February 20, 2023
I am honored to serve as your Senator. My office is located in 124E. Please feel free to contact me at jeff.pittman@senate.ks.gov or jeff@votepittman.com. Also feel free to forward my email to someone who may be interested in subscribing.
All committee hearings and chamber proceedings can be found on the Kansas Legislature’s YouTube Page.
MET WITH YOUNG SENATORS FROM KU & WSU COLLEGES
Great to meet with young elected Senators from the major colleges this week. Each school has its own elected body of student representatives. I traveled to the KU campus late last year to meet with some of these young people to encourage them to continue their public service, so I was glad to see them again, reaching out to legislators. The WSU Senate had passed some 30 to 40 bills inside their collegiate body this year, and we discussed some of the more controversial ones like making feminine products available for free in the college bathrooms—very similar subject matter to a bill we have introduced that would eliminate sales tax on critical feminine products across the state. They advocate for issues and challenges they see, and learn how to do it most effectively in the process!
THIS ISSUE:
COLLEGE STUDENTS AT THE CAPITOL
SUMMARY WEEK 6
TUITION REDUCTION FOR MILITARY DEPENDANTS
MORE MONEY FOR VFW
ANTI-PUBLIC EDUCATION PUSH
FROM THE INTERN
CAUGHT REDHANDED, SO GET OF RID OF ETHICS COMMITTEE?
STOPPING ASSET SEIZURE FOR THOSE NOT YET GUILTY
ABORTION BILLS CONTINUE
SMALL STEP FOR ELECTED PUBLIC SERVANTS WITH FAMILIES
UN-AXING THE TAX
SILVERHAIR LEGISLATORS
GRANTS FOR DCF FAMILIES
DELTAS
SUMMARY IN WEEK 5
It was a snowy week at the Capitol. While schools shut down during the Chiefs parade and subsequent winter storms, the Legislature worked through the week, and it has been one of the busiest weeks of the session so far.
The upcoming week is called "turnaround" – the midway marker for the session and the deadline for most bills to clear their house of origin. So if they originated in the Senate, they need to make it out of the Senate floor to then be considered by House. Bills that do not make it out of their first chamber will remain in committee and are largely considered “dead” for the session. However, the majority leadership can use special procedures that are being used more often in the past decade to push bills they favor into "blessed" status which means they move along outside of this normal process.
The following bills were passed on the Senate floor this week and now move to the House:
The bulk of the debate occurred on Thursday when we took up SB 116. An identical bill passed in 2021 and was vetoed by Governor Laura Kelly. The bill requires the State Board of Education to establish curriculum guidelines for a standardized firearm safety education program based on the NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gunsafe program, which school districts could then choose to adopt. I did vote yes on this bill.
When I first heard this bill years ago, I was initially opposed as it originally codified curriculum and mandated a certain provider of that curriculum in the statute which I believe goes beyond the purview of the Legislature. However, this version is more like Eddie Eagle's "lite". It simply directs the State Board of Education to come up with curriculum guidelines, and use the NRA's education material as a basis, or guide, for what should be included as a minimum. It then allows school boards to opt in or opts out of teaching that type of course. I think this is a great compromise from the original mandate and does actually provide something constructive that may help teach safety around a reality here in Kansas.
Most other bills passed were non-controversial, though I did vote no against mandating county stickers be placed on ALL license plates, even those that are custom or specialized. I have heard enough complaints about drivers from areas like Wyandotte or Leavenworth counties being profiled by police simply based on their license plate, and these county identifiers are not even critical anymore like they used to be in the early 1900s.
TUITION REDUCTION FOR MILITARY DEPENDANTS
I was happy to have a hearing this week on SB123. Co-sponsored by myself and Senator Peck. SB 123 would give in-state tuition to military and their dependents who were stationed for a year or longer in Kansas but have moved away. As a military child, I would move from post to post often in different countries and states. Sometimes, kids move after they have grown attached to a particular state. I want to give them the opportunity for those kids to come back to Kansas for college to live in the state they love.
There is a lot of verbal support for this concept. Let's hope we see it move forward!
MORE MONEY FOR VETERAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE VFW
Being on the Senate Ways & Means (Budget) committee, I see every single agency budget and sub-committee budget. There are many opportunities to review and discuss the merits of many enhancements and cuts. One among many that I was able to help with this week was an enhancement to the VFW service organizations of an additional $150k for salary increases and extra positions. With the fortunate passing of the national PACT ACT, more veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq are eligible for benefits from the VA. These VSO officers are stretched thin getting veterans linked up with their deserved benefits--this enhancement was also made by colleagues in the House and we will resolve those differences when we work the entire budget soon.
ANTI-PUBLIC EDUCATION BILLS
Kansas is affected by the teacher shortage that's occurring across the country. However, rather than seeking viable long-term solutions, the legislative majority has chosen to divert funding from the public education budget and direct it towards the unaccredited and unmonitored private and parochial schools. My Wyandotte colleague may have called out a simple fact the best. “The Legislature, whether they like it or not, or intends, is running teachers out of the profession. It is that simple,” said Rep. Winn. “Teaching is one of the most important jobs in our society. Yet, it’s repeatedly sidelined and dismissed. Some arrogant lawmakers — I hate to call them that — seem to work day in and day out to squash the hopes and esteems of Kansas teachers.”
Education bills to track:
HB 2048: Providing additional student eligibility under the tax credit for low-income students scholarship program and increasing the amount of the tax credit for contributions made pursuant to such program.
HB 2218: Establishing the Sunflower education equity act to provide education savings accounts for qualified students in Kansas.
HB 2236: Establishing parents' right to direct the education, upbringing, and moral or religious training of their children including the right to object to harmful and inappropriate educational materials.
HB 2261: Authorizing boards of education of school districts to compensate board members for the duties and obligations of board members.
HB 2271: Authorizing any nonresident student whose parent or guardian is employed by a school district to enroll in and attend such school district.
FROM THE INTERN. INTRODUCING ETHAN MATTHIAS
Here is a paragraph written up by my intern who has been working during the session with me as part of his political science degree at Washburn:
"I have always wanted to understand what it is like to work at the state capitol. My passion drove me from hearing my local state representative talk about it to the issues that matter the most to me. Upon arriving for my internship, I quickly realized that people at the state capitol are driven to help and support their districts. This showed me that politics shouldn’t be so divided. While interning for Senator Pittman, he demonstrated that there are good and hardworking representatives and senators from both parties. Senator Pittman has even put effort into writing bipartisan legislation that helps the state. It is gratifying to see that representatives, senators, and lobbyists all care about the issues they debate and vote on. So far, this internship has taught me a lot about how state government works and how to do what's best for the community. I am grateful to be interning with Senator Pittman this session."
Thank you, Ethan glad to have you this legislative session!
HOUSE ELECTION COMMITTEE WANTS TO ELIMINATE ETHICS LAWS THAT GOP BREACHED
"House Republicans launched a “brazen” plan Thursday to stifle an investigation into alleged illegal campaign activities by rewriting numerous ethics rules and weakening the authority of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission." from an article in the Kansas Reflector. More here:
Meanwhile, some of the same propositions pushed by the House elections chair that reduce election participation are being heard in the Senate. For example, Senate Federal and State Affairs will hear a bill on Monday that would restrict the number of remote ballot boxes that may be used in each county and require certain monitoring conditions for them. Our Republican Secretary of State has repeatedly emphasized that Kansas elections are safe and secure, and that these ballot drop boxes are a reliable way to help more Kansans vote.
STOPPING ASSETS FROM GETTING PREMATURELY SEIZED
I applaud the sentiment in HB2381 that seeks to limit the seizure of property associated with a crime until after the criminal has actually been convicted.
ABORTION BILLS CONTINUE
After the first round of bills that would attempt to again ban all abortion in either a county-by-county fashion or all across the state (HB2181), another bill has a hearing that would prohibit the delivery by telemedicine of any medicine or treatment that may lead to pregnancy termination. More can be found here.
Meanwhile, the self-named Women's Bill of Rights (which does not include anything around fair pay, bodily autonomy, affirmative voting rights, freedom from harassment, or a host of other potential "rights") continues to move forward along with a series of anti-trans bills which will undoubtedly be on the floor this week or soon thereafter.
Although not yet scheduled for a hearing, as mentioned before, SB 149 aims to ban drag performances. And SB 180, referred to as the "Women's Bill of Rights," had a hearing on February 15. This bill seeks to segregate spaces based on biological reproductive abilities, which could result in transgender women being prohibited from accessing female-designated areas in domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, locker rooms, or restrooms.
SILVERHAIR LEGISLATORS
Great to hear from our silver-haired legislators, an organized group of people who are elected and whose mission it is to identify priority concerns of Kansans over 60 years of age; to develop bills and resolutions designed to address those identified concerns; and to present those resolutions to the Kansas Legislature & Governor as recommendations for state policy.
UN-AXING THE TAX
While accelerating the removal of sales tax on food is a priority for me, we shall see if it appears in a bundle of tax bill propositions that are coming out of the Senate (and House) Tax Committees. An alternate plan could reverse some of the Food Sales Tax reductions. Senate Tax has a hearing on Monday on SB 248. This bill would repeal the gradual elimination of the state sales tax on groceries, instead providing a sales tax exemption for “healthy food.” In this bill, that food is defined as fresh, canned, jarred, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; eggs; whole, fat-reduced, nonfat, evaporated, dry, soy, and almond milk; cheese; yogurt; tofu; infant formula; infant cereal; infant food fruits, vegetables, and meats; juice; whole wheat or whole grain bread; corn or flour tortillas; pasta; brown rice, bulgur, oatmeal, and whole grain barley; breakfast cereals; beans and nuts; and peanut butter.
Meanwhile, another tax break is being considered for high-end donors. Genesis Health Club owner Rodney Steven is back at it again. Senate Tax has a hearing on Tuesday on SB 252, which would exempt gyms from property and sales tax because they compete with “governmental entities” such as community centers. A similar measure was defeated in the 2021 session. According to the Kansas Reflector, Steven would have avoided an estimated $2.5 million annually in property taxes under the previous proposal. The exemption would have siphoned $1.1 million per year from Johnson County property tax revenue and between $273,000 to $366,000 from Sedgwick and Riley counties.
Many tax propositions have made it out of the Senate and House tax committees. Some reduce taxes on Social Security, some eliminate that entirely, another eliminates the deferred maintenance levy for higher education buildings, another gives property tax reductions for veterans that have been qualified with different disability ratings, and another expands the tax 'freeze' that was put in place last year based on language I had co-sponsored. The number of total reductions proposed so far is well into the hundreds of millions, so we will continue to see how all those propositions get pulled together.
SMALL STEP FOR ELECTED PUBLIC SERVANTS WITH FAMILIES
Senator Ethan Corson, myself, and some younger Republican Senators with children had a hearing on our bill allowing campaign contributions to be used for family caregiving services for candidates and elected officials will be voted on by the Senate Transparency and Ethics committee on Monday.
GOVERNOR KELLY ANNOUNCES NEARLY $20 MILLION FOR SERVICES THAT KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER, REDUCE THE NUMBER OF KIDS IN FOSTER CARE
Reinforcing her commitment to children and families, Governor Laura Kelly this week announced a new set of Family First Prevention grants totaling nearly $20 million. The grants will create and grow programs designed to keep families together and prevent children from entering the foster care system. Current Family First Prevention programs have been a proven success, helping more than 3,000 Kansas children remain with their families and avoid entering foster care.
In 2019, Kansas became one of the first states in the country to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act, bipartisan federal legislation that allows states to direct federal foster care funds into prevention programs focused on keeping families together. The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) has put the funds toward mental health treatment; parent skill building; substance use prevention; and assistance for family members who serve as primary caregivers for grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
The new grants:
● Expand the number of providers from 11 to 14
● Expand statewide an intensive mental health program called Multisystemic Therapy
● Fund new substance use disorder services
● Fund new parent-skill-building partners
● Include new primary prevention programs, including a partnership with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department
DELTAS
Sen Oletha Faust-Goudeau from Wichita and Sen David Haley from Wyandotte recognized the Delta Sigma Sorority on the floor of the Senate this week. The Deltas date back to 1913 when they were formed at Howard University. This group of strong women raises money for scholarships for young women, and gives back to our local community through service and mentoring of these young women.
CONTACT INFO
It is a special honor to serve as your State Senator and value your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 124-E 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7522 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at jeff.pittman@house.ks.gov. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.
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Sen. Jeff Pittman
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