Last week I reported on some of the key components of the Governor’s State-of-the-State message. One additional point worth mentioning is the fact that the Governor’s proposed budget honors our continuing commitment to the comprehensive highway plan by providing for the transfer of $175M in sales tax revenue to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The Governor’s call for a universal health care plan has drawn a good deal of skepticism and concern. Specifics details of the Governor’s proposal haven’t been released but many are concerned it calls for what would essentially be socialized medicine and a shift to significant reliance on government sponsored health care at the expense of the private sector. As I’ve reported previously, Kansas ranks at the top of all states in government sector job growth and near the bottom in private sector job growth. What we need are more incentives for employers to offer health care plans and incentives for a more favorable health insurance market.
To that end, House Republicans have announced the formation of a special task force on health care to put together a comprehensive health care strategy for Kansas based on free market principles and not socialized medicine. I have been appointed to the task force and look forward to helping to improve the availability and affordability of health care coverage.
Prior to the Governor’s message, House Republicans announced our own legislative priorities for the 2007 session. We would set aside sufficient funds this year and next to fund the 2nd and 3rd years of last year’s school finance plan. We would set up a $75M trust fund for specific building repairs for state universities and colleges, and develop a tuition equity plan for the Regents institutions. As Vice-Chairman of the House Education Budget Sub-Committee I’ll be working on these initiatives in the coming weeks.
On the issue of tax relief, we’d repeal the franchise tax retroactively to January 1 of this year, permanently reduce the unemployment tax rate by 40%, exempt social security income from the state income tax, restructure the corporate income tax rates and push a constitutional amendment to ease the property tax burden for elderly Kansans. These proposals go much further than the Governor’s tax relief plan as we would limit overall state government spending. Increases in the cost of health care coverage have been characterized as a CRISIS by the Governor, but her own budget would increase government spending by a greater percentage. We feel that the need to curb government spending is as important as reducing the cost of health care coverage. They go hand-in-hand and include lessening the tax burden on Kansans.
On immigration, we’d establish English as the official state language, require proof of citizenship for state services and enhance worker ID enforcement. There has been much confusion over the English as the official language initiative. It has little to do with the spoken language and more to do with what the State and private businesses are required to do in print. The proposal would protect the state and private business from having to print official documents in a language other than English. Printing in other languages would be permitted as an accommodation but not required. The state would not be allowed to burden private businesses with a requirement to print in multiple languages. It would have no effect on bi-lingual education in the schools. Immigration is a fact but it shouldn’t be too much to ask that our foreign guests learn English if Kansas is to be their chosen residence.