House Democrats announce 2008 legislative agenda

Immigration goals announced

Governor proposes expanding KU School of Pharmacy to Wichita

Budget breakdown, Part 2

Judge Stephen N. Six becomes new Attorney General

Legislators begin discussion of teacher shortage and retention

Sebelius requests federal disaster declarations after December ice storms

Post Secondary Technical Education Authority provides update

Living donors bill to be considered

Supporting bioscience research initiatives

In committees next week

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES, DEMONSTRATING RESPONSIBILITY

"Expanding opportunities while demonstrating responsibility is the prevailing theme of our 2008 agenda," said House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, Greensburg.  "House Democrats are committed to providing opportunities for everyday people who contribute and invest in Kansas: families who lost their homes in 2007, children whose success depends on an exceptional education and responsible workers who deserve a living wage and affordable health care.  These people are counting on us in 2008 and we have a responsibility to offer them the help they need."

Expanding Health Care

I believe hardworking Kansans deserve affordable, quality health care.  The recommendations of the Kansas Health Policy Authority will begin a long overdue discussion about health care access and affordability throughout the state.  I look forward to a full discussion of KHPA recommendations.  Other health care issues that need to be addressed include:

• Expanding tax incentives for small businesses that provide health insurance to employees
• Utilizing purchasing power of the state employee health plan by qualified small businesses, school districts and local units of government
• Supporting continued efforts by the Sebelius administration and the Health Policy Authority to reduce bureaucracy within the health care system
• Reducing waiting lists for waiver programs for home and community based services and provide additional funding for caregivers of seniors and disabled

Keeping Our Promise to Schoolchildren

Providing high caliber education for Kansas children has always been important to me.  I support the following opportunities to further improve Kansas schools:

• Secure a fourth year of the current school finance plan
• Implement all day kindergarten
• Enhance teacher salaries to recruit and retain more high-quality teachers to the profession
• Provide alternative licensure mechanisms for teachers which do not lower standards 
• Guarantee continued accountability for state education dollars

Achieving Energy for the Future

Kansas must seize the opportunity to become a national leader in the production of renewable energy.  This will help the United States become energy independent and boost Kansas' economy.  I believe the following steps will move Kansas forward in the area of energy production:

• Endorse Governor Sebelius' goal that 10 percent of Kansas energy come from renewable sources by 2010 and 20 percent by 2020
• Allow Kansas consumers to receive full credit for producing solar energy
• Provide tax credits to landlords who make rental properties more energy efficient
• Expand broadband for rural Kansas

Stabilizing Housing Costs

After devastating natural disasters in 2007, Kansas communities need housing assistance.  A comprehensive housing plan also helps our communities attract and retain quality employers.  I support the following efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing:

• Establish a community grant program for affordable housing
• Work with vocational school programs, prison training programs (such as the program at Hutchinson Correctional Facility) and union apprentice programs to rehabilitate and build homes in areas where affordable housing needs are most pressing

Helping Working Families

State lawmakers have a responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to Kansas workers.  Currently, 19,000 Kansans work below minimum wage.  These Kansans struggle to provide food and shelter for their families, making this a moral issue.  Proposals include:

• Increase Kansas' minimum wage- the lowest in the country- to equal federal law
• Guarantee that Kansas workers receive fair and just compensation for injuries incurred at work

Reducing Financial Burdens

I am also focused on providing tax relief to those who need it most: vulnerable seniors, working families and small businesses.  I have consistently fought to ensure that any tax cuts passed were not only fair and balanced but also fiscally responsible.  I will continue these efforts through the following initiatives: 

• Offer property tax relief for low-income seniors
• Close corporate tax loopholes that benefit out-of-state corporation

IMMIGRATION GOALS ANNOUNCED

Issues associated with illegal immigration- both nationally and statewide- continue to create serious problems in Kansas.  This week, House Democrats outlined initiatives to address these issues in the 2008 legislative session.

I support a three-prong approach to the immigration problem:

• Demand Accountability: Send a strong message federal government that it must secure our borders, provide solutions for the immigration status of the 12+ million undocumented immigrants that currently reside in the United States.
• Take Responsibility: Continue to crack down on employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants by increasing sanctions on those businesses.
• Offer Opportunity: Expedite citizenship status for immigrants who serve honorably in the United States Armed Forces.

Kansas has an opportunity to guarantee that employers are only hiring documented, legal immigrants.  However, immigration is essentially a federal problem.  Kansas must hold the federal government more accountable for securing United States' borders.  By publicly and consistently demanding stringent enforcement of federal and state immigration laws, lawmakers in Washington are reminded that the problem is urgent and cannot be ignored.

In addition to demanding accountability from federal government, I also acknowledge the need to take responsibility where it is possible.  The availability of jobs serves as the main incentive for immigration to Kansas.  It is unlawful for businesses in the state to hire those who are in the country illegally.  However, irresponsible employers frequently hire undocumented immigrants as a means of paying lower wages.  State legislators have recently taken steps to toughen penalties for those businesses that do not abide by the law, but more can be done.  As long as illegal hiring continues in Kansas, illegal immigration will continue to be a problem.

While Kansas must strictly enforce laws regarding undocumented workers in the state, it is important to honor and respect the contributions of immigrants who are awaiting citizenship.  House Democrats propose a resolution that encourages the federal government to enact law that further expedites citizenship for immigrants who serve honorably in the armed forces. 

Illegal immigration is a serious issue that demands a reasonable solution.  With a responsible approach, Kansas has an opportunity to address key components of the problem while still guaranteeing the American Dream to all who lawfully pursue it.

EXPANDING KU PHARMACY SCHOOL TO WICHITA

One serious concern in relation to the health care industry in Kansas is a growing shortage of pharmacists.  Several Kansas counties currently have no pharmacy services and the problem will only worsen as pharmacists retire.  More than a third of Kansas pharmacists are over the age of 50, and in some areas of the state, that number is even higher.  Additionally, an aging population creates an even larger demand for the profession. 

New pharmacy school graduates have almost guaranteed jobs waiting for them, but there simply are not enough graduates to meet the demand.  Kansas must expand its ability to produce new pharmacists.  Kansas currently offers only one pharmacy school program: through the University of Kansas in Lawrence.  Each year, over 400 students apply to the program but the school can only accommodate 120 students. 

Though this has not yet been reviewed by the legislature, Governor Sebelius recommends the expansion of the University's School of Pharmacy- including new facilities at the Wichita campus- beginning with $1 million from the Expanded Lottery Act Revenue Fund (money generated from gaming). Debt service will not begin until FY 2010 with an estimated annual cost of $5 million for 15 years. An additional $100 million will be provided through federal and private funding.

The total project- both in Lawrence and in Wichita- will consist of a new building on the Lawrence campus and an addition and partial renovation of the Roberts Center for Research in Wichita. When completed, the school will provide instruction to an additional 85 students, assist with continuing education for pharmacists, and promote residency programs in hospital pharmacies around the state.

Pharmacists are the most accessible source of health information to consumers and are valuable health care professionals.  We must do what we can to ensure that every Kansas community has access to this resource.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN, CONTINUED

Last week, I provided an overview of the Governor's proposed budget for the next fiscal year.  As I mentioned previously, the budget is broken down into five major principles:

• Improve health care
• Grow the economy and create new jobs
• Support Kansas schools and enhance early childhood programs
• Maintain the state's infrastructure
• Fairly compensate those in public service

More specifically, Principle #1 addresses funding components of health care reform.  Governor Sebelius supports the passage of the Kansas Health Policy health reform plan, which aims to transform the state's health system and provide all Kansans with access to affordable care.  KHPA has identified three main priorities:

• Increasing cost transparency so consumers are better able to understand their options
• Focus on prevention and promoting medical homes.  This priority will improve coordination within facilities and produce standardization of health information.  Also included are a statewide smoking ban, tobacco cessation programs, expanded cancer screenings, and access to Medicaid dental care for pregnant women.
• Provide and protect affordable health insurance, specifically focusing on small businesses, children, and low income or uninsured Kansans.  KHPA recommends the implementation of premium assistance, the promotion of affordable coverage for small business, and efforts to increase enrollment of children currently eligible for Medicaid or HealthWave.

The Governor's budget recommendations also provide funding to support home and community-based services.  This proposal uses $11.2 million of state and federal funds to reduce waiting lists to programs for the Developmentally Disabled.  The Governor also recommends the review of compensation for home and community direct care staffs to guarantee that community providers are adequately staffed to meet in-home health service needs.  In addition, the proposed FY2009 budget will again fully fund Medicaid services for the more than 300,000 Kansans who receive medical benefits through this program.

Numerous studies indicate that home and community based services are a cost effective use of state funds.  These services provide more independence for our seniors and disabled neighbors by helping them remain in their own homes.  Furthermore, these services cost less for the state than expensive institutional care.

I will continue to review budget information as the session progresses.

GOVERNOR NAMES NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL

The Kansas Constitution provides that where there is a vacancy in the office of the Attorney General.  Citing his experience as an attorney and district judge, Governor Sebelius has named Judge Stephen N. Six as Kansas' new attorney general.  The Governor stressed that Judge Six is a "respected legal professional with more than ten years experience in litigation and trial work.  She described her appointee as "an independent-minded judge who has served the people of Kansas well . . . and is ready to lead the people's law firm effectively, responsibly, with character and integrity."

Six, Lawrence, was a partner in the law firm, Shamberg, Johnson & Bergman before being named to the seventh judicial district bench by Governor Sebelius in 2005. His father, Fred, served on the Kansas Supreme Court from 1988 to 2003, retiring as a respected jurist and attorney.  In his ten years of private practice, Steve Six specialized in complex litigation and trial work.  He and his wife Betsy, have four young children: Emily, 9; Sam, 8; Henry, 5; and Will, 2.

Judge Six received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He graduated with his jurist doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law, in 1993, where he was a Note and Comment Editor on the Kansas Law Review, a member of the Order of the Coif honors society and a Rice Foundation Scholarship recipient.

Steve Six fills the unexpired term of Paul Morrison whose resignation is effective January 31, 2008. Six will be sworn in on January 31. 

DISCUSSION BEGINS ON TEACHER SHORTAGE AND RETENTION

A recent survey conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education indicated that there were 1,144 teacher vacancies in Kansas at the start of the 2007-2008 school term.  This number is both alarming and unacceptable.  These vacancies are most prevalent in high-poverty districts, southwest Kansas districts and where openings for special education teachers exist.  Studies prove that there is a direct relationship between student achievement and teacher quality.  Therefore, we must do more to adequately support and prepare Kansas teachers.  The better we do this, the easier it will be to keep our teachers in the classroom and recruit more to this vital profession. 

According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, there is strong indication that the United States will lose 2 million of the nation's current 3.4 million teachers over the next ten years.  Along with teacher shortages, there is also need for increased teacher retention.  In addition to mentoring, incentive programs and professional development, the Legislative Education Planning Council has proposed a $5,000 bonus for teachers in high-demand subjects who continue working after the date at which they are eligible to retire.  The proposal would allow local districts to offer such teachers a $2,500 bonus that would be matched by the state for each year the teacher remains working beyond their retirement date.

We must start addressing the teacher shortage crisis now, before it trickles down into other areas of education and creates problems that are even more complicated.  We have a responsibility to transform these challenges into opportunities, creating a brighter future for our children and our state.

SEBELIUS REQUESTS FEDERAL DISASTER AFTER ICE STORMS

This week, Governor Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to President George W. Bush requesting he declare a federal disaster for a number of Kansas counties impacted by the severe ice storms that swept the state beginning Dec. 10, 2007 and continuing through Dec. 19, 2007.

Preliminary disaster assessment teams estimate damages to public infrastructure resulting from these storms is in excess of $170 million. Approximately $148 million is in damages to Kansas Rural Electric Cooperatives and municipal utilities.    

Sebelius requested federal public assistance, which provides reimbursement to counties and certain non-profits, including rural electric cooperatives for 60 counties: Atchison, Barber, Barton, Brown, Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Edwards, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Geary, Graham, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Lyon, McPherson, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Mitchell, Morris, Nemaha, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Stafford, Wabaunsee, Washington and Woodson. Sebelius made the public assistance request to cover costs related to emergency protective measures, building and equipment, debris removal and utilities.
         

The governor also requested hazard mitigation for all 105 counties. Hazard mitigation is cost-effective action taken to prevent or reduce the threat of future damage to a facility.  Additionally, the Governor said the state would pursue loans through the Small Business Administration due to the number of commercial losses in the grocery and nursery businesses.

POST SECONDARY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY PROVIDES UPDATE

Last session, the legislature passed a law to create the Post Secondary Technical Authority, with an objective of improving technical education in Kansas.  This week the House Education Committee heard from Joseph Glassman, chair of the newly formed Authority, about their progress. 

The Authority is composed of representatives from businesses, government and technical education.  Their task is to reform our technical education system to be uniform, while using industry assistance in creating standards of excellence so students can work toward certification by discipline. 

Technical education provides career-centered curriculum, based on the needs of industry.  It provides excellent advancement and education opportunities for students who may not be well suited to a traditional liberal arts university setting.  The Authority will use its members as liaisons with each Kansas technical school and college, working with school districts served by the institutions.  There also will be a partnership between industry, government and higher education to fund a high quality, effective technical education system.

The Authority is making a number of recommendations for improvement.  Generally, we must constantly assess the needs of the market for skilled workers, constantly assess our technical programs to assure that students are properly prepared for the workplace, and work closely with industry and business to assure the quality and applicability of technical education.

Below are more specific recommendations:

• Develop areas of excellence for each school that serves its geographic area.
• Replace outdated equipment- some technical programs are still using equipment that is decades old.  This renders its application in our 21st century world useless. 
• Attract those students who want and need technical skills to our technical education institutions.
• Constantly reinforce the need to renew and improve skills in order to remain competitive in the national and global marketplace. 
• The Authority intends to have employers rate the performance of individuals who are graduating from state technical education programs and thereby rate the performance of the schools. 

The Authority is also looking at K-12 education with plans to do early assessment of students to identify those who are best served by technical and vocational education, mentoring of those students to encourage them along the proper educational path, and connect technical education institutions with K-12 parents, teachers and counselors.

LIVING DONORS BILL TO BE CONSIDERED

On January 30 the House Tax Committee will hold hearings on a bill to allow a tax credit for living organ donors (i.e. kidney donor).  Living donors accrue a great monetary expenses and typically use of most of their vacation time while donating organs.  The supporters of the bill want to help defray some of those expenses and encourage donations.

Living organ donations are becoming more frequent as new drugs allow donations of organs that are not perfect matches.  This is a result of groundbreaking research on the use of "immunosuppressants."  This advancement makes consideration of this measure even more important.

SUPPORTING BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH INITIATIIVES

With leadership from our Bioscience Authority we are bringing significantly more medical research to Kansas.  The greatest impact for economic activity generated by research lies in the animal health industry.  In the belt from Manhattan through greater Kansas City there are 120 animal health companies consisting of nutrition, manufacturing, distribution, suppliers, and service providers.  Thirty-seven animal health companies and 7 animal nutrition companies have their national or worldwide headquarters in Kansas City.

Why support this type of research investment in Kansas?  First, research firms generate excellent jobs while producing relatively few costs to communities.  You may think that research generates nearly all "high end" jobs such as those that require a Ph.D.  However, in a recent tour of a facility we were informed that they hired many people with two-year degrees, such as laboratory technicians.  Additionally, sophisticated machinery, no matter what its purpose, requires machinists and technicians, further advancing opportunities for those with technical education skills.  

Furthermore, when research labs are built communities close to the facility are most likely to gain new businesses.  That is why agencies like K-Tech work with the research scientists to help them commercialize new technology.  Quite often, a brilliant researcher needs help to put an idea into production.  We can help them with the likes of engineering, marketing, and so on.  In doing this, we keep entrepreneurs in Kansas.

What impact will bioscience research have?  To imagine potential impact of bioscience research, consider the size of the industry:   the four leading animal health companies in the Kansas City area spend about $325 million per year on research and development.  Animal health companies headquartered in the Kansas City area account for $1.37 billion of U.S. animal health sales and $4.3 of global animal health sales.

Another interesting note: The Kansas City region is leading the nation in production of biodiesel and ethanol with more than 50% of its production capacity falling within a 300-mile radius of Kansas City.

There is no doubt that bioscience research is a worthwhile investment for Kansas, and I look forward to exploring this further throughout the session. 

IN COMMITTES NEXT WEEK:

House Taxation Committee---hearings on HB 2467 which would offer income tax credit for property taxes paid by taxpayers who are 65 or older; hearings on HB 2362 which would provide income tax credit for certain expenditures related to living organ donations; hearings on HB 2520 which would address liability for taxes and other expenses related to conversion of lands into condominiums; hearings on HB 2500 which would offer property tax exemption for housing for certain low income mothers

House Education Committee--- hearings on HB 2605 that would secure a fourth year of funding to the school finance plan

House Federal and State Affairs Committee---hearings on HB 2003 which would allow an exception for day care homes to have double the amount of children licensed for during limited time periods before and after school; hearings on HB 2053 which addresses licensure of child care facilities by cities, counties, and school districts

House Energy and Utilities---hearings on HB 2632 which would address energy efficiency, conservation and demand management programs at the Kansas Corporation Commission; received a briefing on individual net metering for solar and wind energy

House Transportation Committee---hearings on HB 2622 that would address where certain license plates may be displayed

House Judiciary Committee---hearings on HB 2545 which proposes making the use of controlled substances, ecstasy and certain methamphetamine a felony; hearings on HB 2618 regarding administrative procedure amendments; hearings on HB 2619 regarding change of judge in civil cases

Please feel free to let me know if you would like any further information on these bills, or would like to testify before a committee on an issue important to you.