The Kansas legislature has taken quick action to protect the 3-year K-12 school finance plan and provide start-up funds for the Regent’s “Crumbling Classrooms” initiative. SB 30, on its way to the Governor, sets aside $271.7M in FY 2007 for the FY 2008 and 2009 school finance increases approved by last year’s legislature. It also sets aside $76.6M from the State General Fund in the current year to address specific Higher Ed building maintenance and repair needs. The measure not only protects our commitment to education funding but also protects against spending general fund dollars on unnecessary new or expanded programs at the expense of education or Kansas taxpayers.
Additional taxpayer protection, in a year that shows the state with a budget surplus, will come in the form of tax cuts. The Governor has proposed around $12M in tax cuts but the Republican-controlled House & Senate are proposing more than $60M in tax cuts. The largest cut would come from elimination of the despised franchise tax, saving Kansas businesses some $44M annually. The Governor’s proposal to adjust the tax would save only $7M. Only 19 states levy such a tax and our tax has made us non-competitive. Both the Governor and the legislature agree that corporate tax rates need to come down and we agree that unemployment taxes must be adjusted. The final tally of tax reductions will have to wait until later in the session but it appears very likely that Kansans will enjoy some levy of tax relief this year. We’re also hoping to get on the ballot a constitutional amendment to be voted on by Kansans that would give the legislature the power to grant residential property tax relief to those over age 65.
The House has also taken quick action on an election reform measure that will increase the availability of advance voting places in the state. Advance voting has become a popular alternative and the House bill allows and encourages counties to establish satellite advance voting locations. The House will also be looking at other election and campaign finance reforms, including needed reforms that the Governor vetoed last year. Measures to protect against voter fraud and to assist with voter identification will be considered as well as reforms in campaign finance reporting. Virtually everyone agrees we need to address those annoying robo-calls, require timely reporting of contributions made in the closing days of the campaign and provide more disclosures relating to third-party advocacy ads.
One election reform measure would cure a problem experienced here locally with the write-in campaign of James Schlickau in the 101st Dist. legislative race. The Secretary of State advised Schlickau of the number of write-in votes he needed in the Primary held in August. Schlickau succeeded in getting more than the required number, only to be told by the Secretary of State’s office after the fact that they had made an error in making the calculation. The error cost Schlickau and voters in the 101st District an opportunity for a choice in the fall election, even though the error had been made by bean-counters in Topeka. The reform measure would provide for an easily verified number of votes necessary in a write-in election so calculation errors would be eliminated.
Tuesday, I’m expected to be named to a select committee to hear evidence in the contested election involving the 16th District House race. That election was initially decided by a mere 4-vote margin and, after judicial review, the margin is now down to 2 votes. By law, the matter has now been sent to the House of Representatives to have a committee made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats review the evidence and recommend to the full House who should be seated. The Committee has 10 days from its appointment to consider the evidence and make a recommendation. I’ve served on two prior contested election committees. One, in 1995, resulted in a tie vote after judicial review and House review and the outcome was determined by drawing a colored backgammon chip out of a hat.