News from Kansas Senator Elaine Bowers
2022 Senate Scene – Week 1 and 2
Senate Highlights
As we get settled into the first and second week of the 2022 legislative session, most of our work is concentrated in committees where bills are being prioritized and vetted. The Senate has 19 standing committees which cover many different topics, including education, agriculture, judiciary, budget and utilities—to name a few. Once a committee completes hearings and votes on a bill, if passed, it will then make its way to the Senate floor and the full body will begin to debate and vote on the measure. Floor debates and votes will begin in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in tracking our work, you can follow us at our website athttp://www.kslegislature.org A daily calendar is available as well as directions on how to view committee work live-time and view archive past committee and floor action.
Committee Assignments
My committees remain the same as last year - the Ethics, Elections and Local Government committee is now two committees renamed Transparency and Ethics and Local Government. I will Chair Transparency and Ethics and will serve as the Vice-Chair of Local Government. I continue to serve on the Transportation, Judiciary and Utility committees and remain on the Historical Preservation Committee. I was also assigned to a new committee, the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight.
On Tuesday, January 11th, Governor Kelly delivered her State of the State address in the House Chambers. Her address is the starting point for the budget process in Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations and sets the tone for the upcoming session. Both committees are currently reviewing her budget proposals for 2022. Currently, the state is sitting on a surplus of nearly $3.0 billion, which makes this year’s budget process a unique one. While the election year will make it tempting to spend the money, Republicans are committed to being fiscally responsible, which means using one-time revenue for one-time expenses, paying off debt and responsible tax reductions aimed at helping Kansas families and boosting the Kansas economy.
Senate Floor Action
House Bill 2477 (HB 2477) - legislation crafted to codify two executive orders to address health care staffing shortages within Kansas. It accomplishes this by temporarily deregulating several provisions of Kansas law, including:
*Allowing nursing staff with an inactive or lapsed license to provide medical services appropriate to their education.
*Providing the ability for students who are enrolled in programs to become healthcare professionals, as well as military members who are also emergency medical personnel to volunteer at healthcare facilities
*Allows Physician Assistants, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nurse Anesthetists, Registered Professional Nurses and Licensed Pharmacists to provide additional services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
*Health care providers in other states would be able to practice in Kansas.
The bill sunsets the provisions in January of 2023, which will allow the legislature to look at the matter again in one year. HB 2477 passed the Senate 36-2. The House then immediately concurred on the legislation, sending it to the governor, who then immediately signed the legislation.
Senate Bill 318 – (SB 318) introduced by Senator Billinger, Senator Tyson and myself will aid property owners whose property is destroyed by natural disasters. It was written and pre-filed to address the recent fires in Ellis, Osborne, Rooks and Russell Counties to provide sales tax relief for new fencing which will be needed after the fires on December 15th. The bill does so in two ways:
*It expands the ability of county commissions to abate property taxes on certain types of real property destroyed or substantially destroyed by natural disasters.
*It creates a sales tax exemption for purchases necessary to reconstruct, repair, or replace a fence used to enclose agricultural land that was damaged or destroyed by wildfire, flood, tornado, or other natural disaster occurring on or after January 1, 2021.
The bill was amended in the Senate Committee of the Whole to, beginning July 1, 2022, exempt from sales tax all sales of tangible personal property and services necessary to construct, reconstruct, repair or replace any fence used to enclose agricultural land. SB 318 passed the Senate 35-0.
Redistricting process
Before the session is complete, the legislature must pass new maps for Congress, the State Senate, the State House, and the State Board of Education. The maps are treated like typical legislative bills, which means they must be passed by both chambers and be signed into law by the governor – or, if the governor vetoes the bill containing the map(s), the legislature can override her veto with a 2/3 majority in both chambers.
The Senate Redistricting Committee, chaired by Senate Vice President Rick Wilborn, had its first meeting of the 2022 legislative session on Wednesday, January 12th. Chairman Wilborn discussed the 14 in-person tours and numerous virtual tours that the legislature hosted throughout the late summer and fall, where we received incredible input from people from every corner of our great state. The committee also adopted its rules and guidelines for the mapping process.
On Friday, the Kansas Senate passed the “Ad Astra 2” map, a Congressional Map that is primarily based upon suggestions received on the in-person and virtual listening tours. The same map was also introduced in the House Redistricting Committee.
Highlights of the map include:
*The map only splits four counties. Pawnee, Douglas, Jackson and Wyandotte are the only split counties on the new map. Both Douglas and Wyandotte are primarily divided along natural and geographic barriers such as highways and rivers.
*The First District contains both University of Kansas and Kansas State University, which have aligned goals, returning them to the same Congressional district.
*The Second District includes several military installations, including Ft. Riley, Ft. Leavenworth, Forbes Field, and the Kansas National Guard.
*The Third District keeps Johnson County together, blending the Kansas City suburbs with nearby bedroom communities.
*The Fourth District includes Wichita and surrounding communities.
*Indian Reservations are kept wholly within Congressional districts.
American Legion Girl and Boy State
The annual programs will return this year and are taking applications for the leadership programs. Girl State will be held June 12-17th at the University of Kansas and Boys State June 5-11th at Kansas State University. Both programs focus on “learning by doing” and is political exercise that simulate elections, political parties and government at the state, county, and local levels. Girl State applicants will need to have completed their junior year and Boy State applicants will need to have completed their sophomore year. For more information, visit www.ksgirlsstate.org or email secretaryksgirlsstate@gmail.com with a deadline of May 30th. Boy State information - info.1937@ksbstate.org or call 785 550-6492 with a deadline of March 31st, 2022.
Following the Kansas Legislature
You can view video streaming of both chambers via the Kansas Legislature YouTube page. In addition, many committees are now audio streamed and can also be viewed on the Kansas Legislature YouTube page. The Kansas Legislature website is easy to use with Senate and House calendars and journals as well as the rosters of both chambers. Here are the relevant links:
Website: http://www.kslegislature.org
YouTube Streaming: http://bit.ly/2CZj9O0
Committee Hearings: http://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00287/Harmony/en/View/Calendar/
Office Information
My office remains in the same suite, 223E (East wing second floor) next to the cage elevator. Randi Walters who has worked in the Capitol for 19 years as an assistant and a committee assistant is in our office.
As session progresses, not every bill introduced will make it to the Governor’s desk, but that doesn’t mean opinions, facts and testimony wasn’t heard. Your participation in the state legislature is vital. As we continue to weed through the different bills, I hope to hear from you. I want to know how legislation will impact you and our district, or the ideas you have to improve a bill. A personal email with your thoughts is the best way to reach us as we sit in committees for most of the day and seldom get to stay at our desks for long periods.
Thank you for the honor of serving you!
Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
785 296-7389
