By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Saturday morning area legislators, Kansas Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, Kansas Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra and Kansas Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays, spoke to a full crowd in the Schmidt Community Commons at the Hays Public Library, addressing a variety of topics.
Hays Chamber president and CEO Sarah Wasinger delivered the questions to the legislators, collected from the attendees.
Among the topics discussed was the recent veto by Governor Laura Kelly of the proposed map of Kansas legislative districts and the reasons behind the changes in congressional districts.
“Johnson County and Wyandotte have grown too large to stay together,” Billinger said. He said Johnson County had never previously been split but with continued growth projected it was a logical county to split, while Wyandotte County has been split in the past.
“So, it’s nothing unusual,” he said.
Ultimately, he said it becomes a problem with population distribution.
“We learned there's no way to get the population, we need 733,000 approximately, in each district.
“All of these redistricting maps are a function of numbers,” Wasinger said. “It's a math problem. The courts want a map that has zero deviation from each one's that everyone has, every district has the same number of constituents, on voters, people.”
She pointed out that her district will be one of the few in western Kansas which would be shrink geographically to balance the district sizes.
The reality is in the future almost our entire state will be the first district,” Wasinger said. “It's just a function of numbers and has nothing to do with whether you're Democrat or Republican.”
Rahjes noted the current map, that is often touted as an example of gerrymandering, was actually the work of the judiciary.
He said while the maps make for “great political fodder,” ultimately “you have to make the numbers work.”
And no matter who is in charge, the outcome should be driven by fairness.
“I would hope that we don't have maps based on whoever the current occupant is that seat of Congress because that then that goes back on us to make sure, like this morning, to hold our elected officials like us or Senator Marshall responsible.”
Childcare
Another topic brought before the group was a critical lack of childcare across the state.
Overly burdensome regulations were cited as a cause for the ongoing issue.
Rahjes said while the need to keep children safe should be top of mind, some regulations could be adjusted to give relief to childcare centers.
“We don't want to break the rules,” he said. “But maybe we can bend them just a little bit.”
“I’m hoping that through legislation, and through talking to the different departments, that we can make it a little more simple, and make it so that if someone wants more babies, they can have more babies,” Wasinger said.
Wasinger said, she hopes businesses help take the lead on the issue, while the legislature finds ways to work through the troublesome regulations.
“If we can make it simpler for them to have a daycare facility for themselves, for their employees,” she said. “That seems like it might be a really good response.”
Sales Tax
Taking the question first, Wasinger said she thinks the idea of eliminating a sales tax on food in Kansas is “great,” but wants to ensure no departments would be crippled by a lack of funding.
“We've got to figure out how to say okay, this is where we're gonna get the money,” she said. “This is how we can get towards zero percent sales tax.”
Billenger said he also supports the elimination of the sales tax on groceries, but there could be budget concerns if extended to all food sales.
"With five counties bordering states that have no sales tax on groceries, “it's important that we look at this and try to get started,” he said.