February 8, 2010 Newsletter
Week Four Report
As the legislature enters its fifth week the pace is really picking up. With members spending the bulk of their time churning through proposals in committee, the priorities and headlines for the 2010 session are now coming into focus. The budget will continue to be the main priority facing the legislature, but last Wednesday’s deadline for individual legislators to introduce bills prompted a number of non-budget related proposals.
We’ll soon be looking at bills concerning a wide range of issues from healthcare, lobbying reform, tax policy and immigration to texting-while-driving bans… and if one Wichita legislator has her way, even the legalization of marijuana. Some of the more controversial issues will typically not survive the committee process to make it on the floor for debate—but in an election year we can expect to see some of the “hot button” issues in the spotlight.
Functionally, it was a very productive week for the House. The highlight of our work was the passage of the 2010 rescission bill, which the Senate cleared last week. This is an important development as the rescission bill covers funding for the remainder of the current fiscal year which ends on June 30. It’s expected the House and Senate won’t take long in reconciling their respective versions of the bill, which means we’ll be able to get to work on the difficult and controversial 2011 budget right away. The process of crafting the 2011 budget is beginning to resemble putting together a 6000-piece jigsaw puzzle. We can only hope that when we get to the bottom of the box we don’t find several pieces missing!
Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
Benchmarking is a favorite pastime among legislators and lobbyists, especially during difficult times. Benchmarking refers to the practice of comparing Kansas to other states, most often our closest neighbors. It’s seen as an easy way to build a case for your point of view of what Kansas government should look like. Benchmarking is used to remind all of us that we do not live in a vacuum, and we must always be aware that our actions in the Kansas legislature can dramatically affect Kansan’s competitive advantage versus our neighbors in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and in particular Missouri. Business incentives are promoted as a way to tilt the playing field to our advantage. Proposals to raise taxes on gasoline, tobacco, or alcohol are greeted with warnings that we will chase business across the state line. Benchmarking is a valid exercise, but everyone is selective in their use of benchmarking, widely broadcasting those statistics that show Kansas in a negative light, and ignoring other measures that show us ahead of our neighbors. Well I say enough is enough. For those who prefer to look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty, here is a sampling of the good news that too often gets overlooked:
· Kansas 4th and 8th grade students outperform their counterparts in CO, NE, MO, and OK on NAEP math and reading scores.
· Kansas high seniors score higher on the ACT test than students from CO, OK, and MO. Their scores are essentially the same as Nebraska students’ scores.
· "Cyberstates 2009" ranks Kansas #1 in the nation for high-tech industry job growth.
· The 2008 State New Economy Index ranks Kansas 8th in the nation for “Gazelle Jobs.” Rapid growth “Gazelle” companies account for 80% of new jobs created.
· Pollina Corporation Real Estate lists Kansas a Top Ten Pro-business State.
· Facilities Magazine ranks Kansas a Top Ten State for Bioscience.
· CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business report lists Kansas at number seven.
· Site Selection magazine chose Kansas as a Top Ten most competitive state for capital investment
- Kansas has a lower rate of violent crime than Missouri
- Kansas’ interstate, freeway and arterial condition rating is better than Missouri’s
- Forbes Magazine ranks Kansas the 15th Best State for Business. Missouri ranks 29th
- On the State New Economy Index Rankings, Kansas ranks 15th for workforce education and Missouri ranks 36th
- Kansas ranks 9th for online population; Missouri ranks 41st
- Kansas ranks 4th for technology in schools; Missouri ranks 22nd
- On the ALEC-Laffer Competitiveness Index, Kansas ranks 10th for “Business friendly liability system”; Missouri ranks 31st
- In 2007 Kansas’ median family income was $60,510; Missouri’s was $55,947
Ad Astra per Astra
I am one who believes that attitude makes a difference, and in these difficult times it easy to get caught up in the gloom and doom. But as the previous article shows, there is plenty of good news to be found, even in hard times. And it would do all of us good to remember the state motto: “To the Stars Through Difficulty”. We will get through this difficult time, and we will resume our reaching for the stars when it is over. Government will be leaner and hopefully more responsive when it is over. In the meantime, an attitude of cooperation and shared sacrifice can help. Some would say “suck it up”; others would encourage us to “cowboy up”. But perhaps the most appropriate saying is an old New Englander saying that I learned from my in-laws, who lived through the Great Depression in New Hampshire: “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without”. That stoic acceptance of reality and determination to survive would serve us all well as we look forward to better times.
Interesting Websites
Funding Highways and Bridges A report from the Council of State Governments on the status of the nation’s highway system. Kansas fares well in the rankings, thanks to the Comprehensive Transportation Programs (CTP) enacted in 1989 and 1999. We are now working toward crafting a third CTP, but the price tag will be substantial.
Free Enterprise Pledge This site, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, gives interested individuals an opportunity to sign a pledge in support of free enterprise. As the site states, “American free enterprise creates opportunity, expands choice, and allows individuals to achieve their dreams. It is the only system that can create 20 million new jobs in the United States over the next decade. The entrepreneurial spirit has been at the heart of our economic success, and it must continue to be allowed to thrive. We must preserve the American Dream by supporting a system based on economic freedom, including open capital markets and free trade, and reasonable levels of taxation and regulation.” I have signed the pledge, and encourage others to do the same.
Cowboy Logic: “Never deal with a person who thinks everyone else is a crook.”
Quote of the Week: “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more of it I have” -Thomas Jefferson
No comments:
Post a Comment