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Friends:
Congratulations to Molly Rockefeller, the 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Award! She is a senior in high school at Washburn Rural High School and has achieved national recognition for her exemplary volunteer service by winning this prestigious award. Molly plans on attending Drake University next year. Joining her were her proud parents, Dr. John & Mare Rockefeller, and her brother and guest, Nick Rockefeller and Cassie Shaw. Her brother Luke was unable to attend. Please see their picture at right.
Thank you to our pages this week! It was spring break and we were lucky to have Andrew Smith & Jack Blume from Christ the King School. They had a busy day and learned about state government first hand! Please see their picture at right.
"Drop Dead Day" or First Adjournment is scheduled for March 31st. Next week we will be handling many conference committee reports.
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Education and Personal Activities
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This week I asked the Legislature to eliminate a proposed tax increase on homeowners, churches and charities. My amendment to HB 2117 allows Kansans to continue to deduct mortgage interest and charitable contributions on their state income tax returns.
In addition to increasing the income tax burden on Kansas homeowners, elimination of the mortgage deduction would have negatively impacted the state's housing market. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, construction and real estate development generates approximately $17 billion in annual economic growth for Kansas.
Home ownership is a source of pride for many Kansans, and it's a cornerstone of our economy. We need to be doing everything we can to reduce the tax burden on seniors and working Kansans. Penalizing homeowners and driving up our property taxes is not the answer.
Elimination of the charitable deduction would have put further constraints on local churches and charities. In the Shawnee County area:
- Let's Help provided food and emergency services for more than 15,000 Topeka residents in the past year
- Catholic Charities of NE Kansas provided emergency assistance for 43,380 individuals in 2011
- Christmas Bureau of Topeka adopted 2,900 families last year alone
- Topeka Rescue Mission provided temporary shelter for more than 2,200 homeless individuals - including 352 homeless children - in 2011
Taxing churches and charities undermines the good work they're doing in our communities. Taking dollars away from their charitable efforts would only reduce the amount of money they have to lend a helping hand to those in need. It's also a disservice to Kansans who donate to their churches or other neighborhood charities. Donors expect their charitable gifts to go toward a good cause, not toward taxes.
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Floor Activities
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Floor Activities
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The Senate passed over 60 bills and resolutions this week on final action.
Phyllis Gilmore received confirmation. She was appointed by Gov. Brownback to serves as the Secretary of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. HER CONFIRMATION PASSED 35-0. I VOTED YES.
HB 2660 will add the definition of "day care facility" and "maternity center" to the list of definitions in statute regarding child care facilities that are administered through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. It would also limit the licenses that would need to have a sticker identifying the expiration date of the license to day care facilities and allow the KDHE the flexibility to utilize limits and modification on licenses to bring providers into compliance with regulations. THE BILL PASSED 39-1. I VOTED YES.
HB 2631 will make several changes and additions to the Dental Practice Act for the purpose of expanding dental service in the state. IT PASSED 39-1. I VOTED YES.
HB 2430 will allow a school district to keep up to 10 percent of the district's general fund budget in a contingency reserve fund. IT PASSED 40-0. I VOTED YES.
S Sub for HB 2200 will amend the current school finance formula by increasing the base state aid per pupil by $74 a year for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years, but the increase would only go into effect if the aggregate amount of appropriations for the equalization aid for the previous school year equaled 92.5% of supplemental general state aid of the amount school districts were entitled to receive under current law. In addition, the bill would allow local boards of education to increase the local option budget authority up to 32% in school year 2012-2013 and 33% for the 2013-2014 school year, also contingent on the 92.5% equalization aid. Any increases in a local option budget above 30% would not become effective unless it was taken to an election and approved by a majority of the voters. IT PASSED 40-0. I VOTED YES.
S Sub for HB 2241 will provide for transfers from the State General Fund to the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund (LAVTRF) for FY 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and all subsequent years in the amount of $45 million for each year. The bill also would change the nature of the FY 2014 transfer from a revenue transfer to a demand transfer. Additional language would require local units to reduce property taxes below the prior year's level by the amount of the LAVTRF distributions. IT PASSED 38-2. I VOTED YES.
S Sub for HB 2157 will encourage the growth of manufacturing jobs by offering employers the flexibility to use single factor apportionment if they move their company to Kansas. This is the first phase of the Senate's "Kansas Works" plan to spur job growth in Kansas. The plan is based on input from Kansas business owners and citizens who served earlier this year on the Senate Tax Working Group. With increasing competition from China and Mexico, Kansas has lost 12% of its manufacturing job base. By targeting growth in the manufacturing sector, our state stands to regain jobs, increase exports of product to other states and countries, and increase capital flow into Kansas. "Kansas Works" will provide incentives for manufacturers to build in Kansas, to hire in Kansas and to ship products out of state by implementing a single-factor apportionment as an option for new businesses. These businesses would pay income tax only on the proportion of their sales income that occurs within the state. The proposal also takes advantage of our state's geographic location along major trade and logistics corridors. Current Kansas law taxes business income based on three factors: payroll within Kansas, property within Kansas and sales within Kansas, which is a disincentive for manufacturers to hire Kansans or own property in Kansas. By focusing on job creators, and providing property tax relief for both business owners and homeowners, Kansas will have two new powerful incentives for growing our economy. THE BILL PASSED 23-17. I VOTED YES.
S Sub for HB 2117 is the comprehensive tax bill that lowers individual income rates, repeals a severance tax exemption, and restricts participation in the Homestead Property Tax Refund program. The Senate's income tax bill builds on the Governor's plan to reduce income taxes, but with a few key changes. The Senate plan maintains the Legislature's commitment to roll back the temporary 1-cent sales tax and it protects the mortgage and charitable deductions that Kansans have consistently said they want to keep. While the Senate and House plans differ from the Governor's original proposal, it will keep a number of tax relief options viable in conference committee as we work to find a balanced plan that is right for Kansas. THE BILL PASSED 29-11. I VOTED YES.
S Sub for HB 2390 will amend the KAN-ED Act by phasing out the KAN-ED network; focusing the KAN-ED program efforts on facilitating distance learning and telemedicine; providing for a one-time needs assessment for schools, libraries, and hospitals to identify connectivity and usage needs. The KAN-ED program would be funded by a $6.0 million appropriation in FY 2013 from the Kansas Universal Service Fund. The Kansas Board of Regents would be required to adopt rules and regulations to implement and administer the Act, and to submit a report to the Legislature by January 15, 2013, that addresses usage, options for a fee structure, and options for funding the program for FY 2014 and beyond. THE BILL PASSED 39-1. I VOTED YES.
S Sub for HB 2318 will amend the statutes governing sentencing for drug crimes, including the adoption of a drug sentencing grid with five levels. THE BILL PASSED 35-4. I VOTED YES.
Sub for SB 433 is the budget for the State of Kansas for fiscal year 2013. For an explanation of the bill as it came out of committee please visit THIS WEBSITE. THE BILL PASSED 39-1. I VOTED YES. |
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Ways & Means:
The committee continued to meet and discussed advancement of bills that were heard by the full Senate.
Sub for SB 459 will create the Joint Committee on KanCare Oversight within the legislative branch. The bill was advanced to the full Senate. |
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- Met with Diane Daldrup, Dr. Sue Hall, Cindy Marie Bermudez, Kendra Wright and John Donley (March of Dimes) Please see their picture at right!
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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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