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Friends:
This week the Senate honored Elon Torrence! Elon celebrated his 95th birthday on Tuesday and was a guest of the Senate with his wife of almost 67 years, Polly. Elon served as a state house reporter for the Associated Press and as a link to the presses for many history making events. He has been a member of First United Methodist Church for 62 plus years! Elon is a WW II vet and also served on the Governmental Ethics Commission for 16 years. As was noted in the tribute to him, he remembers more than most of us will ever know. HAPPY 95th BIRTHDAY ELON! (Please see his picture at right).
Thank you to Blake Bruno and Anna Rothfuss, my first pages of the session! They did a fantastic job and learned about state government by participation! Please see their picture at right.
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Education and Personal Activities
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Do you know about Kansas Health Matters? It is a public website intended to help hospitals, health departments, community members and policy makers learn more about the health of their community and gather information on ways to improve it. This tool provides local health data, resources, best practices, news articles and information about community events related to important health issues. Check it out:
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Do you know about the Sunflower Alcohol Safety Action Project? They became incorporated in 1983 for the purpose of serving the Third Judicial District as the community based alcohol safety action project.
Since 1984 they have provided 15,821 DUI evaluations or presentence investigations to the Courts. Here are some statistics:
- 2,453 presentence investigations (2005-2010)
- 182 were under the age of 21
- 810 were age 21-29
- 527 were age 30-39
- 580 were age 40-49
- 276 were 50-59
- 74 were age 60 plus
- 182 had a breath alcohol concentration (BAC) of less than 0.10%
- 586 had a BAC of 0.10 - 0.14%
- 549 had a BAC of 0.15 - 0.19%
- 308 had a BAC of 0.20 - 0.24%
- 117 had a BAC over 0.25%
- 392 refused breath testing
- 319 were unknown for BAC (access to 2010 arrest information was not made available
- 1,766 post sentence treatment or educational referrals were made
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Floor Activities
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Floor Activities
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The Senate approved confirmation of the following individuals:
Appointed by Governor Brownback:
Agricultural Remediation Board (http://www.karb.org/) Kansas Human Rights Commission (http://www.khrc.net/) - Terry Crowder
- Patricia Hill
State Banking Board (http://www.osbckansas.org/) All were approved 40-0. |
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Transportation:
SB 300 received a hearing. This bill extends the 30 day temporary vehicle registration permit to 60 days. The reason for this is the buyer not receiving the title from the previous owner, the lending institution not clearing the lien of the previous owner in a timely manner or delays associated with processing and issuing the new title by the Division of Vehicles. The bill now advances to the full Senate for debate.
Ethics and Elections: The committee received an overview of the new Voter ID law and its implementation by Secretary of State Kris Kobach. To learn more about the new Voter ID law and how it affects you, please visit http://www.gotvoterid.com/.
Donna Shelite, the Director of the Division of Vehicles, gave an update on the state's new driver's licensing system.
received a hearing. This bill will increase certain fees credited to the Governmental Ethics Commission Fee Fund. The Governor's proposed budget does lower the State General Fund support, anticipating a higher level of fee income. The fees in the bill were last increased in 2000.
Ways and Means: SB 258 received a hearing. This bill would allow a state university employee to provide factual information, advice or recommendations related to the negotiated terms of a technology licensing agreement or other research or development agreement between the university and a company in which the employee has substantial interest, with two exceptions. The bill would become part of the governmental ethics laws. It was moved out favorably to the full Senate for debate.
SB 259 also received a hearing. This bill will continue the current ability for a licensed school employee to retire under KPERS and, after a 60 day absence, continue to work for their current employer. This bill has no direct effect on state expenditures. The bill would extend the special employer contribution rate the employing public school must pay, which equals the KPERS employer actuarial rate, plus 8%. The bill was advanced to the full Senate for debate.
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The committee received an update on the Kansas Engineering Initiative Act and the audit report on the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Landon Fulmer, the Governor's Policy Director, presented the Governor's Excellence in Education Plan (school finance) and gave an update on technical education.
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Dr. Roy Jensen, Director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, gave an update on the effort to obtain National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation. The effort has involved the state, Johnson County, Kansas Bioscience Authority, the University of Kansas Endowment, the Kansas Hospital Authority, Stowers Institute, Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute, KU Clinical Research Center, and others. In 2011 the Kansas City Cancer Center saw 7,851 new cancer patients. Here is a snapshot of the NCI Economic Impact: - Extramural cancer funding has grown to $54 million, a 225% increase within the last four years
- $79.6 million in start up recruitment packages since 2006 - $15 million paid out through FY 2011
- 1,123 jobs created from 2006-2010
- 352 KU jobs
- 771 other regional jobs
- 893 new jobs projected for 2011 - 2015
- 280 KU jobs
- 613 other regional jobs
- Total regional impact: $453.4 million
- $271.1 million KU direct economic impact
- $182.3 million regional economic impact
- Total projected impact: $932.6 million
- $562 million KU direct economic impact
- $370.6 million regional economic impact
The site visit for the NCI designation will occur in February. Public Health and Welfare: The committee continued discussion and hearings on the Managed Care proposal. SB 290 received a hearing and was advanced to the full Senate for debate. This bill corrects some errors in the Addictions Counselor Licensure Act. The bill clarifies the scope of practice for professionals currently licensed in Kansas as a psychologist, specialist clinical social worker, clinical professional counselor, clinical psychotherapist or clinical marriage and family therapist who are also seeking licensure as an addictions counselor. A working group of the interested parties reached the compromise language in the bill. THANK YOU to those of you who worked so diligently on this! SB 303 received a hearing. This bill would give funeral directors the legal authority to hand over unclaimed cremated remains of veterans to the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs or a national veteran's cemetery. Special Committee on Tax: The committee met for 3 hours on Friday and made comments to advance to the Senate Assessment & Tax Committee. |
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- Met with John Smith and Michael Baugh (Kansas Department of Credit Unions)
- Met with Stuart Little and Sarah Hansen (Kansas Association of Addiction Professionals)
- Met with Cathy Harding and Connie Hubbell (Kansas Association for Medically Underserved)
- Met with Lt. Gov. Colyer, Secretary of Aging Shawn Sullivan, Kari Bruffett, Mark Dugan and Sara Arif
- Met with Anna Lamberston (Kansas Health Consumer Coalition), Joe Scranton, Tanya Dorf-Brunner (Oral Health Kansas), Terry Humphrey, and Dr. Bob Harder
- Attended the Kansas Electric Cooperatives Reception
- Met with Kathleen Lippert (Kansas Board of Healing Arts)
- Met with Gary Robbins and Todd Fleisccher (Kansas Optometric Association)
- Met with Linda Carroll and Matt Harman (Plaza West Regional Health Center)
- Met with Nancy Baker and Brooke Miller (Communities in School)
- Met with Dennis Schwartz (Shawnee County Rural Water District Number 8)
- Met with Gary Adkins (State Employees Association of Kansas - SEAK)
- Met with Mike Berry - Coca-Cola
- Attended a reception for Senate President Steve Morris (National NCSL President) and Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler (National CSG President)
- Met with Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins and Patrick Leopold
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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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ELON & POLLY TORRENCE
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Polly Torrence, Sen. Anthony Hensley, Sen. Vicki Schmidt, and Elon Torrence |
PAGES
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Blake Bruno, Sen. Vicki Schmidt, Gov. Sam Brownback and Anna Rothfuss |
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