Friends:

As the weeks progress, so does the pressure under the dome.  If you are at all interested or curious about what we do here, I would encourage and personally invite you to come to Topeka and spend the day!  The best time to come is before March, when I have more flexibility in my schedule to take you to committees, meetings, and session.

• Last week’s Sharp Record had the best response yet!  I appreciated hearing from you about the asthma/anaphylactic shock bill, and the gas price bill.
  Many of you were concerned that we were going to outlaw your child carrying his/her asthma inhaler with them in school.  I apologize if I inferred that.  As an asthmatic myself, I would be first in line to speak against any bill that prohibited inhalers to be carried.  The controversial part of the bills is whether a 6th through 12th grader should be allowed to carry an epinephrine shot with them.
•       o  Many of you offered great ideas about keeping epi-pen shots in the school office or with the teacher. 
        o Keeping this emergency medication with a school nurse worries me in many cases across our state because many schools are losing their nurses or going to part-time school nurses (Don’t even get me started on that subject!)

Gas bill results:
Of those who responded, 80% opposed HB 2330 (link to text: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/2330.pdf), which prohibits the sale of motor fuel below cost.  Surprisingly, no one mentioned their opposition was due to price, but rather the principle of government intervention in price controls.
Result:  Your correspondence matters!  I was prepared to support this bill in committee because I did not think it would have that great of an impact on our communities, and it may help other retailers in more rural areas where demand is limited.  However, I received SUCH a strong response from you, that I mentioned your overwhelming opposition to the Commerce and Labor Committee.  Unfortunately, the bill passed out of the committee with my vote and one other in opposition.

Personal Activities and Education
• Car sales tax bill:  Due to a constituent request, I asked the Tax Committee to introduce a bill that would repeal the sales tax on new car rebates.  I certainly didn’t know this, but if you purchase a new car for $25,000, and receive a rebate for $2,000, you are taxed for the full $25,000, even though you only paid $23,000 for the car!  Isn’t the point of sales tax to tax you on what is sold, what you spend?  Turns out the bill passed this committee two years ago but didn’t go anywhere on the floor because it will cost the state $3.6 million.  I’ll keep you updated!
• Education:  As you may have seen, I appeared on “Let’s Talk Issues” with a couple of my fellow Freshmen on Wednesday night.  It will replay on Time Warner 17, Comcast 22, and Everest 17 or 18 next Wednesday, February 11, at 7:00 pm.

Floor Activities
• Enhanced 9-1-1:  This bill passed Final Action today with a couple of minor amendments.  Currently, E911 is operational in the KC Metro area, so if you get stranded in Blue Springs, they won’t send an ambulance to Lenexa!  However, when you trek out to CO for spring break and get stuck in Colby, you’ll have no such luck.  The bill has a small fee ($6.00/year) to help rural Kansas implement this.  It passed 80-40.  House substitute for Substitute for SB 153 http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/HSUB153.pdf

Commerce and Labor
• Executive Reorganization Order 31 http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/ERO31.pdf
o Would move the Commission on Disability Concerns to the Dept. of Commerce.
• We discussed a bill that would give preference to Kansas businesses in state contracts, if the contract amount was within 1% on a sliding scale (% gets larger as amt. of contract increases) of the next lowest bidder.  HB 2521: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/2521.pdf
• Hearing on a minimum wage increase.  HB 2526 http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/2526.pdf

Health and Human Services
A couple of short committee meetings, some testimony on Healthy Kansans 2010, renewing some lead poisoning legislation, and hearings on a bill to redefine who can authorize medical care for a child.

Insurance
• A bill to change the determination of value of a mutual company that wishes to convert to a stock company.  THIS WAS COMPLICATED!!  Basically, statute currently says that the value of a mutual company should be determined as at least the value of their statutory surplus, it could be valued higher.  However, in practice, the surplus has only been used to determine value for conversion purposes.  This legislation would enable the Insurance Commissioner to assess a company’s value as its surplus, but also its fair-market value.  I can explain further, but don’t want to bore the majority of you that have already skipped over this section!  HB 2546 http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/2546.pdf

Ethics and Elections
• Worked on legislation allowing candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically.  HB 2589 http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/2589.pdf
• Heard testimony regarding a bill to require verification of a voter’s signature and explanation of need for assistance when another individual helps them fill out their ballot.  HB 2619 http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2004/2619.pdf

Resources

Johnson County Statehouse Hotline!  Call Topeka for free – 913-715-5000 and ask to speak with your Representative or Senator.

Next week’s committee schedule:
Senate (page 9):  http://www.kslegislature.org/cgi-bin/getfile.cgi/agstat/2004/sa0205.pdf
House (page 7):  http://www.kslegislature.org/cgi-bin/getfile.cgi/agstat/2004/ha0205.pdf

LIVE!  Paperless House Health and Human Services Committee (1:30 – 3:00 pm daily):
http://www.kslegislature.org/committeeminutes/03-04/house/hhealth/h_hhs.shtml
• See and hear the committee in action, read agendas and testimony for the day
• You see everything I do!
LIVE!  House or Senate Chamber:
http://www.kslegislature.org/currenthappenings/index.html

Where’s Waldo (Rep. Sharp)?  January 30, 2004 – February 5, 2004
 (Besides session and committee meetings 9am – 5 pm)
• Kansas Days events
• Shawnee Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner
• Freshman briefing on KDOT by Secretary Deb Miller
• I was sworn into the Honorary Girl Scout Troop based at the Capitol!
• KS Chamber of Commerce and Industry Caucus Dinner – thanks to those of you who made the drive from Lenexa and Shawnee!
• Johnson County Delegation Lunch sponsored by the County
• “Let’s Talk Issues” cable TV show, will air again on Wednesday, February 11, at 7:00 pm.  Time Warner 17, Comcast 22, or Everest 17 or 18.
• “Go Red for Women” American Heart Association press conference and national program launch
• KS Dental Assn luncheon.  If you haven’t seen their video on the Mission of Mercy projects in Garden City and Wyandotte County, you should call and request a copy!
• KS Chiropractors reception

Question of the Week!
Last Week’s Question:  Who was the first governor of Kansas, and what was his wife’s name?
Answer:  Dawn Gentry-Waltman of Shawnee is this week’s winner!  The correct answer is: Charles Robinson, and his wife’s name was Sarah.  Ironically, this question came from Charlie and Sara Robinson, longtime friends of mine from Garden City, Kansas.

NEW QUESTION:  Abraham Lincoln visited Kansas once.  Where did he go?

Have a GREAT week, and I look forward to your feedback.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can ever be of service to you.

Stephanie Sharp
17th District, KS House
Serving Lenexa and Shawnee
www.stephaniesharp.com