Reflections on the upcoming 2012 Kansas Legislature
As the Christmas season rolls around I start thinking about the next legislative session and challenges we face as a state. Here is a quick rundown on last session and an update on the issues we are facing next session, including school finance, budget, KPERS, Medicaid and redistricting.
KPERS
One of the significant challenges Kansas will have to address over the long term is the unfunded actuarial liability (UAL) of KPERS, the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System. The accepted ratio for a retirement fund is 80% or higher. The Kansas fund has dropped to under 60%.
The Legislature created a 13 person KPERS commission that met several times over the summer and fall to create a proposal to overhaul KPERS. A key component to any KPERS “fix” is a defined contribution plan (similar to a 401K) for new hires in place of our current defined benefit plan.
K-12 School Finance
The State of Kansas spends more than 50% of the State General Fund for K-12 education. Naturally, school finance is one of the biggest issues we face each year. Last year we passed the following school finance legislation:
SB 111: This law allows school districts to transfer money from certain unencumbered accounts to cover for losses in federal stimulus money. These funds (carry-over cash) have grown to $776 million statewide for Kansas School districts as of July 1st of last year. This measure gives 90% of school districts in the state the opportunity to access these dollars and helped school districts restore the BSAPP (base state aid per pupil) to $4,012 for the 2011-2012 school year.
The governor has proposed a new school finance formula and the details were released Dec. 15. I haven’t had time to digest all the ramifications of the governor’s proposal on our local district. However, one aspect I will closely watch is the equalization portion of our current school funding. Portions of money raised locally are redistributed to other school districts across the state at great expense to taxpayers here in Johnson County.
Protection of Life Legislation
This year was the year of LIFE in Kansas, and I was proud to support two historic pro-life bills in the House. I’m thrilled we have a governor who represents the will of the majority of Kansans and had the courage to stand up and defend life.
HB 2035 adds definitions in state law as to what constitutes a “human being” and “unborn child”. The bill continues to bar the practice of late term abortion. It would also allow for civil penalties against any provider who does, in fact, break the late term abortion ban. HB 2035 also requires parental consent for minors seeking abortions.
HB 2218 bans abortions on unborn babies who can feel pain. The bill creates the definition of a “pain capable” child and restricts abortions on healthy babies who can feel pain. Both bills allow for the termination of a pregnancy if the health and safety of a mother is in jeopardy.
Budget
I was disappointed and did not vote for the 2012 budget, which increased our State General Fund or SGF from $5.7 billion to $6.1 billion, a 7% increase, and overspent our projected revenues by $200 million. This revenue shortfall was covered by transferring $200 million from the Transportation Fund (KDOT) to the SGF. I was one of only 8 votes to freeze spending at 2011 levels. Fiscal conservatives still have a lot of work to get their voices heard in Topeka.
Medicaid
Here are the two major Medicaid issues the Lt. Governor’s office has been in charge of:
- To develop a Medicaid reform plan
- Implementation of information technology (IT) upgrades through KEES (K-Med).
Medicaid costs have steadily increased beyond the state’s ability to absorb these costs. The reform plan is to move to a managed care system with the objectives of cutting fraud and abuse and providing savings for the state while providing the necessary care for individuals who depend on Medicaid.
On the KEES contract, I have many problems with the administration taking $85 million in federal funds to build this IT system. There are too many strings attached that require KEES to be compliant with ACA (ObamaCare). I have encouraged the governor to return these federal dollars in the same way he did in August with the $31.5 million Early Innovator Grant. Also, we awarded this $85 million contract to Accenture, which within 10 days of signing the KEES contract settled with the DOJ (Dept. Of Justice) fraud and kickback charges with a payment of $67 million. If you are also concerned about this, let the Lt. Governor know. His office number is 785-296-2214.
Redistricting
Every ten years the legislative districts in Kansas are redrawn to reflect population changes over the previous decade. This is a process by which a committee uses census numbers to reapportion representation across the state. Here in Johnson County my twenty- seventh district will be smaller geographically because of population growth over the last ten years. Johnson County will have at least two new house districts.
I also want to remind you of my newsletter that I send out to keep you updated on various issues and updates. If you would like to sign up to receive this please visit www.charlotteohara.com and add your email address. You will find all of my past newsletters on my website as well as notifications of meetings and press releases from the governor’s office.
I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a happy new year. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with and please hold me in your prayers.
Respectfully yours,
Rep. Charlotte O’Hara