Dear Friends:

Welcome to the 2015 legislative session! The 86th Kansas Legislature convened on Monday, Jan. 12th. I was sworn-in with 124 colleagues to the Kansas House of Representatives by Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. The Capitol was bustling with the excitement of a new session, recording more than 1200 visitors in just one day.

This session became even more exciting when I was selected by the Speaker of the House to escort the Governor into the House for his State of the State address. This was a ceremonial assignment I was very honored to perform. 

The Governor’s address included the following highlights: 1) a continued march to zero income taxes, 2) move spring local elections to the fall, 3) an overhaul of the school finance formula, and 4) a constitutional amendment to change the way we select Supreme Court Justices. The speech gave hints of what to expect from his proposed 2-year budget released on Friday. At this time, most of us are still studying and absorbing its impact dealing with a FY2015 $280 million shortfall, while an assessment shows an FY2016 $435 million shortfall.

• Video: State of the State
• Resource: Governor’s Budget Proposal

As the 2015 legislative session gets underway, I would encourage you to visit our Capitol and observe our state government in action. I have a few spots remaining for pages if your student (12 and older) would like to spend the day helping at the Capitol.  Please let me know if you are visiting or have issues to discuss by calling 785-296-7677 or email susan@concannonforkansas.com.

One final item, I am working on a project and looking for anyone who has had homeowner’s insurance cancelled due to the storms in north central Kansas the past couple of years. I would appreciate hearing your story.

Gannon v. Kansas

Over the last few years, this case has been moving through Kansas courts on behalf of a number of school districts suing to enforce the Kansas Constitution’s requirement for “suitable provision of finance for the educational interests of the state”. The Supreme Court broke the case into two parts – Equity and Adequacy – delivering an opinion on the former in April of last year. This opinion was the catalyst for the education funding in last year’s HB 2506, which brought a million dollars in new funding for area schools. 

The Adequacy component was sent to a 3-judge panel in Shawnee County for consideration. The panel delivered an opinion during the holidays, which in short, said the state is underfunding our schools to unconstitutional levels, and even at those levels, was relying on local tax dollars to prop up the state’s responsibility. As you can imagine, there is a lot of Monday-morning-quarterbacking going on as to how (and whether) to fix funding issues, gossip about constitutional amendments to change how Supreme Court Justices are appointed and to change the constitution to eliminate the “suitability” standard, etc. I will keep you updated as proposals begin to “have legs” and how our communities and schools will be impacted.

• Wichita Eagle: Court rules school funding is inadequate under Kansas Constitution
• Topeka Capital-Journal: Judges rule school finance inadequate
• Kansas City Star: Kansas court calls school funding inadequate

Committee Work

Committee work quickly organized and began informational hearings and bill introductions. My committee assignments for the year are: Federal and State Affairs, Health and Human Services, and Ag and Natural Resources. The Ag Committee is a new assignment for me this year, and I am very excited for this new challenge.

Fed & State

This committee deals with most of the social issues facing our state. This week we will host guest speakers on a variety of social issues:

• Dean Reynoldson, Director, Alcoholic Beverage Control
• Patsy Congrove, Administrator, Charitable Gaming
• Terry Presta, Executive Director, Kansas Lottery
• Rick Peterson-Klein, Director, Kansas Racing and Gaming
• Mark Dodd, Director, State Gaming 

Health & Human Services

As Vice-Chair for a second year, I am looking forward to getting back to this committee as the health of our state continues to provide challenges for the medical and non-profit communities and the legislature. This week we will hear agency updates from:

• Kansas Health and Environment (KDHE) Secretary Susan Mosier and Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Secretary Kari Bruffett on KanCare
• Bradly Raymond with the Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program
• Kevin Robertson, Kansas Dental Association

Ag & Natural Resources

Last week we received an update on the governor’s water plan and I look for this committee to continue work and research on that issue. This week, we will hear an update from Robin Jennison, former Speaker of the House and now Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, and Jackie McClaskey, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

It is always a pleasure to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to reply to this newsletter or call my office with questions or comments. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you in Topeka. 

Sincerely,

Rep. Susan Concannon
R-Beloit
Serving Ottawa, Lincoln, Mitchell, and Cloud Counties