137 would expand
the categories of alcoholic liquor licensees who can sell cereal malt beverage (CMB)
and would allow temporary permit holders to sell CMB along with alcoholic
liquor in common consumption areas.
HB 2172 would amend
the Kansas Water Appropriation Act by expanding the opportunity for the establishment
of multi-year flex accounts (MYFAs) for groundwater water rights to water right
holders who did not have water use between 2000 and 2009.
HB 2178 would vacate
lots dedicated for a college and a park in the original town plat of the City
of Americus.
HB 2270 would place a limit of $100,000 on deposits into the State General Fund (SGF) each fiscal year from moneys from a levy placed on each fire insurance company doing business in Kansas for the purpose of maintaining the Office of State Fire Marshal.
H Sub SB 99
would amend law regarding vehicle dealer license requirements & vehicle
display shows.
HB 2007
would update statutes related to the regulatory authority of the Kansas
Corporation Commission
(KCC) with regard to motor carriers.
HB 2026 would
establish a certified drug treatment program for certain persons who have entered
into a diversion agreement pursuant to a memorandum of understanding.
HB 2071 would amend
the definition of the crime of stalking to include intentionally engaging in a
course of conduct targeted at a specific child under the age of 14. The penalty
for the new provision would be a severity level 7, person felony for a first
conviction and a severity level 4, person felony for a second or subsequent
conviction.
HB 2126 would amend
the COVID-19 Response and Reopening for Business Liability Protection Act by
replacing the definition of “adult care facility” with the following definition
of “covered facility”. The bill would replace an affirmative defense available
for an adult care facility in a civil action for damages, administrative fines,
or penalties for a COVID19 claim with immunity from liability for a covered
facility in a civil action for damages for a COVID-19 claim.
HB 2155 would replace
and update current law regarding soil, water pollutant releases & cleanup.
Sub HB 2166 would add
several types of license plates, add reporting requirements for organizations sponsoring
distinctive license plates, would amend requirements for distinctive license
plate development, distinctive license plates, and personalized license plate backgrounds.
HB 2243 would change
the frequency of the actuarial experience and cost study performed by the Board
of Trustees of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) from once
every three years to once every four years.
S Sub HB 2252 would amend
and create law related to fulfillment house licenses, farm winery licenses,
electronic submission of records by special order shipping license holders,
residency requirements for certain liquor licenses, and licenses that can be
held by an alcoholic liquor manufacturer.
HB 2298 would provide
that a plaintiff may serve a defendant by paying a fee to the Secretary and
providing to the Secretary a copy of the summons, petition, and order, and the
last known address, residence, or place of abode for each defendant.
SB 77 would enact
the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact.
SB 145 would
authorize the Secretary of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism to purchase a portion of
land in Kingman County.
SB 158 would
prohibit a person providing towing services from towing a vehicle to a location
outside of Kansas without the consent of the driver or owner of the vehicle, or
the insurance company processing a claim with respect to the vehicle or
an agent of an insurance company.
HB 2070
would allow
private, not-for-profit postsecondary educational institutions in Kansas to
collect a surcharge on credit card payments.
S Sub HB 2072 would create
the Utility Financing and Securitization Act (UFSA), which would allow for the
securitization of utility assets to recover energy transition costs for
electric public utilities whose retail rates are subject to the Kansas
Corporation Commission (KCC).
S Sub HB 2104 would
reauthorize the statewide school finance levy and amend law related to the list
of eligible county appraisers, appraisal standards, Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA)
administration, property valuation appeals, judicial review of property tax
disputes, BOTA membership, and school district budget certification.
HB 2112 would revise
the Self-service Storage Act as it pertains to liability claims and the
contents of storage agreements.
HB 2145 would exempt
from the definition of “public utility” the marketing and sale of electricity
purchased through a retail electric supplier for electric vehicles.
HB 2254 would increase the monetary cap on irrevocable prearranged funeral agreements, contracts, or plans, on and after July 1, 2021, to $10,000.
Full texts of the bills and supplemental notes as well as the Final Action vote on these measures can be found at www.kslegislature.org.
UNEMPLOYMENT AND FRAUD IN KANSAS
The Department of Labor testified along others in the Senate Commerce Committee specifically on the problem with fraudulent claims in the state. Kansas is not alone - in fact all 50 states are affected. Many people are unaware a claim has been made on their behalf until they receive a notice from KDOL in the mail or their employer does. If this happens - immediately go to https://www.fraudreport.ks.gov and report the fraudulent claim. You will receive a confirmation email with a police report case number. This number is an official law enforcement case number. You will NOT have to alert another law enforcement agency. Additional steps to take – Contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.identitytheft.gov.
Place a fraud alert on your credit record with one of the three credit bureaus:
Equifax 1 (866) 349-5191
Experian 1 (888) 397-3742
TransUnion 1 (800) 680-7289
Remember to contact your financial providers (banks, credit card companies, etc.) to flag irregular transactions and check your Social Security earnings statements online to make sure your reported wages are correct at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE
Kansas Legislature YouTube – Here you can follow the legislature live as it happens, or access archives of past sessions and committee meetings. Kansas Legislature Audio – Here you can listen in on session or committees when they are in session, or access prior committee meetings, as well.
Kansas Legislature website – www.kslegislature.org - has extensive information on legislators, committees, bills, and past sessions.
THANK YOU FOR ENGAGING
Thank you for all of your calls, emails, and letters regarding your thoughts and concerns about happenings in Kansas. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature.
Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.
Thank you for the honor of serving you.
Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E300
SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
785-296-7389
www.kslegislature.org
Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is the 36th Kansas District senator. The 36th District includes Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington counties.