2021 Legislative Update 11

It was a very busy week! The House was on the floor Monday through Thursday and took action on 34 bills. This was also the final week for committees to meet and pass out bill for consideration

Among the thirty-four bills debated on the floor was HCR 5015, which urged the United States Congress to reject the For the People Act of 2021. After heavy discussion on HCR 5015, it was clear that Democrats wanted to protect voting rights while Republicans would prefer to strip it away. In the last couple of weeks before we recess, we anticipate hearing controversially large bills that could each have a serious impact on the State of Kansas: sports wagering, the Brownback 2.0 tax bill, the Frankenstein school voucher bill, and the budget.

In the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee we worked and passed out the STAR Bond bill which was set to expire. I offered an amendment, which would have aligned the economically distressed urban areas with the same criteria in the bill as the rural/small cities area. My amendment failed. However, the Chairman of the Committee instructed the Kansas Department of Commerce staff to work with me to draft a bill based on aligning economic development tools for our most economically distressed urban areas with rural incentives for consideration next session. If the goal is to help economic development in the most economically distressed areas of Kansas than we should not separate out urban from rural. They share many of the same issues and challenges and if we let the data determine where those areas are, whether they are in a big city or a small city, we can align the economic development tools that are available to help those areas.  I am looking forward to working on this legislation for next year.

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

Monday on the Floor

On Monday, the House Caucus addressed and voted on seven bills. All seven of the bills passed under General Orders. Below are the seven bills that passed on General Orders with final action taken the following day:

• H Sub SB 99  - House Substitute for SB 99 by Committee on Transportation - Increasing the bond amount required for a vehicle dealer license and providing for display show licenses under the vehicle dealers and manufacturers licensing act. Passed on Final Action 121-2
• H Sub SB 63  - House Substitute for SB 63 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget - Enacting the back to school act to require school districts to provide a full-time, in person attendance option for all students beginning March 31, 2021, for school year 2020-2021. Passed on Final Action 77-46
• H Sub SB 26  - House Substitute for SB 26 by Committee on Transportation - Designating a portion of K-7 as the Senator Bud Burke memorial highway and designating a portion of United States highway 77 as the CPL Allen E Oatney and SP4 Gene A Myers memorial highway. Passed on Final Action 123-0 
• HB 2401  - Authorizing the secretary of corrections to enter agreements for public-private partnerships for projects for new or renovated buildings at correctional institutions for education, skills-building and spiritual needs programs; establishing a nonprofit corporation to receive gifts, donations, grants and other moneys and engage in fundraising projects for funding such projects for education, skills-building and spiritual needs programs. Passed on Final Action 123-0
• SB 67 - Expanding the definitions of all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles. Passed on Final Action 99-24
• SB 118  - Providing for the dissolution of special districts and the assumption of responsibilities by a city or county. Passed on Final Action 121-2
• SB 95 - Exempting motor vehicle odometer reading recording requirements when such recording requirements are exempted by federal law. Passed on Final Action 123-0

Also, on Monday the House took up HB 2078 which was under consideration to concur or non-concur. Below you will find a description of HB 2078.

• HB 2078  - Suspending statutory speedy trial rights until May 1, 2023, in all criminal cases, providing guidelines for prioritizing trials and requiring the office of judicial administration to prepare and submit a report to the legislature in 2022 and 2023. The House concurred with the amendments made by the Senate 114-7.

Tuesday on the Floor

On Tuesday, the House took final action on the seven bills that passed on General Orders the day prior. All seven bills passed on final action with the results reported above.

After final action, the House Caucus addressed and voted on seven bills. All seven of these bills passed on General Orders and were voted on final action the following day. Below are those bills and a brief description of each.

• SB 36: Requiring the Kansas highway patrol to make multiple vehicle checks within a set time period for certain salvage vehicle pools and allowing salvage vehicle pools and dealers to apply for ownership. Updating the entities who are subject to the pipeline safety program of the state corporation commission. documents for vehicles that are disclaimed by insurance companies. Passed on Final Action 116 - 6
• HB 2329: Updating the entities who are subject to the pipeline safety program of the state corporation commission. Passed on Final Action 121-1
• SB 55: Clarifying the authority of healing arts school clinics to provide healing arts services. Passed on Final Action 122-0
• HCR 5015: Urging the United States Congress to reject the For the People Act of 2021. Passed on Final Action 84-38
• HB 2406: Sunday start time for the sale of alcoholic liquor and cereal malt beverages in retail stores changed from 12 noon to 9 a.m. Passed on Final Action 80-42
• SB 86:  Conforming certain KPERS provisions with the federal CARES act. Passed on Final Action 122-0
• SB 24:  Prohibiting municipalities from imposing restrictions on customer's use of energy based upon source of energy. Passed on Final Action 93 - 29

Wednesday on the Floor

On Wednesday, the House took Final Action on the seven bills that passed on General Orders the previous day. Also, SB 64 had its last day on the Consent Calendar, therefore it also was voted on Final Action.  SB 64  - Passed on Final Action 120-2.

After Final Action, the House addressed and voted on seven bills. There were eight bills on General Orders, but HB 2122 was skipped over and was placed back below the line. Below are the seven bills that passed on General Orders. These bills will be voted on Final Action on Thursday.

• SB 107:  Enacting the uniform fiduciary income and principal act (UFIPA). Passed on Final Action 122-0
• SB 175: Enacting the rural emergency hospital act to provide for the licensure of rural emergency hospitals and establishing the rural hospital innovation grant program to assist rural hospitals in serving rural communities. Passed on Final Action 119-3
• HB 2150:  Creating a definition of financial exploitation, requiring additional mandatory reporters and increasing investigation days in the abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of certain adults. Passed on Final Action 118-4
• SB 238:  Establishing certification and funding for certified community behavioral health clinics, authorizing telemedicine waivers for out-of-state healthcare providers, reducing certain requirements for licensure by the behavioral sciences regulatory board and expanding out-of-state temporary permits to practice behavioral sciences professions. Passed on Final Action 121-1
• SB 58:  Prohibiting the filing of certain liens or claims against real or personal property and providing for criminal penalties. Passed on Final Action 122-0
• SB 103: Amending the Kansas power of attorney act regarding the form of a power of attorney and the duties of third parties relying and acting on a power of attorney. Passed on Final Action 122-0
• SB 37:  Updating producer licensing statutes pertaining to appointment, examinations, fees, licensing, renewal dates, continuing education, suspension, revocation and denial of licensure and reinstatement. Passed on Final Action 109-1

Thursday on the Floor

On Thursday, the House took Final Action on the seven bills that passed on General Orders the previous day with results included above.

The House then addressed and voted on ten bills that passed on voice vote. The House then declared an Emergency Final Action to vote on these ten bills. All 10 bills passed on Emergency Final Action. 

• SB 38:  Establishing the Kansas pesticide waste disposal program and permitting up to $50,000 to be transferred annually from the Kansas agricultural remediation fund to a new Kansas pesticide waste disposal fund. Passed on Emergency Final Action 121-1
• SB 66:  Amending the angel investor tax credit with respect to the definition of qualified securities, tax credit limitations and amounts, investor requirements and extending the date that credits may be allowed. Passed on Emergency Final Action 109-12
• SB 89:  Exempting the transport of agricultural forage commodities from secured load requirements. Passed on Emergency Final Action 122-0
• SB 65:  Decoupling the KIT and KIR workforce training programs from the high performance incentive fund program. Passed on Emergency Final Action 121-1
• SB 52:  Creating the Sedgwick county urban area nuisance abatement act. Passed on Emergency Final Action 80-42
• SB 160:  Updating the reference to the guidelines of the American fisheries society in the commercialization of wildlife statute. Passed on Emergency Final Action 120-2
• SB 90:  Amending the Kansas rural housing incentive district act to permit bond funding for vertical residential renovation of older buildings in central business districts. Passed on Emergency Final Action 105-17
• SB 143:  Updating definitions and increasing maximum functional unit license and storage fees relating to grain and public warehouse laws. Passed on Emergency Final Action 117-5
• HB 2176:  Clarify the vacation or exclusion of territory from city boundaries or release of easements. Passed on Emergency Final Action 120-2
• SB 142:  Requiring coast guard-approved personal flotation devices as prescribed by the secretary of wildlife, parks and tourism in rules and regulations. Passed on Emergency Final Action 102-20

The Last Two Weeks Before First Adjournment

As we edge closer to the first adjournment of the Legislature – when we recess until Veto Session in May – we expect to work on a multitude of both good and bad controversial bills these last two weeks. These controversial bills could include  Sub HB 2119  (school vouchers for private schools),  Sub SB 50  (revival of the failed Brownback tax plan 2.0),  HB 2184  (legalizing medical marijuana),  Sub SB 84  (legalizing sports wagering), and  HB 2397  (the state budget). 

One bill of note that we are continuing to keep a close eye on is  SB 208  (anti-trans athletes), but thanks to an amazing wave of support from citizens across the state sharing their opposition to this horrible bill, House Republicans have been reluctant to work it. Let’s keep the pressure up and make sure that bill never comes down the pipeline! 

House Democrats will continue to fight horrible bills such as the Frankenstein monster of a bill that is Sub HB 2119 which would diverts taxpayer dollars away from public schools and gives it to private schools, Sub SB 50 that would give tax relief to giant multinational corporation rather than working families, and SB 208–an awful anti-trans bill that strips the rights away from the transgender community.

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