News from the Capitol: Rep. Tom Hawk
Week 3: January 25-29
Note #1: Coffee Chat is Feb. 6, 9:00 AM at BlueStem Bistro. (First Saturday each month)
#2 KTWU Ch. 11 “Ask Your Legislator”
I will be one of the guests along with Rep. Jeff King of Independence this Sunday, January 31 at 5:00 PM
The second week did not move very fast, but had some highlights for me. Rep. Bob Bethell and I carried a resolution recognizing Kansas Mentoring Month and had the co-chair, Bill Snyder, present to accept a plaque for the occasion. Several mentors were present with their students to highlight the importance and contribution to young people. As always, Coach Snyder, is such a positive presence and his support of this program has been instrumental in its success in over 85 counties across Kansas.
In my Tax Committee, we started hearings on the Governor’s Sales Tax proposal. The proponents were in week two, while the opponents testified this week. I’ll give some more detail in the later part of this newsletter. I believe it is still early to come up with a solution to our $400 M budget hole, but do appreciate Chairman Carlson holding hearings on some of the possibilities.
Coming up this week will be hearings on HB2445, the “communications bill to avoid encroachment on our military installations”. Those hearings will be on Feb. 2 and perhaps on Feb. 4 in the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. I plan to testify.
Also, on the House floor this week I have been told we will work the “Manhattan Tornado Disaster Victims” bill, HB2160, that I introduced last year in response to out-of-state mortgage banks not delivering payments for re-building in a timely manner. While this bill will not help Manhattan, it will be helpful to the next Kansas community facing a natural disaster. I am most appreciative of our local citizens, Pam Spaulding and Aaron Madison, for there testimony last year. Lauren Palmer also shared the City of Manhattan’s support for the legislation. I am hopeful we will pass that bill on to the Senate this week.
In This Issue:
• This Week at the Statehouse
• Ft. Riley Legislator Tour Highlights
• Military Economic Impact and Jobs
• Tax Committee Update
• Budget Update
• Medicaid Cuts and Their Impact
• Veteran Services Offices To Close
• KNI & Parsons to Remain Open
• Kansas Bioscience Authority Investments
• Ethanol Update in Ag Committee
• Military Buffer Zone-Encroachment Bill
• Keep in Touch
• Useful state numbers and resources
This Past Week at the Statehouse
Each week we have Manhattan citizens come by to visit and support their particular organization or issue. Monday we had Dick Miller, Paul Barkey, and Bob Reeder here for a luncheon to support the bi-partisan “Thursday Morning Prayer Breakfast” program. Our Topeka facilitator for that, Dave Depew, and House co-leaders Arlen Siegfried (R-Olathe) and Jan Pauls (D-Hutchinson) have been most supportive of me as I have dealt with my family’s medical issues this past year.
Also on Monday we had a special Governor’s reception for the Kansas Bio-Science Authority. In attendance were new KSU President Kirk Shultz, V.P. Ron Trewyn, Dean Ralph Richardson, Dr. Sue Peterson, Mayor Strawn, Commissions Sherow and Snead, along with City Manager Ron Fehr. Our own KSU faculty and former Governor, John Carlin, serves as chair of the KBA and emceed the event. Manhattan will benefit greatly from the coming research and jobs development in the animal health corridor. I am a member of the BioScience Caucus and try to attend most tours and meetings to support the efforts to bring high paying jobs to our community and state.
The final highlight of the week for me was having a student “shadow” from Manhattan High, Tyler Cochran, on Thursday. Tyler started with me at 7 AM and held up through two caucus meetings, three long committees, and two special receptions--one on Wind Energy promotion in Kansas and the other to support Building Construction. It was a delight to have an eager and bright youngster interested in the governmental process in Topeka for a day!
FT. RILEY TOUR PICTURE DID NOT COME THROUGH ON THIS WEB PROGRAM
Representatives Barbara Bollier (left), Tom Hawk and John Grange talk to Morris Hill Elementary Principal Greg Lumb before departing the facility.
Ft. Riley Legislator Tour Highlights
As a member of the Governor’s Military Council, I was asked to help organize a tour of Ft. Riley during the first week of the session. Rep. Barbara Craft (R-Junction City) and I teamed up to recruit some House and Senate members for the tour. A special Economic Impact study was done this year pointing out the importance of our military to the state’s economy. Many of our legislators had never been on post to see the developments of the “New Army” and the numerous constructions programs on Ft. Riley since the BRAC success.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, we had nearly 20 takers with legislators and spouses visiting the Ft. on Wednesday, Jan. 13. Our first stop was the new Division HQ and an overview of the strategic directions for Ft. Riley. Following that we covered a lot of ground on a bus tour that pointed out many of the housing and facility changes, particularly in the Custer Hill area. The final highlight of the tour was an in depth look at the highly technical “Battle Command Training Center” and how it saves considerable money and time to provide simulations for soldier training prior to deployment and actual field training.
Here is the reaction of Rep. Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia): "I've always admired it ... from the highway, going by, and I've always wanted to go in and see what it was about. "I think it's interesting that (Col. David Imhof, who escorted the legislators to Fort Riley from Topeka) said (Fort Riley is the) 'best-kept secret in the military.' We need to play up on that!" Legislators are always being educated, Bowers said, "so when they offer tours like this, we need to go learn so we can better represent the state of Kansas."
Military Economic Impact and Jobs
This coming week, Representative Craft (R-Junction City) and I will share a study done by Wichita State pointing out the economic impact of our military in Kansas. That study showed an output of $7.7 B in our economy or 7 percent of Kansas GSP in 2006. The amount of impact will grow as Ft. Riley expands in the next two years. The total number of jobs in both military, supporting businesses, and economic spin-off is 169,560.
Tax Committee Update
After hearing testimony last week in support of Governor Parkinson’s proposed sales tax increase, opponents gave testimony on Tuesday. Particularly troublesome to be in the proponents hearing, were the stories of impact on the disabled and frail elderly. One conferee from Emporia shared a particular strong story of both the impact of the 10% Medicaid cut on her elderly mother and disable daughter. The final impact is a nearly $20,000 cut in services to her family. When I hear these stories, I am sympathetic to the Governor’s call to end the “crippling cuts” as he relayed in his State of the State address during the first week.
Overall, opponents argue that a sales tax increase would have a negative impact on small businesses in the state and decrease economic activity. Discussion also focused on maintaining competitiveness with our border states, especially Missouri, noting that some business owners may consider moving their business out of the state if the sales tax increased.
Some suggested that the problem was with excessive spending and that deeper cuts are the solution to the budget crisis. Others emphasized that an increase in sales tax would be regressive, harming those on the lowest end of the income scale the most because they have the least disposable income to spend, especially on consumable goods like groceries.
The committee passed the bill out of committee unfavorably on Wednesday. It has not been heard on the House floor, but I felt the move was a little premature since we don’t really know how much of a budget hole we need to fill yet. I did appreciate our Chair holding the hearing and getting the ideas out on the table for us to consider. My guess right now is that some compromise, as outlined by Senate President Steve Morris, might be where we land in April or May.
I am not ready to endorse or reject any specific revenue proposal just yet. I am considering the pros and cons of several proposal that have been introduced, but want to await the hearings and testimony later this coming month. However, it is important to point out that Governor Parkinson’s budget proposal does not increase state spending. If his revenue package passes, it will only maintain current funding levels. After five rounds of cuts, those funding levels have been reduced by over $1 billion. While my major concern is that we get a stable and sustained economy recovery that fills lost jobs, I also know from my school district experience that state government can’t keep us safe, educate our children, or help our disabled and elderly in these difficult economic time unless it has the funds to operate.
I am interested in your feedback on these discussions. The big question throughout the session will be: “Should we maintain state services or should we seriously consider a revenue package of some kind? Please feel free to drop me a note, e-mail, or contact me and tell me what you think.
Tax Survey—USA News Poll
In case you missed it in the last newsletter, here is the survey conducted by KWCH-TV Wichita. 56% responded that the state sales tax should be increased in order to prevent further cuts. 71% said that too many organizations were exempt from sales taxes. 56% supported an increase in cigarette taxes. 65% supported banning smoking in public places in Kansas. I suspect these results will be debated along with the policy positions much of the coming legislature.
Budget Update
The House Appropriations Committee continued to hear briefings from state agencies this week regarding individual agency budgets. The committee has yet to work a budget bill. Legislators and constituents alike are growing increasingly frustrated with the slow pace. The committee met six times throughout the interim to get a running start on the budget crisis. Given the extended working period, it seems reasonable to expect some type of concrete proposal 20 days into the 90-day session. Many on both sides of the aisle think if the majority leadership plans to make additional cuts to the FY 2011budget, they have a responsibility to begin specifically identifying what they feel can go to the chopping block.
Before we can begin work on FY 2011, we must first pass an FY 2010 rescission bill (which is necessary to officially enact cuts made by Governor Parkinson during the interim. The rescission bill ensures that Kansas meets its constitutional requirement to end the fiscal year with a positive ending balance). We have yet to do any work on this, but since the Senate passed its rescission bill on Wednesday, the House will hopefully follow suit and begin their work next week.
Medicaid cuts have devastating impact
There have been hearings in multiple committees for the last three weeks regarding the impact of the recently imposed 10% Medicaid cut. Kansas has cut more from Medicaid than almost any state in the union. Because the state receives 50-90% in matching funds from the federal government for this program, the total loss in revenue for health care providers who serve Medicaid patients is three times greater than the savings to the state. Cuts of this magnitude force providers to cut staff, salaries, and critical health services for our most vulnerable citizens. If funding is not restored in FY 2011 the impact will be twice as damaging, with a $130 million cut to providers in exchange for only a $70 million savings to the state.
Kansas Health Policy Authority processes Medicaid claims. (They gave a report to my Social Services Budget Committee last week about the impacts on their operations with the cuts so far.) Their operating budget has been reduced by 15% in the last fiscal year. KHPA’s call center, which received 250,000 calls last year from patients, has been closed. Customer service is an integral part of both state government and health care. The call center closure means that if a Kansan has trouble with a claim at the pharmacy, he can no longer call someone at KHPA to receive immediate assistance. The pharmacist is forced to send that person home without his medicine to try and resolve the problem via electronic help form. No matter how sick that person is, he goes without his medicine until the issue gets resolved. As you can imagine, this creates massive administrative backlog.
Although KHPA has been able to maintain its current Medicaid caseload, claims cannot be processed because there is literally no one to do it. In fact, the growth in the backlog of applications is expected to reach 33,000 by June, resulting in delayed or foregone medical care for Kansans and even more revenue loss for providers.
Medicaid providers fall under the umbrella of SRS, Aging, and Health Policy Authority. These agencies and providers are essential to protecting those who are in dire need of medical care. Without proper funding, thousands of Kansans are left without services that- in some cases- literally keep them alive.
Veterans services offices to close
At a time when soldiers are returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan with major injuries and severe post traumatic stress, Kansas is being forced to close down offices that provide assistance to veterans needing benefits and assistance. Last week in the Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee, the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs (KCVA) gave an update on how budget cuts have affected our state’s veterans.
Since the 2009 state budget bill passed, funding for the KCVA service centers have been cut to less than the initial funding it was allotted when the program started 3 years ago. Even before these cuts, Kansas was last among all U.S. states in the number of veteran service offices and Veteran Service Representatives (VSR) per veteran in the state (1 VSR to 11,000 veterans). Of 15 service offices in Kansas, 3 offices have already been closed and 7 more are at risk of closure.
Cutting services to veterans might save the state money in this fiscal year, but there is a heavy price tag for its long-term implications. Veteran service representatives (whose salaries are funded by the KCVA and have been frozen because of cuts) help veterans navigate the complex VA system in order to receive compensation. Those veterans who do not receive the federal benefits they need are then forced to rely on state-funded assistance. In Kansas, only 13% of our vets are receiving the benefits they are owed. Clearly, there is a connection between the money our state provides for veterans and their inability to obtain the federal benefits.
Our veterans are heroes who leave their homes and risk their lives to defend our way of life. Often times their experience at war profoundly affects their emotional and physical health. These men and women deserve our deepest gratitude, respect, and access to the first-rate care they have earned for their service and sacrifice.
The closing of these service centers is yet another example of how the state budget impacts every Kansas community, that government spending has been cut to the bone in this recession, and why deeper cuts must be prevented in the next fiscal year.
KNI, Parsons to remain open
On Tuesday, Governor Mark Parkinson announced that he has refused to accept the recommendations of a legislative closure commission concerning the Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI) in Topeka and Parsons State Hospital. This was good news to me and to some of our Manhattan residents whose children receive services from these institutions.
In October, the commission recommended closing KNI, while transferring a majority of KNI’s residents and some Parsons residents into community programs. In his letter, Governor Parkinson said, in part: “While we can successfully transition some of the residents at KNI and Parsons into the community, we cannot transition them all. It will take time to reduce the populations at both facilities to a level that makes consolidation possible.”
The Governor has issued an executive order to begin a phased reduction of KNI and Parsons, with the possibility that one of the institutions will be closed in three or four years. To begin decreasing the number of new people admitted to the facilities, a more stringent admission standards has been enacted. SRS will also begin profiling residents who can successfully transition into community services. Consolidation of the facilities is contingent upon successfully moving and keeping individuals in community service programs.
I believe that the phased reduction was the best solution for KNI and Parsons residents, their family members, caretakers, and our community. The services provided by KNI and Parsons are among the very best our state has to offer vulnerable Kansans. To view the Governor’s executive order regarding KNI and Parsons, please visit http://governor.ks.gov/issues-a-initiatives/executive-orders/568-executive-order-10-1.
Kansas Bioscience Authority visits Capitol, announces new investments
The Kansas Bioscience Authority visited the Capitol this week to announce $4.4 million in new investments to advance the state’s national leadership in animal health, human health, and bioenergy.
Some of the new investments include:
• $1.8 million to the University of Kansas over five years to support research to develop novel drugs that treat and prevent cancers.
• TVAX Biomedical of Lenexa was awarded $600,000 to support an FDA approved study for a patented brain cancer treatment that uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight the disease.
• Lawrence-based ReLive for Kids will receive $50,000 as a partial match to a $106,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health to further develop a cognitive-behavioral headache management system for teens.
• A research team at Kansas State University’s was approved for $500,000 to develop novel vaccines to combat a serious viral disease threatening swine and swine production globally.
In Topeka, the KBA also issued its 2009 progress report and delivered it to the Legislature. In the report, KBA highlighted that a national site selection magazine ranked Kansas as #9 in the nation on its Top 10 list of states for biotechnology. In addition, Kansas was officially selected as the home of the $650 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, which will have an estimated $3.65 billion economic impact as it becomes the world’s preeminent research center to protect the food supply and agriculture economy.
These investments have brought a lot to Kansas. Through December 2009, the realized outcomes of KBA investments have had a cumulative impact of 1,170 new jobs, $112 million in capital investment, $46.6 million in research funding, $30.8 million in equity investments in bioscience companies, and an estimated $76.7 million in new wages.
Ethanol update received in Agriculture Committee
On Monday, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee received an update on ethanol production in Kansas. Twelve ethanol factories exist in the state currently, and Kansas ethanol plants have led the country in performance and recovery in the past. Grain prices have risen due to the increased need in the surrounding areas of ethanol manufacturing. Kansas has potential for increasing production of ethanol and producing grain sorghum, an advanced biofuel.
The use of ethanol as a major source of energy is beneficial not only to the United States by lessening dependence on foreign oil, but also for Kansans economically. Environmentally, ethanol is a cleaner burning fuel resulting in lower amounts of harmful greenhouse gases. Production plants have the potential to become self sufficient by using heat produced in the fermentation process, which could significantly reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.
Military Buffer Zone-Encroachment Bill
Hearings have been set for Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 if needed for HB2445. If you want to testify, let me know and I will get you in touch with the Committee secretary. You do need 25 copies of your written testimony to present at the hearing. HB2445 is the new bill, replacing last year’s HB2169, as the compromise legislation to encourage state-wide communication between military bases, the Guard, and local communities for planning purposes. Rep. Lee Tafanelli and I worked on this most of the year, with great help from Riley County Commissioners and staff, to get a bill that would position Kansas well to weather the next BRAC, and build on the positive relationships that currently exist. David Snodgrass worked with us, and Rep. Tom Sloan who introduced the original bill, to find language that was fair to both the bases and local units of government. We think we have hit that middle ground thanks to the hard work of lots of folks since last year’s session.
KEEP IN TOUCH
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room L-10, 7th Floor, Docking Building, Statehouse, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785.296-7665or call the legislative hotline at 800.432.3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at tom.hawk@house.ks.gov. or tom@tomhawk.com. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.
USEFUL STATE NUMBERS AND RESOURCES
The following list of numbers will lead you to a variety of state and federal resources. You can find these- as well as many others- online at http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook' target='_blank'>http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook.
The following is a list of the numbers I receive the most requests for during the legislative session. You can find these as well as many others online at http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook' target='_blank'>http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook. I hope you will find this information helpful.
Adjutant General: 785.274.1001
Department on Aging: 800.432.3535
Attorney General: 785.296.2215
Better Business Bureau: 785.232.0454
Child/Adult Abuse Hotline: 800.922.5330
Child and Family Services: 785.296.4653
Commerce: 785.296.3481
Consumer Protection: 800.432.2310
Crime Tip Hotline: 800.572.7463
Crime Victim Assistance: 800.828.9745
Driver’s License Bureau: 785.296.3963
Gov. Mark Parkinson: 800.748.4408
Kansas Health Wave: 800.792.4884
Highway Road Conditions: 800.585.7623
Housing Hotline: 800.752.4422
Insurance Hotline: 800.432.2484
Kansas Lottery: 785.296.5700
Legislative Hotline: 800.432.3924
Mental Health Services: 888.582.3759
Department of Revenue: 877.526.7738
School Safety Hotline: 877.626.8203
Social Security: 800.772.1213
State Capitol Tours: 785.296.3966
Taxpayer Assistance: 800.259.2829
Tax Refund Status: 800.894.0318
Teacher Certification: 785.296.2283
Unclaimed Property: 800.432.0386
Unemployment: 785.296.5074
Vital Statistics: 785.296.1405
Voter Registration: 785.296.4561
Welfare Fraud Hotline: 800.432.3913
Workers’ Comp: 800.332.0353
Workforce Center: 785.235.5627
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