March 20 - 24, 2023

This was the last week for many committees to meet as we are quickly approaching the first adjournment on April 7. We will be on the Floor considering bills and conference committee reports for the next 2 weeks.

In the House Appropriations Committee, I was successful in offering an amendment to add $200,000 to the Judicial Branch for grants to Kansas Legal Services for the purposes of conducting expungement fairs for FY2024. The funds were placed in the Kansas Judicial Budget as they already act as a mechanism for other grants to KLS. The $200,000 will provide for 8 to 10 additional expungement fairs. 

For the past two legislative sessions a bill to provide for an automated process for the expungement of criminal records has failed to come above the line despite recommendations from the Kansas Judicial Council and unanimous support from the House Judiciary Committee. Providing expungement fairs is another way to address helping people remove this barrier to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. The expungement of records is supported by the business community and meets an immediate workforce need. There were about 86,000 job openings in the Kansas City Region over the past 12 months.

While I would have preferred to see HB 2028, to provide for an automated process for the expungement of criminal records, pass and signed into law. Providing funding for additional expungement fairs is perhaps another way to address to help people remove this barrier.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and appreciate your input on issues facing our 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.

Views From the House Floor

• H Sub for SB 113: Making appropriations for the department of education for FY 23, FY 24 and FY 25; establishing the mental health intervention team program; authorizing certain students to participate in activities regulated by the Kansas state high school activities association; requiring school districts to post certain enrollment and academic information on school district websites; revising school district open-enrollment procedures; authorizing local school board members to receive compensation from their school district; authorizing current-year student enrollment for determinations of state foundation aid; continuing the 20 mill statewide tax levy for schools; amending the school districts that qualify for and the amount that school districts are able to levy pursuant to the cost-of-living weighting. Passed on Final Action,   75-48. 

• HB 2436: Enacting the Kansas public investments and contracts protection act concerning environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, prohibiting the state and political subdivisions from giving preferential treatment to or discriminating against companies based on such ESG criteria in procuring or letting contracts, requiring KPERS fiduciaries to act solely in the financial interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the system, restricting state agencies from adopting ESG criteria or requiring any person or business to operate in accordance with such criteria and providing for enforcement of such act by the attorney general. Passed as amended on Final Action,   85-38.

• HCR 5008: Applying to the Congress of the United States to call for a convention of the states for the limited purpose of amending the constitution of the United States to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government. Final Action -- Not adopted by required ⅔ majority,   74-48.

• HB 2313: Creating the born-alive infants protection act to provide legal protections for infants who are born alive regardless of the intent of the delivery. Passed on Final Action,   88-34. 

• H Sub for SB 208: Concerning campaign finance; relating to the governmental ethics commission; modifying the investigatory and enforcement powers thereof and the schedule of registration fees for political committees; expanding the list of allowable expenditures from contributions. Passed on Emergency Final Action,   119-3. 

• SB 15: Removing the requirement of a documented written demand for premiums as part of a prima facie case against agents or brokers who fail to pay premiums due. Emergency Final Action, Passed as amended,   104-18. 
• SB 18: Adding certain legal entities to the definition of "person" thereby making such entities subject to penalties for violations of insurance law. Emergency Final Action, Passed as amended;   104-18. 

• SB 28: Discontinuing payments to certain group-funded insurance pools, refunding existing balances thereof and abolishing such funds and establishing the group-funded pools refund fund. Emergency Final Action, Passed as amended;   106-16.

• SB 106: Prohibiting the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale, offer for sale, installation or reinstallation of a counterfeit supplemental restraint system component or nonfunctional airbag and providing for criminal penalties for violation thereof and expanding permitted lighting equipment on vehicles to include all ground effect lighting.  Emergency Final Action, Passed as amended;   99-23.