Session Begins
The 2011 legislative session officially began this week, as usual, with ample fanfare and pageantry. While the start of each session fuels renewed enthusiasm, this year was particularly eventful as we swore in a new Governor, a host of statewide officials, and over 30 new legislators in the House of Representatives.

All 125 House members stood for election in 2010. The result was a significant number of freshmen legislators arriving at the Statehouse for the 2011 session. With only 90 days to consider so many new ideas, it will be a busy year—but I’m excited to begin this work and hope you’ll contact me with your advice on how to approach the issues.

The primary focus this session will be on the $550 million state budget shortfall and repairing the Kansas economy. Multiple proposals and ideas will be considered, debated and voted on in an effort to address these issues. Other issues regarding voter identification requirements, immigration, abortion, the smoking ban and gaming are anticipated to emerge. Regardless of what we ultimately end up considering for final approval, I’ve been encouraged by the amount of thought and consideration that have gone into the early proposals I’ve seen.

Early in the legislative session, most of our time will be spent in committee learning about the issues facing our state, and beginning the process of determining which legislation we’ll focus on in this first year. After learning more about these issues, we’ll pass them out of committee and begin voting sometime in the next two weeks. As the session progresses, we’ll move from committee activity to floor debate and final votes. When we begin this phase, I’ll continue working to keep you updated on the issues we’re hearing about and I hope you’ll keep me informed of your views.

State of the State & State Budget Proposals
On Wednesday, Governor Brownback appeared before a joint session of the Legislature to give his first State of the State address. The Governor’s main priority is to revitalize the Kansas economy by improving rural and urban private sector growth; creating a three-year, $105 million initiative to enhance job growth in key economic sectors like aviation, cancer research, animal health and engineering; and by allowing Kansas businesses to immediately deduct from their expenses a higher percentage of their investment costs.

The Governor also called on the legislature to adjust the state tax code to encourage investment, income growth and job creation. One issue of particular importance in his view is eliminating corporate tax subsidies and lowering the state income tax rates.

The Governor’s budget for the 2012 fiscal year is approximately $750 million dollars less than the current fiscal year (FY ‘11). Figures show a significant portion of the FY 2012 budget revolves around increased costs for SRS caseloads and additional federal mandates regarding Medicaid. Much of the savings will be realized through the issuance of executive orders that call for the structural elimination of state jobs (2,000 which are currently unfilled); the abolition of eight state agencies; and the merging of several programs and functions where duplication is occurring. Public schools will receive more overall funding while higher education funds will be stabilized in the FY 2012 budget. In addition, $6 million from the Children’s Initiative Fund will be dedicated to developing early childhood centers in the neediest school districts.

One of the more noteworthy points in the address was a request for the legislature to define “suitability” in education. This has long been an important part of the debate concerning school finance, and will be a critical topic of conversation in 2011.

Finally, Governor Brownback stated clearly that no student in Kansas should pass the 4th grade without being able to read. This will be a firm benchmark for us to track our progress. If students are unable to read, they lack the foundation for learning. I think this is an important goal, and it’s something that nearly every member of our body views as an important step in the process of providing Kansas children with the best possible education.

Concerning the overall budget, anticipate the legislature to quickly get to work on a measure to freeze state spending. Governor Brownback expects a bill on his desk by the end of January, and this legislation would create a budget surplus of $35 million. The other major task he’s handing to the legislature will be working on the unfunded liability of KPERS, which currently stands at $8 billion. It’s an issue that impacts our budget in a very dramatic way, and it’s appropriate to begin taking a serious look at this as we begin reforming.