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Friends:
Welcome to the first newsletter of the 2012 session! The legislature began at 2 pm on Monday, January 9, 2012. Please help me welcome back my assistants, Barbara Bryans and Carolyn Long! Please see their pictures on the right. They are happy to assist you any way that they can. I am happy that they returned for yet another exciting session!
I filed for re-election on Friday, January 6th. It has been an honor to represent you and I look forward to running a good, clean campaign.
The Governor gave his "State of the State" address at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 11th. Thank you to Representative Lana Gordon for inviting me to join her in the House Chamber for the Governor's remarks. The Governor's Budget is available to you online in two volumes. Volume 1 is a summary of the Governor's budget recommendations, while Volume 2 presents the budget by agency program. The budget proposed by the Governor reduces state expenditures by $39 million and calls for a $465 million ending balance. Recommendations in the Governor's budget include reducing the state's income tax rates; streamlining the state's health and human services agencies, which oversee programs for children, the elderly and the disabled; creating a disaster aid fund so the state is better prepared to assist our communities in the face of natural disasters, such as tornadoes and flooding; and combining the Kansas Arts Commission with the Film Commission into a new commission that will focus on economic development initiatives related to the arts. Over the next several weeks, budget committees in both the House and Senate will begin reviewing the Governor's recommendations and hearing testimony from the public.
Committee meetings have begun, with many receiving reports that are required by statute. Bills introduced last year are still available for committee or floor action, and new bills are being introduced.
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Education and Personal Activities
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The State Library of Kansas offers its LearningExpress Library to all Kansans. This online resource can help Kansans prepare for career-oriented practice tests, create a resume, complete job search applications, and become computer-savvy with multimedia skills tutorials for Microsoft Word and Excel. If you establish a personal account and password, the LearningExpress program also saves your completed practice tests, resumes and application letters so that you can store your work and log back in to use them again. To setup an account, visit www.kslib.info or call 1-800-432-3919.
I am a sponsor of the "Rainy Day Fund" that would establish a budget stabilization mechanism to better prepare the state for fluctuations in the national economy. Kansas is one of only three (3) states to not have a fund like this.
On the revenue receipts, the total State General Fund receipts through December 2011 were $245.6 million (9%) above the same period one year ago.
Here is a short version of the Governor's Income Tax Proposal. It would:
- Reduce tax rates to 3% from 3.5% for married couples making less than $30,000
- Reduce tax rates to 4.9% from current rates of 6.25% and 6.45% for other filers
- Eliminate income tax on most small business income
- Eliminate some tax credits, including for child care, adoption, historic preservation and disabled access
- Eliminate tax break for contributing to 529 college education savings plans
- Eliminate itemized deductions for charitable contributions, mortgage interest and others
- Leave corporate tax rate unchanged
- Keep state sales tax at 6.3%. It was set to drop to 5.7% on July 1, 2013
What would be cut are 23 tax credits. Here are the tax credits Governor Brownback proposes to eliminate:
- Abandoned well plugging credit
- Adoption credit
- Agritourism liability insurance credit
- Alternative fuel tax credit
- Angel investor credit
- Assistive technology contribution credit
- Child and dependent care credit
- Child day care assistance credit (employers only)
- Community service contribution credit
- Disabled access credit
- Earned income credit
- Environmental compliance credit
- Historic preservation credit
- Individual development account credit
- Law enforcement training center credit
- National Guard employer health insurance credit
- Research and development credit
- Single City port authority credit
- Small employer health benefit plan credit
- Swine facility improvement credit
- Telecommunications credit
- Temporary Assistance to Families contribution credit
- Venture Capital and local seed capital credits
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Floor Activities
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Floor Activities
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The first vote of the session will be on Tuesday, January 17th. On that day we will be voting on appointments that were made during the interim and require Senate confirmation.
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Transportation:
The committee will begin meeting next week.
Ethics and Elections: The committee will begin meeting next week.
Ways and Means:
The committee received several reports.
- Alan Conroy, Director of Legislative Research Department, detailing January 2012 revenues
- Scott Frank, Director of the Legislative Division of Post Audit, presenting recent and upcoming audits
- Steve Anderson, Director of the Budget, presenting the Governor's Budget for fiscal year 2013
- Presentation on off-budget expenditures
Public Health and Welfare:
Informational hearings were held on Agency Reorganizations, Executive Reorganization Orders, and the Medicaid Request for Proposal (RFP). The committee had multiple questions. The presenters included Secretary of Health and Environment Robert Moser and Secretary of Aging Shawn Sullivan. Next week the committee will hear from interested individuals and groups on the same topics.
Senate Tax Policy Study Group:
I have been appointed to this group by Senate President Morris. The charge is to analyze various competing options for restructuring Kansas state and local taxes in order to create a more business-friendly environment. The group is composed of Senators and members of the public. Sen. Les Donovan (Wichita) is chair of the group. The first meeting was Friday morning with many presenters. Next Friday will be the second meeting.
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- Attended a dinner at Cedar Crest hosted by Governor and First Lady Brownback for the KPERS committee
- Met with Mary Reed Spencer (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
- Met with George Stafford and Brian Baker (Cerner)
- Met with Chris Masoner (American Cancer Society)
- Met with Tim Woods (Disability Rights)
- Met with Scott Schneider (City of Topeka)
- Met with Kari Ann Rinker (NOW)
- Met with Pam Scott (Kansas Funeral Director's Association)
- Met with Eric Stafford (Kansas Chamber of Commerce)
- Met with Rep. TerriLois Gregory
- Met with Connie Hubbell (Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved)
- Met with Jane Rhys (Disability Advocate)
- Met with Suzanne Wikle (Kansas Action for Children)
- Met with Natalie Haag (Security Benefit) and Michelle Peterson (Capitol Strategies)
- Worked a shift as a pharmacist!
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Please do not
hesitate to contact me about issues of interest to you. I appreciate the
opportunity to represent you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Vicki
Schmidt
Assistant Majority Leader
20th District, Kansas Senate
vicki@vickischmidt.com
785-296-7374 (Senate Office)
Paid for by Schmidt for Senate, Brad Koehn, CPA,
Treasurer
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| Office Staff | 
Barbara Bryans & Carolyn Long |
Filing for Re-Election
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Brad Bryant and Sen. Vicki Schmidt |
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