2023 Legislative Update 3

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2023 Legislative Update 3

January 30, 2023

2023 Legislative Update 3

Week 3, January 23-27

The Kansas Legislature kicked off the week with Governor Kelly’s State of the State address. The celebratory event set the tone for a week of action as the Governor highlighted her legislative priorities for the 2023 session. Governor Kelly called on us, members of the Kansas Legislature, to work across the aisle -- to meet her in the middle – to take on the state’s challenges. We will indeed need to work together to build on the progress Kansas has made over the last four years.

I enjoyed seeing so many visitors in Topeka this week! Loved seeing so many from home in Topeka for the Governor’s State of the State, Local Government Days, Law Enforcement Days, Labor Lobby Day to name a few!

On Thursday I attended a lunch and learn hosted by Health Forward and their partners to inform lawmakers about the work and needs of Community Health Workers. There was an excellent group of panelists that talked about the gap in services, cost savings and helping people access needed services. There are many barriers that people encounter in navigating systems to access services. CHW’s provide a vital service in helping connect people to improve their lives.

You can learn more about the work Health Forward is doing to make our communities healthier places to live and raise a family by reaching out to McClain Bryant Macklin, JD MBA, Director, Policy and Strategic Initiatives at Health Forward Foundation .

Many thanks to Mary Votypka, School Counselor at Central Middle School and Dawn Cook for visiting with me at the Capitol, for School Mental Health Advocacy Day. The advocacy day was a unified effort between School Psychologists, School Social Workers, School Nurses, and School Counselors to increase awareness and create a unified voice to advocate for students and schools to increase mental health support. Appreciate Mary and Dawn being a part of this effort to help educate legislators.

A very cool way to end the week with a visit to Joseph Edward Macklin's multimedia company to see his studio space and the opportunities for real world learning experiences he is providing to students in the KC area. Representative Linda Featherston, Senator Pat Pettey and GKC Chamber’s David Pruente joined me for the tour! Founder (and KCK native) Joseph ‘Jo Blaq’ Macklin and his team train students in audio engineering, coding, graphic design, performance (and more). Students participate in the program as part of their school day. They have shown school attendance rate improvement from 76% to 96%. Hopefully some of our students in Kansas will be able to take advantage of this RWL opportunity. To learn more about Joe and his multimedia company at www.distrkct.com.

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 Laura Kelly delivers the State of the State Address

Governor Laura Kelly gave her annual State of the State address on Tuesday, January 24 to a House chamber filled with legislators, Kansas State Supreme Court justices, honored guests, and more. “Long gone are the days of Kansas making headlines for failure and mismanagement…”

You may watch the address here , read a full transcript here , and see a photo gallery here.

“In state of the state address, Laura Kelly warns Republicans away from conservative agenda,” Topeka Capital-Journal , 1/24/2023
“KS Gov. Kelly warns against politics in classrooms, renews calls for medical marijuana,” Wichita Eagle , 1/24/2023

The House Rules Debate

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives debated HR 6004 , the rules that will govern the House for the next two years.

Attempts were made in the Rules & Journal Committee to alter the House Rules for purposes of transparency and accountability. Unfortunately, those amendments that would have prohibited the body from beginning debate after midnight and mandated that every vote be recorded failed. Ultimately, HR 6004 passed 79-41 .

I voted NO on HR 6004 because the transparency and accountability measures offered were not adopted.

“Kansas House tangles on procedural rules before preserving late-night debates, bill bundling,” Kansas Reflector , 1/26/2023
“This Kansas rep wanted to run for House speaker on a transparency platform. The GOP shut him down.” Kansas Reflector , 1/9/2023

Hearing on HB 2028! Automated process for the expungement of criminal records

On Wednesday a hearing was held in the House Judiciary Committee on HB 2028, to allow for an automated process for expungement or sealing of criminal records from public view.

The hearing went very well with Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree and Marilyn Harp fielding many of the questions. Very personal and compelling written testimony was submitted by Jermaine Wilson, former Mayor Pro Tem of Leavenworth, who had his record expunged seven years ago.

The business community, including KC Chamber Adam Timmerman provided testimony in support of HB 2028 consistent with the Chamber’s efforts on second chance hiring policies to help individuals with employment, housing, and educational opportunities.

Coalition members Wesley McKain, Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Public Health Department, Lindsie Ford, Public Defender, on behalf of State Board of Indigent Defense Services and Todd Thompson, on behalf of KS County and District Attorneys Assoc all provided testimony in support of HB 2028.

Attorney Ross Stewart and Stacey Knoll, Executive Director, Kansas African American Affairs Commission also testified in support. There were no opponents to HB 2028.

The “Clean Slate Coalition” has been meeting for several years to move this issue forward. Expungement is one of the policies that helps remove barriers for individuals to access housing, employment and educational opportunities.

Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office Delegation Visit

It was an honor to have dinner with the Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office delegation led by Director General Bill S.C. Huang and Deputy Director Leanne Kao and Natalia S.Y. Wang, Consular Officer. I very much appreciate Senator Mary Ware inviting me. We had such interesting and insightful conversation, and it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the economic and cultural partnerships between Kansas and Taiwan with much potential for growth. In 2021 Taiwan was fifth in Kansas Ag exports by country.

Our Greater KC Chamber’s World Trade Center hosted a business roundtable last December featuring the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Denver. The event highlighted the available opportunities, industry outlooks, and best practices for business success between Kansas City and Taiwan. Melissa Miller, Director of our World Trade Center – Kansas City, and can provide more information about the work WTCKC does to connect our regional businesses to the global community. The KC Chamber is one of only three chambers in the U.S. to operate a licensed World Trade Center.

A New Mural: Recognizing and Honoring the 1st Kansas (Colored) Voluntary Infantry

On Thursday, January 26, a hearing was held for HB 2088 . in the Veterans & Military Affairs Committee . The bill directs the capitol preservation society to develop and approve plans for a mural honoring the 1st Kansas (Colored) Voluntary Infantry regiment. The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry was the first African American unit to serve in the Civil War.

In Rep. Winn’s remarks, she spoke about the invaluable and selfless contributions of the free and ex-slaves who fought in the Civil War, saying, “HB 2088 is about serving the United States of America.”

Read her full remarks to the committee here .

The committee hearing may be watched in full here .

Legislative Modernization

For decades, Kansas legislators have been paid $88.66 per day, plus an additional $157 per day for meals and lodging costs during the legislation session. This low pay, in addition to the difficulty of traveling out of town for three to four months per year, creates a very difficult environment for many people to serve and limits the voices in the legislative body. This year, there appears to be some bipartisan momentum to address legislative compensation to make it possible for more people to consider serving in the Kansas Legislature. The problem affects the ability of both parties to recruit talented qualified leaders.

Across the Rotunda: The Senate Democrats

There are three bills of interest with hearings in Senate committees in the coming week. The first, on Wednesday, is Senate Bill 50 , which would prohibit social media companies from developing terms of service that permit censorship of speech. This bill was introduced by three senators who are regularly fuzzy with facts on social media.

On Thursday, the Kansas Film and Digital Media Industry Production Development Act , has a hearing in Senate Commerce on Thursday. It would create an incentive program to attract filmmaking projects to Kansas.

Also on Thursday, Senate Tax will hear a bill that establishes tax credits for contributions to anti-abortion counseling centers or residential maternity facilities.

Bills to Watch

HB 2163 : Requiring statutory due process procedures for a school district's non-renewal or termination of a teacher contract.
HB 2169 : Permitting a prosecution for childhood sexual abuse to be commenced at any time, permitting victims of childhood sexual abuse to bring a civil action for recovery of damages caused by such abuse at any time and reviving claims against any party for such damages that occurred on or after July 1, 1984.
HB 2143 : Establishing requirements for school district bullying policies and procedures for investigating complaints.
HB 2126 : Authorizing the over-the-counter purchase of ivermectin tablets and hydroxychloroquine tablets.
HB 2138 : Creating the career technical education credential and transition incentive for employment success act to provide additional state aid to certain school districts for students who obtain career technical education credentials.
HB 2139 : Creating the crime of abuse of a sports official and providing criminal penalties therefor.
HB 2140 : Increasing the age range of able-bodied adults without dependents required to complete an employment and training program to receive food assistance.
HB 2141 : Requiring custodial and non-custodial parents to cooperate with child support enforcement programs and disqualifying such parents for being delinquent in payments.
HB 2112 : Enacting the Representative Gail Finney foster care bill of rights.
HB 2115 : Prohibiting the use of restraints during hearings under the revised Kansas juvenile justice code unless deemed appropriate by the court.
HB 2124 : Allowing businesses to sell cereal malt beverage by the drink on Sundays without requiring that 30% of such businesses’ gross receipts be derived from the sale of food.