Legislative Report May 3, 2002
Prepared by Rep. Doug Patterson
http://www.kslegislature.org/house/doug_patterson/HOME.html
EDUCATION, BUDGET, SLOTS and TRANSPORTATION
The Budget and School
Today, you will read that the House and Senate, yesterday, 5/2/02, approved a draft of a budget. This is true. HCCS for SB517, funds the balance of 2002 with an additional $108.3M over 2001 and cuts the 2003 Budget by 3% from 2002. It needs to raise some form of tax to fund a 5% ending balance of $221.8M. All agencies generally will get a .31% across the board reduction, except for education, SRS caseloads and SRS hospitals. The bad thing about this budget is that K-12 receives no increase in the Base, and Wednesday the LOB failed (I supported that LOB as did all JoCo Reps). You will recall the House budget increased the Base by a mere $10.00 but this budget is the Senate response budget and doesn’t increase the Base at all, and calls it a "hold schools harmless" bill. I voted against this budget, it does nothing for schools, but it passed with no votes to spare. This is bad, but……the appropriations bill is coming with the opportunity to include a revenue increase for schools. We will try everything we possibly can to offer amendments to enhance school revenues.
Transportation
Our roads and bridges are in good safe condition because we appropriate a large share of our budget to them. Plus this work is very important for our economy. This year it has been proposed that transportation be taken out of the SGF (general budget) and occupy its own place with somewhat an independent source of funding. The budget we debated today did that. It needed $157 M fast and would get it with a ¼ cent sales tax beginning 1/1/03, an accelerator of the ¼ cent/gal starting in 1/1/03, 2 cents/gal starting 6/1/03 and 1 cent/gal in 6/1/04 with an increase of $5.00 for car registration and $10 for truck registration. This bill (CS for HB 3016) did not pass but remains alive, probably to be voted later after we see if a tax for education can first be approved before approving a tax on transportation. I wish we had an approved appropriations bill that at least raised and funded the Base for schools before this transportation tax increase tax hit. That would make it easier to fund transportation after we funded priority categories such as schools. I am going to try to amend this transportation bill to allocate the ¼ cent sales tax to the SGF-Schools.
Slots
Tomorrow, Friday, 5/3/02, we will visit slots again. The bill limits the casinos to only 5 locations of dog/horse tracks only upon a vote of the residents authorized by the County Commissioners, no fraternal organizations and does away with the Dodge site. It has a chance. This would raise close to $100M in 2 years and my rider allocates close to $1M to gambling abuse/addiction programs.
Re-Election.
I filed for re-election in March and the re-election committee is gearing up. Membership of supporters is increasing, fund raising is well ahead of schedule, my polling says you know of me and think I am representing you and Leawood well on the issues, BUT, nonetheless, I’ll start seeing you in my door to door walks beginning mid-May.
CONCLUSION
These are frustrating days. I would appreciate your input on the above matters and any other issues that are important to you. Please give or e-mail a copy of this to a neighbor. The most efficient and effective means of responding to the above questions would be for you to e-mail it to me at Dpatterson@ink.orq , Patterson@house.state.ks.us, or you can mail your response to my Topeka office: Room 174W, State Capital Building, Topeka, Kansas 66612-1504. Also, please visit my web site at: www.dougpatterson.orq. Go to the "Report" page of the web site to review my floor notes and votes, pre and post 3/14 of the bills and amendments to proposed legislation.
Doug Patterson
Kansas House of Representative
District 28, Leawood
| Home | Biography | Legislature | Newsletter | Media | Register | Links | Contact |
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Doug Patterson, Dave Imhoff, Treasurer