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THE PHILLIPS FILES: Turnaround

This is a longer report than normal due to the “Turnaround” deadline (explained below). We debated, passed, and failed dozens of bills so bear with me as I’ve highlighted the most salient for you. 

Turnaround
This is the “Turnaround” deadline when bills must be passed out of their House of Origin (the chamber in which a bill was introduced) and “turned around” to the other chamber. We have Monday and Tuesday off as legislative staff completes the paperwork to get dozens of bills ready for hearing in the opposite chamber. We begin hearings on bills received from the Senate on Wednesday.

The Blessing of the Bills
Bills are exempt from this deadline if they are introduced by or pass through an exempt committee. Exempt committees in the House include Appropriations, Federal & State Affairs, Taxation, and Calendar & Printing. At the Turnaround deadline, leadership will refer some bills through these committees before adjourning in order to make them exempt from deadlines, or “blessing” them to keep alive for future debate.

From the Senate

Local Elections
SB 171 would move school district, city, community college, and other municipal elections to the fall of odd years and keep them non-partisan. At the start of the session, this bill would have moved local elections to coincide with national elections in November on even-numbered years. The whole premise of moving local elections was to generate increased voter participation. A consequence of moving local elections to even number years required them to become partisan elections. During floor debate in the Senate, the bill was amended to move the local elections to odd-numbered years, thus removing the need to make them partisan. Local elections have been the spring in Kansas for over 150 years. I fail to see how moving them to the fall is going to greatly increase voter participation. This bill results in August primaries, and in our community this is peak vacation time due to completion of summer school. After a long debate with a number of amendments, it passed the Senate on a 21-18 vote.

In the News

After a major compromise from House Leadership, a hearing will be held on Medicaid Expansion by March 25. The bill introduced by the House Vision 2020 Committee is based on a Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) proposal (KanCare 2.0). KHA is a great resource for national, state, and local statistics on the issue. As a reminder, Medicaid eligibility requirements changed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and in order to receive the federal match, states must increase the income level for Medicaid eligibility.

Also at play is the reduction in reimbursement rates to hospitals providing care to Medicaid patients. A growing number of rural hospitals are facing a difficult time meeting the demands for health care delivery in an era of shrinking revenue. Some rural hospitals are seeking increased local taxpayer support by raising local levies to offset fewer federal dollars.

Our taxes are already paying for Medicaid, and states which have expanded Medicaid, are receiving significant federal dollars to help offset the cost of expansion. I look forward to the debate on the policy merits of increasing health care delivery to low-income households. I also know expanding coverage is going to cost the state more dollars from the state general fund and during this time of revenue shortfall the biggest challenge is going to find a way to pay for Medicaid expansion in Kansas. 

Below is specific information relating to the facilities in our district.

  • Kansas Health Institute article
  • Mercy Regional Health Center has lost more than $1.6 million through 2014 due to Medicaid eligibility changes and stands to lose more than $3 million in the coming years.
  • These losses add up to $441,000 in reduced spending throughout the community from businesses who do business with our health care facilities.
  • The longer we wait to expand Medicaid, the more money our hospitals and communities lose.
  • Source: Kansas Hospital Association, “KanCare Expansion Impact by House District” 

On the House Floor

Committees completed bill hearings Wednesday morning and we spent the remainder of Wednesday and all of Thursday on the House floor debating and voting on bills. Here is a sampling:

The veterans’ preference bill I have been working on this year passed with flying colors. HB 2154 would extend veterans’ preference for hiring in the private sector.

Many homeowners’ associations (HOA) have restrictions limiting yard signs altogether, or limiting the number or when they can be posted. If you feel like fighting your neighbors, these restrictions technically contravene the First Amendment protecting freedom of speech. HB 2096 would remove this common frustration between homeowners, the candidates they support, and homeowners’ associations, by allowing signs to be placed within 45 days of an election. The bill does allow HOA to prohibit political signs on the common areas owned by the association. I voted for the bill.

In response to fly-by-night roofing contractors who flood a hail-damaged town, the legislature passed a law requiring roofing contractors be registered by the state. One unintended consequence required general contractors who do roofing work during their normal course of business to also register under this act. General contractors are licensed and registered under a number of other statutes and this registration is redundant. HB 2254 removes the requirement for general contractors to register as roofing contractors, so long as a roofing project is less than 50% of a project’s cost, door-to-door sales have not been conducted, and any subcontracted roofing company is a separate business entity.

HB 2228 would grant in-state status to active duty personnel, National Guard, military spouses, veterans, and dependents enrolled in Kansas colleges, regardless of their length of residency in the state. Students must also file a letter of intent to establish residency in Kansas. My vote was in full support.

“The Chad Taylor bill” (HB 2104) would allow that only in the case of death could a candidate’s name be removed from a ballot. The bill passed 69-54, I voted NO. This bill is written too rigidly. I understand the concern but there is a lot of variation between an inability to perform one’s duty and death. Bad things happen when it is least convenient and we need a little more flexibility to account for significant physical and emotional situations where a candidate may wish to be removed from the ballot.

Government tends to lag far behind in technology, but we were able to catch up a bit this week. Currently, if you post a fundraiser announcement on your Facebook page prior to Sine Die (the official end of the legislative session), and you are Facebook friends with a registered lobbyist – whether or not a lobbyist saw that announcement – you would face an ethics violation. HB 2183 would change the law to allow such a posting, while still prohibiting direct solicitation of a lobbyist during the legislative session.

Over the summer, the K-12 Study Commission met for hearings and deliberations on K-12 policy changes. A majority of the commission submitted recommendations to the legislature, one of which was a carefully negotiated compromise between school boards, superintendents and teachers unions on professional negotiations. Some on the committee disliked the recommendations and submitted a minority report, which was drafted into a bill and passed through the House Education Committee. On the House floor, however, a member of the House Education committee introduced an amendment to gut the minority report bill in favor of that supported by the majority – the labor/management compromise. On a close vote of 67-52, the “gut and go” amendment passed and HB 2326 passed the House and is headed for Senate consideration. In a year when education funding is a constant battle, this policy issue proved to be a watershed compromise that eventually 109 Representatives could support. I voted YES each time. 

COMMITTEE WORK: 
Next week’s calendar: The hearing schedule starts on Page 23.

Taxation
Currently, corporate taxpayers are able to claim tax credits for contributions to Individual Development Accounts (IDA). HB 2209 would allow individual income taxpayers to claim the same credit. The bill would cost the state $300,000, so I question if it will go anywhere with our current revenue picture, but it is exempt from deadlines and allowed for consideration for the remainder of the session.

We heard testimony from the Assistance League of Wichita, which has applied for a sales tax exemption. HB 2169 would create the exemption at a cost of $14,000 per year. The League may do amazing work but in this economic environment, I doubt the legislature will have the stomach to pass more tax exemptions. 

Children & Seniors
When the state owns a casino, it can get creative about getting its bills paid. If you win big at a Kansas casino and you owe income, property taxes, or child support, HB 2269 would require the casino to withhold the amount you owe from your winnings. I like this concept in theory, but fear that in practice in the Kansas City area, gamblers would choose to cross the state line and avoid this situation. The bill did not pass out of committee this week. However, it was introduced by the Appropriations Committee, so it is exempt from legislative deadlines and we will continue work on it.

Energy & Environment
HB 2192 and HB 2193 were both non-controversial bills which set up clean-up funds for underground storage tanks and a risk management program for low-risk contaminated sites which do not impact human health. Both passed the committee and the House. 

Please do not hesitate to reply with questions or comments. It is an honor to serve you in Topeka. 

Sincerely,

Tom Phillips
State Representative, District 67
Kansas House of Representatives

CONTACT TOM

In Topeka:
785-296-6014
State Capitol, Room 512-A
tom.phillips@house.ks.gov

At home in Manhattan:
785-537-2194
tphillips3@cox.net

Tom Phillips serves the 67th District, which includes Manhattan and part of Riley County. He has lived in the district for more than 20 years.

Map of the 67th District
City of Manhattan
Riley County
Kansas State University
Manhattan Area Technical College
Kansas Legislature
Kansas Secretary of State

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Paid for by Tom Phillips for State Representative, Richard Hayter, Treasurer

Capitol Office | Room: 512-A, Seat: 103 | Topeka, KS 66612 | 785-296-6014
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