SENATE HIGHLIGHTS
The Kansas Senate finished the ninth week of session with committee meetings and bills coming forward. The Senate held floor debate on March 5th passing out bills with the possibility of these bills having hearings the next week in the House which will be the last week for committees to meet and pass out bills. The legislature is very fluid at this point and will continue to work on legislation as time and safety allows with the daily updates we receive from the leaders in both the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch which includes Kansas Department of Health and Environment recommendations.
SENATE FLOOR ACTION
SB 255 continues a 2007 commitment by the legislature to provide $5 million per year in support to The University of Kansas for obtaining the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Clinical Cancer Center Designation. This funding has served as a critical resource for The University of Kansas Cancer Center.
SB 140 establishes income tax and privilege tax credits for contributions to the Eisenhower foundation. Senate Bill 140 would allow a taxpayer, Corporation, or Financial Institution to receive a new tax credit for 50.0 percent of certain contributions made to the Eisenhower Foundation for tax years 2019-2023. Individual income taxpayers would only be allowed to claim up to $25,000 per tax year. Corporations and Financial Institutions would be able to claim $50,000 per tax year on income or privilege tax. The total amount of credits claimed in any fiscal year would be limited to $350,000.
SB 409 makes permanent the quality care assessment imposed on skilled nursing care facilities. This is a technical bill to push back the sunset (expiration) of the Nursing Quality Care Assessment from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2030.
SB 225 amends the hospital provider assessment rate and uses and membership of the healthcare access improvement panel.
The Appointment of David Weishaar, Kansas Adjutant General confirmation
The Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs heard the nomination of David Weishaar on February 20. He succeeds Major General Lee Tafanelli, who has served as Adjutant General since January 28, 2011 and who retires March 31, 2020. In Kansas, the adjutant general is the top military advisor to the governor, leads the state's 7,100-person Army and Air Guard operations and directs the state's division of emergency management and homeland security. Prior to his appointment, Brigadier General David Weishaar served as the Director of Joint Staff, Kansas National Guard, Chief of Staff- Air, Commander, Kansas Air National Guard and most recently became dual hatted as the Air National Guard Assistant to Commander, Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Tinker AFB.
KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT (KDHE) – CORONAVIRUS
Daily updates and current information on the coronavirus can be found at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s webpage at www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus. Along with the updates, you will be able to assess frequently asked questions and current publications on the virus in the Public Update section.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) works to protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans. KDHE includes three divisions: Public Health, Environment and Health Care Finance, which includes the administration of KanCare-the state’s Medicaid program.
Lee A. Norman, MD, is the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE, appointed by Governor Laura Kelly.
Dr. Norman received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota, did his residency in family medicine in Texas and his aerospace medicine training in the United States Air Force at Brooks AFB in San Antonio. Dr. Norman has served as a chief medical officer for over 26 years, most recently at the University of Kansas Health System and before that the Swedish Health System in Seattle, beginning in 1991. He currently is clinical assistant professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. In his military role, Norman is a colonel in the Kansas Army National Guard, stationed at Joint Forces Headquarters in Topeka, Kansas. He serves as advisor and liaison to the Kansas Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. In 2018 he returned from a Middle East US Army deployment where he was the 35th Infantry Division Surgeon. In this role he was the senior medical commander over 12,000 U.S. soldiers encompassing three named operations - Freedom Sentinel, Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve. Additionally, Norman serves on the Defense Health Board as an advisor to the U.S: Secretary of Defense.
FROM THE STATE LIBRARY
The Kansas Constitution, including the Ordinance, Preamble, and Bill of Rights, is available to print in a pocket sized version from the State Library’s website http://kslib.info/constitution. Just click on the link and follow the instructions. A helpful diagram shows how to fold and where to cut to assemble your booklet. Helpful tip: print double sided and flip on the long edge.
Kansas residents can access information on legislation, legislative procedure, state government, public policy issues and more by calling 1-800-432-3924. Calls are answered by experienced reference/research librarians at the State Library of Kansas and kept confidential. Lines are open weekdays 8AM-5PM. Callers can also leave brief messages to be delivered to legislators as well as request copies of bills, journals, and other legislative documents.
Visitors from Senate District #36
We had another busy few week with visitors from home including the Hays and Russell commissioners with an update for us on the R9 project and the Tallgrass Ranchers from the Flint Hills who visit us every year. The Kansas Optometric Association and the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents held their annual meeting and receptions along with the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees and Phi Theta Kappa 2020 scholars.
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 BuildingRoom 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
785 296-7389