News from Kansas State Representative Ken Rahjes

Hello from Topeka.

We are in the final days moving towards first adjournment on April 1st.  It has been a session filled with a whole lot of bills that did not go anywhere and since this is the end of the two year cycle, those bills will go away and could be re-introduced next session.

There will be town hall meetings on Tuesday April 5th:  (Ellis County) 8:00 a.m. Ellis Public Library – 9007 Washington St.; 9:45 a.m. (Graham County) Hill City -  Brick Pointe & Co. – 307 N Pomeroy Ave. ; (Rooks County) Plainville - 11:00 a.m.– The Hub co-Working Space 223 W. Mill Street ; 1;30 p.m. ( Phillips County) Phillipsburg - Huck Boyd Center 860 Park St. ; (Norton) Norton – Heaton Building, 112 S. Kansas Ave, Suite 308. We will be joined by Senator Billinger or Senator Bowers depending on county and Representative Wasinger will be at the Ellis town hall.  Look forward to seeing you.

March 23rd marked an important deadline in the 2022 Legislative Session. That is the date by which all non-exempt bills, from committees other than Appropriations, Federal and State Affairs, and Taxation, had to be considered in either chamber. This past week the House debated and approved 55 bills. Senate bills that were not amended by the House will be advanced to the Governor for her consideration. This week, Conference Committees will be meeting to hammer out differences between House and Senate versions of bills that have passed at least one chamber. The Legislature will then vote on Conference Committee Reports, which reflect the bill language agreed upon by members of each conference committee. These reports will be voted on prior to the Legislature’s First Adjournment deadline, which is set for April 1.

Highlights of legislation passed last week include:

• Implementation of the 988 Suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline in Kansas. Federal law has created 988 as an alternative to using the 911 system. The 988 system will connect people in crisis to immediate care and assistance (SB 19)

• Honoring the Gold Star Families of Kansas with a memorial to be placed on the Statehouse grounds (SB 330)

• Protecting Kansas ranchers with passage of the Fake Meat labeling bill (SB 261)

The House adopted a map (HB 2737) for reapportioning the House’s 125 seats based on population shifts in our state. This map is the result of a bipartisan compromise. No amendments were presented during floor debate, keeping the map identical to what passed out of committee.

Highlights of the Free State 3 map include:

• Priority was given to keeping rural counties whole, especially in Western Kansas. This helps county election officers be efficient with local elections by avoiding creation of unnecessary new voting districts in lower populated areas. It also makes it easier for citizens to know who their Representatives are when needing assistance or voicing concerns to their legislators.

• Two existing House Districts, 108 and 117, will become new districts in Johnson County based on the state’s shifts in population over the past 10 years.

• Keeps new districts close to the ideal population for each district, with the deviation varying by just over 3 percent.
The 110th District changes include the addition of the remainder Graham County and most of rural Ellis County that was not already a part of the district.

HB 2737 passed with a vote of 112-10. The bill heads to the Senate for its consideration. The House also passed the Senate’s reapportionment map, SB 563, following amending the Senate Bill.  SB 563 now contains both the House and Senate maps and goes to the Senate for a vote to consider the House’s amendment. The Senate has introduced the State Board of Education maps. Reapportioning the State Board of Education districts will be the final redistricting measure of the Session.

The House passed SB 267, the state budget minus K-12 expenditures, with a vote of 73-49.  The K-12 budget can be found in HB 2512.  Priorities in the budget include:

• Setting aside $500 million in the Rainy Day Fund, so that our families will not be on the hook for higher taxes as the economy ebbs and flows.

• Caring for our most vulnerable citizens with additional dollars for social service programs.

• Removing the Governor’s one-time tax handout, recommending meaningful tax cuts

• Addressing rural housing needs with a $50 million appropriation. House Republicans continue to work on legislation to best address how to keep rural Kansas thriving.

• Crafting reasonable recommendations on state employee pay by funding essential retention pay, while providing a flat increase for all other employees. In addition, the bill requests an interim study to look at pay issues across all agencies.

The budget bill now goes to a conference committee to work out differences between the House and Senate budgets. Once again, this year, the House took the K-12 funding out of the budget process in the Appropriations committee and made it a standalone bill. It contained constitutional school finance appropriations and adjustments to K-12 policy. I voted against this and the other education bill that created forced “open enrollment.” The reason I voted NO was, these policy additions would not have positive impacts on the K-12 schools in the 110th District. I did vote for HB 2631 which enacting the career technical education credential and transition incentive for employment success act to provide additional state aid for school districts based on students obtaining a credential.  

Other bills of interest included: HB 2340 Increasing the minimum age to 21 to purchase or possess cigarettes and tobacco products. The bill passed 79-43. HB 2609 Allowing restricted driver's license holders to drive to and from worship services for any religious organizations at age 15.  The bill passed 95-27.

A group of grade school students from Sabetha led the charge on HB 2644: Designating the Sandhill plum as the official state fruit. The bill passed 115-7.  

SB 200  Expanding the pharmacist's scope of practice to include initiation of therapy for influenza, strep throat or urinary tract infection, pursuant to a statewide protocol adopted by the collaborative drug therapy management advisory committee. The bill passed 119-3.

SB 346 Concerning agriculture; relating to milk and dairy products; allowing on-farm retail sale of milk and milk products; extending certain milk and dairy license fees; authorizing the secretary of agriculture to declare an imminent health hazard; authorizing civil penalties for certain dairy law violations; relating to animals; transporting animals into the state; authorizing the animal health commissioner to assess a civil penalty for violations relating thereto.  The bill passed 119-3.  

SB 479 Authorizing a permanent memorial commemorating the Kansas suffragist movement to be placed in the state capitol and establishing the Kansas suffragist memorial fund.  The bill passed 122-0.

This week Conference Committees will continue their work to find compromise between the House and Senate versions of bills. Once agreements are reached, the Conference Committee Reports will be voted upon by each chamber. The Legislature will adjourn on April 1 and return for Veto Session on April 25. This break will allow time for the House Clerk and Senate Secretary to get all the bills agreed to by both chambers to the Governor for her consideration. Any bills and budget line items vetoed by the Governor will be considered by the Legislature for possible override upon its return.

You can follow along on happenings in the legislature online at kslegislature.org  and when the house and senate are on the floor on the Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel. If you would like to contact me? Email is: ken.rahjes@house.ks.gov and you can always try my cell number at (785) 302-8416.    

Thanks for reading. It is my honor to serve you.