Election Data

Education Funding and the Kansas Supreme Court

Parade of the “Morning After” bills… 

• Temporary Driver’s License
• Used Car Sales Tax

Toll Fellowship

Inside KS Politics

Where’s Waldo

Resources – NEED A YARD SIGN???

Question of the Week

Friends:

Alright already!  I thought I would give you a little break after the onslaught of the primary season, but if I hear “Record Withdrawal” one more time… 

First – please reply to this email if you need a yard sign – Shawnee Mission Northwest students will be helping put the signs out again!

Second, a special hello to all of the students that are new to the Sharp Record!  Over the past couple of weeks, I have had a great time speaking to young people: 

• Shawanoe 6^th graders, who were more interested in getting out of school to page for a day in Topeka, hoping they would get pagers from the state… 
• Shawnee Mission Northwest seniors who welcomed me to their classroom to talk about “a day in the life” of a Kansas legislator.  They had GREAT questions! 
• Finally, I spoke to the government classes at my alma mater, Garden City High School.  Talk about the “Surreal Life”, that was it.  Being back in the halls, running into a classmate who is now the Dean of Students, rehashing old times with teachers, it was just an all-around good time, and also my reunion weekend.
• The main difference between SMNW and GCHS?  Maybe TLC’s Trading Spaces will volunteer to renovate the SMNW bathrooms!  On the other side, GCHS has outgrown its facilities, there are now at least six (6) (that I saw) mobile classrooms with two (2) classrooms each in them.  Unfortunately, the PR for their bond issues has been poorly done, so expansion projects, a new high school, or breaking into two high schools probably won’t happen soon.
• • Count your blessings Shawnee Mission students, parents, and patrons!

Election Data

I realized in the blur of the last update that I neglected to mention the vote totals for my race.  I won with an amazing 58% of the vote!  THANK YOU for your votes.

Education Funding and the Kansas Supreme Court

http://www.kanedlive.org/archives.php, you will need to download QuickTime viewer if you do not already have it.  We are expecting a decision from the court any day now, and you just wait – the second I send this out, there will be a big announcement…

Parade of the “Morning After” bills… 

Last year it was Streamlined Sales Tax.  This year it’s used car sales tax and temporary driver’s licenses.  This is what happens when we’re passing laws in the middle of the night, and 25 bills are quietly folded into one.

• Used Car Sales Tax

This legislation was NEVER heard anywhere in the House.  Not in a committee, never on the floor.  In fact, when my colleagues and I started hearing all of the grumbling about it, we didn’t know what it was – talk about hidden!  I looked through my summaries of what was included in the dozens of conference committee bills (these bills are a huge mess of miscellaneous bills that get thrown into one “witches brew” bill), and couldn’t find a thing on this.  Legislative Post Audit, the state’s auditor, estimated that 50% of private auto sales underreported the cost of the sale.  This bill changed the way sales tax is figured on these sales.  Here’s the scoop:

• Let’s say you pay your neighbor $3000 for a beat up Honda for your Learner’s-Permit-carrying child.  Regardless of what you paid for the car, you’re now going to pay sales tax on what Kansas says it’s worth.  So if the state says that Blue Book on your car is $4500, then you pay sales tax on that amount, instead of the actual cost of the sale.
• The intent of the bill, I guess, is good – unethical people were defrauding the state by saying that they paid less than they actually did for a car. 
• Action:  The Interim Committee on Taxation was asked to take a look at the issue during its meetings this summer and respond to the concerns sparked with this good-intent, poor-practice legislation.  I’ll have more on the outcome when there is one!

• Temporary Driver’s License, FAQs: http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/newdlfaq.pdf

I just got one of these, so I can tell you my first-hand experience.  We passed legislation prohibiting the state from using your Social Security Number on legal identification, to help decrease identity theft and fraud.  The unfortunate byproduct of this is that it takes longer to verify that you are who you say you are…  So, when you get a new license, you are issued a paper license that looks like a receipt with your picture and information on it.  You are also issued a paper with the following information:

“The temporary receipt issued today will serve as your (Driver License)(Permit) or (ID Card) until your permanent copy is mailed to you at the address you provided.  The temporary receipt is valid for up to sixty (60) days, however your permanent copy should arrive within forty-five (45) days.  Caution, temporary licenses, permits and IDs are light, heat and water sensitive.   Any attempt to copy or laminate these will destroy them.  All information provided with your application will be verified before your permanent document is sent to you by mail.  If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please contact (785) 296-3963.”

Actually, they spelled “regarding” as reguarding… but the proofreader in me couldn’t let that go…  The website goes into much greater detail, but that’s the general info.

• I received my license one-week after renewing it – pretty quick I thought.  They look weird (maybe that’s just my picture) – the cards are very thin.

Henry Toll Fellowship – New pics on the website

The Council of State Governments is an organization that provides research, training, and support to state governments.  They conduct a fellowship program for leaders in government (elected, appointed, staff, etc.), and I was nominated among a handful of other Kansans.  When I sent in the forms, I looked at the alumni list – pretty much every current statewide officeholder, and every person I look up to in the legislature has been chosen to attend this program.  Needless to say, I was intimidated.

I was fortunate to be the only Kansan selected to attend this prestigious program, and spent a week in Lexington, KY, with 39 other legislators and staff from across the country.  Although the intent of the program was leadership development, I have already had quite a bit of training in that area, so I found the interaction and discussion with other legislators to be fascinating.  We intend to keep in touch about creative ideas to solve the challenges we all face – what works here might not work in New Jersey, but they can tweak it a bit and it might be a perfect fit, and vice-versa.

Inside KS Politics

Rep. Rob Boyer and I decided to end our radio show, Inside Kansas Politics.  Although it was quite popular and a lot of fun for us to do, it was expensive and very time consuming to try to find sponsors.  We hope you enjoyed our first foray into the radio industry!

Where’s Waldo (Rep. Sharp)?  August 6 – October 9, 2004

• AARP Forum
• Shawnee/Lenexa joint city council meeting
• Lenexa Chamber lunch (2)
• KS/MO 20/20 Vision, youth leadership kickoff
• Shawnee Mission Education Foundation annual breakfast
• Kauffman Foundation celebration of Cerner’s 25^th anniversary
• Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Retailers town hall meeting
• Tread and Threads gala to benefit KU Hospital
• Spoke to Shawanoe 6^th graders
• Johnson County Community College/League of Women Voters general election debate
• Women’s Assembly advocacy presentation
• Shawnee Mission Education Association Representative Council
• Spoke to the government classes at Garden City High School during the weekend of my reunion
• New Lenexa City Administrator Eric Wade’s welcome reception
• Rep. Terrie Huntington fundraiser
• Lunch with volunteers from Shawnee Mission Northwest
• Panelist on Youth in Democracy at the League of Kansas Municipalities annual convention
• Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley NEA endorsed candidates reception

Resources

Contribute to the campaign

·         Non-monetary contributions - Reply to this email with your street address.

o        I want a yard sign!

o        I want to give my time to help Stephanie get re-elected!

·         Financial contribution

Johnson County Election Office

·         Register to VOTE 

·         Apply for an advanced ballot (vote at home)

·         Work the polls on election day (and get paid)

·          

·         Poll Watcher – be the first to see election results, and call me to tell me the news! 

Question of the Week!

How many times have you said:

“That law is stupid, it should be gone.”

OR

“You mean that isn’t illegal (or legal)?  There oughta be a law!”

OR

“Wouldn’t it be great if…”

Instead of a trivia question this week, I want to compile a list of ideas you have for legislation – passing new laws that would help Kansans or repealing bad (or just plain dumb) laws that hurt Kansans.

I will include the list in next week’s Record, but I won’t include your names, so put on those creative thinking caps and feel free to brainstorm!!!

As always, I would love your comments and questions about anything included here, or about anything in state government!  If I can ever be of service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Rep. Stephanie Sharp

17^th District, KS House

Serving Lenexa and Shawnee

www.stephaniesharp.com