News from Kansas Senator Elaine Bowers

SENATE HIGHLIGHTS

Friday marked a critical deadline known as “turnaround,” marking the official halfway point for the 2021 Legislative session. It was a busy week for the Senate, as we spent three full days debating and voting on and passing 89 bills ahead of the Turnaround deadline. After being on the floor all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the Legislature will break until March 10th to give clerical staff time to process the significant amount of paperwork resulting from this week. By “turnaround,” a bill, with few exceptions, must have passed its Chamber of origin in order to be considered by the other Chamber before session is over for the year. When the Senate returns on Wednesday, the focus will be to consider bills passed by the House Chamber and bills exempt from the Turnaround deadline.
 
FLOOR ACTION THIS WEEK– March 1st - 3rd

SB 20 designates a portion of United States Hwy 69 as the Senator Dennis Wilson Memorial Highway.  

SB 26 designates a portion of K-7 as the Senator Bud Burke Memorial Highway.

SB 89 would amend law on securing loads on vehicles to create an exemption for trucks, trailers, or semitrailers when hauling agricultural forage commodities intrastate from the place of production to a market or storage.

Sub for HB 2049 prohibits a public agency that is the subject of an audit pursuant to the statute or any other law from charging a fee for copies of or access to certain records requested by the legislative division of post audit.

SB 19 designates a portion of United States Hwy 77 as the CPL Allen E Oatney and SP4 Gene A Myers Memorial highway.  This bill renames the highway stretch between Blue Rapids & Waterville.

SB 51 would direct the State Department of Education and the Department for Children and Families (DCF) to collaboratively prepare the Kansas Foster Care Children Annual Academic Report Card..

SB 62 would amend state standards for free school-administered vision screenings.

SB 83 would amend provisions in the statute governing the State Child Death Review Board regarding confidentiality of information acquired by and records of the Board.

SB 86 conforms certain KPERS provisions with the federal CARES act.

SB 106 would enact the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA) and repeal the Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (ULONA), as well as other current laws regarding notaries.

SB 120 would establish the Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight

SB 126 would amend the Club and Drinking Establishment Act by authorizing the sale of alcoholic liquor by specific organizations (such as American Legion locations) for special events.

SB 142 would require an operator of any vessel to require every person on such vessel age 12 or younger to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device while aboard.

SB 143 would update and rearrange definitions regarding grain and grain warehouses.

SB 159 pays certain claims against the state submitted by the joint committee on special claims against the state.

SB 160 updates the valuation process for illegally commercialized fish and mussels and update the reference to the American Fisheries Society guidelines.

SB 175 would enact the Rural Emergency Hospital Act and create a category of licensure to enable certain Kansas hospitals to receive federal health care reimbursement.

SB 261 would establish the Asbestos Remediation Fund. The bill would also require the Secretary of KDHE to remit all moneys received to the State Treasurer.

HB 2022 would amend law concerning the filing of complaints and investigations pertaining to abandoned wells and responsible parties for plugging abandoned wells

SB 23 provides for abatement of property tax for certain buildings or improvements destroyed or substantially destroyed by natural disaster.

SB 63 would amend law regarding the providing of ACT college entrance exams and Workkeys assessments to school students.

SB 71 would authorize nonrefundable income tax credits contributions to the Eisenhower Foundation. The bill is intended to support the efforts of the Eisenhower Foundation to improve the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

SB 72  would require any continuing education courses required of appraisers for retaining their status on the list of eligible appraisers that are not offered by the Property Valuation Division, Department of Revenue, to be courses approved by the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board

SB 78 would amend several provisions in the Insurance Code pertaining to service contracts, surplus lines insurance, the Standard Nonforfeiture Law for Individual Deferred Annuities, the Utilization Review Organization Act.

Sub for SB 84 would allow sports wagering in the state of Kansas. Under the bill, sports wagering would be operated through the state-owned casinos as part of the Expanded Lottery Act adopted in 2007.  The bill contains several provisions to fund programs to help those who are addicted to gambling.

SB 90 would authorize the Kansas Rural Housing Incentive District Act which creates economic incentives in rural communities by allowing vertical renovations of buildings for residential purposes.

SB 91 would allow a company to transfer up to 50 percent of the tax credits received from the High Performance Incentive Program (HPIP) to another company or individual per year.

SB 98 would amend law related to judicial review of property tax disputes and membership of the State Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA).

SB 101 would amend the definition and regulate the operations of electric-assisted bicycles (e-bikes).

SB 102 requires earlier notice of anticipated release from custody of a person who may be a sexually violent predator to the attorney general.

SB 104 would amend law in the Revised Kansas Code for Care of Children governing the entry of a court order directing a child to remain in a present or future placement if certain conditions, outlined in continuing law, are met. The bill would make entry of such an order mandatory rather than permissive.

SB 116 authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to let construction of any modernization or expansion project under the Eisenhower Program that would utilize federal stimulus funds regardless of whether at least one phase of each of the remaining T-Works modernization and expansion projects has been let.

SB 119 would amend law related to the list of eligible county appraisers, appraisal standards, Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) administration, and property valuation appeals.

SB 122 would amend various sections within the Kansas Rules of Evidence (Rules) related to the authentication of records and documents.

SB 124 would supplement, amend and reauthorize the Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bonds program.

SB 127 would amend laws related to driver’s licenses. The bill would add a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to the driver’s licenses that could be renewed online (except if the CDL has a hazardous materials endorsement). The bill would extend the maximum age for online application for renewal of a driver’s license from less than age 50 to less than age 65.

SB 131 authorizes funeral escorts to reasonably direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic to allow funeral processions to pass through intersections and disregard traffic control devices, notwithstanding any state law, city ordinance, or county resolution relating to traffic control devices or right-of-way provisions.

SB 147 would provide a sales tax exemption for purchases made by nonprofit integrated community care organizations.

SB 167 would expand the definition of “authorized emergency vehicle” to include a vehicle operated by an authorized person for an electric or natural gas public utility or telecommunications carrier or video service provider.

SB 170 would remove the sunset date for the Advisory Committee on Trauma (ACT) of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

SB 178 would amend provisions governing organization and supervision in the Kansas Banking Code.

SB 185 would authorize the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to adopt rules and regulations, establish a sign language interpreter registration process and provide guidelines for communication access services.

SB 238 would amend statutes related to the regulation of professional counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, addiction counselors and master’s level psychologists.

A full description of each bill can be found at www.kslegislature.org as well as the Final Action vote on each measure.
 
KDOL ADDS ADDITIONAL CONTACT CENTER STAFF AND EXPANDED CALL CENTER HOURS

Governor Laura Kelly announced the Kansas Department of Labor is upgrading the agency’s server capacity and adding more availability, staff and support at the contact center which is experiencing ongoing increases in call volume from claimants who are in need of speaking with customer service agents to help with their claims.  More than 500 customer service agents with the plan to have these agents deploying on the phones between mid-March and mid-April. The first 77 of these agents will begin supporting the contact center by the beginning of next week. Starting this weekend, contact center representatives will be available on Saturdays between the hours of 8:00 am until 5:00 p.m., Sundays between 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and starting next Monday, March 8, weekday hours will be extended from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. The agency’s busiest times for the contact center are between the hours of 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., daily. If possible, claimants should avoid calling during these hours. KDOL’s highest call volume day of the week are typically Mondays, the lowest is Friday. Amelia, KDOL’s chat bot, which can be accessed through the agency’s web site, can also answer many claimant questions. For more information, or to apply for unemployment benefits, go to www.GetKansasBenefits.gov
 
UNCLAIMED PROPERTY IN KANSAS

The State of Kansas has over $400 million dollars in unclaimed property waiting for the rightful owner to find and claim. Unclaimed property stats from July 1, 2018 to March 6, 2021 include 2,843,577 searches, $59,528,991.61 returned with the average claim paid at $207.25.  These holdings at the Treasurer’s office include bank accounts, cash, stocks, bonds, refunds (utilities), royalties, insurance proceeds and even safe deposit box contents.  To search for your name, visit www.kansasastatetreasurer.com and enter your name or business name to see if your name is on this list.  Senate District #36 has over 1,000 entries in the thirteen counties it covers.  If you would like more personal assistance, call 800-432-0386 or 785-296-4165.