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March 11, 2005

The Sharp Record

Friends:

Has spring sprung? Sounds like a beautiful weekend – get out to beautiful Shawnee Mission Park, grab some cheese, sliced meats, crackers, some bottled water, a blanket and a good book. I’m swamped this weekend – if you get to do this, please write to me about it so I can live vicariously through you!

Personal Activities and Education

Floor Activities

Commerce and Labor

Corrections and Juvenile Justice

Higher Education

Where’s Waldo

Resources

Personal Activities and Education

This week has been “Boy Scout Week” for me! Sunday, March 6^th, I presented proclamations from the state congratulating SEVEN new Eagle scouts from Troop 93: Paul R. Buckmaster, Don Jackson, Andrew Springer, Tristan Trupka, Jacob Miller, Nehemiah Rosell, and Jeff Parsons.

Additionally, I was able to present Judy Tuckness (aka Scout Leader Extraordinaire) with a Kansas flag and proclamation celebrating her being awarded the highest honor given to adults by the Boy Scouts of America Heart of America Council, the Silver Beaver. I hope to have pictures of these events on the website soon!

Floor Activities

Honestly? Another rats-and-cats week. The most controversial and interesting bill we had was one of your stereotypical political issues – the best way to explain it? Yes means no and no means yes. Seriously! The governor issued an Executive Reorganization Order which consolidated Medicaid and a handful of other “wards” of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) to the Department of Administration. The purpose was to expand the insurance pool to get better rates (i.e. cheaper for the state).

EROs go into effect on a date certain, unless either chamber of the legislature intervenes to stop it. This one would have become effective this Sunday. However, the House leadership decided to draft its own consolidation plan in response to the governor’s plan (do you see an election year coming?). So, the bill we voted on, if passed, would stop the ERO. If you vote no, that allows the ERO to continue (thus, the “yes means no and no means yes” conundrum).

The resolution passed and the ERO did not go through, but apparently there are plans to send the alternate plan through committee hearings and to the floor for a vote.

Commerce and Labor

SB 55 – if you are fired from your job because of “misconduct”, this bill redefines “misconduct” to include refusing to take or failing a drug or breath alcohol test.

SB 4 - we passed the manufactured housing installation bill out of committee.

SB 215 - this bill was heard and passed this week, it allows commercial real estate brokers to place liens on property if they are not paid the fees agreed to in the contract.

SB 108 - unemployment tax evasion/fraud. Apparently, companies were setting up new organizations to take advantage of unblemished experience ratings. This bill makes it so when an employer transfers its employees and business operations to a successor employer, then the unemployment experience rating for the business is also transferred to the successor employer.

Corrections and Juvenile Justice

More agency overviews. One of them was quite interesting – a scientist discussed some of the physiological and experiential indicators for violence and drug use. Pretty interesting stuff.

Hearing on SB 30, which enables Kansas to opt out of a federal mandate that disqualifies drug criminals from food stamps and welfare. Studies have shown that by allowing these people, especially women, to apply for these subsidies for their children, the recidivism rates decrease (if they have money for food for their kids, they are less likely to steal it). There’s a carrot and a stick… The person must submit to regular drug and alcohol tests.

SB 148 - this bill remove the five-year limitation for DUI offenses. Currently, the previous five years record is considered when a court is deciding whether to revoke your driver’s license. This bill would allow the court to look at your entire DUI record.

SB 147 - would extend the statute of limitations for any crime from two to five years. Many crimes (murder, sexually violent, etc.) have longer statute of limitations anyway, but most other crimes are limited to two years. Apparently, this is antiquated law from “the ol’ days” when witnesses were interviewed without recording devices and people had to work fast before witnesses and informants “forgot” the circumstances of the crime. With technology and DNA, we can solve crimes that have long gone cold.

Higher Education

Jerry Magliano and Don Norwood, 17th district constituents, shared testimony on the Kansas Academy for Math and Science, a proposal for a residential public high school for exceptional students in math and science. The school would be hosted by one of the state universities and high school juniors and seniors would enroll in college courses that would give them a two-year jump start on college. It is modeled after programs in Illinois and Texas.

Additionally, the Citizens for Higher Education explained the goals of their organization and its work with the Kansas Legislative Higher Education Caucus, of which I am a member.

Where’s Waldo (Rep. Sharp)? March 7-11, 2005

(Besides session and committee meetings 9am – 5 pm)

Eagle Scout awards (see names above)
Silver Beaver award for Judy Tuckness
Lunches:
- KS Optometric Assn
- Girl Scouts
- KS Assn of Insurance and Financial Advisors – hello to Lee Thaete!
- Johnson County delegation sponsored by the leadership groups of Lenexa, Shawnee, Overland Park, and Olathe
- Higher Education Caucus
Receptions/Dinners:
- KS Economic Lifelines (transportation)