2021 Legislative Update 10

Committees continued to meet and consider Senate Bills as well as some House Bills. We were on the floor Monday through Thursday and debated and took action on fifteen bills. Among those fifteen bills were Conference Committee Report SB 40 which was a compromised version of KEMA between House and Senate and Sub HB 2089 which would standardize firearm safety education training programs in school districts. In the next coming week, there is a possibility that we could see a few controversial bills on the House floor which could include SB 208 (Anti-Trans Bill), Sub HB 2119 (School Voucher Bill), and HB 2421 (Brownback 2.0).

The Kansas House of Representatives recognized March as Music in Our Schools Month, celebrating the importance of music and art in our lives. It was so wonderful to hear the capitol filled with music. Representative Linda Featherston and Representative Adam Thomas presented the resolution that had over 70 co-sponsors. Linda and Adam are musicians as is Representative Stephanie Byers, who joined them over the lunch hour, and the three of them filled the capitol with music!

Representative Emil Bergquist sang the Lord’s Prayer as our opening prayer. I think we have some hidden artistic talent in the legislature yet to be discovered! We were also treated to cookies with musical notes on our desk compliments of Stuart Little. I have shared pictures and some of the recordings of the music on my Facebook page which is linked below.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and appreciate your input on issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 452-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7430 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. You can also e-mail me at pam.curtis@house.ks.gov

Governor’s Press Conference

Governor Kelly announced on Monday that on March 22nd we would go into phase 3 and 4 of the vaccine rollout plan. She also mentioned that the hope is by May 1st we will be able to transition into phase 5. Below are the three phases. 

Below is a list of those who will be eligible to be vaccinated under Phase 3 and 4:

• Those aged 16 through 64 with conditions that increase the risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including Cancer, Down Syndrome, certain heart conditions, Type 1 & 2 diabetes, Pregnancy, Asthma, Cystic fibrosis, Liver disease. Neurological conditions like dementia, and other medical risks; and
• Other non-health care workers in critical infrastructure who cannot work remotely, including agricultural and food workers not included in previous phases, workers performing in-person activities indoors, utility workers, social service and government workers not included in previous phases, logistics workers, such as truck transportation workers and couriers, water and wastewater workers, shelter, housing, and finance workers; and information technology and communication workers.

Monday on the Floor

On Monday, the House Caucus addressed and voted on three bills. All three of these bills passed on voice vote. Therefore, they were put on final action and voted on the following day. Below are the three bills that passed on voice vote:

• HB 2219 - Enacting the Kansas targeted employment act to provide tax credits for the employment of persons with developmental disabilities. Passed on final action 123-1.
• HB 2287 - Establishing the Kansas promise scholarship act to provide scholarships to students who attend postsecondary educational programs that correspond to high-need career fields. Passed on final action 115-9.
• SB 235 - Enacting the back-to-school act to require school districts to provide a full-time, in person attendance option for all students beginning on March 26, 2021. Failed on final action 55-69.

Tuesday on the Floor

Following final action, the House Caucus addressed and voted on four more bills. All four of these bills passed on voice vote which placed them on the calendar for Wednesday to be voted on by final action. Below are the four bills that passed:

• HB 2094 - Substitute for HB 2094 by Committee on Appropriations - Expanding educational benefits of tuition and fees waiver for spouses and dependents of public safety officers and personnel who are injured or disabled while performing service-related duties. Passed on final action 117-6.
• HB 2339 - Expanding the crime of election tampering to include changing or altering votes cast, manipulating computer hardware or software or vote tabulation methods or producing false vote totals. Passed on final action 122-1.
• HB 2248 - Increasing state financial assistance to local health departments under specified circumstances. Passed on final action 111-12.
• HB 2021 - Authorizing the issuance of bonds for the construction of a state veterans home. Passed on final action 121-2.

Lastly, the House addressed and took action on conference committee report - SB 40. SB 40 - would create and amend law regarding the Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA), state of disaster emergencies, the Legislative Coordinating Council, and the COVID-19 health emergency.

This conference committee report is a compromised version of the KEMA bill between both the House and Senate. It does many things, but most notably it sunsets all of the Governor’s executive orders on March 31, 2021 and also extends the emergency declaration to May 28, 2021. SB 40 passed 118-5. It was then sent over to the Senate where it passed 31-8.

Wednesday on the Floor

Following final action, the House Caucus addressed and voted on five more bills. All five of these bills passed on voice vote which placed them on the calendar for Thursday to be voted on by final action.

Below are the five bills that passed on voice vote:

• Sub HB 2089 - Substitute for HB 2089 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Standardizing firearm safety education training programs in school districts. Passed on final action 75-47.
• HB 2236 - Authorizing exclusion of the sales comparison approach in mortgage financing appraisals of certain unique residential real property in rural counties. Passed on final action 122-0.
• SB 77 - Enacting the audiology and speech-language pathology interstate compact. Passed on final action 119-3.
• SB 178 - Providing for trust company charter conversions. Passed on final action 121-1.
• HCR 5013 - Urging congress to propose the "keep nine" amendment to the United States constitution to prohibit expanding the number of justices on the United States supreme court. Passed on final action 84-38.

Thursday on the Floor

Following final action, the House Caucus addressed and voted on two more bills. One of the bills passed on voice vote, while the other failed on voice vote. The bill that passed was placed on Emergency Final Action. Below are the results of those two bills:

• HB 2415 - Providing the state fire marshal with law enforcement powers and requiring an investigation of deaths resulting from fire. Failed on division vote 38-78.
• SB 170 -Making permanent provisions for the advisory committee on trauma and the statewide trauma system regional council to conduct closed meetings and keep privileged records regarding trauma cases. Passed on Emergency Final Action 98 - 23. 

Possibilities for the Next Coming Weeks

In the next coming weeks there is a possibility that we could see very controversial bills on the floor. These controversial bills could include SB 208 (Anti-Trans Bill), Sub HB 2119 (School Voucher Bill), and HB 2421 (Brownback 2.0). All three of these bills are horrible! SB 208 takes rights away from the Transgender community; Sub HB 2119 diverts taxpayer dollars away from public schools and gives it to private schools; and HB 2421 gives tax relief to giant multinational corporation rather than working families. 

Resources

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Kansas Legislature Website