Rep. Doug Patterson’s ISSUES IN TOPEKA

APRIL 30, 2004

Quote for this Newsletter:

[There is none]

So far this Session has been so disappointing that words really can’t describe the state of affairs up here…except maybe,

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over”  - and the Session isn’t over yet

or

“Half the lies they tell me aren’t true” – everyone is in the finger pointing mode right now

(Yogi Berra)

WHAT WE HAVE DONE OR NOT DONE SO FAR

Today is Friday, April 30, 2004 and most folks here think we only have a few days left in the Session. So far:

1.      Concealed Carry. The House and Senate passed a concealed carry bill which made it’s way to Governor.She vetoed it, as she had always promised to do. Yesterday, the House failed to override her veto. I did not support concealed carry.

2.      School Finance.  The House Leadership developed one school finance plan which passed upon amendment without a tax increase but which did increase state wide education funding and included a local cost of living measure to consider the added cost of living expense to teachers in Johnson County. I supported the original as well as the amended House Leadership Plan. Thereafter, we passed an alternative school finance plan which included a sales tax increase and an income tax sur-charge BUT also included an increase in the LOB (the Local Option Budget – so so important to our Johnson County School Districts. We sent both measures to the Senate. The House has done all it can do. The Senate has passed no school finance measures - tax increase or no tax increase. As of now the Senate is in a complete and absolute melt down, primarily over the same sex marriage ban debate (which the House passed easily – and I supported). House members have suggested that the Senate forget about Senate floor debates over school finance and just appoint a conference committee to work with House conferees on a school finance plan. The Senate has done that, such that the House and Senate Conference Committee can develop an education plan and have it voted up or down in both houses up or down without the possibility of floor amendment - games.

IF THIS IS NOT SUCCESSFUL, WE WILL BE AT AN IMPASSE WHICH VERY WELL MEANS THAT WE WILL ADJOURN VERY SOON WITHOUT PASSING ANY FORM OF AN EDUCATION FINANCE PLAN FOR 2004-2005. THIS WOULD BE CRIMINAL. EVEN IF YOU DON’T SUPPORT TAX INCREASES OF ANY FORM, WE CAN GET MORE MONEY IN OUR SCHOOLS UNDER THE HOUSE LEADERSHIP PLAN. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND ASK HIM/HER TO SUPPORT SOME FORM OF PLAN WHICH WILL GET MORE MONEY IN THE CLASSROOMS – AND YOU CAN CHOOSE TO DO THAT WITH OR WITHOUT A TAX INCREASE.

Sadly, the Kansas Chamber this year has taken the position that it will not stand for any tax increase, even if a tax increase is passed for education containing a local control tool. The Kansas Chamber has taken similar “our way or no way” positions on other matters such as Workers Compensation ( See Sec. 4 below). FORTUNATELY, our local Johnson County chambers, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Johnson County Public Policy Council have bucked the Kansas Chamber and have declared support for a tax increase for education IF it included the local option budget (LOB). This reminds me of the position taken by a very large and strong majority of Leawood and OP voters that a tax increase for education would be acceptable if it included the LOB for local control. See: http://www.dougpatterson.org/newsletter/2004/2004-03-17

PS:  You may be wondering what the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB), Kansas National Education Association (KNEA-teachers union) and Kansas Families United for Public Education (KFUPE) (About them see: http://www.dougpatterson.org/newsletter/2004/2004-03-09 ) are doing positive for a workable and passable education funding package. Well, KASB and KNEA continue to oppose the priority of local funding initiatives to keep our tax dollars in our schools first, then working on education statewide. And how about the liberal and Missouri leadership based KFUPE? Well, upon the announcement of my retirement from the House (See below) one of the leaders of KFUPE wrote me the following partial e-mail:

“Doug:

Sorry to hear you won't be running again in August, but you have to do what's in your best interest.....after all, that's what makes a true conservative.  Conservatives take care of themselves first, right?  Guess that's the true hallmark of being a conservative --- me first, and let everyone else take care of themselves.  (Kind of sounds like what you wanted to do with the LOB, don't you think?)

Anyway, we'll miss battling with you this summer at candidate forums and reading all of your half-truths, lies, and innuendos. [emphasis added]

Dave Raffel”

(Doug’s Note: Isn’t it nice to have such civil advocates supportive of our kids – It has singularly been KFUPE’s militant conduct which has poisoned attitudes on education here)

So, KFUPE is not giving up opposing with all they have, the most important fund tool available to our local school, the LOB, funding from Johnson County staying here in Johnson County for Johnson County schools.

Please note the candidates supported by KFUPE in the upcoming elections, they do not support local taxes staying in our local schools. See Section 8 below.

3.         Preservation of Marriage Amendment (banning same sex marriage). The House took very little time in adopting this important constitutional amendment, but the Senate debated/filibustered the measure to the point that their version of this legislation is severely watered down.  The Senate is revisiting this matter again, and hopefully they will bring the matter back to its original form - and pass it.

4.         Workers Compensation Reform. When we began the Session, we understood that the current law on workers compensation is fraught with abuses on the part of employers, insurance companies and employees, and that we had an opportunity to fix that. When we got the bill however, it did not address reform on the part of deceptive employer and insurance companies but was punitive against employees, discriminated against employees on the basis of age and still yet would have resulted in an increase in workers comp. insurance costs for small businesses. I opposed this measure and hope that next year, the Legislature and interest groups can work on a more fair and workable bill.

5.        Bio-Science and Economic Development issues. If the Legislature did anything progressive this year, it was in the area of Bio-Science incentives to develop this growing industry here in Kansas and economic development tools to assist in the development of rural downtown communities. 
 
6.         Gaming. Nope, not gonna happen this Session. The Senate had the bill and killed it last night [4/29/04]. A large majority of voters in Leawood/Overland Park support gaming in Wyandotte County. This may yet happen if my joint committee on tribal affairs recommends an Indian treaty for the tribes later this year.
 
7.        Transporation. We did pass a funding measure to secure the Comprehensive Transportation Plan even beyond the original term.
 
8.        My Retirement. On April 22, 2004, I issued the following press release:

                    Rep. Doug Patterson announces his retirement from the Kansas House of Representatives

Rep. Doug Patterson (R- District 28: Leawood/Overland Park, Kansas) announced today that he will not be filing for re-election in the Kansas House of Representatives. Rep. Patterson is completing his second term in the Kansas House where he now serves as the Majority Whip. He currently serves on the House Commerce and Labor Committee, Health and Human Services Committee, Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Select Joint Committee on School Finance, Rules Committee and Joint Committee on State/Indian affairs. In 2003 he served and the Chairman of the Johnson County delegation of senators and representatives.

In making his decision to retire from the House, Rep. Patterson stated, “When I filed in 2000, I originally planned on serving two terms. That seemed to be an appropriate time within which to address some of the major issues in my district, i.e., senior’s concerns and education. Senior’s issues are a continuing fight. On school finance, the republican leadership has prepared a major school finance initiative this year (the Rooney Plan) which will be the foundation for the adoption of completely new school finance formula in the next two terms. Therefore, I intended to stay in Topeka and finish the job.”

Rep. Patterson further explained that while he originally intended to run for re-election, he was prepared to stepping down if a Republican candidate sharing his and his communities views announced a willingness to continue a careful and conservative approach to governance, yet at the same time earmarking as a priority, senior issues, education finance, and particularly, the preservation of local controls and local initiatives for Johnson County schools. Rep. Patterson noted, however, that, “Until recently, Patricia Colloton was the only candidate who had filed for the seat. Patricia Colloton has already lost to me before by a large margin, and her single priority is the adoption of the Governor’s tax package, increasing income taxes, increasing sales taxes and increasing property taxes. The voters of District 28 will not accept that order of priorities. My position is that we need to keep more of our money here to fund our local schools first.”

But recently, another candidate, Charles Morasch, has also filed for the office. “I have met with Mr. Morasch and I certainly know Patricia Colloton. I was willing to return to Leawood if the voters had a clear choice between two distinct philosophies of candidates in the upcoming primary. With Morasch in the race, this clearly exists. Patricia Colloton is an extremely liberal candidate supporting tax increases at every level and was supported by KFUPE (the anti-LOB Missouri led militant liberal group). Charles Morasch is a Ronald Reagan type Republican whose position is that we must keep local taxes in our schools, put money in the classrooms, and then work on a workable state wide school formula.

 “I didn’t plan to be a career politician in Topeka. I just came up here to make a difference, then go back home to my law practice. With such a clear choice in political philosophies between Patricia Colloton and Charles Morasch, I feel very comfortable in returning to private life.”

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As I have done in the past, I hope to get you a report on a regular basis and will issue a final report at the close of the Session. Please e-mail me (at Patter@ink.org) or call at 785-296-7604 if you have questions.

ALSO, if you have others who you believe would find these legislative reports of use, Please e-mail me their e-mail addresses and I will add them to my e-mail address book.

Respectfully,

Rep. Doug Patterson

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Paid for by the Committee to Elect Doug Patterson, Dave Imhoff, Treasurer