Capitol Comments
March 20, 2000
Long hours await the Senate for the remainder of the session as we begin the session at 9:30 each morning and staying as long as it takes to complete final action on a host of bills.
As we wind down the regular 2000 legislative session, I find that most of our time is spent wading through amendments. It is during this time legislators are looking for germane bills to act as a vehicle to amend their bills which did not receive hearings onto. The process gets terribly confusing and quite often bad laws are made during this do or die period.
SCHOOL FINANCE
Nothing is ever done until we all leave the Capitol. A surprising turn in the funding for schools took place on Monday as the House Appropriations Committee approved a $37 a pupil increase for the 2000-2001 school year reversing the $50 increase which seemed to have full approval of both chambers earlier in the session. What might be considered a wake-up call for legislators who think there is money around for the $50 raise for next year, it may be an indication we may have to suffer some pain elsewhere in the budget if we are going to approve the $50 which was promised during the 1999 session. I feel the $50 will still be in tact when we leave this session, but I also feel we have very anguishing decisions to make in the remaining days of the budget session.
TELEMARKETER MAY STOP INTERRUPTING YOUR MEALS
The Senate Commerce Committee finally sent out a telemarketing bill which orders the KCC to beef up an education campaign to let people know about no-call services. The bill requires telemarketer to come on the line within five to eight seconds of their automatic dialing computers completing a call. This is not as restrictive as many Senators had hoped for as we try to curtail the numerous interruptions Kansans receive daily.
We now have a free service which you may register with if you want to eat your meals without receiving telemarketing calls at your home. Direct Marketing Association is available to companies for the sole purpose of removing your name, address and home telephone number from their call lists. Your home listing is good for five years. This will not apply to local firms and organizations with which you already do business. There is no charge for this service. Send your name, address, city, state, zip code, telephone number and signature to: Telephone Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P. O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014.
STATE INCOME INEQUALITY CONTINUES TO GROW
A 1999 study conducted by the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) which examined the economic structure of Kansas revealed that the income disparity between high income families and both, middle and low income families, have worsened during the 1990s. This study indicates that Kansas ties with Oklahoma for last place in the Midwest region when comparing the equitability of income distribution. The KTEC assessment agrees with the most recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities which demonstrates that the income gaps in Kansas between the top fifth and the middle fifth of families grew over the last decade. It is reported that over the 1990s, the average real income of high-income families grew by 15%, while the average real income remained the same for the lowest-income families and grew by less than 2% for middle-income families.
An amendment was offered to House Concurrent Resolution 5059 during recent debate by the Senate. The amendment, which was approved, requests that Kansas, Inc. establish a working group to conduct a thorough examination of the state’s areas of economic advantage and disadvantage. It also instructed the working group to examine the causes of increasing income disparity between high-income and both middle and low-income families in the state and to propose strategies to lessen that income disparity. If Kansas is to truly enjoy a strong and sustained economic growth we must ensure that all income sectors experience equitable income gains.
ISSUES TO WATCH: several bills affecting our educational system; school funding; Governor’s KPERS freeze and one-year moratorium bill (49 separate pieces of legislation dealing with KPERS have been introduced during the 99-00 sessions); integrated plant bill which basically creates a sales tax exemption for everything connected with production of goods for resale; lobbyist bills; controlling prison population in lieu of building new prison; and a host of many other bills which fill in our time until we reach resolution on the budget.
IN CONCLUSION
Betty will be glad to take your calls in my absence from the office. I will call you back during the breaks of the Senate floor action. You can reach me via E-mail at
ggoodwin@ink.org. Or Goodwin@senate.state.ks.us. My address is State Capitol, Room 403-N, Topeka, KS 66612, telephone (785) 296-7381 or l-800-432-3924. You can visit my web page at members.tripod.com/~Ggoodwin.
Copyright © January, 2001 by Jamiebro Web Publications. All rights reserved.