Guest column

Sen. Kelly Kultala, D-5th Dist.

Feb. 3, 2012 

In this issue: 

· Deadline approaching for bill introductions 

· District happenings 

· Licenses for military spouses 

· January revenues down 

· Bill aims to reduce highway crashes 

· Food stamp policies 

· Redistricting update 

· Defined contribution plan shifts burden to employees 

· Ancestry search tool offered by State Library 

· Full list of accelerated T-Works projects 

· Find your representatives 

· Important state numbers 

   It was a very busy week here at the Capitol. Committees are in full swing and both chambers are passing numerous bills. On Thursday the Senate passed 25 bills that were considered noncontroversial. 

   I was very lucky to have many visitors from back home come to Topeka. Fire Chief John Paul Jones, Bob Wing, Craig Duke and others from the Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department came to attend the State Firefighter’s Association dinner. Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon, Lansing Mayor Ken Bernard, Edwardsville Mayor John “Tiny” McTaggart and Unified Government Commissioner Tom Cooley were in town for a League of Kansas Municipalities event. I was also discussed dental issues with Leavenworth dentists Dr. Paul Kittle and Dr. Paul Hund and I visited with Keith Rickard, CEO of The Guidance Center, about mental health. 

Deadline approaching for bill introductions

   Even though we’re only a few weeks into the legislative session, two important deadlines are quickly approaching. Wednesday, Feb. 8, will be the last day for individual bill introductions. Friday, Feb. 10, will be the last day for most committees to request the introduction of bills. Exempt from this second deadline are the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, and other select committees. 

   Committees will continue to meet throughout this week to meet these deadlines. As bills move through the committee process, we’ll start spending more time on the Senate floor. 

   If you have questions about any bill that has been introduced, feel free to contact my office at 785-296-7357. Or stop by my legislative office, located in room 124-E of the Topeka Statehouse. Daily calendars, committee and district information are all available online at www.kslegislature.org. To hear legislative proceedings, just click on “Listen in Live.

District happenings

· Hollywood Casino will open today Feb. 3. The ribbon cutting is at 11 a.m. and the casino opens at noon. 

· Congratulations to Danny Zeck who was appointed to the Kansas Dealer Review Board by Gov. Sam Brownback. Zeck has worked in the automobile retail industry for 29 years and has been a recipient of the Ford Motor Company President’s Award and the Quality Dealer Award. 

· Congratulations to the Immaculata boys’ basketball team for defeating Valley Falls in the Delaware Valley League battle 46-45. 


Licenses for military spouses

   The Senate voted this week to allow licensing boards to grant temporary licenses to nonresidents who’ve moved to Kansas with a military spouse on active duty. To receive a license, a person must hold a license in good standing in their previous state of residence. 

   Teachers, dentists, doctors and medical examiners are just some of the professionals affected by this law. 

   Just like most families, military families often rely on two incomes to make ends meet. This law is a practical step to help keep military families together and ensure that both spouses have an opportunity to earn a living. 


January revenues down

   The Kansas Department of Revenue reported this week that the state took in $30.6 million less in tax-only revenues in January than previously estimated. 

   Several factors played into the below-estimated receipt, including individual income taxes, which came in $33 million below estimates, a nearly 10 percent loss. Some of this loss is being attributed to income tax refunds being processed earlier. Sales taxes were also down $3 million. To date, the state of Kansas is up .1 percent over estimates and $200 million over last year. 


Bill aims to reduce highway crashes

   Members of the Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony this week in favor of a bill that would allow the Kansas Department of Transportation to double fines on dangerous stretches of highway. Signs would be posted in designated “safety corridors” along K-10 and U.S. Highway 54 through Wichita. 

   Senate Bill 342 was introduced following the death of a 5-year-old boy last year who was riding in a minivan when it was struck on westbound K-10. The driver of the other vehicle was also killed in the crash. 

   A representative for the Kansas Department of Transportation testified in support of the bill, saying safety corridor programs had reduced crashes and fatalities in several other states. A similar program in New Mexico had reduced crashes nearly 42 percent in just five years, he said. 

Food stamp policies

   On Monday, an SRS representative addressed a controversial policy change that has forced more than 2,000 U.S.-born children to be dropped from food stamp eligibility since October 2011. 

   Under SRS’s new formula, U.S. children whose parents are illegal immigrants are ineligible for the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the program that administers food stamps. Because undocumented parents are no longer counted as part of the family when the agency determines need, two families of equal size are now viewed differently. 

   As a result, thousands of children born to U.S. citizens continue to receive needed assistance without interruption while equally-needy U.S.-born children have had their food stamps slashed – a decision based solely on the citizenship of their parents. 

   Most of us agree that illegal immigrants shouldn’t have access to taxpayer-funded benefits. And if the SNAP formula was giving undocumented parents more funds than documented parents, it should be fixed. But these children are not here illegally. They’re legal citizens and have the same rights as every other U.S. citizen. 

   Withholding food from innocent children won’t solve our illegal immigration issues. What it will do is force thousands of children to go to bed hungry. 

Redistricting update 

   On a vote of 9 to 3, the Senate Reapportionment Committee this week approved a congressional district map to be sent to the full Senate for debate. The congressional map is the first step in a lengthy redistricting process, in which legislators must redraw each of the state’s congressional, state house, state senate and board of education districts. 

   According to recent census data, population has declined in the western 1st congressional district. This district was expanded eastward to ensure that each district represents the same number of constituents. The committee-approved map keeps Wyandotte and Johnson counties in the 3rd congressional district, along with the southeast corner of Leavenworth County, and moves Lawrence back into the 2nd District – the city has been split between the 2nd and 3rd districts for the last decade – and would move Montgomery County into the 2nd District as well. 

   I believe this plan is our best option; it keeps our congressional districts compact without bringing politics or voter registration into play. 

   In the coming weeks, the Senate will also weigh in on state senate and state house maps. 

Defined contribution plan shifts burden to employees

   Finding a way to shore up an $8.7 billion unfunded liability within the state's pension system continues to be a hotly contested issue this year. 

   Last month, the KPERS study commission approved a defined contribution plan. But the commission’s proposal does nothing to actually address or reduce the Unfunded Actuarial Liability. In fact, it will make the problem worse. According to the state’s own actuary, between now and 2060, the commission’s plan will cost the state $10.9 billion more than a plan previously approved by the 2011 Legislature. 

   A commission established by the state of Nebraska also found that defined contribution plans cost an average $92 per member. That’s more than double KPERS current administrative costs. 

   Instead of shifting all of the risk – and all of the administrative costs – to employees, the legislature needs to approve a plan that shares the responsibilities of paying down the UAL. 

Full list of accelerated T-Works projects 

   Last week the Kansas Department of Transportation announced it will accelerate $50 million worth of T-Works projects previously planned for late 2012 and 2013. We now have a full list of the projects that will be taking place in our community: 

District 1: Northeast 

County Work Type Location 

Wyandotte Bridge Repair At I-35 and Holliday Drive over the Kansas River 

Shawnee Bridge Repair Work on 5 bridge decks near S I-70 and I-470 

Wyandotte Bridge Repair Kansas City, Kan., Lewis and Clark Viaduct over Kansas River 

Shawnee Bridge Repair Topeka, Oakland Expressway bridge over Kansas River 

Shawnee Heavy Preservation Replace 4 bridge approaches near Goodyear Plant 

Brown Heavy Preservation Replace 8 bridge approaches in multiple locations 

Leavenworth Light Preservation Leavenworth Co. line east to US-73/K-192 Junction 

Jefferson Light Preservation K-192/US-59 junction east to county line 

Wyandotte Light Preservation Kansas River bridge north to concrete paving 

Riley Light Preservation Riley County line southeast to US-24/US-77 Junction 

Doniphan Light Preservation Doniphan County Line east 14 miles 

Shawnee Light Preservation US-75/I-70 junction north to South Soldier Creek Bridge 

Ancestry search tool offered by State Library

   To assist all Kansans in searching for their personal history, long-lost relatives, and other family information, check out Blue Skyways Heritage section at: http://kellykultala.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ddaf5c1996b441dc4b69fb05&id=07aa853596&e=a1273f8d13. 

   A service of the State Library of Kansas, this site offers information ranging from federal census information to tax lists, city directories, probate records, county histories and much more. The WSU Photo Archives section gives Kansans access to more than 1,000 photos of towns in nearly every Kansas county, most published before 1923. 

Find your representatives

   KU's Institute for Policy and Social Research has a great program to help Kansans locate their elected officials, including contact information for your State Senator, State Representative, Congressperson, and State Board of Education representative. All you have to do is go to http://kellykultala.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ddaf5c1996b441dc4b69fb05&id=2df581beba&e=a1273f8d13 type in the county where you live and your street address. The program does the rest of the work for you. 

Important state phone numbers

   Here is a list of numbers I often receive requests for during session. I hope you will find this information helpful. 

Attorney General 

(888) 428-8436 

Child Abuse Hotline 

(800) 922-5330 

Crime Tip Hotline 

(800) 572-7463 

Crime Victim Referral 

(800) 828-9745 

Driver’s License Bureau 

(785) 296-3963 

KPERS 

(888) 275-5737 

Governor’s Office 

(877) 579-6757 

Highway Conditions 

(800) 585-7623 

Housing Hotline 

(800) 752-4422 

Department on Aging 

(800) 432-3535 

Kansas Jobs 

(785) 235-5627 

Kansas Lottery 

(785) 296-5700 

Legislative Hotline 

(800) 432-3924 

School Safety Hotline 

(877) 626-8203 

Social Security 

(800) 772-1213 

SRS 

(785) 296-1491 

Tax Refund Status Info 

(800) 894-0318 

Taxpayer Assistance 

(785) 368-8222 

Unclaimed Property 

(800) 432-0386 

Vital Statistics 

(785) 296-1400