February 23
Turnaround
This week in the House of Representatives we debated nearly seventy bills before we adjourned for the midpoint of the session, commonly referred to as Turnaround. This is the time during session where we pass many bills out of the House and forward those bills to the Senate.
Here is a list of some of the bills that we debated this week in the House:
House Bill 2523 changes the allowance for a farm permit holder from fourteen to fifteen and allows them to drive to and from religious activities that is held by a religious organization. I contend that this bill is anti-agriculture by changing the age and I voted “no.”
House Bill 2661 requires that if there are vacancies in county commissioner districts due to increasing the number of commissioner districts be filled at the next general election and provides for staggering terms for the newly elected county commissioners.
House Bill 2604 increases the dollar amount for a small claim to $10,000.
House Bill 2484 enacts the Social Work Licensure Compact. This will provided interstate practice privileges for social workers.
House Bill 2637 expands the eligibility for Rural Emergency Hospital licenses to facilities that meet criteria at any point after 2015.
House Bill 2567 establishes the Kansas National Guard Educational Master’s for Enhanced Readiness and Global Excellence (EMERGE) program. This is a bill that I co-sponsored.
House Bill 2678 extends the period for how long a groundwater right can be deposited in a water bank and requiring a water bank to authorize a withdrawal of water on or before December 1 of the calendar year, in which the withdrawn water is to be used.
I voted “yes” on these remaining bills. We will return from Turnaround on Feb. 28, 2024.
Appropriations Committee
The House Appropriations Committee only met on Monday and Tuesday due to the approaching mid-session deadline referred to as “Turnaround.” Although we only met for two days, we did analyze many budgets.
Here is a list of some of the budgets that we heard: Kansas State Fair, State Institutions for Intellectual Disabilities, Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, Office of the State Treasurer, and Kansas Human Rights Commission. We also discussed the budgets for the
following departments: Agriculture, Wildlife and Parks, Commerce, and Health and Environment-Environment. When we return on February 28, the committee will resume the budget discussions and complete the budget by early March.
Return and Legislative Coffees
When we return from Turnaround on Feb. 28, the House Appropriations Committee will be finishing our budget reports. We will have the budgets of the Department of Children and Families, Corrections, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Health and Environment-Health, just to name a few. We will wrap up the budget reports the following week and then work diligently on the budget for the state of Kansas.
While I am spending at home during Turnaround, I have many legislative towhalls and community events that I plan on attending. Here is the schedule for the legislative townhalls for the next week:
Febr. 27 - Smith Center – The legislative coffee will be held at the Second Cup, 210 West 1st Street at 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 27 – Osborne – This legislative coffee is scheduled at 2 p.m. and is located at the Hideout Coffeehouse, 130 West Main Street.
March 2 – Russell – This legislative coffee will take place at the Russell Historical Museum, 825 North Kansas Street at 11 a.m.
Contact Information
Anytime that you would like to participate and listen to the developments of committee hearings or discussion on the House floor, you can tune in by video or audio 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].
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.