March 26, 2021
House Budget Passes Appropriations Committee
Late last week, the House Appropriations Committee finalized our budget bill and passed it for debate on the House floor. Substitute for House Bill 2397 includes adjusted funding for the current fiscal year of 2021 and the complete funding for fiscal year 2022.
The adjusted fiscal year 2021 budget totals $19.9 billion, including $8 billion from the State General Fund. Some of the areas that we addressed beyond the Governor’s recommended budget are providing an increase for the daily reimbursement rate for nursing care facilities and increasing the provider reimbursement rates for the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Intellectual/Developmental Disability waiver.
We also included $7.4 million for the Judicial Branch due to the loss of docket fees this past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The adjustments that we made in the fiscal year 2022 budget were deleting the reamoritization of the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, which was an amount that we needed to add back in since the Governor proposed this measure, however, it did not pass the Legislature.
We also included $10 million to the Board of Regents who will then distribute those funds to the public universities in Kansas for reimbursements for tuition to students if they were enrolled in an in-person class that went virtual. We also provided $3 million for the Senior Care Act services, which was allotted by the Governor in 2021.
We have not debated the bill yet on the House Floor, although, I contend that we will have that debate next week.
Sports Wagering and Gaming Bill
The House Federal and State Affairs committee on Wednesday, passed out of their committee the House version allowing for the legalization of sports wagering in the state of Kansas. This bill would allow for sports wagering to be administered through the Kansas Lottery, where the Senate version has it at the state-owned casinos. There was much discussion on the reduction of the current tax rate for the slot machines that are allowed at the racing facilities in the state of Kansas, however, in this bill the current tax rate remains at 38%.
The one addition that would affect the racing facilities would be the facility in the Wichita area. An amendment was passed to allow Sedgwick county to have a revote on allowing for slot machines at parimutuel facility. In the House bill, there is also the inclusion on ILottery. This bill now awaits debate on the House Floor.
The House has spent much of our time this week passing bills out of our committees since the last day to meet for committees is Friday, March 26. We also debated numerous bills on the House Floor and will continue to debate bills in the House Chamber everyday next week. Here are some of the bills that we debated this week:
House Bill 2406 would allow for cities and counties the option of expanding or restricting retail sales of alcoholic liquor and cereal malt beverages. This bill also changes the restricted hours for Sunday liquor sales to 9 am to 8 pm. The bill also eliminates the restriction of sales on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. The bill passed the House, 80-42.
House Substitute for Senate Bill 63 enacts the “Back to School Act” which requires school districts to provide a full-time, in-person attendance option for all students beginning March 31, 2021. This bill passed, 77-46.
The next bill was Senate Bill 24, which would create the Kansas Energy Choice Act. This act would prohibit a municipality from taking any action that would limit a customer’s uses of a service from a public utility based upon the source of energy to be delivered to the customer. This bill passed the House, 93-29.
For these three bills, I voted, “yes” on all three.
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.