The Start of a New Legislative Session
The second week of the 2011 Kansas legislative session has just concluded, and there are many new faces in town. I look forward to working with Governor Brownback and Lieutenant Governor Colyer, and the other statewide office-holders, all but one of which are new to their jobs. There are five new senators (three moved over from the House), and 35 new members in the House. With more than 25% of the House seats occupied by freshmen it will take a while for all of us to get acquainted. The House will certainly have a much stronger Republican flavor. Republican-held seats have increased from 69 in 2010 to 92 (out of a total of 125) today. The big question is whether we can all play nice together. Obviously the potential exists, with a Republican-dominated legislature and an incoming Republican administration, for the advancement of a number of items that have been on the GOP agenda for some time.
With the change of administrations, practically all state departments and agencies will soon be headed by new administrators. Turnover can be healthy, and after eight years it is good to have new folks guiding these entities. I am hopeful new administrators will be able to find efficiencies and cost savings that past administrators were unable or unwilling to recognize.
Governor Brownback has made many excellent appointments, and I am pleased that he tapped some excellent Western Kansans for important cabinet-level posts. They are:
Former Representative Pat George (Dodge City): Secretary of Commerce
Dr. Robert Moser (Tribune): Secretary of Kansas Department of Health & Environment
Former Representative Robin Jennison (Healy): Secretary of Wildlife & Parks
Ernest Garcia (Garden City): Superintendent of Kansas Highway Patrol
Governor Brownback spoke often during the campaign about the need for rural revitalization in Kansas, and these appointments are an encouraging sign that the campaign rhetoric will be backed up with real action. These four individuals have a passion for Kansas, and Western Kansas in particular. That is great news as we search for ways to encourage economic activity, provide educational opportunity and insure access to quality health care throughout rural Kansas.
For the third consecutive year the state budget has been “under water” when the legislative session started in January. Fiscal Year 2012 revenues could be as much as $550 million short of budgeted spending. Last spring the distasteful solution to the budget hole was to make some painful cuts to budgets and raise state sales tax by 1%. That increase is still in place, and no one in Topeka is talking about any further tax increases with the state’s economy in such a fragile condition. Governor Brownback has pledged to make state government smaller and more efficient, and the budget he proposes for fiscal year 2012 certainly reflects those goals. But make no mistake about it: further shrinking of the state budget (already cut nearly $1 billion in recent years) will not be without consequence. As government is reconfigured to focus on its core functions, worthwhile programs will be left without support. I am becoming convinced that there is a disconnect in practically all of us between what we say we want (smaller, less costly government) and what we truly expect government to provide. I see it daily in the legislative agendas that interest groups present to legislators this time of year. But expectations have clearly outgrown our resources, and it is time to work together for a leaner and more effective state government. I welcome your input as we search for the best possible outcome.
New Office and New Committee Assignments
I have a new office this year, in the basement of the Statehouse, euphemistically called the “Garden Level”. Actually it is quite nice and very convenient, and is part of the fresh Statehouse remodel. I can be found in room 54 South. My office number is 785-296-7636.
2011 Committee Assignments:
Energy and Utilities
General Government Budget
Vision 2020
Local Government
Websites of Interest
Population Growth 2000-2010 In December the U.S. Census bureau released the state-level data from the 2010 census. This map shows the population growth for all states during the past ten years. The national population increased 9.7%. In Kansas the growth rate was 6.1%, not quite up to the national average but close enough to insure that Kansas will not lose any congressional seats when the census data is used to redraw congressional districts. For Western Kansas, however, the news is not so good. The county and precinct-level data will not be released until late March, but we know that rural Kansas has not kept up with the growth rates of the urban centers, and four or five state House seats could shift from rural to urban.
Cowboy Logic: “We never really grow up. We just learn how to act in public.”
Definition of the Week: “Doppler Effect - the tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.” – Greg Oetjen
Sermon in a Sentence: “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” – W.T. Purkiner
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