Elaine Bowers

Welcome...

2015-12-30T13:54:00.000-06:00

to the website for Kansas State Representative Elaine Bowers.

Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 107^th District webpage!! I am humbled by your support and sincerely appreciate the opportunity to represent you in the Kansas House of Representatives. I promise to always work hard to earn your respect and your vote. I hope that you will find this webpage a user-friendly, informational site and you use it often as a resource for yourself and your business.

Being an elected representative allows me to find common sense solutions to problems facing everyday Kansans. Keeping government spending in check, developing a fair tax base to property owners as well as business owners and continued economic development for Kansas will be my top priorities this session. I welcome your input and look forward to a productive year.

Thank you again for your continuing support, prayers, and involvement in our democratic process and remember that I will always value your opinions and thoughts. Please visit often for updates!

~ Elaine

If you have any concerns or questions for Elaine e-mail her; she would love to hear from you!

House Happenings Week 4

2012-02-06T14:30:00.001-06:00

This week the 2012 legislative session entered its second month. Our first major deadline of the session, called turnaround, is on Friday, February 24. All bills, apart from specific exempt bills, must be passed out of one chamber in order to be considered for the remainder of the session. If non-exempt bills have not passed out of the House or Senate by turnaround they can no longer be considered and must be re-introduced as new legislation during future sessions for further consideration. In anticipation of the approaching deadline, committees are meeting on a daily basis to hold hearings and vote on legislation for deliberation by the full House. After turnaround, our primary focus will turn to legislation sent to us by the Senate.

House Bill 2273 introduced by Representative Sharon Schwartz from Washington was unanimously approved this week on the House floor renaming K-99 the Frankfort Boys World War II Highway. The signs and upkeep will be paid for by private contributions and recognizes Frankfort, the community which had the highest casualty percent of any U.S. city. Frankfort lost 32 men in World War II. The highest honor is always due those that serve our country. It now moves to the Senate for committee work and final vote in their chamber.

Visitors
Many state associations hold their yearly event during session and this week I had the honor of spending part of my day with Doug and Kathy Funk with the Kansas Pharmacists Association. Doug with Funk Pharmacy, Concordia, is the President of the organization this year. Dr. William Knapp from Lincoln with the Kansas Dental Association visited the Capitol Thursday for a lunch and legislative appointments. I always look forward to Farm Bureau Day at the Capitol and this year was by joined Stacy and David Forshee from Cloud County and Steve Baucus, the President of Kansas Farm Bureau from Minneapolis.

Committee
We continue to hear bills in all three of my committees. Several bills affecting rural Kansas were sent out of Ag including changing current water law from “use it or lose it” and more local county control of new swine facilities. Both of these bills were voted on this week in the House and passed over to the Senate for review. We continue to discuss several gun bills in Federal and State affairs and are now just receiving budgets in the Social Service Budget Committee. This committee reviews seventeen agencies’ budget and sends the recommendations to the Appropriation committee who then compile the final budget for the entire House committee.

State Revenue Update: January Returns
The 2012 fiscal year is half-way complete and tax-only receipts for January totaled $576 million, $30.6 million (5 percent) below projections of $607 million. Individual income taxes collected $307 million, $33 million (9.7 percent) below estimates. Sales taxes brought in $197 million, falling just short of the $200 million projection. For the month, January 2012 received $5 million less in receipts than the same period in 2011. The $30 million shortfall is predominately due to tax refunds going out at a quicker pace than anticipated because of the increasing number of electronic tax filers. Unlike previous years, the state is able to pay tax refunds from current accounts and has not had to delay refunds. While we never like to see revenue numbers headed in the wrong direction, the information we’ve received from our non-partisan Legislative Research office indicates the low figure is perhaps a bit misleading in this case. Regardless, I’ll continue to pass along an update each month and include further analysis

Medicaid Reform / Managed Care
This week the Republican Caucus discussed the Governor’s plan to move to managed care. The facts are that in 2002 Medicaid was 9% of our State General Fund budget and today it is 19%. The most dramatic growth has been in the persons with disabilities program. The cost has grown from $916 million in 2007 to $1.16 billion in 2010. We also know the Obama Administration has announced their intention to cut over $720 million from Kansas Medicaid over the next few years. We are under a real crunch from both directions and right now other states are, either as our Governor is recommending, turning to managed care while others are facing 18% cuts in benefits. According to the Governor’s staff there are savings that can be found by moving people from unnecessary intuitional settings, decreasing hospitalizations, and better management of chronic conditions. The hope is that the savings projected at $32 million in the 2013 budget grow in years to come. This would help offset the loss of money from the Federal Government so that services to people on Medicaid are not cut. But many questions remain; we know families have been promised that they will be able to keep their case manger. Will there also be a case manager that works for the managed care insurance company? Who makes the final decisions? How will the three different options for coverage work across the state? Will their rates and billing be uniform for the providers? After February 22nd we should have a better understanding of these kinds of details.

K-12 School Finance Reform
This week the school finance reform bill was received in the House and Senate. Hearings are scheduled to begin on the K-12 portion in the Senate Education Committee on Monday. The House Education committee is to hear the technical education part of the bill next Wednesday. The proposal has already undergone change to include the transportation funding into the formula. The biggest change is, of course, doing away with all the weightings, while protecting all schools from any loss from the old formula in transition. Local school boards would have complete discretion how to spend the money that they receive from the state. But just as the money is increased in this proposed formula for our school, many schools across Kansas do not fare as well. When any new funding proposal is working through the Legislative process it will be amended and changed many times. Every year there are bills that affect how we distribute the taxpayers’ money for K-12. I will study the proposals, and along with insight from constituents, work to discern how the changes affect District #107 schools and schools across the state.

KPERS
The most relevant KRERS bill so far is HB 2194 which we passed last session. This bill created a commission to study different policy issues and establish a plan to get KPERS on track to being actuarially sound. The commission has completed their work and a bill has been written that includes their recommendations, the most significant being to create a new tier that after a certain date in the future, all employees would be under a defined contribution retirement plan. This only affects the new employees. All present employees under the previous tiers would remain in their current defined benefit plan. If these recommendations are not adopted but are voted on by the House and Senate, that triggers the enactment of HB 2194 which would require the state and employees to increase contributions. The employer contribution would move from .6% now to 1.2% by 2017. For employees in Tier 1 there would be two options: The first option would be the employee contribution increase from 4% to 6 % and the future years of service multiplier would increase from 1.75% to 1.85%. The other option would keep the employee contribution at 4% but reduce the future multiplier from 1.75% to 1.4%. For employees in Tier 2 there would be two options: The first would have employee contribution rates freeze at 6% and the Cost of Living Adjustment would be eliminated. The other option would freeze the contribution at 6% and would reduce the multiplier from 1.75% to 1.4%for future service but retain the COLA. These changes are necessary to make the system solvent and to continue to pay earned benefits.

Kansas Recycling
We received some great news this week in a study done by the Department of Health and Environment revealing statewide recycling at an all time high. The study showed 85% of Kansans recycle, up from 65% in 2005. The most popular item recycled was aluminum cans followed by plastics, cardboard, and paper products.

I hope you take the time to track the Legislature’s work in Topeka over the course of the 2012 session. Although early, policy proposals on the above issues, and many others, are quickly forming and I believe it is an important part of the process to keep my constituents updated. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website www.kslegislature.org. As you know, the devil is in the details and many components of these policies are subject to change. Please let me know your thoughts on the issues discussed by the legislature and others which might be affecting you. Feel free to call or e-mail and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you!

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

House Happenings Week 3

2012-01-30T12:59:00.001-06:00

Week three of the 2012 session saw a noticeable increase in the pace of legislative business, making each day seemingly fly by. Committees are meeting and working on bills daily, and a steady stream will begin making their way to the floor for debate very soon. On Wednesday, the House was on General Orders for the first time to debate legislation with final votes following on Thursday. I anticipate more votes will be made next week since our first session deadlines are quickly approaching.

Pages
Every year we are assigned page dates so that we can ask school children from home to come work with us on the House floor during session. I had this opportunity thirty years ago when I paged for Representative Bill Fuller. Miltonvale when I was in high school in Minneapolis. Students should be at least 10 years old and arrive at the Capitol around 8:00AM to report to the page supervisor. They will have the opportunity to meet and have their picture taken with Governor Brownback and attend committee hearing with me before they begin work in the House Chambers at 11:00AM. The two dates this year are February 22nd and March 29th but if for some reason these dates won’t work into student’s schedules, let me know and I can check to see if others days are available.

Staff
I am very pleased to announce that Patricia Williams will again be my Assistant for the second year in my office. She will answer your calls during the day and forward messages to me and can make appointments for visitors and help arrange the page visits as well. This year I have a college Intern with north central Kansas roots. Murl Riedel who grew up in Tipton is a finishing up his Masters in Museum History and will work with me on a weekly basis during session. He also works full time at the Kansas Humanities Council and is a Captain in the Kansas National Guard. Murl and I became acquainted when he was the Commandeer of the National Guard Unit in Concordia and lead our local troops to a peace keeping mission to Egypt in 2010. Our office phone number is 785 296-7642.

Visitors
Two annual events that I never miss were held in Topeka this week. Members of DS&O and Prairieland Electric Cooperatives were attending their yearly Legislative Update and also David and Susan Studebaker and Phil Ballou were in the Capital city for the Kansas Cooperative Council Legislative Action Day. It is my pleasure to have guests from home visit – please let me know if you are attending an event in Topeka and I will make time to see you and even arrange a tour of the Capitol building for you.

Committee Work
We are now holding hearings on bills in committees along with various Agency updates. Two bills in Ag and Natural Resource of interested to us are the KEEP program which would
establish a check-off for equine similar to the grain, beef and milk industries in Kansas and HB2502 which would license swine operators the same way as dairy operators. HB2451dealing with water control in closed areas especially in western Kansas otherwise known as “use it or lose it” policy will be heard this week in Ag and possibly sent out for a floor vote soon. Federal and State Affairs had a two day hearing on Concealed Carry, HB 2353, which deals with where a concealed carrier can carry a gun. This bill should be worked in committee next week and sent to the “committee of the whole” – all 125 of us. Social Service Budget will begin tackling individual budgets which will then be sent to the Appropriations Committee to prepare for the final budget bill.

Kansas Bioscience Authority Audit
Early this week an external audit revealed concerning details regarding the leadership of the state funded Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA). Based in Olathe, the KBA’s primary goal has been to attract high-tech biological science companies and jobs to Kansas through its partnership with the state. Since its inception in 2004, KBA has received $175 million in state funding to carry out this mission. This partnership demands a great deal of trust, as the legislature has a critical responsibility to ensure taxpayer dollars are being put to efficient use in an open and transparent manner. Over the past year, both the legislature and the executive branch had become increasingly concerned with reports of spending abuse and inappropriate business dealings within the KBA. In response, a full forensic audit was ordered and subsequently conducted over the following months. Overall, the audit found little fault with the structure and operations of the KBA. However, Governor Brownback has suggested the KBA place a moratorium on new investments until the legislature determines how to move forward with the audit results.

Governor, Attorney General Object to EPA Regulation
Governor Brownback and Attorney General Schmidt have submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to stop a proposed regulation on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) based on concerns the rule would place an undue burden on Kansas livestock producers. The regulation of contention, the CAFO Reporting rule, would require all CAFOs to report to the EPA regardless of their size or permit status. Kansas already maintains a comprehensive database and permitting process for animal feeding operations and Brownback and Schmidt contend the only change the rule would bring is an additional, unnecessary layer of federal government paperwork.

Redistricting Kansas
During the 2012 session, the legislature will redraw congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts based on the 2010 census results. This practice is mandated by the Kansas Constitution and federal courts to ensure all districts are nearly equal in population. Our priority is to first focus on the House district map, then on the Senate, congressional, and Board of Education maps. At this point in the process, it appears that I will continue to represent Cloud, Ottawa, Lincoln and move into north Saline County and I will lose Dickinson County. It is interesting to note that Dickinson County currently has six legislators – two Senators and four Representatives.

Caylee’s Law (HB 2534)
This week the House introduced legislation to address one of our first caucus priorities in 2012. House Bill 2534, if passed, would implement Caylee’s law, after Florida 2-year-old Caylee Anthony who disappeared in 2008. Anthony’s mother, Casey, failed to notify authorities of her daughter’s disappearance for a month. Unfortunately, current law does not view this sort of negligence as a crime in many states. In response, numerous states are now aiming to prevent this from occurring again by creating reporting standards. Current Kansas law does not impose criminal penalties for failing to notify law enforcement of the death or disappearance of a child.
The bill currently resides in the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee where it is waiting on a hearing.

Regents Reporting Requirements (HB 2533)
In the fall of 2011, Penn State University was rocked by allegations that former football coach Jerry Sandusky had been caught sexually assaulting or inappropriately interacting with underage boys on or near university property. Subsequent investigations appeared to reveal that eyewitness accounts of the abuse were not reported to proper university and law enforcement authorities.
As a result, HB 2533 was introduced to require all state post-secondary educational institutions to develop reporting standards for cases of abuse. It currently resides in the House Judiciary Committee where it is waiting on a hearing.

As always, I’ll keep you updated and encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. You can easily track the action through our legislative website (www.kslegislature.org) where you find links to the various committees and pull up copies of the legislation we’re working on to evaluate. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts on the topics under consideration and appreciate the perspective I gain from an observer outside the building.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

House Happenings Week 2

2012-01-23T19:01:00.003-06:00

The second week of the 2012 legislative session was abbreviated due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. However, work continued as committees had their second week to address issues and legislation. Bills are starting to come out of committee for further debate and votes by the full House. With the first session deadlines quickly approaching, our pace should pick up in the next week. As always, I’ll keep you updated. Please stay involved and let me know your thoughts on the measures under consideration.

During session, I always look forward to the yearly events that bring people from home to Topeka for conferences and dinners with legislators. District Judge Mary Thrower from Minneapolis attended the KS District Magistrate Judge Association meeting on Tuesday and Scott Henderson from Concordia was in the capitol city Wednesday for the Public Accountants Association. Bill and Dorothy Brown, Minneapolis and Bill and Charlene Watson, Barnard attended the State Association of Kansas Watersheds. I always I if my schedule allows, meet friends from home at these events so please let me know if you will be attending a function in Topeka.

Committee assignments

My committees are meeting daily now mainly with State Agency updates. Kansas Ag Secretary Rodman reported that Kansas net farm income was $3.4 billion in 2010. Agricultural retail, wholesale and manufacturing in Kansas accounts for approximately $50 billion in economic activity annually. Doug Jorgensen, Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control Division (ABC) updated Federal & State Affairs Committee noting that the division oversees not only alcohol licenses but Cigarette & Tobacco and Drug tax enforcement. There are 4623 active liquor licenses in Kansas which is a slight decrease from last year. Just over one million dollars of drug tax was collected (tax due, seized assets and auction of seized property) in 2011 with 75% returned to the law enforcement agency(s) who conducted the investigation and the remaining 25% to the State General Fund.

Rural Opportunity Zones

Updates from the Department of Commerce on the Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZ) were presented to Legislators this week. Cloud County has had five applicants with one approved and Lincoln County with three applicants and one approved as well. The new law which went to effect July 1, 2011 designates 50 counties as Rural Opportunity Zones, provides an income tax exemption for individuals who relocate to those counties from out of state; and authorizes the counties to participate in a state-matching program to repay student loans of up to $15,000 for qualifying students who move into the ROZ counties. To date, there have been 190 applicants statewide from 25 states with the most common applicant as a young person in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties with family ties to the region and who may work in a variety of professional fields including healthcare, education, engineering and law. For more information or questions, contact Program Manager, Chris Harris at rural@kansascommerce.com or phone at (785) 296-6815.

Redistricting Kansas

Every ten years the state of Kansas redraws its Congressional and Legislative boundaries based on the most recent census figures. Each state has its own unique process for how they redraw these boundaries. Figures show the population of Kansas has grown in the eastern part of the state while western Kansas continues to struggle with declining population numbers. As a result, expectations are one Kansas Senate seat will shift from the west to the east side of state, as will approximately three Kansas House seats. The goal is to have 22,761 persons in each Kansas House district, 70,986 in each Kansas Senate District and 713,280 persons in each of the four Congressional districts. Public hearings on the redistricting process were held throughout the state over the summer and fall. Before the 2012 session can come to an end new district maps must be approved by the Legislature so they can get final approval from the court for the August 2012 primary election and November 2012 general election. Each proposed map must meet a specific set of predetermined requirements before it can proceed to be introduced as legislation and subsequent hearings. The main sticking point in the past has been to make the population deviation for each district as close to zero as possible to ensure one person equals one vote. Redrawing the House, Senate and Congressional districts is a time consuming process, and sometimes a source of frustration as members are inevitably forced to swap territory with neighbors. In some cases, a member may have represented a certain community or geographical region for decades. This makes it difficult to part with constituents – or perhaps meet new ones – so it’s a challenging phase for some. A multitude of factors must be considered, and the final product is still weeks away, but the House has committed to making the process as open and transparent as possible in an effort to create a fair and logical map that members feel comfortable voting for, which will allow us to move on to more pressing issues that directly impact our constituents.

State Archives Available Online

The Kansas Historical Society has partnered with popular family history website, ancestry.com to allow individuals with valid Kansas driver’s licenses with free access to over 8 million Kansas records. To access the records, users need to access www.kshs.org/ancestry and enter their name, date of birth and Kansas driver’s license number. Once the number is authenticated users will be redirected to ancestry.com. Users will be able to access Kansas census records from 1865 to 1985; Civil War enlistment papers of Kansas Volunteer Regiments (1862, 1863, 1868); selected World War I manuscripts; and United Spanish-American War veterans certificate collections. The Historical Society also has a digital portal providing access to 200,000 images of photographs, artifacts, diaries, letters, maps and other printed materials at www.kansasmemory.org. For more information on how to get started, visit - www.kshs.org or email reference@kshs.org or call 785-272-8681.

I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call at 785-296-7642 or email me at elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Don’t forget that you can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org, including live broadcasts of the House and Senate while on the floor. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

House Happenings Week 1

2012-01-17T18:37:00.001-06:00

The 2012 legislative session officially began this week, as usual, with abundant energy and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. Our agenda is quickly filling up. Issues like strengthening the state’s economy, education finance reform, immigration, Medicaid reform, KPERS, redistricting, tax reform and further balancing the budget are already taking precedence on the agenda. Early on, most of our time will be spent in committee reviewing policies remaining from the 2011 session, learning of new proposals and beginning the process of determining which legislation will be the primary focus of the session. After a week or two, bills will begin passing out of committee and voting will commence shortly thereafter. I will continue to serve on the Agricultural and Natural Resource Committee, Federal and State Affairs and Vice-chair of Social Service Budget. As the session progresses, activity will transition from the committee level to floor debates and final votes. Throughout this process I will continue to keep you updated as we work together to represent our shared interests.
On Wednesday, Governor Brownback appeared before a joint session of the Legislature to give his annual State of the State address. I was honored to have Johnnie Goddard, my Minneapolis High School classmate now the Kansas Deputy Corrections Secretary, join me as one of my guests in the balcony. It was also my pleasure to host USD#224 Clyde-Clifton Government teacher Ken McClanahan and his wife Joyce from Clyde as my guests as well. Governor Brownback and Ken were classmates from an early age in Parker, Kansas and all three were able to meet the Governor after his address.
During his annual speech, the Governor laid out his agenda to the Legislature. Governor Brownback’s main priority is to overhaul the state tax code to make it simple, flat and fair. Key to the overhaul is lowering individual income taxes for all Kansans by going from three to two income tax brackets, reducing the highest tax rate from 6.45 percent to 4.9 percent and lowering the bottom tax bracket to 3 percent. Low-income Kansans will see increased benefits through the doubling of the standard deduction for head of household filers (from $4,500 to $9,000) and an additional investment of $60 million to state social services and healthcare programs. Currently, Kansas has the second highest tax rate in the region behind Nebraska with migration data showing we are consistently losing workers to nearby states with lower tax rates. From 2001 to 2010 private sector employment in Kansas fell by 39,700 jobs. Between 2004 and 2010, Kansas lost 15,683 tax filers and 17,640 dependents costing the state $1.09 billion.

State Budget
Last year, the Legislature passed a budget that, for the first time since 1972, decreased all-funds state spending by nearly a billion dollars and turned a $500 million deficit into a $100 million surplus without raising taxes. Since then, we’ve been fortunate enough to have a number of good months and revenues are finally headed in the right direction. History shows revenues will remain erratic as the economy struggles and we must pay off state debt and spend conservatively to better stabilize the budget and avoid some of the major shortfalls we were forced to deal with in recent years. To continue building on the progress made in 2011, Governor Brownback has introduced a budget for FY 2013 that provides a $465 million ending balance, exceeding the 7.5 percent statutory requirement for the first time since 2008. The Governor’s budget fully funds or increases funding for essential state services while decreasing State General Fund (SGF) expenditures from the previous fiscal year.

KPERS
For several years the Legislature has failed to ensure funding for KPERS. The current unfunded liability of KPERS exceeds $8 billion, which ranks it as one of the worst pension systems in the United States. In response, Governor Brownback has endorsed the bipartisan KPERS study commission plan to transition from KPERS to a defined contribution plan. Individuals who currently receive KPERS benefits and those who are vested will remain in the system and receive full protection while unvested workers and new state employees will transition to a defined contribution plan.

Medicaid
In two short years, federal funding to Kansas has fallen by $1.5 billion – a majority in Medicaid dollars. At the same time, Medicaid funding demands have increased at a rapid rate, placing stress on education, public safety and other essential state services. Additional federal cuts are expected, so the need to implement massive Medicaid reform in Kansas is now. The administration’s plan proposes to transition Kansas Medicaid to a managed care system that offers Kansans the opportunity to choose a plan that suits them best; encourages the disabled to find meaningful employment; and consolidates the Medicaid program into one state agency. The administration projects the overhaul will result in total savings of $853 million, though these savings would not be fully realized until the plan is completely implemented in future years.

School Finance
Governor Brownback introduced a new school funding formula intended to send dollars to classrooms, not courtrooms; focus resources on classroom instruction; and allow for greater flexibility and local control to school districts. Protecting classroom funding has long been a priority of the House. While the ultimate school finance solution will take time, patience and compromise, the Governor has provided the legislature with a realistic starting point for discussion. The plan is designed to provide stable, predictable, and fair funding to all of Kansas’ 286 school districts. It would provide the statutory $4,492 base state aid per pupil amount and no district would receive less money under the proposal and approximately half would receive additional amounts.

Water Policy Changes
Kansas water policy has become one of the main focuses of the 2012 legislative session and the executive branch priorities. Accordingly, the House will be considering a number of changes to existing law designed to help sustain one of our most precious and declining resources. House Bill 2451 has been introduced to update the state’s water policy that incentivizes the conservation. Of particular concern is the current “use it or lose it” state water law concept, which in some cases, disincentivizes water conservation efforts. Currently, water rights holders are given an allocation of water to use if this allocation is not completely used the individual stands to lose their water rights. The policy put forward by the administration would not force the water to be used and prevents water rights from being taken away. Actual water savings are hard to determine but the conservation impact is expected to be substantial.

I hope you take the time to track the Legislature’s work in Topeka over the course of the 2012 session. Although early, policy proposals on the above issues, and many others, are quickly forming and I believe it is an important part of the process to keep my constituents updated. As you know, the devil is in the details and many components of these policies are subject to change. Feedback from all angles is a critical part of this process, so I encourage you to involve yourself in the process and express your views; let me know your thoughts on the issues discussed by the legislature and others which might be affecting you. Please feel free to call or e-mail and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you!

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

Rep. Bowers to Run for Re-Election

2011-11-18T13:44:00.002-06:00

For Immediate Release
November 18, 2011

Contact:
Rep. Elaine Bowers
785.243.4256

Rep. Bowers to Run for Re-Election

CONCORDIA - Kansas House of Representatives Rep. Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) today announced she will seek her fourth term in 2012, filing for reelection in the 107th district.

“Serving the citizens of the 107th district is such a rewarding experience,” said Rep. Bowers. “Each year we face new challenges not only as a state, but also as a region. I take great pride in representing this part of the state and truly look forward to continuing this work.”

House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid (R-Olathe) highlighted the importance of Rep. Bowers’ leadership in the House.

“Elaine is a not only a valuable member of our caucus, but more importantly a tireless advocate for her constituents,” said Rep. Siegfreid. “As a rural legislator and small business owner she provides critical perspective. I can always count on Elaine for an honest assessment, and appreciate her leadership in an increasingly diverse state.”

Rep. Bowers also serves as the Kansas state director of the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) and as Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee, one of twelve standing committees of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL). She also serves on the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee for the Mid-western Legislative Conference which covers eleven states and four Canadian provinces. Rep. Bowers also is serving in her 2nd year as treasurer for the Kansas National Guard STARBASE Program which is part of a national program educating 5th graders with hands-on science classes and projects.

“As rural Kansans, I’m proud of our way of life. I’m committed to finding ways to sustain it through growth, and adapting to change. These are important priorities for each of us to focus on as a community.”

Rep. Bowers serves on the House committees for Ag and Natural Resources, Federal and State Affairs, and Social Services Budget (Vice-Chair). She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and has earned a 100% attendance record for her entire legislative career.

“It is very important to me as a legislator to be there everyday and vote every time. After five years, it’s a record I’m increasingly proud of,” said Rep. Bowers. “This is not an honor I take for granted, and it would be a privilege to continue to serve the people of North Central Kansas.”

The 107thth District represents the cities of Concordia, Lincoln, and Minneapolis in Cloud, Lincoln, Ottawa and a portion of Dickinson County.

Representative Elaine Bowers named to Leadership Post of National Conference of State Legislatures

2011-10-04T15:38:00.001-05:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Elaine Bowers (R)-Concordia has been named Vice-Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures' (NCSL). Transportation Committee 2011-2012. NCSL President Stephen Morris, Kansas Senate President, made the appointment.

"I am honored to represent the states’ agenda in the continuing debate over the changing state-federal relationship," Representative Bowers said about her new appointment.

The Transportation Committee is one of 12 standing committees of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The standing committees are responsible for developing policy directives that guide NCSL's states’ agenda on Capitol Hill and within the administration. The directives stress: opposition to unfunded federal mandates, prevention of unnecessary preemption of state laws, protection of state revenue sources, and increased state flexibility in state-federal programs.

“Elaine brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to the table with her business background in the automotive industry “said Senator Stephen Morris. "I am pleased that she has accepted the appointment and I look forward to her valuable contributions to state public policy over the next year."

NCSL has just completed an active year in representing the interests of the states in Washington, D.C. including work on introduction of the Main Street Fairness Act, an extension of the Real ID Act deadline, and obtaining over $16 billion in federal assistance to help cover the cost of federal mandates in Medicaid.

Representative Bowers and her husband Charlie have been business owners since 1988 and currently own the Concordia Auto Mart Inc and Concordia Chevrolet/Buick LLC in Concordia, Kansas.

The National Conference of State Legislatures is the bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.

2011 Session: Final Week

2011-05-23T11:09:00.002-05:00

May 13th at 6:30AM marked the final day of the 2011 legislative session and, as expected, required a long night to finalize a budget compromise. The legislature adjourned early Friday morning after passing the 2012 fiscal year budget and approving a variety of other key public policy initiatives, which had lingered to the final days.

Budget
At the beginning of the session, it was clear that our primary focus would be balancing the state budget. The 2012 budget was a compromise and a test of will between the two chambers. The theory of checks and balances was put to the test and the governor became engaged when stalemates were on the horizon. Some did not vote for the budget because the cuts were too severe and did not provide funds for their favorite entity, and some voted against it because the cuts were not severe enough. The ending balance is to provide a “cushion” if revenues do not meet expectations. By statute we were to have a positive ending balance that is 7.5% of the $6 billion State General Fund Budget, so we should have around $450 million and we have $50 million - that is a thin cushion if you can call it a cushion at all. Without budget cuts, or increased revenue the only available solution left becomes “creative accounting” such as delayed tax refunds, or move up the date when property taxes are due. Remember a number of years ago when The Department of Revenue moved property tax day from June to May?

Upon our arrival in Topeka in January we were greeted with a $550 million budget deficit and a clear directive to take immediate action on key topics like voter identification requirements, tax reform, abortion law, KPERS funding, healthcare and school finance. Recognizing the volume of work needed to be accomplished in just 90 days, we rolled up our sleeves, went to work and:

Strengthened Voter ID requirements;
Approved fundamental tax reform allowing Kansas business to expense certain investments;
Passed legislation providing reductions to individual and corporate income tax rates when state revenues increase;
Modified existing law making late-term and partial birth abortions more difficult to obtain;
Defined “fetal pain” to prohibit abortions from being performed after 22 weeks;
Approved greater flexibility provisions allowing schools districts to use unencumbered funds to support classroom and teacher funding;
· Once again, passed the Health Care Freedom Act codifying the individual right of Kansans to choose to purchase or refuse to purchase health insurance;
Took a substantial first step in addressing the unfunded liability of the KPERS retirement system;
Reformed workers compensation regulations; and
Passed a budget that, for the first time since 1972, decreased all-funds state spending by nearly a billion dollars and turned a $500 million deficit into a $50 million surplus WITHOUT raising taxes.

Bills and Voting
This year in the Kansas House of Representatives 305 votes were recorded and again, I was present and voted each time and am documented in the House Journal with a 100% voting record for 2011. In total, 795 Bills and Resolutions in the House and Senate were introduced with 84 of those passed out of the Chambers to the Governor’s office. To date, Governor Brownback has signed 72 bills with 12 more to go. Two of those bills were signed in north central Kansas, HB 2003, renaming Highway #18 and the ROZ Zone tax bill which designated 50 Kansas counties to be able to offer five year Kansas Income Tax abatement (tax holiday) to move back to one of these counties which includes Cloud and Lincoln Counties in House District #107 and other surrounding counties in nearby districts. If the counties so choose, can offer a student loan payment to recent graduates up to $15,000 and this will be decided on a county-by-county basis. The Kansas Department of Commerce will be administering this new program and has had many calls of interest from across the nation from both businesses and individuals.

Friday, May 27th at 1:30PM will be the official sign unveiling by the Kansas Department of Transportation of the Donald K. Ross Memorial Highway signs located in Ottawa and Lincoln Counties on KS Highway #18. Captain Dan McCulley with the United States Navy will be the guest speaker at the intersection of US
Highway #81 and Kansas Highway #18, located about 10 miles north of Salina. A reception at Medal of Honor Recipient and local WWII hero Donald K. Ross will be held at the community center in his hometown of Beverly immediately following the ceremony. The public is invited to attend.

KPERS Reform (S. Sub. for HB 2194)
One of the most critical issues we faced upon arrival in Topeka this year was our chronically underfunded Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS). Currently, KPERS has an unfunded liability of $8 billion dollars. In terms of actuarial solvency, recent studies have shown Kansas to have the second worst state pension system in the United States, falling only behind Illinois. Pension programs nationwide have been hit hard but the stuttering economy has compounded our structural deficiencies within the system and will continue to do so unless substantive reform measures are taken to improve the stability of the pension fund. The Governor made it clear in his State of the State address this was one of his priorities in his first year. The House and Senate both passed legislation to begin the process of repairing the solvency of the KPERS retirement system. A conference committee met to negotiate the differences between the respective bills and came to an agreement that modifies the KPERS pension plan for current KPERS members and future public employees of the state, school and local groups. The agreement makes a variety of changes, contingent upon specific triggers including future action by the Legislature in 2012 and approval by the IRS for allowing tier I and II members the option of choosing alternative benefit and contribution options. The changes made to KPERS by this legislation will bring the state, school and local groups into balance by the 2019 fiscal year. First, the bill establishes a 13 member KPERS study commission to review alternative retirement plans and to report its recommendation by January 6, 2012. Those recommendations would be introduced in the House and Senate during the 2012 session. Second, the bill requires the legislature during the 2012 session to vote on each of the bills. Third, upon the legislature voting on the respective KPERS bills, the statutory state, school and local employer contribution rate caps of 0.6 percent would be increased for local employers to: 0.9 percent in FY 2014, 1.0 percent in FY 2015, 1.1 percent in FY 2016 and 1.2 percent in FY 2017.

Current KPERS plans are based on a worker’s salary and the years of service to the state. If revenues do not keep up with the payout of benefits, the state is required to make up the difference. This has been problematic for a number of years and is something the legislature has needed to address for quite some time. Our work on repairing the system is far from finished, but this is a productive first step. We will undoubtedly return to the issue next year with dedicated committees in both chambers picking up on work initiated here in 2011.

Off-session
Although the legislature has adjourned until January, please continue to let me know your thoughts on what issues are impacting you. If you are having trouble contact a state agency, please call me and allow me to help. I’m excited to return home and begin meeting with constituents! Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I accurately represent my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email at elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov or elaine@concordiaautomart.com and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Representative Elaine Bowers
1326 N. 150th Rd.
Concordia, KS 66901
785 243-4256
785 243-3325 x2 office

Representative Elaine Bowers to work with regional leaders on Agriculture policy

2011-05-11T17:20:00.001-05:00

May 11, 2011

LOMBARD, IL — Representative Elaine Bowers has been appointed to a regional committee of legislators that will examine agriculture, natural resource and rural policy and share information on innovative state and provincial programs.

As a member of the bipartisan Midwestern Legislative Conference Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee, Representative Bowers will be working with leaders from 11 states and four Canadian provinces.

The committee will focus on such issues as U.S. energy trade, and expanding the renewable energy sector.

Each state and province in the region can appoint as many as six legislators to serve on this MLC committee.

Lawmakers from the following states are members of the MLC: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. In addition, members of the legislative assemblies in four Canadian provinces — Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan — are MLC affiliates.

The Midwestern Office of The Council of State Governments provides staff support to the MLC and its policy committees.

CSG is the premier multibranch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. CSG alerts state elected and appointed officials in all three branches of government to emerging social, economic, and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multistate problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness.

The national organization is headquartered in Lexington, Ky., and has regional offices in Lombard (Chicago), Ill., Atlanta, New York and Sacramento.

If you would like more information on CSG or the committee, please contact Ilene Grossman at 630.925.1922
or igrossman@csg.org.

2011 Session: Veto Session Continues

2011-05-09T11:40:00.002-05:00

This week marked the first full week of the Veto Session. As I’ve mentioned in previous updates, Veto Session is traditionally dedicated to addressing bills approved or vetoed by the Governor and finalizing the state budget. Several conference committees were able to reach agreements on crime legislation, tax legislation and KPERS reform over the course of the week. As of Friday afternoon, the conference committee on the budget was still working to reach a compromise and we will not finish the 2011 session until an agreement is reached.

The main point of contention on the budget revolves around the ending balance. The House has stated we have a goal of achieving an ending balance in the $50 million range. Recent history has consistently shown that revenues will remain erratic as the economy struggles to stabilize. Without a sufficient ending balance, a drop in revenues could force the Governor to issue allotments. The budget process is tedious, requiring flexibility, patience—and time. The original negotiations began with over 230 items of disagreement. Even with progress on over 100 issues this week we still face a number of critical and difficult decisions. These items represent months of work on behalf of dedicated budget committees and subcommittees who spend countless hours reviewing each item in the state budget. If the bargaining process is ultimately abandoned for allotments or across the board cuts, this painstaking work is voided. Allotments are less targeted and impact far more individuals and services than what is proposed in the budget. I remain hopeful the new week will revive efforts to come to a final resolution. As we wrap up work on most other topics, the pressure to build a final package will mount next week. While it’s important to make certain we come away with the best product possible, the time has come to finish our work. I look forward to the vote and am eager to return home for the year.

Funding Flexibility for Schools (H Sub for Sub for SB 111)
As budgets remain strained, some of the most direct focus on funding has been drawn to schools. Constituting the bulk of our budget in Kansas, schools account for a tremendous amount of our budget. Accordingly, as we work to reduce spending it’s difficult to ignore school budgets as part of the debate. One consistent focus in this area involves “unencumbered funds” which some contend could be used to help close budget gaps. After researching these accounts, the House passed an important piece of legislation this week that identifies truly unencumbered funds and allows local districts to use them for more critical purposes if revenues decline.

The bill allows school districts to expend a portion of their unencumbered balances in particular funds for use with: at-risk education; bilingual education; contingency reserves; driver training; parent education; preschool at-risk; professional development; summer school, virtual schools and vocational education. School boards are not limited to using the funds on the priority list and are not required to use the total unencumbered balance before using the unencumbered balance in other funds. This bill gives school districts the opportunity to access some of the approximate $358 million in unencumbered funds in over 90 percent of the state’s school districts. These are funds districts have received from the state which have been accumulating in a variety of school district accounts due to use restrictions. To offset the loss of base state aid per pupil (BSAPP) funding, the bill allows districts to use their reserves to help make ends meet. For more than 90 percent of the State’s school districts, funds would be sufficient to restore the BSAPP to $4,012 from $3,762 for the 2011-2012 school year. Furthermore, the bill requires at least 65 percent of the surplus funds to be used on instruction thus protecting teachers and classrooms from budget cuts. A conference committee will be meeting to work out the differences and let’s hope they can move quickly to reach an agreement because this legislation provides school districts with the funding flexibility needed to protect our teachers and classrooms.

Kansas Offender Registration Act (H Sub for SB 37)
SB 37 makes several changes to the Kansas Offender Registration Act to bring Kansas into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act. The bill requires offenders to register in person with law enforcement within three business days of coming into any county or location of jurisdiction where they reside or intend to reside, maintain employment or plan to maintain employment or attend or intend to attend school. Offenders must report in person four times a year to law enforcement in the county or city where they reside, work or attend school. If offenders change their name, residence, employment status or school attendance, they must re-register within three days of doing so and provide notice to the KBI. On Thursday, May 5, the House adopted the conference committee report 118-0. The Senate must adopt the conference committee report before the bill can be sent to Governor Brownback for his consideration. I’m confident they’ll do so because this is sound public policy for our communities, which I was proud to support.

Expensing and Job Creation Program Fund (House Sub for SB 196)
SB 196 allows Kansas businesses who purchase equipment and software to take state tax deductions on equipment and software purchases by immediately expensing these purchases instead of requiring smaller deductions over several years. Expensing would allow Kansas businesses to save $47 to $50 million in taxes each year and dedicate those funds to other priorities like job creation and wage increases. If enacted, Kansas will be the first state in the nation to take this action which provides uniform income tax treatment for businesses of all sizes while encouraging broad-based business growth

This is an important tool for businesses working to create more with less, and by incentivizing their growth we help business both large and small create more jobs and help our economy rebound. That’s how we’ll ultimately create and sustain jobs, which makes this critically important work right now. Previously we have enacted a variety of tax policies to advance business development but they have only helped a small number of businesses and, unfortunately, more Kansas businesses have NOT benefited from tax incentives. In the 2008 tax year alone, only 14,300 of the state’s 221,000 enterprises received tax incentives. Research suggests that Kansas must establish an environment that induces business creation and expansion, regardless of size, to create more jobs and we must have a tax policy that maximizes economic growth and encourages businesses of all sizes to invest in the state.

The bill also allows for a new income tax check-off on the state individual income tax form where taxpayers could voluntarily contribute to the Kansas Hometown Heroes Fund. All moneys deposited in the fund must be used solely for funding the operations for the veteran’s services program under the Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs.

KPERS Update
On Wednesday, legislators were able to reach a compromise in resolving the solvency of KPERS. The plan creates a 13 member commission to study the feasibility of a 401(k) like plan and requires the commission to make recommendations to the Legislature during the 2012 session. The current unfunded KPERS liability is approximately $8 billion, ranked by some as the 2nd worst pension system in the United States. It’s something we’ve needed to address for quite some time, and while this is productive first step, it’s certainly an issue we’ll be forced to continue working on.

Sign Unveiling Ceremony
Please mark May 27th on your calendar which be the official sign unveiling by Kansas Department of Transportation at the intersection of US Highway 81 and Highway 18 to honor Captain Donald K. Ross from Beverly. HB 2003 was signed into law at the Veterans Memorial in Lincoln County April 1st by Governor Brownback in front of a large group of veterans and hometown crowd. It renames Highway 18 from the Ottawa County line to the Russell County line through Lincoln and Ottawa Counties. Captain Ross was presented the Medal of Honor by Admiral Chester Nimitz on April 18, 1942, becoming the first World War II recipient of the Medal. Captain Ross was 30 and the chief engineer on the battleship Nevada when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Wounded and blinded by a bomb, he remained at his station until the Nevada was beached, keeping the ship's machinery running and preventing it from sinking and blocking the harbor. He was the first of 16 Pearl Harbor heroes who received the Medal of Honor, 12 of them posthumously. Captain Donald K. Ross died at Bremerton, Washington, on May 27, 1992 and his ashes were scattered at sea over the USS Nevada. This bill has been a grassroots effort for several years by the citizens of Beverly and Lincoln County residents - they will now see their hometown hero honored and remembered by all who travel Highway 18 in North Central Kansas.
I hope you have been tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka. I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed by the Legislature affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Veto Session

2011-05-02T10:26:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday, the Legislature returned to Topeka to begin Veto Session, scheduled to go until May 11. Veto session is traditionally dedicated to addressing bills approved or vetoed by the Governor and working on the state budget. However, this year we have a number of issues still waiting to be wrapped-up. In the short time we have left, many items remain on our to-do list including KPERS reform and finalizing the budget.

The Kansas Constitution requires the Legislature to produce a budget each year. Just imagine if the Federal Government had such a requirement – and as difficult as it is, Kansas does pass a budget every year based on the projected revenues given to us twice a year. Prior to adjourning for our annual break the House and Senate passed their respective budgets and a conference committee began meeting to negotiate the differences. At the start of negotiations there were over 230 differences between the two bills. To further complicate the process, revenue estimates for Kansas were revised downward by approximately $20 million. Between the proposed budgets of Governor Brownback, the Senate and the House, only the House budget remains in the black by an approximate $48 million. As I sit here in the Statehouse, the conference committee continues to meet and hammer out the differences. We will not leave Topeka until an agreement is reached.

What makes this part of the session difficult is the continual struggle between legislative chambers. While the House has passed a number of significant pieces of legislation, our success will ultimately be measured by our ability to combine those proposals with Senate plans and mold a final product capable of majorities in both chambers. With so many competing interests and diverse constituencies this is never an easy process. Compromise will require flexibility, patience and focus by all involved, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to assemble a responsible budget that sets our state on a path toward economic recovery.

Governor’s Statements on the Veto Session
On Friday morning Governor Brownback met with members of the media to discuss his thoughts on the 2011 Veto Session. The main focus of Brownback’s meeting, consistent with the rest of the session, has been on creating jobs in Kansas. Over 100,000 residents are currently unemployed and we must ensure businesses have the necessary tools to invest in and create jobs. As a result, the House has taken several steps to create and pass policies that promote a business friendly environment including Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ) legislation, expensing legislation and workers compensation legislation—along with broad-based tax reform in an effort to eliminate the personal income tax in Kansas. With passage of ROZ legislation and workers compensation reform, Kansas has already seen a positive response from the business industry both inside and outside of the state.

The Governor also encouraged the Legislature to work on compromises regarding KPERS and the budget. Currently, KPERS has an unfunded actual liability of over $8 billion, the second worst pension system in the nation. Over 225,000 state workers depend on KPERS for their retirement pension and the system must be better funded and reformed. The main point of contention between the House and Senate concerns the option of transitioning to a 401(k) like plan. Regardless of the final KPERS outcome the most difficult part for KPERS members will be in transitioning from the current system to the new, still unknown, model. I am hopeful the compromise will contain a responsible solution that eases the uncertainty surrounding the solvency of KPERS.

As previously mentioned, members from the House and Senate are meeting to work out the differences between the two respective budgets. Governor Brownback explicitly stated that he understands the process of finalizing the budget is a daunting process but encouraged the Legislature to pass a budget that “contains the biggest ending balance possible.” Going further, the Governor discussed allotments and said the issuances of allotments are not the Kansas way and we should not be in a process of doing allotments in the future.

Community Defense Act (H. Sub. for SB 25)
The Community Defense Act, contained in H. Sub. for SB 25, would regulate the location and operation of certain sexually oriented businesses including: adult arcades, adult book stores, adult video stores, adult cabarets, adult theaters, semi-nude model studios, sexual device shops and sexual encounter centers. The bill establishes limitations on how far these businesses can be from specific public and private facilities and sets requirements for the physical configurations of sex oriented businesses. In addition, the bill restricts the types of performances, hours of operations, age of employees and the activities that can take place in the aforementioned businesses. The bill allows any city or county to have an ordinance or resolution regulating these businesses as long as they do not conflict with the Community Defense Act. The House passed H. Sub. for SB 25 on Friday, April 29, by a vote of 96 to 23. The bill now heads to the Senate for its consideration; however action is not expected to be taken by the Senate in this session.

The traditional break (which can be traced back many decades) allowed us to return home for a few weeks in April however most legislators had forums and other legislative activities during this time. North central Kansas welcomed Governor Brownback two times – once in Lincoln County to sign the Donald K. Ross Highway bill (HB 2003) and the signing of the Rural Opportunity Zones bill (SB198) at the North Central Kansas Tourist Information Center in Belleville. The ROZ bill which will go into effect July 1 consists of 50 counties including Cloud and Lincoln in District #107. Our counties and communities soon will be looking into the incentives of the program which will be administered by the Department of Commerce. The big selling points are two popular provisions – a five year income tax abatement and a portion of student loans paid by the county of residence which will need to be adopted on a county by county basis. The ROZ bill is creating excitement and many questions as far away as California – for more information, feel free to contact me at my information below or the Kansas Department of Commerce at (785) 296-3760, Dan Lara or email dlara@kansascommere.com.

I hope you have been tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka. I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed by the Legislature affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

Kansas State Representative Bowers Encourages Young Women to Enter $3,000 Scholarship Essay Contest

2011-04-20T18:52:00.001-05:00

Press Release
April 20, 2011
Contact: Rep. Elaine Bowers
785 243-3325x2

The National Foundation for Women Legislators and the National Rifle Association are co-sponsoring their fourteenth annual Bill of Rights Essay Contest for college-bound female high school juniors and seniors, which this year will be entitled “The Impact of the First Amendment on Women Leaders and Social Media.” The contest’s seven winners will each receive a $3,000 college scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to NFWL’s Annual Conference and 73rd Anniversary
August 11-15, 2011 at The Marriott in Downtown Des Moines, Iowa where they will network with, be mentored by, and speak to hundreds of women lawmakers from across the United States.

“This is an excellent opportunity for local members of the Class of 2011 and 2012,” said NFWL member and Kansas State Director, Rep. Elaine Bowers. “This contest will help seven young women enhance their understanding of the role of women in politics through a hands-on learning experience. It provides an excellent opportunity to develop leadership skills while assisting with college tuition expenses.”

“Social media and the Bill of Rights will significantly impact the future of American politics,” said Rep. Bowers. “By understanding and explaining social media’s impact in elections as well as the Bill of Rights, young women can make a lasting impact on the future of American policies. This essay contest is an opportunity for young women to win a college scholarship while making their voices heard on the true intentions of the Bill of Rights.”

Entries must be received or postmarked no later than June 3, 2011, after which an NFWL selection committee will judge each essay and determine the seven winners. The judges will primarily weigh the factors of storytelling, understanding of the Bill of Rights, and original insight.

The National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) enables women lawmakers to be more effective leaders. NFWL provides women Members of Congress, state legislators, county commissioners, and city council members with strategic resources, including debates and briefings on the issues, leadership skill development, and opportunities for networking.

Questions by potential applicants may be directed to Rep. Bowers at
785 243-4256 or to the NFWL office, 202-293-3040 or email Representative Bowers at elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov.

E-mail: events@womenlegislators.org. Website: www.womenlegislators.org.

2011 Session: Week 11

2011-03-28T19:04:00.002-05:00

This week was a very busy week in the Kansas House of Representatives as we worked to begin clearing our legislative calendar before adjourning for our annual break. In three days, the House of Representatives debated over 50 pieces of legislation. Our time was spent in session with only a few committees meeting except for various conference committees. Next week the House will continue working to finish our legislative agenda. A significant amount of our time will be debating the budget for the next fiscal year which begins July 1 of this year. Also, members of the House will be meeting with their Senate counterparts in conference committees to negotiate the differences in legislation that has passed the House and the Senate. With each agreement reached by a conference committee, both the House and Senate must approve the compromise before they can be submitted to Governor Brownback for his consideration. Often times, these bills will be brought back to us numerous times and often a group of bills will be “bundled” or stuck in under one bill number. I don’t like this procedure but I do keep track of bills I have voted on so it is easy to sort them out and into one.

The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn for its annual break on April 2nd and return to Topeka on April 27 for what we call “veto session.” This break provides research and revenue staff time to review and assemble the necessary information we’ll need to make informed decisions on the budget when we return in late April. In addition, the break provides legislators a valuable opportunity to spend time with constituents back home discussing their thoughts and concerns on issues directly impacting them. Veto session is traditionally a time where the Legislature deals with bills approved or vetoed by the Governor. We’ll do that but also dedicate a majority of our work to addressing the 2012 budget. Veto session is scheduled to go from April 27 to May 11 but the reality is we will not leave Topeka until a compromise is reached with both chambers and the Governor on our spending package.

Addressing KPERS (Sub. HB 2333)
Sub. for HB 2333 revises the KPERS retirement plan for most current state, school and local government employees but does not apply to the Kansas Police and Firemen’s (KP&F) or Judges retirement plans. The bill contains three main provisions: reduces the annual KPERS benefit multiplier from 1.75 percent to 1.4 percent for future service credit beginning July 1, 2012 for all current and future public employees; increases the cap on annual KPERS employer contributions from 0.6 percent to 0.8 percent on July 1, 2012; and directs any net proceeds from the sale of state property to the unfunded liability of KPERS. During this debate an amendment was attached to the bill that creates a new tier III defined contribution plan for all new state, school and local public employees effective July 1, 2013. The House is expected to vote on this legislation early next week. The Senate has their version of a KPERS bill which differs from the House – these two bills most likely will be merged together in a conference committee and if we don’t have a final product by the end of this year; just remember that it will still be “alive” for next year to perfect if it isn’t what we want.

Currently, the state employee pension system, KPERS, has an unfunded liability of $8 billion dollars. In terms of actuarial solvency, studies have shown Kansas to have the second worst state pension system in the United States, falling behind only Illinois. Pension programs nationwide have been hit hard but the stuttering economy has compounded our structural deficiencies within the KPERS system and will continue to do so unless substantive reform measures are taken to improve the stability of the pension fund.

Casino Floor Smoking Ban Exemption Deleted (Sub. HB 2340)
The Kansas Indoor Clear Air Act was passed in 2010 by the Legislature banning smoking in many public and private places. Included in the Act, however, were several exemptions including gaming floors. Many Kansans and current Legislators felt this exemption was unfair and self serving to the state since the state has a significant interest in most of the casinos in Kansas. Sub. for HB 2340 amends the Kansas Indoor Clear Air Act to delete the current exemption for the gaming floor of a lottery gaming or racetrack facility. The House debated this legislation on Tuesday, March 22, and proceeded to pass Sub. for HB 2340 by a vote of 97 to 26 on Wednesday, March 23. I also must add that an attempt to reinstate smoking in privately owned establishments as an amendment failed. It would have again been personal choice to enter such a facility very much like the businesses with the concealed carry signs that we see in business windows today. It failed by 12 votes on the recorded vote.

Voter ID and Senate Vacancies (House Sub. SB 129)
SB 129 as it was originally passed by the Senate changes the requirements for filling a vacated State Senate seat. Under current law, when a senator vacates office before October 15 of the second year of their term an election is held that November to select a person to serve out the remaining two year term. If the vacancy occurs after October 15, a person is selected by the political party and appointed by the Governor to serve the remainder of the term with no midterm election. The bill changes the date from October 15 to May 1. HB 2067 was amended into SB 129 during debate on the house floor. This House bill required voters to show photo identification before voting. It also required voters who vote by advance ballot to provide their ID number or a copy of their ID with their ballot application and requires proof of U.S. citizenship for any person registering to vote. The bill exempts all current Kansas registered voters from providing proof of citizenship. If a person fails to have a valid form of identification, they would be allowed to vote but through a provisional ballot. For individuals who need a birth certificate or photo ID to vote or register to vote, the state would waive the normal fees that apply to such documents if they have a household income at or less that 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

Twenty-seven states have enacted broader voter ID requirements than those required by the federal Help America Vote Act. In those states, all voters must show ID before voting. Nine other states request or require photo ID and the remaining 18 states accept additional forms of ID that do not necessarily include a photo. Current Kansa law requires first time voters to provide identification unless they did so when registering, the identification does not require a photo. Previous attempts to require voter ID passed both chambers in 2008 but the legislation was vetoed by then Governor Sebelius. On Wednesday, March 23, the House passed House Sub. for SB 129 by a vote of 87 to 37.

Wildlife and Parks Cabins (SB 123)
Many Kansans do not know that most of our state parks have cabins available for rent. The popularity of these cabins is quickly growing as Kansans look for more affordable options to escape from home. SB 123 allows the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) to set fees for the use of cabins owned and operated by the Department. The bill limits the maximum fees for the cabins from exceeding $250 per night; $1,500 per week; and $5,000 per month. These rates seem high but are the CAP – they cannot be raised any higher than stated in this bill. In addition, the measure lowers the aggregate threshold amount requiring legislative approval for land purchased by KDWP to 160 acres from 640 acres. SB 123 passed the House by a vote of 102 to 22 on Tuesday, March 22. To get more information on where you can rent cabins at state parks, please visit the link below.
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/layout/set/print/State-Parks/Locations-With-Cabins

State Employee Award Program (Sub. HB 2221)
On June 30, 2006, a state employee suggestion program expired leaving the state with no method to reward state workers who bring wasteful state programs or spending to the attention of their superiors. Sub. for HB 2221 institutes a new program allowing state employees to submit a cost reduction suggestion for a state agency. If the suggestion is adopted, the employee will receive a monetary reward in an amount not to exceed 10 percent or $5,000 of the cost reduction. This bill passed by a vote of 120 to 4. In the past few years, hundreds of state jobs have been eliminated and state employees are often doing the work of two or more people. This is good legislation that encourages state workers to speak up if they find deficiencies or waste in their department or agency and rewards them for their action.

Visitors
The Annual Wake up to Kansas Breakfast sponsored by the Kansas Corn Growers, Kansas Soybean, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers and the Kansas Wheat Growers Associations was held last week. Tom Tibbits from Ottawa County representing the Corn Growers helped serve the breakfast. Tom farms with his dad John and granddad Riley near Minneapolis and “tweaks” on Twitter (his handle is @ksfarmboy). The Tibbits family is also highlighted in the Corn Fact Book published by the Corn Farmers Coalition. He writes a blog about farming complete with pictures. You can find the article and photo of the three Kansas farmers at www.CornFarmersColalition.org under Down-To-Earth-People on page 23.

A lot of work will be done before adjournment and the process is often confusing to those watching. If you have questions regarding legislative procedures or need help following a bill’s progression, please give me a call and I’ll be happy to explain the process. You can also visit the Legislature’s website, www.kslegislature.org to follow the bills we’re debating. Simply access the website and click the “calendars” tab at the top of the page. There you will find our debate calendar under the heading “General Orders” and our anticipated votes under “Final Action.” If you happen to be in town and would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed by the Legislature affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 10

2011-03-21T11:58:00.002-05:00

A significant amount of work was accomplished in the tenth week of the 2011 legislative session. This week was the last full week most House committees had to consider legislation with Friday being the hard deadline for bills to be passed out of committee. In addition, Thursday became known as tax day in the Kansas House of Representatives as we debated major provisions of our comprehensive tax structure—which also consumed a major portion of our activity on Friday.

The next two weeks will conclude the first major portion of the legislative session. During this time a majority of our work will take place on the House floor debating legislation passed out of committee which must be considered before adjournment in early April. The House Appropriations Committee should have their work completed on the House version of the 2012 budget. Both the House and Senate will then spend a few days in conference committees negotiating over the differences to bring these various issues back to each body to attempt to reach approval. This is always difficult to do with the differences in the budget from each body and especially when we have another year where the economy is down and cuts will have to be made. This year we have worked to condense the regular portion of the legislative session and save extra days for Veto Session which will be at the beginning of May. Following adjournment the legislature will take its annual break and return to Topeka on April 27.

During veto session we’ll not only deal with bills the Governor has either approved or vetoed, but also the bulk of our work on the 2012 budget. By taking a break for the month of April, it allows our research and revenue staff time to review and present all the necessary budgetary information we’ll need to make informed decisions when we return to finish the year. By the way, the April break goes back early in Kansas Legislative history as the time legislator farmers returned home to plant their crops and then returned for final wrap up as we do now. The veto session is scheduled for the first two weeks in May, however the reality is that we will not leave Topeka until both chambers and the Governor reach a compromise on our spending package. This is obviously a daunting task, but the work must be done.

Next week the House will be on the floor debating bills until our legislative calendar is cleared off. On weeks like this, it’s common for us to debate and vote on over 60 bills. If you’d like to see the bills we’re debating, simply log onto the legislative website at www.kslegislature.org and scroll to the “calendars” tab near the top of the page where you will find our daily debate calendar listed under the heading “General Orders” and the bills we’ll be taking final votes on listed under “Final Action.”

As I mentioned, the bulk of our work this week revolved around tax policy. While the bulk of the attention was focused on the sales tax repeal bill, the reality is that our tax committee sends us a number of proposals that when cobbled together create our overall tax policy. Like so many issues, tax policy isn’t a black and white proposition. Change in one portion of the tax code can affect many different variables and change the balance of our tax policy. Because of this, many times we’ll have a number of different opinions on the same piece of policy, making tax debates some of our most difficult, and this week proved no different. One with particular interest to District #107 is the SB198 or the ROZ bill as we call it here. The Rural Opportunity Zone Bill, aims to help 50 rural Kansas counties experiencing population declines by providing an income tax exemption for certain out-of-state taxpayers who relocate to those counties. The bill also allows counties to participate in a state-matching program to repay student loans of up to $15,000 for Kansas students who move to counties designated Rural Opportunity Zones. This bill was one of Governor Brownback’s original legislative priorities and I think it is an excellent tool to help the rural areas of Kansas.

The counties designated as Rural Opportunity Zones are: Barber, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Decatur, Edwards, Elk, Gove, Graham, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mitchell, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Trego, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson and Woodson.

This important piece of legislation was initially approved by the Kansas Senate in February and the House passed the bill on Friday by a vote of 102 to 18. SB 198 is good, aggressive public policy targeted to help our rural communities with shrinking populations. I look forward to Governor Brownback signing it into law.

Unemployment Insurance (SB 77)
At the start of 2009, the Employment Security Trust Fund in Kansas had a balance of $566.5 million. The recession hit Kansas hard in 2009 and thousands of Kansans found themselves without employment. Over the course of 2009, $766.8 million was paid out in unemployment benefits. In one short year, the trust fund balance shrunk to $65.2 million and the state had to borrow money from the federal government to ensure unemployed Kansans were paid their unemployment benefits. Since January 2010 the state has borrowed approximately $100.8 million to pay unemployment benefits. This year alone, estimates show the state must pay $6 to $9 million in interest on the loan to the federal government which is due September 30, 2011.

If the state is unable to pay the interest on the loan, Kansas employers might lose credits to offset the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) and the federal government could directly collect the principle from Kansas employers through FUTA taxes. As a result, Senate bill 77 was introduced to help pay the owed interest and stabilize the trust fund. The bill revises current employment security law provisions on loan interest payments, the taxable wage base and the extension of tax rate caps on certain employers. It also creates the Employment Security Interest Assessment Fund, designed to pay interest and principal owed to the federal government. Starting in 2011, the measure requires 50 percent of the surcharge revenue from negative account employers to be deposited in the assessment fund and the remaining 50 percent into the Employment Security Trust Fund.

Over a period of three years, the bill increases the taxable wage base. For 2011 the taxable wage base remains $8,000 but the base increases to $9,000 in 2012 and $10,000 in 2013. Beginning in 2014 and for all years thereafter the base is set at $11,000. The number of rate groups for negative balance employers is increased from 10 to 20 and the surcharge rate applied to those employers is increased to four percent from two percent. Negative balance employers have contributed less to unemployment insurance than what their former employees have collected. Positive balance employers have contributed more to unemployment insurance than what their former employees have collected.

The House passed SB 77 on Monday, March 14 by a vote of 90 to 33. The bill previously passed the Senate on February 15 by a vote of 30 to 8.

This was the final week for committee work and the Grain Commodities presented their annual reports to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. The different groups have funding through different sources but rely mainly on the check-off from grain harvested in the state. The rate varies from group to group but for instance the Corn Commission has a ½ cent check-off which is about two kernels per ear of corn with each ear producing about 800 kernels. These two kernels are used by the KS Corn Commission to fund research, market development, education and promotion. One initiative will be with NASCAR this year featuring Emporia native Clint Bowyer as the national spokesman for American Ethanol. The June 5th NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway will be the marquee event for the American Ethanol 2010 kickoff. Clint’s car (#33) will be using 15 percent ethanol fuel this year.

It was my pleasures to have Rev. David Redman give the opening prayer during Session on Thursday. You can read Rev. Redman’s prayer on the KLISS system - www.kslegislature.org and find the Journal for March 17th where it will be on the first page of the document.

I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 9

2011-03-14T11:10:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe we’ve already completed nine weeks of the legislative session—but the Legislature is just a week away from another set of deadlines, and quickly approaching defining phase of the 2011 session. Next week is the last full week most committees have to consider legislation. To be considered by the full House before the regular session comes to an end in early April, it is critical any remaining legislation is passed out of committee by Friday. Accordingly, if you’re tracking legislation or have a bill of interest you’d like to voice concerns on, now is certainly the time!

Unemployment Figures
This week the Department of Labor issued new figures on the unemployment rate in Kansas showing a January unemployment rate of 6.8 percent. For January, all major industries in Kansas reported job losses. A majority of these losses were seasonal because of the winter weather and the end of the holiday season. Compared to January 2010, the unemployment rate for January 2011 was down 0.4 percent. There was, however, some good news included in the report. Five major industries in Kansas reported over-the-year job gains in 2010. These industries include: professional and business services; education and health services; mining and logging; leisure and hospitality; and government. The remaining industries reporting statewide losses over the year were: information services, construction and financial activities.

Community Defense Act (HB 2107)
This week the House passed HB 2107, commonly known as the Community Defense Act, which regulates the location and operation of sexually oriented businesses. The businesses regulated by HB 2107 include adult arcades, adult book stores, adult video stores, adult cabarets, adult motion picture theaters, semi-nude model studios, sexual device shops, and sexual encounter centers. The bill establishes limitations on where these businesses can be located and restricts the types of performances, hours of operation, age of employees, and activities that may take place within such establishments. Cities and counties that have ordinances or resolutions that regulate sexually oriented businesses are allowed to keep those respective ordinances or resolutions that do not conflict with the Community Defense Act and its provisions. HB 2107 passed the House on Wednesday, March 9, by a vote of 91 to 28.

Equal Benefits for Agent Orange Treatment (HCR 5016)
Thousands of Vietnam veterans suffer from the effects of being exposed to Agent Orange. Although commonly associated with Vietnam, the chemical was also extensively used in surrounding areas like Thailand. Today, many of our Vietnam vets who served outside of Vietnam are struggling to obtain the same medical benefits and compensation to treat the side-effects of Agent Orange as those who served in Vietnam. In response, the House this week took action with unanimous passage of HCR 5016, urging the United States Congress to extend equal benefits and compensation for the treatment of Agent Orange exposure to Vietnam era veterans who served outside of Vietnam.

Committee work is slowing down as bills are being passed out which we heard the weeks before. The Agricultural Committee recently heard SB 124 dealing with water supply in nearby Kanopolis Reservoir and a few small technical changes to existing water law. Federal and State Affairs recently had a two day hearing on HB 2337 dealing with stricter regulations on Abortion Clinics and a new bill which will make it easier for Military spouses to transfer their licenses from other states such as teaching certificates as long as they meet certain Kansas criteria. My Social Service Budget committee work is almost complete now that we have sent all of the budgets assigned to us to the full Appropriations Committee where Chairman Crum will represent the entire committee. One more meeting is scheduled for this week of an update of the Quality Care Improvement Panel which was passed into law last Year.

This week was a busy one with many organizations holding their annual legislative days in the Capitol. Steve Bryant with the Kansas Optometric Association and Doug Funk with the Kansas Pharmacist Association from Concordia had lunch with legislators early in the week. Dickinson County Leadership held a dinner at KEPCO with all six of the counties’ legislators – two Senators and four Representatives. The group included both high school students and adults in the county. Linzie, Lexie and Lacie Huber served as pages for me on the House floor Thursday while their parents, Doug and Donna watched from the gallery. Senator Pete Brungardt, State Board of Education Member, Kathy Martin and I spoke at the yearly Ottawa County Farm Bureau forums – one in Tescott and in Minneapolis on Saturday. Afterwards, we visited Crisis City’s open house just outside of Salina. Senator Jay Emler and I will be in Lincoln for the Lincoln County Farm Bureau forum on March 19th at the Mid-America Health Care community room in the basement at 9:00AM.

I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 7 and 8

2011-03-07T12:04:00.003-06:00

Last week, the Legislature reached the halfway point of the 2011 session. As a result we did not meet on Monday or Tuesday to give clerical staff time to process the many pieces of legislation passed last week. The second half of the session will go quickly as our next hard deadline is April 2. That will be the end of Regular Session and will only leave Veto Session to complete this year’s legislative business. Over the next few weeks, expect a majority of our time to be spent on addressing the budget and considering legislation passed by the Senate which is now in the House. During the first week after “turnaround” there is always a slowdown in the number of bills debated by either body. Now both houses will begin to consider the bills sent over by the other chamber. Of the 83 bills that have passed the Senate, I counted around 60 which have been scheduled by House Committees for hearings. To view both the House and Senate calendars for upcoming hearings, go online to www.kslegislature.org. Below are some of the Senate bills which have hearings coming up in the House.

Harassment by a Telecommunications Device (SB 55)
SB 55 adds to the crime of harassment by a telecommunications device using a telecommunications device to transmit an obscene, lewd, lascivious or indecent image or text. The bill also makes it illegal to use a telecommunications device to transmit any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image or text with the intent to abuse, threaten or harass the person on the receiving end. Law enforcement testified current law makes it difficult to charge individuals who send harassing or threatening text messages and encouraged the bill include the full range of telecommunication devices now available.

Employment Security Law (SB 77)
SB 77 revises certain provisions of the state employment security law regarding loan interest payments, the taxable wage base and extending tax rate caps on certain employers. The bill creates the Employment Security Interest Assessment Fund to pay interest and principal owed to the U.S. Department of Labor for unemployment compensation advances. Over a period of three years, the bill increases the taxable wage base. For the 2011 the taxable wage base remains $8,000 but the base increases to $9,000 in 2012 and $10,000 in 2013. Beginning in 2014 and for all years thereafter the base is set at $11,000. The measure increases the number of rate groups for negative balance employers and increases the surcharge rate applied to those employers. Under current law, a person may receive unemployment compensation if they left their job to follow their spouse to another location for employment, known as the “trailing spouse” provision. The bill amends that law to allow spouses to collect unemployment only if they are the spouse of personnel in the U.S. armed forces or military reserves. At the beginning of 2009, the Employment Security Trust Fund had a balance of $566.5 million. However, the recession caused the state to pay out $766.8 million in unemployment benefits during 2009. By January 9, 2010, the balance of the trust fund had shrunk to $65.2 million and the state had to borrow money from the federal government to ensure the unemployed in Kansas continued to receive their unemployment. As of January 31, 2011 the balance of that loan is $100.8 million and it is estimated the state will have to pay $6 to $9 million in interest this year to the federal government.

Rural Opportunity Zones (SB 198)
SB 198 designates 50 Kansas counties as Rural Opportunity Zones and provides an income tax exemption for certain out-of-state taxpayers who relocate to those counties. The bill authorizes those counties to participate in a state-matching program to repay student loans of up to $15,000 for certain students who establish residences in the respective county.
Counties receiving the Rural Opportunity Zone designation are: Barber, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Decatur, Edwards, Elk, Gove, Graham, Greely, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mitchell, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Trego, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson and Woodson.

Qualifications for Food Sales Tax Rebate (SB 193)
SB 193 would require a valid social security number be given to qualify for the state food sales tax rebate. The fiscal note reveals that the Department of Revenue has been accepting about 9000 plus rebate forms without a SSN. This proposed legislation is a no-brainer. The bill will save 2.4 million dollars that is needed to help make ends meet. This is another example of finding wasteful spending in the budget. SB 193 just passed the Senate and will need to be scheduled for hearings in House Taxation.

House bills sent to the Senate:
Paycheck Protection – By passing HB 2130, also known as “paycheck protection,” on a 76 to 45 vote, the House voted to ensure that funds deducted directly from union members’ paychecks are not used for political contributions with which they may not agree. While this is a tremendous step toward increasing personal freedom, it also reduces the cost of labor in the state, making Kansas a competitive location for businesses which in turn results in more KS jobs.
Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment – Currently, one of the most harmful threats to economic growth is the uncertainty created by the federal health care insurance reform. Without being able to plan on their regulatory expenses, employers are waiting to hire. On a 91 to 27 vote, the House passed the Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment and took a step toward ending this uncertainty for Kansas employers and citizens. With a stable economic climate, Kansas businesses can focus on growing their operations and creating jobs.
Full-Time Employee (FTE) Reduction – By passing HB 2014 on an 81 to 40 vote, the House eliminated 2,000 open FTE positions ensuring that state agencies do not receive funding for employees who are not working. This will ensure that agencies are not able to inflate their budgets with unfilled positions. Statewide salaries and wages in FY 2012 will account for $2.6 billion of all funds. The SGF portion is $1.1 billion or nearly 20 percent of the SGF budget. Governor Brownback has recommended 39,141 FTE positions and 1,545 non-fulltime equivalent unclassified position in FY 2012. An agency may or may not have a position limitation imposed on it by the Legislature. Regents, the Judicial Branch, and the Legislative Branch are examples of agencies that do not have a position limitation imposed upon them. The average Kansas classified employee (Classified state employees are in the Executive Branch of State Government and have Civil Service Protection) is 47 years old; has 14 years of service with a $38,049 annual salary. The Average unclassified employee (Unclassified employees do not have Civil Service protection and generally serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority) is 47 years old; has 12 years of service with a $61,830 annual salary. The total budgeted health insurance premium for each state employee with dependents that the state pays is $9,518. State employees receive ten paid holidays, including a discretionary day.

Good and Bad news:
Last week the state had received some good economic news about the Boeing contract and the projected 7,500 jobs for Kansas. However, this week we received a negative tax revenue report which will affect our budget. February revenues totaled $224 which fell $11.5 million below the projected estimates of $235.5 million. Sales taxes were up $3.5 million with $143.5 million collected. Individual income tax receipts from February were $37.3 million, $12 million below the $50 million projection. However, the state deducts tax refunds from monthly income tax collections to produce the final figure for the month. Therefore the shortfall is most likely the result of paid tax returns. To date, revenues are $3.448 billion, $6.4 million below the estimate of $3.455 billion for the current fiscal year. The figures from February provide both positive and concerning news on the fiscal state of Kansas. We are seeing improvement in some areas of the Kansas economy but it is not enough. The Legislature must produce a responsible, balanced budget that reins in state spending and avoids accounting gimmicks by relying on real dollars and structural reform.

Committee work and Session
With the two shorten weeks, I had only a few committee meetings with the bulk of the work in the Social Service Budget Committee reviewing the SRS budget. Tentatively, it appears that a much less drastic cut to the mental health facilities and to Early Head Start may be realized when the Senate and the House members meet in the Conference committee to finalize the 2012 budget. As I have mentioned in the past, there are so many steps before the committee recommendations are made final – there will be much “tweaking” and many votes before the plans are made permanent. This is the case with KNI (Kansas Neurological Institute) in Topeka. The Kansas Closure Committee recommended to the previous Administration and also to Governor Brownback’s Administration the closing of the facility. Last year’s closure of the 66 bed Beloit Girls Juvenile Correctional Facility was also recommended by this commission. In both cases, studies were done by the Closure Committee and report is introduced as plan to the Governors staff and to a legislative committee (or sub-committee as in the SS Budget) which sends it on to a full committee then to the floor for a vote. This happens in both the House and the Senate and the original recommendation can be changed many times before the final votes.

On February 21st, I introduced two Medal of Honor Recipients, Colonel Don Ballard and Colonel Roger Donlan on the House floor on my Personal Point of Privilege moment. Immediately following, Rep. John Grange from El Dorado carried House Bill 2003 on General Orders. The bill renames a 47 mile stretch on Hwy 18 in Lincoln and Ottawa Counties as the Donald K. Ross Memorial Highway. The bill passed out with a unanioumous vote. It was then heard in Senate Transportation on Thursday and will be voted on this coming Tuesday by the Senate members. Captain Ross received his Medal of Honor Award for his heroic effort during Pearl Harbor and being credited for saving the battleship, USS Nevada, in the attack. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action and awarded by the President. The Award was established by President Lincoln in 1863 and to date only 3,485 have been awarded with only 85 living recipients today. A dedication ceremony will be held in late spring with an unveiling of Kansas Department of Transportation signs memorializing our local hero Captain Donald K. Ross. 4-Hers from home also visited the Capitol that Monday and watched session as this bill was presented to the entire House Committee as a Whole – I had a chance to visit with them as well as other area legislators. It was my pleasure to have Katelyn Reiff and Natalie Harris page for me on February 21st as well. Thursday, March 3rd was Mental Health Day in Topeka and I was happy to welcome Pawnee Mental Health Staff and residents from Concordia to spend some time with me. The Concordia 7th and 8th graders visited Topeka and the Statehouse on Thursday as well. My classmate from Delphos, Lyle Davidson, was in Topeka last week for the annual Kansas Association of Insurance Agents meeting and legislative reception. I always take advantage of every opportunity to work with students and this year had the privilege of hosting 3 gifted students on Legislative Shadow Day, February 16. They were Austin Harris of Basehor, Eric Pahls of Beloit and Russell Budden of St. Marys.

I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call at 785-296-7642 or email me at elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Don’t forget that you can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org, including live broadcasts of the House and Senate while on the floor. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 6

2011-02-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe we will soon be at the halfway point of the 2011 Legislative session. February 25th is “Turnaround Day” which is the day bills must be passed out from their House of origin. Following turnaround, the House and Senate then begin work on the bills that have been passed out of the other Chamber, House or Senate. There are however a few exceptions, such as when an exempt committee passes a bill or when the Speaker requests a bill to be moved forward.
Because of the February 25th deadline, next week will be extremely long and strenuous as we will be on the House Floor all day debating dozens of bills. Among the issues that will be taken up are: Repeal of In-State tuition for illegal immigrants, proof of citizenship and photo ID requirement to vote, redefining misclassification of contract workers, increasing the speed limit on 4 lane interstates to 75 mph, late term abortion ban, tax bills, pay check protection for workers, and a number of other bills that will run a wide spectrum of about anything that you can imagine.

Every Good Idea Has a Cost / ID Theft
One of the most interesting surprises you quickly learn when you are a new legislator is that every good idea you research and craft legislation to address has a cost. Every time a bill is drafted the division of the budget creates a fiscal note. These notes represent a careful calculation as to the dollar cost of the proposal including the number of full or part-time employees. The review also examines how the bill could affect the duties of the agency or local government referenced in the bill. These are often very shocking as it seems often the better the idea the higher the cost. Another fact is that the cost will increase year to year. For the last few sessions, the fiscal notes have been carefully considered. Very few are passed that have any fiscal impact and we have been more cautious of the effects on local governments.
This week we had an example of a bill that would help protect Kansans from the crime of Identity Theft but we had to carefully review the fiscal note. HB 2008 would change the severity of the crime from a nonperson to a person felony which will require prison time. Prison time has a cost and the projection for this bill would require an additional 20 beds in our already overburdened corrections system. However, this is a crime which is also very costly to individuals, businesses, and communities alike. Last year more than 2,000 identity theft crimes were reported at an average of about $40,000 per incident amounting to more than $80 million in damages.

Workers Compensation
On Wednesday, the House debated HB 2134 which revises portions of the Workers Compensation Act.
The first piece of workers compensation legislation was adopted in Kansas over 100 years ago to ensure the care of injured workers while also protecting employers. However, 17 years have passed since the existing statutes were revised and court action dictated the need for updating workers compensation law in Kansas. HB 2134 is the work of labor and business interests who negotiated the main provisions of the bill to ensure its fairness for employers and employees.

Interstate Commerce, Long-Gun Firearms
House Bill 2013 repeals five existing laws regarding the sale and purchase of firearms commonly known as long guns. Current law allows Kansans to only buy and sell long gun firearms from states contiguous to Kansas as originally required by 1934 federal law. In 1984, federal law was amended to remove restrictions on interstate activity and HB 2013 would update Kansas law with existing federal law.

The Ag and Natural Resources committee has heard only a few bills and the last one again looking at the operation of the Kansas Wildlife Department’s deer seasons and fees. Federal and State affairs sent out several bills including HB 2218 concerning fetal pain and the Community Defense act which will regulate the locations of adult entertainment business and regulations of the industry. Social Service budget reviewed the budgets of the Kansas Nursing Board and the Kansas Veterans Association – both which will have a reduced budget due to the budget and the economy downturn.

This week was the busiest so far with visitors from home. It was a pleasure again to have Mrs. Gerard’s Concordia High School senior government class visit the Capitol. Dana Hauck with Kansas Livestock Association spent the day in Topeka and had dinner with me at KLA’s annual conference. Bob and Lorene Steimel with the Community Foundations along with school superintendants Larry Combs and Gary Nelson were in the city on Wednesday. I had a nice meeting with Cloud County Commissioner Johnnita Crawford on February 16 and had the chance to visit with the American Legion delegation from Concordia during the Legion’s annual gathering. Dane and Gretchan Barclay with Alsop Sand were in Topeka for the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association meeting. It was my honor to have lunch with Cloud County Community College Phi Theta Kappa Scholars Justin Irvine and Patricia Mansker and staff from the Concordia campus on Thursday. My first pages of the year were Olivia and MaKayla Nelson also on Thursday. They were brought to Topeka by their grandparents Alice and Rich Nelson. They all had the chance to meet Governor Brownback and have a picture taken before the girls began work on the House floor at 11:00 on Thursday.

I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 5

2011-02-14T21:24:00.001-06:00

This week marked the end of the fifth week of session with some major bills voted on and passed off the House floor including the spending freeze bill and health care freedom amendment. With more than 300 bills currently introduced in the House, the pace has been the busiest yet this session. The next deadline is February 25th and is called “Turnaround day.” This is the day in which all legislation must be passed out of its house of origin, either the House or Senate. We will be working with our friends in the other chamber as we exchange legislation for the consent of the other house.

Spending Freeze Bill
Tuesday marked the longest debate yet this session at four hours over the Governor’s spending freeze bill, HB 2014 which would hold the line on state spending through this fiscal year ending June 30th. The House amended the bill adding money in for military veteran’s services which were cut out in committee. There were also several attempts to increase spending for select programs throughout debate but all were successfully defeated. In the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senators approved a bill with $63.3 million in additional spending over the House’s recommendation. The bill begins debate on the floor of the Senate on Monday.

Healthcare Freedom Amendment
On Thursday the House began debate on House Concurrent Resolution 5007, a proposed constitutional amendment regarding health care. Specifically, the bill protests the federal healthcare takeover, passed by Congress in March 2010, which implemented a federal mandate requiring, under threat of a tax penalty, all individuals to buy health insurance. The new article to the constitution would prohibit any law or rule from compelling a person, employer or health care provider to participate in any heath care system or to purchase health insurance and allows a person or employer to directly pay for any health care service and not be subject to a penalty or fine. The amendment allows health care providers to accept direct payment for health care services from a person or employer and prohibits any laws or rules from disallowing the purchase or sale of private health insurance or participation in private health care systems. This amendment is a formal assertion of our state sovereignty, however; it will be up to the United States Supreme Court to determine the final course in this public policy battle. It will ultimately be the Court who weighs state sovereignty vs the power of the Congress. The House passed the resolution Friday 91 to 27. If approved by two-thirds of the members of the Senate, the proposed constitutional amendment would be up for approval by Kansas voters during the November, 2012 general election.

Restructure of State Government
Now that we have dealt with the shortfall in revenues for the 2011 budget, we are facing a greater deficit in the Governor’s first budget for 2012. Governor Brownback has made a balanced budget without tax increases a priority and an important component of this are his Executive Reorganization Orders (ERO’s). These are designed to achieve cost savings through reorganization, consolidation and elimination of state agencies. The Governor has offered the following ERO’s:
The parole board would be abolished and the responsibility would be given to the Department of Corrections.
The Arts Commission would be reorganized as the Kansas Arts Council. The Kansas State Historical Society will act as the state agency which will qualify for various grants in support of the Arts Council. The State will continue to provide funding for the matches until the non-profit organization becomes viable.
Travel and Tourism would be merged into Wild Life and Parks. This has made sense for years, will save costs, and many believe will be more effective.
The Kansas Commission on Disability Concern would be moved from Commerce to the Governor’s office. This move has been supported by the disability organizations.
Kansas Health Policy Authority would be merged into Kansas Dept of Health and Environment.

These Executive Reorganization Orders are enacted after 30 days of their signing as long as the House or Senate offers no resolution rejecting a specific ERO. Several other Commissions/Boards are targeted for elimination or consolidation. Some of these will require legislation to adopt the Governors recommendations. The House passed one of these this week with HB 2054. This bill will move the work Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) does to the Department of Commerce and save the state $1.7 million. While this seems like a lot of reductions, the simple reality is that this is not enough. Budget projections for FY 2012 show a deficit of $600 million with the possibility of a $1 billion shortfall in FY 2013. This is a clear indication of a structurally imbalanced budget and what we are fighting to correct.

Committee work
Committee work the next few weeks will primarily consist of “working” bills that have already had a hearing earlier in the session. One unpopular bill heard in Agricultural and Natural Resources this week was HB 2009 which would have formed a Goat Council in Kansas. The conferees were all negative and simply believe that the goat industry is doing fine and doesn’t need to be governed by a small new council with a “fee” or a check-off per goat sold. The Department of Agriculture updated us on several divisions including Water Resources on flex accounts for groundwater use, the Dairy Marketing Board and the Grape and Wine Council. Kansas now has twenty-four wineries licensed across the state. The annual Jefferson Cup Wine Competition is the only completion that honors the best of the best among wineries from all regions in the US. Only twenty awards are given out each year and Kansas won four of these in 2010 –with wines from Blue Jacket Crossing, Douglas County, Somerset Ridge, Miami County and two wines from HolyField Vineyards in Leavenworth County. House Bill 2013 dealing the sale of rifles and shotguns and HB2006 over turning the law which allows children of illegal aliens to pay for their college education at instate rates were both sent out of Federal and State Affairs this week. Current law states these students must have graduated from a Kansas High School, attended at least three consecutive years and have applied for citizenship – there are currently 418 such kids in Kansas at this time. This bill will have a debate of the House floor then if passed out, will go through the same process on the Senate side and full vote again. The sad decision to recommend the closure of the Kansas Neurological Institute was made in the Social Service Budget committee Wednesday. It will be presented to the full Appropriations committee by the Chairman within a few weeks. Kansas Health Policy (KHP) was merged into Kansas Department Health and Environment (KDHE) as recommended by the Governor. The Chairman will take this recommendation to the Appropriation committee as well.

The weather again kept several people from attending events in Topeka including two men who were to testify on HB 2003 in the Transportation Committee – this bill will rename a portion of Highway #18 in Ottawa and Lincoln Counties after Captain Donald K. Ross as a Medal of Honor Recipient. It was an honor to present the bill to the committee myself. The bill will be heard on the House Floor within a few weeks after it is sent out of the committee. Tammy Britt and Susie Haver had dinner with me for Kansas Tourism and in the celebration of the Kansas 150th Anniversary of statehood. County Treasurers, Leah Hern, Dickinson, Joyce Walker, Lincoln and Pat Baccus , Ottawa County attended the County Treasurers of Kansas Legislative Day and later attended a reception with me.

It is a special honor to serve as your State Representative and I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. As always, I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka - you can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org. If possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 4

2011-02-07T12:07:00.001-06:00

This week our state was hit by another winter storm that caused the legislature to be suspended for two days, an action which has not been taken in over 20 years. As a result, several bill hearings and the budget freeze debate had to be rescheduled. This included HB2003 which is the beginning of the legislative process of renaming a portion of Highway #18 in Lincoln and Ottawa Counties after WWII hero Donald K. Ross, Medal of Honor Recipient. The hearing has been rescheduled for February 8th in the Transportation Committee.

Next week the House is expected to debate and vote on House Bill 2014. This legislation, as proposed by Governor Brownback, freezes the state budget for the 2011 fiscal year and makes an additional $120 million in cuts and transfers. If passed in its current form, the bill would create a $35 million surplus in the State General Fund for this fiscal year.

On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee scaled back an earlier proposal to cut the pay of state employees by 7.5 percent. The new proposal cuts just the salaries of certain state officials, including elected officials, agency heads, university leaders and state employees making $100,000 by 7.5 percent. Assuming we’ve seen the worst of these winter blasts, I anticipate final action on this budget sometime next week.

Winter Storm Response
As I’m sure you’re aware, Kansas was one of many states affected by the massive winter storm this week. Approximately 53 counties were declared disaster areas by Governor Brownback and teams are currently accessing the extent of the damages to see if Kansas qualifies for federal disaster assistance.

Traffic across the state was down considerably and this allowed crews to treat the roads more efficiently. A team of 1,250 snowplow operators worked over 30,000 hours and plowed 21,000 miles (some twice) on 600 snow plows. I’d like to join our Governor in commending those responsible for keeping our streets and highways clear. The frequency of these storms forced workers to spend long hours in dangerous conditions to ensure our safety—and these efforts certainly do not go unnoticed.

House Rules
The major issue of note this week was the adoption of House rules. Typically, this is not controversial as the rules are adopted early in the session and without much fanfare. Most of the rules in House Resolution 6004 are technical and merely solidify the long standing practices in the House of Representatives. This year was different though, as the House aimed to craft rules that would alter one of the fundamental rules governing our budget building procedure.

The new rule, commonly known as PayGo, requires any amendment to an appropriations bill to be cost neutral. If a legislator proposes an amendment that requires additional spending, their amendment must also include a way to pay for that specific expenditure. This eliminates the ability for members to propose new spending measures without a viable funding mechanism.

This rule is unprecedented in Kansas, and has never been adopted by either chamber in the Kansas Legislature. The final vote on the HR 6004 is expected early next week. Adoption of the rule is a first step in re-thinking the way we budget as a state. Strained resources will continue forcing us to place an emphasis on prioritization of funds and realistic budgeting practices. PayGo will assist in this regard–and I’m convinced it will have an impact on the way we assemble our state budgets each year.

As it was a short week, I was able to catch up on e-mails and letters from my Topeka house due to the nearly 10” inches of snow which shutdown most of the city for the two days. However, two of my committees did meet at the end of the week. We heard from the Kansas Water Bank with the Kansas Water Office in the Agricultural and Natural Resourses on Thursday. This bank operates in western Kansas and is yearly reviewed to gauge it’s success with water conservation. A Louisburg large animal vet, John Lenz, of the Unwanted Horse Coalition testified about the problem of unwanted horses in the US. Currently due to federal law, the majority of unwanted horses are now shipped to Mexico or Canada for processing. The safe homes or ranchesare becoming over crowded by people giving up horses for many reasons including the economy downturn, urbanization, lameness, age or simply just not being wanted. There are no easy answers to the issue however the horse associations and animal welfare organizations are working together on solutions which include buy rather than breed and adopt rather than buy. Expect to hear more about this issue in the future. Rex Buchanan with the Kansas Geological Survey testified on the last year’s activities and future studies from this State Agency. The Survey has a tour around different parts of Kansas every summer and visited north central Kansas two years ago with a stop at the Jamestown Wildlife area. Social Service Budget heard from the Kansas Guardianship Program and supported the Governors budget recommendation for the 2011 and 2012 budgets. The committee also toured the Kansas Neurological Institute grounds and hearings will be next week in the committee on the proposed closure of the facility.

I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

Kansas Day Celebration includes Historic tools from Cloud County

2011-02-07T12:01:00.000-06:00

left to right: Representative Elaine Bowers, Auctioneer Greg Askren, Dr. John & Bonnie Ferguson and Senator Mark Taddiken.

Topeka - The state of Kansas celebrated its 150th birthday with many activities throughout the state including many held in the Topeka and the Capitol during the week of January 24th. On Friday, Governor Brownback unveiled the newest US postal Kansas stamp - the 1st state in the nation with its own forever stamp and then signed a proclamation declaring January 29, 2011 as the Sesquicentennial of Kansas Statehood. He said from the steps of the Statehouse - “Each generation of Kansans and the successive waves of immigrants who moved here have maintained the rugged courage to meet every challenge and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles with humanity and optimism.” At a 1:00 ceremony, tools used to build the Capitol owned by Nels Ferguson, a Swedish immigrant, were revealed for the first time to the public in Topeka. Bonnie and Doc Ferguson, the Grandson of Nels, unveiled an exhibit on the 1st floor rotunda at the Capitol of stone masonry tools which were used to help construct the Kansas Capitol building in the 1870s. The plaque inside the display reads:

Capitol Stonemason Tools: These tools were used between 1879 and 1882 by Swedish immigrant Nels Ferguson when he helped construct the Kansas capitol. Ferguson also helped build the Topeka State Hospital. Ferguson came to the US in 1869 and worked in several states before settling in Topeka in 1879. His fiancé, Bentga, arrived from Sweden in September of that year and they married five days later. Nels and Bengta bought land in Jewell County and moved there in 1882 to farm. Nels used his skills to build a stone farmhouse for his growing family. Ferguson was proud of his work on the statehouse, passing down his story and these tools through generations of his family. The tools most recently were owned by Nels’ grandson, Dr. John R. Ferguson of Clyde, Kansas. In 2010, Kansas State Senator Mark Taddiken and State Representative Elaine Bowers acquired the tools from Dr. Ferguson and donated them to the Kansas Historical Society.

These tools, which hung in the Ferguson’s Clyde Kansas home for decades include a plumb bob, wooden level, float and a pry bar and were authenticated by the staff at the Kansas Historical Society. A Senate Resolution and House Certificate were given to the entire Ferguson Family to recognize and commend the family for preserving Nels Ferguson's masonry tool collection and to recognize the historic impact of the Ferguson family's preservation of a significant part of Kansas history. The tools will permanently remain in the collections of the Society's Kansas Museum of History and be displayed in the Kansas State Capitol for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

Rep. Bowers Announces Staff

2011-02-03T22:41:00.003-06:00

Rep. Elaine Bowers (R – Concordia) announced today the members of her staff who will be assisting her in representing the 107th District. Pat Williams will serve as executive assistant. Jody McCready will be interning during the legislative session this year.

Pat has been an assistant and secretary for six years and knows the Statehouse and the State of Kansas very well. She previously worked for the Kansas Department of Revenue for 18 years before retiring but returned soon after to work for the Kansas Legislature during the 90 day legislative session. Jody is a 2001 Chapman High School graduate and later finished her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ottawa University in 2005. She is currently completing her Masters in Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. Her parents are Louie and Terry Rieff of Hope and Ted McCready of Smolan.

“I think it is important for my district to know who is answering the phone when they call or who they will meet when they come to the Capitol; It helps to put a face and name together. I’m very excited to have both Pat and Jody working with me this year. They are very enthusiastic and I know they will do good work,” said Rep. Bowers.

Rep. Bowers serves on four committees including, Federal and State affairs, Agriculture & Natural Resources, the Special Committee on Legislative Streamlining and is the Vice-Chair of the Social Service Budget Committee. She represents the 107th District, which includes Cloud, Dickinson, Lincoln, and Ottawa counties.

Rep. Bowers, Pat Williams, and Jody McCready

2011 Session: Week 3

2011-01-31T11:37:00.001-06:00

This week as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Kansas’ statehood it also serves as a time to reflect on the history of our state and to appreciate its role in the evolving state of our nation. For decades, Kansas has navigated some of the most challenging issues defining the United States. Famous for our role in battles over slavery, equality in schools and our involvement in a plethora of significant national issues – Kansas is indeed home to a courageous citizenry. It was my pleasure to work with Senator Mark Taddiken to bring Dr. Ferguson and his wife Bonnie to the Capitol during the Birthday celebration and the dedication of his Grandfathers tools’ which helped build the building. The four tools are on display on the 1st floor for all visitors to enjoy and appreciate the fact that the Ferguson family safeguarded the set for future generations to treasure as we do today.

As I’ve indicated in earlier updates, the main focus of this session will be addressing the $550 million state budget deficit and repairing the Kansas economy. The first step in addressing the budget comes in the form of House Bill 2014 which freezes the state budget for the 2011 fiscal year. The bill, as presented by Governor Brownback, makes approximately $120 million in cuts, orders several funding transfers and would create a $35 million surplus in the State General Fund for this fiscal year. This week the House Appropriations Committee held hearings and began working on amendments to HB 2014. I anticipate the bill will make its way out of committee soon and will be ready for a full vote sometime next week.

The process of creating a budget related bill can seem like a slow, deliberative process. However, in order to ensure all proposals are given ample opportunities for consideration, we must adhere to these established standards. Once introduced, a budget bill is sent to a committee for public hearings. After public hearings, the committee has the opportunity to amend and vote on the bill. If passed with a majority vote, the bill goes to the House of Representatives for debate, additional amendments and final vote.

Simultaneously, the Senate is working on its own version of the budget bill through a similar process. Once the House and Senate pass their respective versions of the budget, three representatives from the House and three from the Senate will meet in a “conference committee” to negotiate differences and agree on the final budget bill. This product returns to the House and Senate for each chamber’s vote of approval. If passed by both, the budget finally makes its way to the governor for his signature or veto.

While it’s certainly a long and sometimes daunting process, we must acknowledge fixing the budget involves a number of controversial measures, but I remain confident that we will find a way to improve the Kansas economy and solve this budget crisis.

Arts Commission Funding
Many constituents have contacted me to express their concern over the restructuring of the Kansas Arts Commission (KAC). There is no question the non-profit arts and cultural sector is a growing market in Kansas. However, as we continue to face astounding revenue declines we must find a way to restructure government while focusing on providing essential services. In this pursuit, we must ultimately determine whether programs under consideration preserve a “core function” of government. To provide an example, with the amount of money saved by restructuring KAC, we would keep 60 developmentally disabled children on our state wavier program – providing them the care they desperately need. The Governor’s plan to restructure the commission as a non-profit is a viable option. The State of Vermont has successfully adopted a non-profit structure for their arts commission and several other states are contemplating similar proposals. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which provides federal funding for the KAC, has threatened that federal money may not be available as a result of this action. However, the enabling legislation for the NEA has also been thoroughly reviewed and no requirement for state funding to match federal funding has been found. While this will continue to be an issue of concern, please rest assured that I am committed to ensuring the arts do not suffer. After carefully reviewing the situation, I am confident that the restructuring of the KAC will allow the commission to remain whole.

Expanded Liquor Sales
This week legislation was introduced that would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell full-strength alcoholic beverages. Currently, gas stations, grocery stores and convenience stores are limited to selling 3.2 beer and wine coolers. The bill (Senate Bill 54) would also allow liquor stores, who are currently limited to selling just alcoholic beverages, to sell food, gas and other items. This is not the first time this legislation has been introduced. Like many issues, there are two sides to this story and both have valid viewpoints. I would appreciate your opinion on this bill and how it could affect you and your community. As always, if you would like to hear more specifics on this or any other piece of legislation I’m happy to speak with you. A topic like this will usually have many layers, so it’s important to research all of our opinions thoroughly before reaching a conclusion. Your feedback always assists me in this regard. SB 54 is currently under consideration in the Senate but could make its way to the House later on in the session and I expect it to be assigned to my Federal and State Committee.

Speed limit
The House Transportation Committee held a hearing on House Bill 2034, which would raise the speed limit to 75 mph on separated highways. Three of the four states surrounding Kansas have maximum speed limits of 75 miles per hour on freeways. Proponents of raising the speed limit say Kansas' quality highways, safer engineering of newer vehicles and posting of 75 mph limits in a majority of states bordering Kansas are reasons to raise the limit. Opponents say raising the limit 5 mph on heavily traveled highways could result in more accidents because drivers would have less time to respond to emergencies. Opponents also state that another potential problem with the new 75 mph speed is that drivers will inevitably go several miles an hour above the new limit, transforming a 75 mph limit into a 78 mph or 79 mph for some drivers. A brief history on the changing maximum limit in Kansas: the speed limit in 1957 was 70 mph during daylight hours and 60 mph at night. In the 1960s, the Kansas Turnpike had a maximum speed limit of 80 mph. The limit dropped nationally to 55 mph in 1974, but was modified in Kansas to 65 mph in 1987 and to 70 mph in 1996.

National Credit Solutions Scam
This week Attorney General Derek Schmidt warned of a new scam from an organization calling itself National Credit Solutions. The reported scam contacts individuals by mail or telephone to inform them they owe late fees to Hollywood Video. Most of those contacted have not owed fees to Hollywood Video. If you receive a call or mail from National Credit Solutions please consider reporting it to the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Attorney General at 1(800)432-2310 or www.ksag.org.

Committee work
All three of my committees are now meeting regularly as the session starts to move faster. Even though we haven’t had a hearing on any bill in my Ag and Natural Resource Committee, we are having Agency heads update us on their functions and future plans. We were introduced to Dale Rodman, the new Kansas Agriculture Secretary who we learned has a business background and for many years worked for Cargill.
His major objective for field inspectors (think restaurants, hotels, meat processing) is to have each crossed trained so that only one trip is required by one person for an inspection of a business – not five visits by five different divisions by five different people. And they will be “consumer and business friendly”. He is also a fan of farmers markets as so many of us are in rural Kansas with 101 now registered at www.ksfarmermarkets.org. The first hearing in Fed and State was HB 2035 which is a bill we have heard and voted on before and sent out of both Chambers but has been vetoed the past few years. This bill is again requesting more specific medical reporting by physicians on abortions performed in Kansas. The Social Service Budget committee is still reviewing Agencies but will start having hearings on the actual dollars’ budgeted for programs next Tuesday. DS&O, Rolling Hills and Praireland Electric Cooperatives members had their yearly meeting and reception on Monday with all of my four counties represented. Twin Valley Telephone and Cunningham Telephone Company held a joint reception where I visited with Ben and Beth Foster representing their firm which is head-quartered in Miltonvale. Mike Lamm from Concordia was my guest on the House floor during session on Thursday and later visited with Insurance Commissioner Sandy Prager in her office after his Petroleum Marketers luncheon and meeting. Moriah Ausherman and Jeffrey Metzler along with his parents Becca and JP Metzler stopped by my office before their page duties began for Senator Brungardt on Wednesday. The Ferguson Tool Dedication was included in the 150th Kansas Birthday Festivities on Friday with the tools officially unveiled in the Rotunda on the 1st floor. Governor Brownback had a special viewing before he left for another Kansas event however auctioneer Greg Askrin along with the staff of the Kansas Historical Society and State Architect, Barry Greis were recognized during the ceremony. Judie Deal from Concordia also drove in to help with the celebration. The Fergusons were presented with a Senate Resolution and a House Certificate in memory of Nels Ferguson and his stone-mason tools. To learn more about the tools which were stored in Cloud County for so many decades go to the research section at www.kshs.org and find the “cool things” tab for more details on the Ferguson Family.

It is a special honor to serve as your State Representative and I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. As always, I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka - you can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org. If possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54-S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

2011 Session: Week 2

2011-01-24T11:15:00.002-06:00

The second week of the 2011 legislative session was rather brief due to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and another round of measurable snow in the capitol city. However, work continued as committees meet regularly to address issues and legislation. In the next week or two, bills will start to make their way out of committee and head to the House floor for debate and final vote. As always, I’ll keep you updated. Please stay involved and let me know your thoughts on the measures under consideration.

The main focus of this session is, and will continue to be, addressing the $550 million budget deficit and repairing the Kansas economy. Again this week, the focus of most topics ultimately revolved around the bottom line. The first step in dealing with the budget came with introduction of House Bill 2014 which includes Governor Brownback’s proposal to freeze the state budget for the 2011 fiscal year. The measure makes approximately $120 million in cuts and orders several funding transfers. If passed in its current form, HB 2014 would create a $35 million surplus for the State General Fund in FY 2011. Considerable thought, compromise and consideration must be taken while considering HB 2014 but my hope is the House acts quickly on this legislation so we can turn our focus to the additional budget issues that need our attention.

This week Governor Brownback and Lt. Governor Colyer with House and Senate leaders announced plans to address the financial problems facing Kansas by implementing structural reform to state government. Issues specifically targeted for restructuring are KPERS, Medicaid and a definition of suitability concerning education. The Senate was charged with addressing our public employee retirement system, KPERS. Currently, KPERS has an unfunded liability of $8 billion dollars. In terms of actuarial solvency, recent studies have shown Kansas to have the second worst state pension system in the United States, falling only behind Illinois. Pension programs nationwide have been hit hard but the stuttering economy has compounded our structural deficiencies within the system and will continue to do so unless substantive reform measures are taken to improve the stability of the pension fund.

Governor Brownback assigned the Kansas House of Representatives with defining the term ‘suitable education.’ Existing school finance law lacks clarity in this regard, and the Governor is asking us to determine what this term will define. It’s a decision that will have considerable impact on educational funding issues, and I anticipate it will be one of the most challenging issues we face this session. The Legislature has done its best to provide schools with equitable funding in a down economy and most of us in the legislature believe the taxpayers of Kansas want their tax dollars heading to the classroom and not the courtroom. I look forward to participating in this conversation, and I’m confident we’ll find a reasonable solution.

Upcoming bills to watch:
House Bill 2035 - This bill aims to restrict late term abortion procedures, expand parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions and strengthens the state’s partial birth abortion law to where it better aligns with tighter federal law. This particular measure is a combination of legislation passed during prior sessions that was vetoed by democratic governors Sebelius and Parkinson.

House Bill 2039 – Smoking Ban - Introduced on Wednesday, HB 2039 removes the gaming floor exemption found in the current statewide smoking ban. The current statewide smoking ban allows smoking on the gaming floor of racetrack and gaming facilities. HB 2039 has been referred to the House Health and Humans Services Committee for consideration.

A Voter Identification bill will be introduced soon that would require all voters to show photo identification before voting, require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and extend the power to prosecute alleged cases of voter fraud to the Secretary of State’s office. Titled the SAFE Act (Safe and Fair Elections Act), the measure has over 35 co-sponsors in the House and is expected to be passed and signed into law by Governor Brownback. The measure would require Kansans to show a birth certificate, passport or other proof of citizenship when registering to vote. At the polls, voters would have to show government issued photo ID before casting their ballot. The Act would require voters who request an advance or mail-in ballot to include with the ballot application their driver’s license number or a photocopy of their ID. Opponents argue the measure is a modern day poll tax that disenfranchises the disabled, poor and elderly. In response, current provisions in the bill allow low-income Kansans to get a free ID or birth certificate if they reside in a household with an annual income of 150 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $33,000 for a family of four). For residents over the age of 65, an expired driver’s license or photo ID can be used in lieu of a current form of photo ID.

My three committees, Ag & Natural Resourses, Federal & State Affairs and Social Service Budgets have met only a few times this past week with updates from various state agencies. I expect to listen to hearings on upcoming bills which were introduced last week in each committee. I announced House bill 2003 in Transportation Tuesday which will rename a portion of #18 Highway in Lincoln and Ottawa Counties after our local WW II Medal of Honor recipient Donald K. Ross. The hearing may be held late this next week or early the following week with people from home driving in to testify as conferees. The bill was pre-filed in November and should breeze through the legislative process in both Chambers. My wish is to have a “clean bill” – the bill as I introduced it with no amendments attached to it so it only honors our hero from District #107.

As I mentioned earlier, the weather has been a bit of a problem for visitors from home to get to Topeka however it was my pleasure to meet the Dickinson County Commissioners and county staff at County Government Day and also with Judge Guy Steier from Clyde at the Magistrate Judge Association yearly reception - both held on Tuesday before the nearly 8 inches of snow arrived.
I have some open page dates identified so that if some of my younger constituents above the age of 10 want to come to Topeka and serve as a page for a day they may pick from the following: Tuesday, February 8thand Tuesday, March 22nd. If other days work into your schedule, please let me know as I can request other days as well. Call my office and my office assistant Pat can help you at 1-785-296-7642.
As always, I hope you are tracking the legislature’s work in Topeka and, if possible, take the time to visit this session. If you would like an individual meeting, I’d be happy to arrange one. In the meantime, I’m always anxious to hear your thoughts on how the issues discussed in Topeka affect you. Reliable feedback is very important in making sure I’m accurately representing my friends and neighbors here in the district. Please feel free to call or email elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov and I’d be happy to discuss any topic you are interested in. Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 SW 10th St.
Room 54S
Topeka, KS 66612
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
1-785-296-7642

Rep. Elaine Bowers Named Vice-Chair of House Social Services Budget Committee

2011-01-24T11:02:00.002-06:00

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Topeka – House Speaker Mike O’Neal (R-Hutchinson) named Representative Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) vice-chair of the House Social Services Budget Committee. Representative Bowers is serving her third term in the House and has previously served as a member of the Commerce and Labor, Federal and State Affairs and Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees.

“I have been impressed with the dedication and persistence demonstrated by Representative Bowers,” said Speaker O’Neal. “As a well-respected member of the House-caucus, I am confident that she will bring a unique perspective to the Social Services Budget Committee.”

The House Social Services Budget Committee is composed of nine members and is responsible for proposing budget expenditures for the social services departments to the Appropriations Committee.

“I am honored by the Speaker’s appointment and am pleased to serve the people of Kansas in this role,” said Representative Bowers.

The House Social Services Committee meets daily at 3:30 pm in 785-Docking.

2011 Session: Week 1

2011-01-18T19:15:00.001-06:00

2011 Session Begins
The 2011 legislative session officially began this week, as usual, with ample fanfare and pageantry. On Monday, Sam Brownback was once again acquainted with Kansas winters as he was inaugurated as the 46th Governor of Kansas. As we all know, Kansas is a great place to live but sometimes the weather can get in the way and in this case, guests from home were unable to attend the swearing in ceremonies. With 6 inches of snow on the ground outside and falling steadily, the Legislature welcomed the Governor and other statewide office holders inside Hall of Representatives instead of the traditional south steps of the Capitol. All 125 House members stood for election in 2010 with the result was a significant number of new legislators arriving at the Statehouse for the 2011 session. I was privileged to speak to the new “freshman” at their orientation session with a talk entitled “What I Wish I Had Known as a Freshman” and was assigned as a mentor to a new legislator from Johnson County. It is interesting to note that since my swearing-in ceremony in 2007, fifty of these legislators no longer serve in the House with me. Many have moved on to other elected offices or state agencies; some were defeated in elections or have retired.

The primary focus this session will be on the $550 million state budget shortfall and repairing the Kansas economy. Multiple proposals and ideas will be considered, debated and voted on in an effort to address these issues. Other issues regarding voter identification requirements, immigration, abortion, the smoking ban and gaming are anticipated to emerge. Early in the legislative session, most of our time will be spent in committee learning about the issues facing our state, and beginning the process of determining which legislation we’ll focus on in this first year. After learning more about these issues, we’ll pass them out of committee and begin voting sometime in the next two weeks. As the session progresses, we’ll move from committee activity to floor debate and final votes. When we begin this phase, I’ll continue working to keep you updated on the issues we’re hearing about and I hope you’ll keep me informed of your views. House Bill 2003 is a pre-filed bill which I introduced to honor a World War II hero, Donald K. Ross from Beverly in Lincoln County. A hearing should be scheduled next week in the Transportation committee and I will have people from District #107 testify for the renaming of a section of Highway #18 in Ottawa and Lincoln County in honor and memory of Lt. Ross.

On Wednesday, Governor Brownback appeared before a joint session of the Legislature to give his first State of the State address. Captain Aaron Isaacson, the Legislative Liaison for the Adjutant General’s office, attended the State of the State Address as my guest for the speech. The Governor’s main priority is to revitalize the Kansas economy by improving rural and urban private sector growth; creating a three-year, $105 million initiative to enhance job growth in key economic sectors like aviation, cancer research, animal health and engineering; and by allowing Kansas businesses to immediately deduct from their expenses a higher percentage of their investment costs. The Governor also called on the legislature to adjust the state tax code to encourage investment, income growth and job creation. One issue of particular importance in his view is eliminating corporate tax subsidies and lowering the state income tax rates.

The Governor’s budget for the 2012 fiscal year is approximately $750 million dollars less than the current fiscal year (FY ‘11). Figures show a significant portion of the FY 2012 budget revolves around increased costs for SRS caseloads and additional federal mandates regarding Medicaid. Much of the savings will be realized through the issuance of executive orders that call for the structural elimination of state jobs (2,000 which are currently unfilled); the abolition of eight state agencies; and the merging of several programs and functions where duplication is occurring.

Concerning the overall budget, anticipate the legislature to quickly get to work on a measure to freeze state spending. Governor Brownback expects a bill on his desk by the end of January, and this legislation would create a budget surplus of $35 million. The other major task he’s handing to the legislature will be working on the unfunded liability of KPERS, which currently stands at $8 billion. It’s an issue that impacts our budget in a very dramatic way, and it’s appropriate to begin taking a serious look at this as we begin reforming.

My three committees this term (my third) are Agriculture and Natural Resources, Federal and State Affairs and Social Service Budget Committee where I will serve as the Vice-Chairman. All of my committees meet daily beginning at 8:00AM with Session at 11:00AM in the House Chambers. I now sit in seat 70 North on the Speakers left hand side. My office is still 54S on the Garden Level – just off the walkway from the parking garage and very easy to find. My intern this year is Jody McCready, a 2001graduate from Chapman High School and Ottawa University with a Psychology degree. She will graduate this year from KU with her Masters in Social Welfare. If you know of a young person, age 10-18, who might be interested in being a Page for me for a day (or morning), please call me – I have days assigned to me but I can always request more dates. I was a page 30 years ago for Representative Bill Fuller who is the father of Superintendent Bev Mortimer in Concordia. I have the black & white photo in my hanging in my Topeka office with Rep. Fuller and Governor John Carlin – today the pictures are color and will be taken with Governor Brownback who the students will personally meet and have a few moments to chat with him.

As always, I hope you’re tracking our work in Topeka. While the snow probably prevented many visitors this week, I hope you’ll be able to visit at some point in the session. I’ll be happy to arrange a time to meet with you individually, but in the meantime I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on what you’re hearing in our district. It’s very helpful for me when I have reliable feedback. “Vote your district” is a term we often hear in Topeka, but I can’t do that without your input. Please feel free to call 785 296-7642 or email elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov or plan a visit this beautiful working museum – your Capitol. I’ll be happy to explain more on any topic you’re interested in. I appreciate your interest in our work, and I’m honored to serve you. Thanks for reading!

Calendar of Upcoming Events

2010-12-30T15:32:00.000-06:00

2010 Election!

2010-11-12T08:47:00.004-06:00

Thank you to everyone who helped on my campaign and for those who voted for me. I appreciate your support!!! I look forward to an exciting new term - this beginning my third term and the first with a new administration. Feel free to contact me in Concordia before January 10th and remember that the beautiful Capital building that I work in belongs to all of us - please come for a tour and visit me during session!

Rep. Elaine Bowers

1326 N. 150th Rd.

Concordia, KS 66901

home: 785 243-4256

work: 785 243-3325 x2

elaine@concordiaautomart.com

elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

TOOLS DONATED TO KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM

2010-10-12T09:23:00.001-05:00

News Release
October 12, 2010
Elaine Bowers
785 243-3325x2

TOOLS DONATED TO KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL MUSEUM

After five decades as a Veterinarian, Doc John Ferguson retired with an auction this summer in his home town of Clyde, Kansas. Among items in his sale were a large group of tools that belonged to his Swedish-born grandfather, Nels Ferguson. The tools, which hung for many years in Doc Ferguson’s basement, included four specific stone masonry tools that were used in the construction of the State Capitol building in Topeka in the mid-1800’s. In June, Auctioneer Greg Askren, sold the entire group of tools to Kansas Senator Mark Taddiken and Representative Elaine Bowers, who both represent Cloud County in the State Legislature. They in turn donated the collection to the Kansas State Historical Society on behalf of the Ferguson family. The four masonry tools; a plumb bob, wooden level, float and a pry bar, will be temporally displayed in a glass case near the tour guide desk on the first floor of the Capitol during the final restoration phase of the building. The tools are expected to be displayed permanently in one of recessed exhibit units around the rotunda on the lower level of the Capitol after the remodel with the Ferguson family’s name on the plaque.

BOWERS NAMED KANSAS STARBASE TREASURER

2010-10-12T08:51:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2010
Contact: Rep. Elaine Bowers
785 243-3325 x2

BOWERS NAMED KANSAS STARBASE TREASURER

The Kansas National Guard’s STARBASE program has announced the names of newly elected board members and officers. New board members are Dr. Paul Adams, Fort Hays State University; Lindsay Brechler, SOURCECORP; Bruce Stewart, iGlobal Networks, Inc.; Kerry Taylor, and Gary Wells, Honeywell Corporation. They join current board members State Representative Elaine Bowers; Barbara Bunting; Frank Garver, Kansas Gas Service and Chris Orwoll, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.

The new officers are Garver, president; Bunting, vice president; Orwoll,

secretary and Bowers, treasurer.

The new officers and board members will begin their terms Oct. 1, 2010.

Kansas STARBASE board members serve for three-year terms.

Kansas STARBASE was launched in 1992 to ignite the interest of youth (4th

-6th graders) in science, math, technology, goal setting and positive life

choices by exposing them to the technological environments and positive role

models of the Kansas Air and Army National Guard. STARBASE has worked with

more than 32,800 of Kansas' students to increase their knowledge and

interest in the areas of math, science or technology, as well as instilling

a sense of pride and personal accomplishment. Fifth graders at the Concordia Middle School have been attending the annual program since 2000. Representative Bowers traveled as a classroom helper with her youngest children and had the opportunity to help keep the Salina classrooms open when the budget for the STARBASE program was being reviewed years later.

The Kansas STARBASE program is the largest in the U.S. It has school-year

academies in Wichita, Topeka, Salina and Kansas City, Kan. For the past five

years, Kansas STARBASE has partnered with Western Kansas community colleges,

Challenger Learning Center of Kansas, Fort Hays State University, Kansas

State University, Pittsburg State University and the Kansas Cosmosphere to

provide summer academies in Pittsburg, Great Bend, Liberal, Garden City,

Hays, Hutchinson and Pratt.

More information about the Kansas STARBASE program can be found at www.kansasstarbase.org .

Representative Elaine Bowers awarded fellowship for Midwestern leadership institute

2010-06-22T13:24:00.002-05:00

Midwestern Legislative Conference
The Council of State Governments
701 East 22nd Street Suite 110
Lombard, Illinois 60148
Tel: 630/925‐1922 Fax: 630,925.1930
E‐mail: csgm@csg.org www.csgmidwest.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura A. Tomaka
630.925.1922

(Lombard, Ill.) May 26, 2010 ‐‐ State Representative Elaine Bowers of Concordia was among 37 select lawmakers chosen to participate in a training program that annually identifies and assists promising state leaders in the Midwest.
Representative Bowers will meet with fellow lawmakers from Kansas and 10 other Midwestern states and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan on July 9‐13, in Madison, Wis., for The Council of State Governments’ 16th annual Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD).
Representative Bowers was recommended for the fellowship by Kansas Senator Jay Emler and State Treasurer Dennis McKinney. Treasurer McKinney commented: "Representative Bowers works hard to get to know legislators and understand the interests of their districts without regard to party label or region. She does her homework and gets to know the details of the issues and the people affected by the policies under consideration. Consequently, legislators listen when she asks questions and makes points to direct discussions. I am quite confident that Rep. Bowers will soon be a strong policy leader in the Kansas House of Representatives."
Since 1995, more than 500 of the region’s lawmakers have graduated from the Bowhay Institute. State Legislators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are chosen to participate through a competitive, nonpartisan selection process. Members of the Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan legislative assemblies are selected by their caucuses to take part in the program.
“The Bowhay Institute is one of the premier leadership training programs in the nation,” says Iowa Rep.
J. Scott Raecker, who serves as co‐chair of the institute’s steering committee. “The legislatures in the region have benefited greatly from the skills their members have gained through this unique educational experience. Many of the graduates now hold leadership positions in their states.”
BILLD was founded in 1995 to help new legislators meet the demands of program devolution and, in many states, term limits. These two emerging forces highlight the shortage of training available for legislators, a void that BILLD aims to fill.
A program of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office, BILLD is held in partnership with the University of Wisconsin’s Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. Courses and seminars are conducted by La Follette faculty, Midwestern legislative leaders and professional development experts. In addition to courses designed to develop leadership skills, the program analyzes a variety of public policy issues, including the economy, economic development and corrections.
The Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development is named in honor of the late James Bowhay, longtime director of The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office. The program is funded through grants from foundation and corporate sponsors and an in‐kind contribution provided by The Council of State Governments’ Midwestern Office.
Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments has national headquarters in Lexington, Ky., and regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago (Lombard, Ill.), New York City and Sacramento. The goal of the national, nonpartisan organization is to assist and advance state government by providing research assistance, professional development opportunities, interstate consulting services and suggested state legislation.

Representative Bowers to Run for Re-Election

2010-06-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2010

Contact:
Rep. Elaine Bowers
785 243-4256

TOPEKA- Kansas House of Representatives Rep. Elaine Bowers (R‐Concordia) today announced she has filed for re-election in the 107th district. “Serving the citizens of the 107th district for the last four years has been an honor,” said Rep. Bowers. “I’m excited to continue this work and while we currently face tremendous hardships, I see great potential in Kansas. I’m excited to make progress in advancing our state.”
House Speaker Pro Tem Arlen Siegfreid (R‐Olathe) highlighted the importance of Rep. Bowers’ leadership and the abilities that she has provided in the House. “Representative Bowers is a rock solid member,” said Rep. Siegfreid. “Not only is she a great advocate for her district, but as a small business owner and a principled leader she provides the entire state with a valuable and consistent representative.”
Rep. Bowers serves on the House committees for Commerce and Labor, Federal and State Affairs, as well as Ag and Natural Resources. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and has earned a 100% attendance record for her entire legislative career.
“It is very important to me as a legislator to be there every day and vote every time,” said Rep. Bowers. “And it would be a privilege to continue to serve the people of north central Kansas.
Bowers also serves as State Director of Kansas for the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) which is the nation’s oldest organization addressing the needs of elected women at all levels of government. She was also elected to the STARBASE Foundation Board in 2009. STARBASE IS the nonprofit organization which manages the STARBASE program on behalf of the state of Kansas through the National Guard and augments the U.S. Department of Defense funds to enhance the youth educational program in Kansas.
The 107th District represents the cities of Concordia, Lincoln, and Minneapolis in Cloud, Lincoln, Ottawa and a portion of Dickinson County.

2010 Session Wrap-Up

2010-05-24T10:38:00.003-05:00

The 2010 Kansas Legislature wrapped up its work last Tuesday after the House spent several long days debating budget and tax issues late into the night. We worked on the floor until around 5 AM one night and until 3 AM another trying to avoid the tax increase (6th attempt). Of course, the budget that would be approved for Fiscal Year 2011, which begins July 1st, would have to balance. Other issues we addressed during the 12-day veto session included a new transportation plan, stricter seat belt and DUI laws, a texting ban, and an attempted override of a governor’s veto. We had anticipated that the Veto Session would take more than the usual few days, which is why we had worked to save days back. With days in the bank for the Veto Session, in the end, we did finish the 2010 session in less than 90 days. Many of my legislator friends who have served in the legislature for a number of years said they have not seen a year such as this one – ever. It was the first time the House and Senate went home at the break without the Mega budget which basically funds governments’ essential needs then return to tie up the loose ends with the Omnibus budget when we arrive back for Veto Session. And as last year, we ended with a Concur vote – this year on a tax bill which was paired with a Senate concur with the budget bill. The budget bill was much the same as the Governor proposed in January at his State of the State address except a cigarette tax he proposed was eliminated which I find ironic – tax something that will be out-lawed with the smoking ban effective July 1st. Both tax and budget bills needed to pass as one was the spending piece and the other the revenue package. The House Appropriation committee had passed a bill out of committee which never carried much support and was defeated on the house floor after a day of debate. The second budget (the Governor’s plan) was substituted (a gut-and go) and after 18 hours of debate on the House floor became the bill that the Senate agreed with. If the process had worked as we learned in Government 101 – both the House and the Senate bodies would’ve passed a budget. Then the six members in the Conference Committee (three Senate and three House members) would hash out details and bring the proposed bill back to us for a vote – many times if necessary until the House passes one with at least 63 votes. And a concur motion with the Senate allows no amendments from the House members thus no House positions or ideas in the final bill – this session it was the tax bill – it is an entire Senate proposal passed over to us with the majority of their forty members. Finally the Senate agreed with the House Budget bill – they also could make no changes with no amendments. I have learned these past four years that when the Conference Committee step is skipped, the possibility of mistakes and items overlooked is so much greater – such as the budget reduction of the Court System last year which was missed in the final Concur budget and became law. Even as I write this, the Board of Regents is asking the Governor to veto a section of this year’s concurred budget bill as an added amendment takes away $3.6 million rather than adds to higher education as was intended – a mistake which could’ve been caught in the conference committee. It was most clear to me that there was a middle ground – as always – there could’ve been a compromise. There were many ideas of revenue enhancements floated around such as “user-fee-type” taxes such as liquor, cigarette, beverage and others along the line if you-use-it – you-pay-for-it fees. There were proposals of removing sales tax on food and reducing tax exemptions granted though many, many years to all types of services, businesses and organizations – all of these ideas had the possibility of being in the mix. Proposals of less than a full 1 cent sales tax increase that could’ve been considered with a package of reductions (but with no additional reductions to schools, public safety or social services), other enhancements such as sales of idle state property, a change in income tax brackets or simply hold-the-line-on-spending until Kansas comes out of the recession - didn’t have the chance to be debated in the open as I had wished. As it is in real life or in Topeka – communication is the key to a fair and compromised decision and when the system is out-of-kilter (as this legislative year) it leaves an all or nothing – take it or leave it scenario and only two choices on the budget and taxes. In the end-game, keep in mind that the Governor has full VETO power and would’ve vetoed a bill without a revenue enhancement included in the final bill package and many legislators saw a no way out situation. This year’s budget is $13.6 Billion dollars, an increase of $204.5 million dollars with the tax increase of $314 million dollars. It also anticipates a 4% growth in the economy which as a business owner I would have preferred a flat line approach for at least one more year.

Other bills passed last week included another 10 year transportation plan ($8.2 billion) funded by bond money (this will be our “3rd mortgage” on our highways as the 1st two are still unpaid), 0.4-cent increase of the state sales tax increase and $131 million increase in registration fees in 2013 for all trucks – this fee for commercial & farm trucks weighing more than 8 tons will increase from $18 to $100 which is a 500% increase. I again voted no as this was another huge policy that was approved by a motion to concur after only passing one side of the legislature (never debated in the house) and again a fee increase (fee=tax) on our agriculture based economy here in north central Kansas. With the exception of law enforcement officers, texting while driving will be illegal beginning July 2010. In a separate bill HB2130 written in the Senate, there will be a $5.00 fine for not wearing a seat belt with no court costs but individuals can be stopped if an officer thinks you aren’t wearing a belt anywhere in the car. I strongly believe in personal responsibility and with your individual safety in mind - you must wear your belts at all times as my family does but enforced mandates with a carrot of $11 million dollars and directives of “you will do” from the Federal government is still a measure I didn’t support. SB 306 will reduce the application fee by $50 and renewal fee by $25 to the state’s concealed carry law. It will also eliminate the fingerprint requirements for renewals but require a name-based national criminal records check. Home Day Care Centers will all need to be inspected and licensed by the KDHE agency at the state where only currently registered homes are inspected after a complaint has been filed with the passage of Lexie’s Law. This bill was not heard in the House again and the vote was at 4:30AM which is a poor way to pass bills that affect so many Kansans. The good news on this bill is a KDHE online system will be set up which will provide information about day care providers and a history of citations and substantiated findings – this is transparency which is so needed at all levels of government.
A bill that has been drafted and one that I will begin work on getting through the system early in the next session is the Memorial Highway Sign Bill for Don K. Ross on Highway 18 in Lincoln County. Captain Ross was the 1st Medal of Honor recipient of World War II for his actions during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. I have learned that a bill needs to be introduced and have hearings immediately as sometime they can be “high jacked” and used a vehicle for other bills and amendments. It would be my desire to see it carried through clean and have the Governor’s signature on the one-part bill as a standalone law which can be displayed in the city of Beverly. I will begin the process on the House side with hearings and Senator Emler will take over on the Senate side and hopefully have final votes by the end of January 2011.

This year will end my 2nd term in Topeka. I have sat in seat #85 on the House Floor for the entire time and I have watched and learned and helped our ideas become laws. I have pushed my voting buttons almost 2000 times and when I visit with school kids and groups, I bring along my voting box from my old desk. It has been my pleasure to share the legislative process with anyone who is interested in listening and pass around that voting box complete with working buttons to push as I do. It is important to me in this job to share my experiences and knowledge and I particularity enjoy bringing students to the Capitol or visiting with them in their classrooms. Hopefully school classes can visit again and I will always have dates available for Pages. If you know of a student age 12-18 who would like to work on the House Floor for a day, let me know as I keep a Page folder every year to contact the kids when I am assigned my dates after session begins in January. While in Topeka last week, I filed for re-election for the House of Representative District #107 position with plans in mind to run for a leadership position in my party. It has been my pleasure serving as your Representative for the past four years. Thanks to everyone who have written, emailed or called me – your opinions and suggestions help me to do a better job of representing our views here in north central Kansas.

Please contact me at home or by e-mail if you need help in any way.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
1326 N. 150th Rd.
Concordia, KS 66901
785 243-4256 home
785 243-3325 x2 work
elaine@concordiaautomart.com
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
(I do take time to check it my email every day).

Roadside Sculptors

2010-05-10T12:01:00.004-05:00

Article & Photo by Jyll Phillips
of the Lincoln Sentinel

The Wall Street Journal not only found Kansas, they found Lincoln County, as evident by their front page story in the Feb. 9 issue. Ironically they found us through television.

A public-TV series called "Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations" is a "tongue-in-cheek" tour of 46 of the United States according to the show's Web site. One of the first attractions listed is the "legendary Garden of Eden" in Lucas. In fact, Season One is entitled "Who says Kansas is dull?" They also revisited Kansas in seasons two through five, and again in season nine, which is what caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal.
Apparently, according to the show's producers, Wisconsin and Kansas top the list for eccentric outdoor art galleries.
The WSJ interviewed M.J. Liggett, 79, of Mullinville who has decorated Highway 400 with sculptures made of anything from bowling balls to streetlights and wagon wheels; Frank Jensen, 76, a former high school teacher who has populated a hillside east of Wichita; Jerry Hubbell, 74, who has placed his collection of "Hubble's Rubble" along Highway 99 near Howard; and Lincoln County's own J.R. Dickerman, 50.
Dickerman's Soaring Heart Gallery is near Beverly, and has created his "Open Range Zoo" to promote it. The county's highways are the home of the Open Range Zoo that features nearly 30 of these unique welded metal creatures. The larger pieces are made from farm equipment and some move with the wind. Twenty of creatures can be found along Highway 18 between mile marker 113 in Ottawa County and Lucas. Three are within the city of Lincoln, another three are within the city of Lucas, two are on I-70 atop a billboard, and one is nearer his gallery.
Dickerman told WSJ that he snuck the first two creatures to the side of K-18 after dark so as not to be identified. When he heard good reviews in town, he admitted they were his.
People use his creatures as landmarks as much if not more than they use mile markers.
"Once I come across that dragon, I know I'm almost to Lincoln!"said Rep. Elaine Bowers, referring to "Dream Dragon IV The Harvester" on K-18 at mile marker 106.
Scrap metal sculptures are becoming a popular art form. No two pieces are identical as each is made of an almost random blend of car parts, farm equipment parts, scrap metal, and/or scraps of metal objects. The artists' personalities are welded into the piece along with the scraps.
Liggett, for example, creates caricatures of political figures, often in unflattering poses, making a caustic commentary on his opinion of politics. His sculpture of Bill Clinton features a padlock welded to his pants zipper.
Six of his pieces are on display at the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore.

Veto Week

2010-05-03T19:31:00.001-05:00

The Kansas Legislative session began again on April 28th after a few weeks break. It is interesting to note that this traditional spring break was prearranged for the farmers to return and plant their crops and then return to finish the state’s business. This is still true in many cases but now it also allows time for an important budgeting Consensus Revenue Estimating Group assessment. This much awaited dollar figure predicted the state revenues will fall $46.4 million below its November estimate of Fiscal Year 2010 revenues - down a total of $130 million for the remainder of this fiscal year and next fiscal year. And only on Friday, another tax revenue shortfall of $74 million was reported below the estimates by the same group. This was the first time in Kansas history that the Legislature left without passing the mega budget (the 1st one) or the omnibus (final) budget – we have our work cut out for us. The House has a budget that we are just reviewing which doesn’t call for a tax increase and freezes state hiring, no raises, 1% across board spending (except for schools, public safety and corrections). Revenue sources will need to be studied more closely in this bill though - for example there is a prediction of a 4% income tax increase for next year which I would question with today’s economy. The Senate has a budget as well and addresses the state’s fiscal situation differently and follows the proposed Governors budget closer. Debate of both bills will most certainly happen this week with many amendments in both Chambers. If the process works as we learned in Civics – both the House and the Senate will pass a budget. Then the six members of the House Appropriation and Senate Ways & Means committee will form the Conference Committee (three Senate and three House members) who hash out details and bring the proposed bill back to us for a vote – many times if necessary until the House passes one with 63 votes. Last year the House could not pass a budget and a motion was made on the House floor to Concur (agree) with the Senate. This motion allows no amendments from the House members thus no House positions or ideas in the final budget – it is an entire Senate proposal passed over to us with the majority of their forty members. When the Conference Committee step is skipped, the possibility of mistakes and items overlooked are so much greater – such as the budget reduction of the Court System last year which was then missed in the final Concur budget which became law. Often times, this is a very difficult vote – do members vote for the budget bill to move it on to the Conference Committee to find the best compromise bill that the majority of the 165 members can agree on or continue to vote NO until a concur is forced.
This wrap up session is also known as Veto week. The House of Representatives did attempt override the governor’s veto of HB2115 which is the bill that would requires new, more detailed documentation of late-term abortions. We will take up the veto again on Monday as several members of the House were absent and it will be reconsidered again after a motion was made to reconsider and adjourn. The override needs 84 votes and received 82.

Wednesday was a special day on the Senate side for our Lincoln County Commissioner Steve Errebo. Senator Emler introduced and congratulated Steve Errebo for rescuing Michele Pasley
and three of her children from a burning vehicle. Steve Errebo, Marilyn Errebo, Ben
Errebo, Steve Sutton, Al Jo Wallace and Wendy Gronau and Representative Elaine Bowers were acknowledged with a standing ovation. The Readers Digest hero story and Steve’s picture can be found on page 35 of the April’s issue. It was our previlage and honor to acknowledge our friend Commissioner Errebo.

SENATE RESOLUTION No. 1866 reads—
A RESOLUTION congratulating and commending Steve Errebo for rescuing Michele Pasley and three of her children from a burning vehicle.
WHEREAS, Steve Errebo, a farmer and Lincoln County Commissioner, rescued Tescott
residents Michele Pasley and three of her children, 3-year-old twins Danika and Justin, and
1-year-old Loni Marie, from her burning minivan in July of 2009; and
WHEREAS, Due to dusty conditions caused by wheat being harvested, Mrs. Pasley did
not see Mr. Errebo’s wheat truck until it was too late, causing her to strike him from behind.
The impact of the collision trapped her inside the vehicle, which promptly caught fire, as
well as causing the surrounding wheat stubble field to catch fire. Mr. Errebo heard her cries
for help and pulled the three Pasley children to safety through a broken window, before
finally pulling Mrs. Pasley free as well. The two adults and three children made it to safety
shortly before the gas tank blew and the entire van was engulfed in flames; and
WHEREAS, The twins, Justin and Danika, were flown to Wichita to be treated for their
injuries. Justin was released in two days and Danika in about 10 days. Mrs. Pasley and the
youngest child, Loni, were both unharmed. The family considers Mr. Errebo to be their angel, and are forever grateful for his life-saving acts; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Errebo was surprised by Representative Elaine Bowers, as well as Steve
Howe on behalf of Representative Jerry Moran, Kansas EMS Board Executive Director
Robert Waller, Lincoln County Emergency Manager Rod Job, Lincoln County EMS
Director Wendy Gronau, Sheriff Russ Black, and Mr. and Mrs. Pasley and their children,
when they presented Mr. Errebo with several awards for his heroism, including a Medal of
Valor on behalf of Lincoln County. Representative Bowers also alerted the magazine
Reader’s Digest of the heroic action taken by Mr. Errebo, resulting in a feature story about
the incident:
Now, therefore, Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas: That we congratulate and commendSteve Errebo for his immediate response to this emergency situation, for his selfless and courageous acts in the face of imminent danger, and for saving the lives of Michele, Justin, Danika and Loni Marie Pasley; and
Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of the Senate be directed to provide an enrolled
copy of this resolution to Steve Errebo.

Although I was unable to meet with them, staff and residents with OCCK from our District #107 were in Topeka for their rally on April 27th. I always enjoy visitors from home and invite any group or individuals to visit our historic Capitol. Even though it is under reconstruction, it is still breath taking to see the marble, paintings and architecture and is part of our heritage we all can appreciate.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
785-296-7642
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

Area Road Becomes World War II Memorial Highway

2010-04-22T15:03:00.002-05:00

Article by Todd Pittenger
from ksallink.com © KSAL News

An area highway is being named to honor World War II veterans.
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, the 2008 legislature in cooperation with the Governor established a portion of US-24 as the World War II Memorial Highway.
The memorial highway begins at the US-24/US-77 junction north of Junction City and proceeds west to US-83 in Thomas County. Through the initiative of Representatives Elaine Bowers and Vern Swanson the establishment of signs recognizing the memorial highway is becoming a reality in north central Kansas.
The first of two signs will be placed at a dedication ceremony on US-24 at the west city limit of Clay Center at 11:00 in the morning on Thursday. The second sign will be placed near the interchange of US-24 and US-81 at a date and time to be determined.
KDOT created and will place the signing commemorating those who served of country during the Second World War.

2010 Session: 12th Week

2010-03-29T11:20:00.003-05:00

Dear Constituents,

After completing our busiest and most substantive week of work in the 2010 session, our work is nearly complete. The looming budget issue will remain unresolved until the end of our veto session in early May, but most every other issue that’s been brought before the legislature has at this point been passed, killed, or shelved for another year. The House spent full days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday churning through bills, and after challenging debate on some of the most controversial issues, headed home Wednesday evening for a two day break.

On Thursday and Friday, small groups of House and Senate designees known as “conference committees” were meeting to reconcile differences between their respective versions of bills—but few of these appeared to be of a controversial nature. If you remember, these committees are made up of three Senators and three Representatives and I feel one of the most important steps in the legislative process. This is where the compromises are worked out between the two chambers and the bills are returned to us for our final approval – and we often send these reports back to them for more “tweaking”. We will return next week to vote on these conference committee reports, then head home for the annual “spring break” before returning on April 28 for our veto session. At that time, we’ll have fresh budget projections and revenue numbers—and reach our ultimate decision on the budget.

One major flashpoint this week was the response to Congress’ passage of the comprehensive health reform bill. Similar to the rest of the nation, our body was split on its reaction to the news. We even considered a constitutional amendment that would essentially allow Kansas the ability to “opt out” of any federal legislation on the matter. The measure, which would require a 2/3 majority to be place on ballots for a statewide vote in November, garnered 76 votes in the House—short of the 84 required for the supermajority. We actually had three votes on HCR5032, once to move it to final action, the final vote and then another vote when it was brought back up for reconsideration.

While the bills on General Orders are too numerous to list, our work this week ranged from substantive debate on critical abortion standards, to major changes in conceal and carry laws. Many of these issues made headlines throughout the state—you can always find more info on the legislature’s website at www.legislature.org or of course, contact me and I’ll be happy to provide you with more information on any of these measures. I had my first opportunity to carry a bill this year from the Federal and State Committee. The base bill of HB452, which was requested by Juvenile Justice Authority Commissioner Jennings, dealt with juvenile detention, alcohol and current practices. Ironically, as the new bill was written to amend a statute in Chapter 41, it was amendable to liquor bills and amendments. Two minor amendment concerning farm wine production in Kansas were added but neither affected the original content of the bill. The bill passed of the House floor 122-0 the next day.

One visit I look forward to every year is from the annual Lincoln County Leadership class. They visited the Capital on March 18th – one of the busiest days of the session. But even with our schedules, Senator Emler and myself, along with State Treasurer Dennis McKinney and Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis had a working lunch with the group at the Ag Retailers Association Building across the street from the Capitol. Tom Tunnel, a former resident of Lincoln County, hosted the luncheon and spoke to the group about his firms’ duties and responsibilities as lobbyists.
It is hard to believe but it has been nearly thirty years since I was a page at the Capital for Representative Bill Fuller while I was a student at Minneapolis High School. I remember how important that day was to me and encourage students to spend part of a day paging for me. I was happy to host four pages from Minneapolis on Wednesday – Colton Baker, Tyler Mocckel, Adam and Noah Garbin. As it was spring break for most students in Kansas, there were many pages but they all had opportunities to run errands for us during our busy day on the floor. The Governor was in his office that day as well so they had a moment to shake his hand and personally introduce themselves to him along with a photograph to record their visit.

I look forward to seeing you the next weeks during the longer spring break in the month of April. What was originally conceived as a time for farmers to return home to plant crops has now turned into a pivotal time for gaining feedback before returning for the legislature’s final push in the “veto” session. It also allows researchers to provide us with fresh numbers on what’s happening and where budgets are expected to be when we return. If budget projections remain flat or fall within an acceptable range I’m confident we’ll be able to wrap up reasonably quickly—however if revenues continue to fall we’re going to face a very difficult session.

Please call me if you would like me to visit your group during my break. I hope to get around to as many school classes as I can and I will be happy to speak at meetings or lunches as time allows. I look forward to hearing your input, and hope you’ll contact me if you have any requests or questions. I appreciate your continued support—and thank you for your interest in the legislative process.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2010 Session: 11th Week

2010-03-22T21:46:00.001-05:00

Dear Constituants,

The weeks seem to be passing very rapidly here in Topeka and we will begin week eleven with all day Session on the floor as the regular committee process ended last week. However, I do sit on Federal & State Affairs and if necessary, we can be called back in for meetings as it is an exempt committee. My daily routine will stay the same but we will be meeting as “a committee of a whole” rather than breaking into the three smaller committees. Many of my days begin at 7:00AM when I arrive to get a head start before the building begins to hum with activity. The Republicans hold Calendar at 8:00AM where we go over the bills that will be presented on the House floor and discuss possible floor amendments during the debate. Normally, my three committees would meet at 9:00AM, 1:30PM and 3:30PM with Session at 11:00 during the regular Legislative cycle. This week the House session will begin at 9:00AM and work through the day and perhaps into the evening to hear the bills that are left on General Orders. Along with the bills we are debating on the Floor, we will be asked to consider concur motions which are reports from the conference committees (three Representatives and three Senators) whether we agree with the House version and the Senate version merged into one bill alone. Often times two, three, four or more bills are added in together and I must make sure the content has not changed since my last vote on the individual bill.

It is not surprising that the House has shown little to no support for tax increases after limited debate on HB 2549 (which contained the Secretary of Revenue’s proposal to eliminate a number of sales tax exemptions). At the beginning of the debate, there were three amendments that passed with almost unanimous support. These amendments continue the sales tax exemptions for purchases by churches and religious organizations, residential utilities, and Lottery and Bingo ticket sales. With the adoption of the amendments, the bill would only remove the sales tax exemption on coin operated laundry facilities. Most of us thought that at that point we would have some of the components Governor Parkinson’s most recent tax proposal offered and have a long day of debate. However, a motion to table the bill until the last day of session, which is May 3, was brought forward and the motion passed with a narrow vote. In the Senate Tax Committee none of the bills to increase taxes passed out of committee when “worked” this week. It is not clear just what the support for a tax increase will be, or on what it will be offered. It does not make sense to prevent action for seven weeks until the very end of session and forcing the House to determine the money that is spent in our budget without knowledge of available revenue. That is not the way that most of us balance our family budgets. A House bill was passed off the Floor that would establish a study group to thoroughly analyze tax exceptions which are currently being utilized under state law. These exceptions range anywhere from sales tax exemptions on farm machinery to Girl Scout cookies. This study will give the legislative process more facts on how to best proceed in the future on tax collections and budgeting. Next week, the House will be working on the first passage of our budget priorities. Numerous amendments to spend more than the current revenues will support are likely to be offered. The House is scheduled to take up SCR 1614 which would create a stabilization fund in our state treasury. This was an issue that Governor Parkinson recommended in his State of the State Address in January. Kansas is currently one of only five states without such a fund. The fund would better prepare our state to have savings available to transcend economic downturns or other events such as disasters. This is how it would work. When the actual state revenues (minus federal funds) of a fiscal year are more than 3% higher than the previous year, .25% of the state revenues (minus federal funds) are transferred to the budget stabilization fund. Expenditures from the fund would require a three-fifths vote by both the House and Senate. This is very similar to the Budget Stabilization bill that the Government Efficiency and Fiscal Oversight Committee worked and passed out of committee last session. The biggest difference is that this proposed legislation is a resolution to amend the constitution, not just state statue, and would provide a higher protection for the fund. The bill, with strong support from the House and Senate, will most likely be worked through conference committee and because it is a constitutional amendment it will require a vote in the general election to be adopted. It certainly was a big surprise to learn that the state did not have a “savings account or reserve fund” to fall back upon when I began my first term but I have signed on every year to support this effort.

My committee work was heavy this past week with a variety of topics. House Commerce and Labor took up HB 2697 which would allow grocery stores to sell liquor and wine (but not Wal-marts or convenience stores) with a large group of people testified in favor of and against in the two day hearing. Due to the lack of time, the bill was not “worked” but I would guess it will be back next year as a bill can stay “alive” in the process for the next two year cycle. House bill 2537 which would have allowed convenience stores to sell full strength beer also failed to move out of Fed and State as well. Both of these bills would have changed how tax is collected on spirits, clerks under the age of 21 selling liquor and out-of-state ownership of stores. I believe both issues need more study. Perhaps the assignment of an interm committee over the summer to investigate the facts, fairness and the effects on all areas local economy that the proposed changes would be the best way to look at both of these issues. We also worked on Children in Need of Care, HB 2512 which clarifies more grandparent involvement in the laws enforced by the SRS and courts. The Community Defense Act was heard on Thursday in Federal and State Affairs; again a large group testifying pros and cons about stiffer regulating laws on adult stores and clubs. The Ag and Natural Recourses committee took up hunting clothing requirements for elk hunting at Fort Riley and a proposed bed tax collected (sent to our local CVB’s) on the cabins under the management of Kansas Department of Wildlife. Both moved out of committee on to the House floor for debate this coming week.
On Thursday, March 18, the Kansas Mental Health Coalition was here in the statehouse. They are an umbrella organization for more than 30 organizations that represent consumers of mental health services, advocacy groups, and child welfare providers. Three different groups met with me during breaks between committees. My friends, Shella and Jeff Thoman and their boys Noah and Isaac spent the day in the Capitol. They were able to catch both Senator Taddiken and myself and had the lucky experience of being evacuated along with everyone in the building during a fire emergency in the construction area during their visit.
Be sure to pick up the April 2010 edition of the Readers Digest. It was my honor to submit Commissioner Steve Errebo of Lincoln County as a hero in the HERO section of the magazine. The author told me that this was one of the best stories he ever had the opportunity to write and that Steve was the perfect subject for this section. You can find his story beginning on page 35. Congratulation Commissioner Errebo – you deserve this and so much more!!

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2010 Session: 9th Week

2010-03-15T19:33:00.001-05:00

Dear Constituents,

The next two weeks here in Topeka should prove to be very interesting and exciting as we are preparing to spend most of our time on the floor of the house. Our committees will be wrapping up bills with hearings and perhaps sending out a few more bills for debate by the 125 members. However, the main focus will be on the budget. The next two weeks we expect to have lively debate on the House and Senate floors possibly on a budget bill and tax bills. There are several proposals in the works to increase taxes of various types, but it remains to be seen which, if any, survive the floor debate and what they may look like when the day has ended.

We typically have two large budget bills each session. The first is called the mega budget before we recess the end of March, and the second is the omnibus budget before final adjournment the first part of May. The mega budget is being put together now and will contain the best information we currently have to put into revenue and expenditure proposals. It is the first comprehensive look at what the priority expenditures for the legislature are for 2011. A common phrase I’ve heard is “let’s wait until omnibus” but most bills have little or no fiscal impact so far and very few people are talking about adding money to the budget.

After the revenue estimators meet in April, we will be able to build the omnibus budget. Based on the latest revenue information, we can make a better determination of additional adjustments to programs that may be needed to balance the budget before final adjournment in May. Any corrections or adjustments needed to the mega budget that was passed earlier can be made in the omnibus budget. Solving the fiscal issues of the State in today’s economy will require either additional cuts to programs or tax increases. We cannot maintain programs without increasing taxes, or maintain taxes at the same level without cutting programs. These two go hand-in-hand. The State of Kansas is fortunate to have a balanced budget requirement in the State Constitution. As we know from the national news – the United States Government doesn’t have this requirement thus the huge national debt we are living with and sadly passing down to our descendants.

My Commerce and Labor and Fed and State committees heard fairly non-controversial bills this past week. Although this week was light, both of these committees will be packed next week with conferees and large audiences on two bills – the sales of liquor in Kansas grocery stores and HB 2144 Community Defense Act - regulating adult businesses in the state.

The Ag and Natural Resource heard statutorily required informational hearings from Grain Commodity Commissions. Several interesting facts were as follows: The crops in Kansas had a very good year in 2009 – corn produced a record yield of 155 bushels per acre resulting in harvesting over 598 million bushels of corn breaking the 2007 record. The US produces about 40 percent of the world’s corn crop using only 20 percent of the total area harvested in the world. Sorghum ranks Kansas first nationally again with growing 58.6 percent of the nation’s total sorghum crop. The top five markets for US Hard Red Winter Wheat are Nigeria, Mexico, Iraq, Japan and Brazil. Kansas wheat farmers produced 368 million bushels of wheat - 53 million bushels more that FY 2008. The reports also contain each commission’s budget and how the groups use the dollars from the voluntary assessment (check-off) per bushel collected during harvest.

Steve Bryant from Concordia spent part of his Monday last week in Topeka for the Kansas Optometric Association visiting with myself and Senator Taddiken. Dr. Bryant will be the President of this group next year. It was my honor to have Alex Farr from Bennington High School shadow me on Tuesday. He is with the gifted program and came along with a group of students to work with us for the day. He attended all of my committees with me, sat in on session and had the opportunity to meet the Governor.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2010 Session: 8th Week

2010-03-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

Dear Constituents,

Preparing for a long, difficult stretch of decisions that soon await, most of the work this week in the legislature took place in committee—with little substantive debate on the floor. Legislators remain cautious to pass measures with any potential cost to the state. As a result, there has been a timid tone in the legislature until it becomes clear where our numbers stand and what decisions we face.

While the Senate cleared a substantive and critical unemployment insurance fix (the SUTA bill from the House side), for small businesses and unemployed Kansans, the highlight of the week was perhaps the Friday press conference from the Governor announcing his response to last week’s shocking report that state revenues for February were projected to be $70 million below estimates. That saddles the state with $106 million in unexpected debt to recover before June 30.
In response, the Governor announced a series of six measures to reduce the 2010 budget by $85 million. The plan includes $28 million cut to the highway maintenance funds, $16 million in federal Medicaid payments, $15 million from temporary assistance to needy families savings, $10 million through passage of a primary seat belt law, $12 million in KPERS payment deferments, and a $4 million managed care privilege fee fix from the Department of Insurance. While the cuts fill a void, 4 of the 6 require legislative action and we will still face tremendous difficulty if revenues continue to fall over the next few months.

As I mentioned, most work took place this week in House committees, where members have defined the major priorities for the rest of the year and are holding hearings to get bills passed out to the full body for passage. The status of the child welfare system in Kansas was the topic in Federal and State Affairs committee for the entire week and it will continue on into Monday and Tuesday as well. This committee covers a variety of different social issues that are often hard to talk about and children-in-need is one of those difficult and emotional subjects. During this hearing of four proposed bills, grandparents along with foster and natural parents spoke to us concerning their problems with the current privatized system of adoption and foster care in the state. SRS (Social Rebiliation Services), judges and other supporters spoke on behalf of the agency and that the state of Kansas is used as a role model for other states’ legislation due to the organizations success with its five partners - KVC, DCCCA, Youthville, St. Francis and TFI. In Ag and Natural Resourses, Kansas Wildlife and Parks proposed SB 380 which would allow the department to adjust and set fees charged on the 75 cabins located in Kansas State Parks, state fishing lakes and wildlife areas. Twenty three cabins are planned to be added in 2010 and two of those (hopefully without delays) are to be located at Cloud County’s Jamestown wildlife area with the suggested rate of $60.00 per night. Secretary Svaty spoke to the committee on Water Law in Kansas and noted that the first regulated well was permitted in 1945. More water debate continues with discussion on SB 510 dealing with water conservation in closed areas rather than the practice of “use it or lose it”.

Angela Champlin and Donna Trost from Concordia along with members from Abilene representing Parents-As-Teachers visited with me during their day at the Capital on Tuesday. They brought me a new paperweight made of blocks which I will use in my office and remember the children they teach at home. I was very honored to have Kent Otott with Teens for Christ from Concordia, as my guest on the House Floor as the Chaplin of the Day. Kent spent the day with me attending committee meetings and had the opportunity to meet with the Governor before session. His prayer on March 4, 2010, will be printed in the House Journal and will be bound in a book at the end of the year – a recorded part of Kansas history.

Next week, I’m expecting to see some substantive floor action. The headliner will likely be the debate on a tax exemptions bill. This is notable because the bill will be amendable to nearly any tax proposal. For all purposes, I’m expecting this to be the major tax debate of the session, and a very challenging topic. The results of this debate also serve a functional purpose in providing our House Appropriations committee with an indication of what financial resources might be available to them in crafting the 2011 budget.

In two weeks, action will move almost exclusively to the House floor, where we will be debating and voting throughout the day—and sometimes into the night. It’s an exciting time of the year and as the weather continues to improve I hope to see you in the Capitol. I always enjoy visitors, but if you are unable to make it to Topeka, please feel free to contact me if you have questions about any state issue or have an idea on how State government can better serve the long term best interests of our community and state.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612

Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

Representative Bowers Encourages Young Women to Enter Scholarship Essay Contest

2010-03-02T13:33:00.002-06:00

The National Foundation for Women Legislators and the National Rifle Association are co-sponsoring their thirteenth annual Bill of Rights Essay Contest for college-bound female high school juniors and seniors, which this year will be entitled “Freedom and Civic Virtues.” The contest’s seven winners will each receive a $3,000 college scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to NFWL’s Annual Conference November 18-22, 2010 where they will network with, be mentored by and speak to hundreds of women lawmakers from across the United States.

“This is an excellent opportunity for local members of the Class of 2010 and 2011,” said NFWL member, Rep. Bowers. “This contest will help seven young women enhance their understanding of the role of women in politics through a hands-on learning experience. It provides an excellent opportunity to develop leadership skills while assisting with college tuition expenses.”

“The Millennial Generation is the future of American politics,” said Rep. Bowers. “By understanding and explaining the importance of American virtues and rights, young women can make a lasting impact on the future of American policies. This essay contest is an opportunity for young women to win a college scholarship while making their voices heard on the true intentions of the Bill of Rights.”

Entries must be received or postmarked no later than July 30, 2010, after which an NFWL selection committee will judge each essay and determine the seven winners. The judges will primarily weigh the factors of storytelling, understanding of the Bill of Rights, and original insight.

The National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) enables women lawmakers to be more effective leaders. NFWL provides women Members of Congress, state legislators, county commissioners, and city council members with strategic resources, including debates and briefings on the issues, leadership skill development, and opportunities for networking.

Questions by potential applicants may be directed to Rep. Bowers at 785-296-7642 or to the NFWL office, 202-293-3040 ext. 1005.

E-mail: scholarships@womenlegislators.org
Website: www.womenlegislators.org

2010 Session: 7th Week

2010-03-01T16:13:00.001-06:00

Dear Constituents,

After a short break to reset for the second half of the session, we quickly re-focused and addressed substantial legislation this week. With long debates beginning Wednesday, the House this week cleared two substantive measures, while committees got back to work on their priorities for this key stretch of the legislative session.

On Thursday, the House concurred with a Senate measure to ban smoking statewide. The measure had become a perennial issue in the legislature, pitting personal and local freedoms vs. public health concerns. Ultimately, after a spirited debate the bill advanced to the Governor’s desk on a 68-54 vote and is expected to be signed fairly quickly.

We also spent most of our session on Friday deliberating on a number of amendments to one of the state’s most successful economic development tools. The Promoting Employment Across Kansas (or PEAK) Act provides prospective companies considering Kansas for re-location an incentive to do so by providing a window of time in which they are not obligated to pay employee withholding taxes. The incentive can also be earned by businesses with offers to re-locate a business in order to retain those jobs.

As last week was “turn-around”, we are now looking at Senate bills in my committees with hearings from the proponents and the opponents again. In high school government classes, we learned that bills have a hearing in each the Senate and the House coordinating committees then is brought to a full vote on the floor of each chamber. We are now in the process of “tweaking” each other’s bills which have passed out of each committee and survived a vote of each body. Only after each bill has received a vote in each chamber then the all-important conference committee is assigned and the two different bills are merged together and brought back to us for a full vote before it goes to the Governor’s desk for his signature to become law. If this process is allowed to happen, a bill is fully “vetted” with all 165 of us having a vote in the matter. This is exactly what didn’t happen with HB #2221 which we knew as the “smoking bill” here. This bill was introduced as a childcare bill then gutted to allow the new language to be inserted on the Senate side. A motion was made on the House floor to “concur” with the Senate which means we cannot amend or add or change this Senate bill in any way– only debate it. This maneuver (or shortcut) removed any chance of improving the bill which is an important health issue in Kansas – the effects of second-hand smoke. Under this provision, all casinos in Kansas will be exempt as will nursing & retirement homes (smoking in designated areas), VFW’s, American Legions, class A & B private clubs licensed before January 2009, tobacco shops and also private golf, hunting, fishing and shooting clubs. Calls and emails from home where equally split on this issue but there was no doubt that we all agree that second hand smoke (and smoking) is a health hazard. In my three and half years here, I have always been careful to adhere to some fundamental principles. First, the process must be allowed to work completely and that communities, local government and businesses should work out these issues without mandate from the state. This is just the same as the “one size fits all” mandates from the federal government telling the state how we should conduct our business. Many of our counties and cities have already passed their own home rule ordinances tailored and accepted by local leadership and I am very conscience of these regulations as I am with our citizens and property taxpayers’ rights and choices. And as I have always said, please email me on issues such as this and if you ever think a vote of mine is peculiar, there are so many details (and politics at work) that aren’t always brought to the surface that I am happy to discuss with you.

A bill that was introduced in Federal & State affairs would name a state grass, Little Blue Stem, as the official state grass of Kansas. School children have been instrumental in this grass choice above all native grass in the state with the help of the Kansas Native Plant Society. Several Kansas students spoke about the grass (schizachyrium scoparium) which grows in every county in Kansas and in all kinds of soil. The committee staff even brought in a step ladder for one boy to reach the microphone to testify. Whether the bills reaches the floor for a vote remains to be seen as there are number of bills ahead of it including the most important matter of the final budget to be worked on yet. Next week the House will receive a full report on projected state revenue for the month of February. However, based on some initial projections we received Friday, the numbers are going to be devastating. While many expected the $38 million hole we face this year to increase around 20-30 million, Friday’s announcement that we’re looking at an additional $60 to $70 hurled the budget into a devastating free fall. For many, it’s a development that will alter the entire perception of the 2010 session.

We’re back to our standard schedules on Monday, and for most of the next month will be churning through legislation at a steady pace. As always, feel free to contact me concerning any of the news you’re reading about. As I mentioned, this is the portion of the session when we’ll be dealing with the “hot button” issues so your feedback is always appreciated.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2010 Session: 6th Week

2010-02-24T08:40:00.002-06:00

After hours of debate on just over 50 bills, the Kansas Legislature reached the halfway point of the 2010 session on Friday, adjourning until Tuesday for a break after “Turn Around Day,” the first major legislative deadline of the year. It’s a whirlwind of activity, and the long hours are grueling—but it’s also an exciting part of the process, and one of the more enjoyable times of the session in many ways.

The bulk of our work in the House took place on Thursday. While most of the legislation originally scheduled was fairly non-controversial, we had a long list of amendments—and debate stretched to into the evening hours covering a host of hot-button issues.

The 2010 rescission budget was the most important bill to clear the chamber, but we also cleared a critically important fix for small businesses facing drastic unemployment tax increases. Aside from those two “time sensitive” matters, most of the bills we considered dealt with efficiency controls, statutory fixes, and any other budget neutral proposals.

Although the week was full of activity, as a practical matter the Legislature will remain in somewhat of holding pattern until we have fresh budget projections. The decision to either raise taxes or further reduce spending presents a serious dilemma for legislators—and consequently not one we’ll be rushing to make. Once the boundaries of our budget limitations are well defined, we’ll begin crafting the ultimate solution to our shortfall, working to minimize the pain for taxpayers and beneficiaries alike.

Committee work was thin this week because of the increased floor debate—but we had a few measures to wrap up such as the SUTA bill I mentioned above. Many Kansas employers were surprised at their new rate they were assigned by the Department of Labor in December with the bulk of the money due in April. In many cases, the increases were 400-900% over the last year. House bill #2676 will restore the percentage to the standard rate with the difference to be borrowed from the Federal Reserve at an interest free loan for a year. Other measures are being looked at in the Commerce and Labor Committee to restore the former Five hundred and Fifty Million dollar fund back to solvency and still encourage Kansas businesses to hire or rehire people back. The Taxation and the Appropriation committees continue to look at exceptions and a fair tax policy across the state however until more revenue figures come in, it will be difficult to make a lot of headway toward balancing the budget.

As a Cloud County Community College Travel/Tourism Business graduate, I am always happy to see tourism promoted in the state – Susie Haver and Tammy Britt were in Topeka representing Cloud County at the Travel Industry Association of Kansas Legislative Day on February 16th and toured the Capitol with me. Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) had their annual conference in Topeka on Tuesday and Dana Hauck from Delphos attended and joined Rep. Tom Moxley (his K-State fraternity bother) and myself for dinner. It is important to note that three people from the Minneapolis graduating class of 1967 have made a huge impact on Kansas agriculture – Dana serving as KLA President, Steve Baccus as the President of Kansas Farm Bureau and Steve Clanton serving as the President of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Members of the American Legion and Auxilary met with legislators on Tuesday and I was honored to have Damon and Laura Christensen, Dave Hazelwood and Sgt. Jake Melhus take time to visit with me during their stay. One of my favorite yearly events is the Kansas Association of School Boards dinner. Attending from home were two of my school superintendents – Larry Combs, USD 333 and Gary Nelson, USD 298 who saved me a seat as session was late getting out Wednesday night. Cami Presler with Safe Homes (Domestic Violence Association of Central KS) stopped in my office Thursday morning before committee meetings began. I had the pleasure of meeting CCCC Academic Scholars, Scott Henry and Patrick Schulte and college staff, Dr. Jim Springer, Dan Gerber (who sat in on session earlier that morning), Kim Krull, Cathy Forshee, and Jenny Acree at the Phi Theta Kappa luncheon that day as well.
,

Looking forward, I’m expecting the initial House version of the 2011 budget to be rolled out within two weeks. It’s going to be an incredibly difficult process. I’m continually concerned about the distinct possibility of revenues dropping in the next two months, which would put us deeper in debt, and facing some painful realities. Regardless, I hope you will keep me informed not only of your thoughts concerning the budget, but any other measures that might impact our families and community.

We’ll have about three weeks before our next major deadline, so if you’d like to visit Topeka or get involved with legislation now is certainly the time. I appreciate the opportunity to serve you, and hope that if I might be of any assistance you will contact me.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2010 Session: 5th Week

2010-02-15T14:51:00.001-06:00

A week that was anticipated to be one of our busiest of the session lived up to that billing while committees worked to pass legislation before next week’s first major legislative deadline, “Turn Around Day.” Turn Around Day is significant simply because it marks the final opportunity for most bills to be considered in their house of origin. After the deadline, we exchange legislation approved by the House for the Senate’s proposals and the respective chambers begin making their ultimate determinations on those bills.

Wednesday, with surprisingly little fanfare or debate, the House passed our version of the 2010 rescission bill allocating funding for the remainder of the 2010 fiscal year. The bill represents around $90 million in cuts and is very similar to the Governor’s suggested rescission bill. The main difference is an amendment we added during House debate cutting legislator and state “officials” pay by 5% for the rest of the fiscal year. That measure would trim an extra $1.5 million. More importantly though, it signals an understanding that legislators and Kansas officials understand the difficulty we face in balancing the budget and are willing to make sacrifices as all Kansas families and business are already doing.

Aside from the budget bill, work on the House floor was fairly muted, and while we churned through a number of proposals, most were of a fairly non-controversial nature. This is traditionally the case, as we’re only meeting for an hour on the floor each day before Turn Around.

The Commerce and Labor committee continued to work on the SUTA issue (state unemployment tax) which is the annual tax paid into the state by employers on the first $8000 of every employee’s salary into a special fund. This fund pays out unemployment payments to Kansans who have lost their jobs in this economic downturn. Just over a year ago, the fund had a balance of over $550 million dollars and will be depleted within the month. The committee is working on the delicate balance of job growth verses the increased unemployment taxes or general taxes Kansas businesses must pay. House Bill #2444 introduced in Federal & State Affairs proposed the combination of the State Fire Marshall into the Insurance Commissioner’s office. The sub-committee recommended the bill be brought back to the full committee to move ahead with the transfer. Two bills dealing with the unlimited hunting of rattlesnakes and mountain lions were not moved out of the Agriculture & Natural Resource committee for debate on the House floor due to lack of a motion. It is legal to ‘protect person and property’ but it is illegal to possess the body or parts such as the rattles or the mounted cougar body which by the way the Department of Wildlife now admits does roam the state. One bill that was debated but was not sent out of committee was to allow the use of crossbows as well as regular compound bows during the same season (Archery Season). Another motion to demand “a doe be taken before a buck” in Archery Season was defeated as well. There was much discussion concerning the deer population (approximately 350,000 in the state) which promotes the yield of a three and half year buck as the much sought after trophy deer. Kansas ranks in the top three states in the nation along with Illinois and Iowa of having such animals to hunt – for both local and out of state hunters.

The past week was a busy one with visitors from home. Gary Dvork and Raymond Pachta with the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging were in town on February 9th for Older Kansan Day. They sponsored a breakfast and visited Legislator’s office during the day concerning issues facing the elderly in Kansas today. Linda Sutton with the KS Small Business Development Center in Concordia visited me on Tuesday during her Legislative Day at the Capitol. Erma and Gale Ethridge from Glasco with the Mid Plains Credit Union were in Topeka on Wednesday at the Kansas Credit Union Association annual visit with Legislators. Our County Treasurers spent Thursday and Friday in Topeka for the Kansas County Treasurer’s Association meeting with Pat Baccus from Ottawa County and Leah Hern from Dickenson attending the event. It’s no secret that my favorite youth program here at the Statehouse is the Page Program – I had four Sylvan Grove Students - Justin Canterbury, Aaron Augustine, Fritz Berger and Tyler Patrick page for me Thursday. They had a busy morning on the House floor after watching the Commerce Committee SUTA hearing. They also had their picture taken with Governor Parkinson in his office before session started.

Next week, we are scheduled to be “on the floor” for three full days of debate in order to clear the list of bills the committees have sent to the full body for consideration. It will obviously be a busy time in the House. This also provides constituents with an excellent opportunity to make your opinion on these matters clear. I’m always interested to hear fresh perspectives and hope you’ll share your thoughts with me.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2010 Session: 4th Week

2010-02-08T13:21:00.002-06:00

The close of the fourth week in Topeka finds the legislature in full swing. With members spending the bulk of their time churning through proposals in committee, the priorities and headlines for the 2010 session are coming into focus. The budget will continue to be the looming priority facing the legislature. We’ll soon be looking at bills concerning a wide range of issues from healthcare, lobbying reform, tax policy and immigration to texting bans and 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 always 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 simply covers funding for our current fiscal year. It’s not expected for the House and Senate to take long in reconciling their respective versions of the bill, which means we’ll be able to get to work on the controversial 2011 budget right away.

We were also fortunate to have four days of debate on the House floor. There were a couple of highly publicized bills, such as the ban on synthetic marijuana, but for the most part the bills we’re covering right now are of a non-controversial nature and enable us to keep the legislative calendar clear.

My three committees have met daily all continuing to have updates from agencies and testominy on a few bills in each meeting. Commerce and Labor should have a bill this next week to work on tax relief (SUTA – state unemployment tax) for Kansas businesses with the goal to spur on more hiring and create new jobs. A bill in Federal & State Affairs addresses a proposal to combine the State Fire Marshall into the Kansas Insurance Department office. Currently, the Fire Marshall is appointed by the Governor but would fall under the elected Insurance Commissioner’s chain of command. I was appointed to a sub-committee on this bill to gather more facts and bring back a suggestion to the full committee if we should proceed to “work the bill” or leave the department as is. I always enjoy watching people from home testify on bills – Dr. Bill McGuire from Cloud County County Community brought along students from one of his Equine Management classes and testified on the importance of Agri-business in Kansas’ ecomony. The Kansas Department of Agriculture continues to update us on rankings in the Agricultural & Natural Resourse Committee: Kansas ranks first in cattle slaughtered, second in cattle and calves on farms and third in cattle and calves on grain feed. The state is also ranked ninth in hogs on farms, 12th in market sheep and lambs, 15th in sheep and lambs on farms, 18th in milk production and 19th in meat and other goats. The committee also toured the Kansas Department of Agriculture Research Center located at Forbes Field. The basic function of this complex is to manage plant pests (insects, weeds and plant diseases) that may cause harm to agronomic crops. One Plant Pest Alert they have issued is for a fungal disease caused by a walnut twig beetle which attacks only walnut trees. Currently, the disease is found in Colorado and New Mexico but the department fears it will be brought accidently into Kansas through the transport of firewood. If you would like more information on this disease, feel free to call the KDA at 785 862-2180.

It is always my pleasure to spend time with people from home and this week was full of visitors. Dean and Chris Allison, Delphos and Jerry and Mary Jane Gallagher from Concordia attended the KS Electric Cooperatives on Monday evening. Doug and Kathy Funk took time to watch the House in session on Tuesday and have lunch with me during the Pharmacists Legislative Day at the Capitol. City Hall Day was Wednesday and Larry Uri and Ronnie Copple from Concordia found my basement office (with the help of a former law classmate of Larry’s who is now a revisor in my office complex) and also viewed the debate on the floor before lunch. The annual Farm Bureau Dinner was held Wednesday night. KFB President Steve Baccus from Ottawa County introduced Governor Parkinson who spoke about the importance of family farms. My guests from home were Tina and Mark Steinhaus and Raymond Splitter from Lincoln County, Tom Tibbits from Ottawa County and Brenda Morgan representing Cloud County.
As always, I’m glad you’re interested in our work. The process for bills making their way through the legislature can sometimes be difficult to follow, but I’m always happy to speak with constituents and would be happy to assist you in understanding how the process works. If you would like more information on the bills we’re hearing in my committees, or the status of a certain bill you may have read about please contact me. I’m always able to provide you with as much information as you need.

Rep. Elaine Bowers
Phone 1-800-432-3924
Kansas State Capitol
Room: 54-S
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, Kansas 66612

Phone: 785-296-7642
Email: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov

2009 Capitol Update

2009-12-31T20:19:00.002-06:00

(please click images to enlarge for reading)

Honoring the Veterans

2009-11-11T10:06:00.004-06:00

State workers unveil the new highway sign

A stretch of US highway 24 has been designated the World War II Veterans Memorial Highway. A dedication ceremony took place Tuesday just east of the US-24/US-81 junction where the sign stands. Through the initiative of Kansas Representatives Elaine Bowers and Vern Swanson, the Memorial Highway runs from the US-24/US-77 junction west of Thomas County.

- Concordia Blade Empire

Things that go Bump in the Night at the Brown Grand Theatre

2009-10-27T11:48:00.001-05:00

On Friday, October 23rd, the Brown Grand received the report from the Wichita Paranormal Research Society, which had conducted a research session at the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia KS on August 29, 2009 from 7 p.m to 3 a.m.. Sherrie Curry, Investigator, Public Relations Manager and Case Manager, reported to Susan Cantine-Maxson that there were definite signs of “activity” at the Brown Grand. Founded by Shane Elliott, The Wichita Paranormal Research Society is one of the fastest growing paranormal investigation teams in Kansas. The group's website, http://wichitaparanormal.com/ states, “ As paranormal investigators, we are committed to authenticating evidence and documenting the existence of any paranormal activity via audio, video, and other electronic means of equipment. By using current high-tech technology we are able to conduct extensive scientific investigations and interpret the evidence collected and present evidence to the client in the hopes of creating a better understanding of the current activity and possible options to be taken. The Wichita Paranormal Research Society does not attempt to "prove" a haunting. We are here to conduct an investigation where we look at all aspects of reported activity, client observations, and gathered evidence to come up with the most reasonable explanation.”

Curry sent via email several audio files which purport to have whispered sayings on them; many of them are a female voice and are quite difficult to hear. Cantine commented, “I’ve listened very carefully but the only thing I can distinguish is the one where a female clears her throat. I think perhaps we need more sophisticated equipment to play back the files to hear what the researchers heard. They say many of the phrases are hard to distinguish but sound like “It’s my fault” and “that’s right”. Other whisperings include the word “life” and “light”.

Cantine said that the most interesting evidence to her were the videotapes. “Curry sent us four short video clips which show lights. During the investigation the theatre was entirely dark except for flashlights. Curry stated that the bright light was the result of black lights on stage and in most of the videos, the moving light is a flashlight. There is one video, however, which seems to have an unidentified light movement. The Upper left shot of the balcony beside the stair entrance has a quick movement of light and dark that cannot be identified. Cantine continued, “ In some wedding photos from a few years back, it is a light source on stage or an aura that shows up in some of the pictures which was not visible when the photographer was taking the shots. That source of energy seems to be a commonality.”

Curry also reported three other occurrences which were not recorded on videotape:

1. While walking on the catwalk backstage Ted and I thought we saw a shadow of a person walk on stage into a room...maybe the electrical room towards the front of the stage on the left...if you are facing the stage. I thought it was one of us...but it wasn't. Not caught on video.

2. While standing on stage towards the back I thought I saw a shadow of a person up in the balcony on the right...if you are standing on stage...right where you (the Brown Grand) had prior claims...thought it was one of us...found out it was not.

3. While investigating up on the catwalk with Shaun (another investigator) we kept hearing voices but we were unable to identify where they were coming from. Sounded Female...not sure.

For years, the Brown Grand ghost has been called “Earl” because the general manager and son of the builder of the Brown Grand, Earl Van Dorne Brown died in his 30’s and had strong ties to the Brown Grand. Several individuals have reported odd events over the years such as the sighting of a man in period dress in the balcony, nails pounded in the walls in odd places during the Restoration in the late 1970’s. Last summer, an employee of the grocery store across the street says he was staying in the parking lot overnight, guarding a truck load sale, when his dog started barking incessantly. He looked out and saw a couple which looked like a soldier and a woman in old fashioned clothing entering the Brown Grand in the middle of the night through a door which is always locked. They never came out. Recently deceased owner of the Brown Grand when it was a movie theater, Jack Roney had reported that when he stayed late at the theatre, he often heard several voices as if people were having a party. Other unexplained occurrences such as lights dimming for no reason reinforce people’s ideas of the presence of a spirit.

Cantine said, “Since I’ve been here, I’ve always told everyone that Earl and I are buddies, even though I’ve never seen any evidence of a spirit. I know he would be very happy that the theatre is a theatre once again. I’m just sorry that he always gets blamed for everything. If a window gets left open, Earl did it. The computer doesn’t work; Earl is up to his tricks. What I like about the idea of Earl is that he is always very benign. Most of what the paranormal investigators reported was a female voice but they said that gender isn’t really a significant clue to a spirit’s identity, so I still like to think of the ghost as Earl, although there may be more than one spirit in the Brown Grand.”

When individuals were asked to share some of the stories of experiences with the Brown Grand ghost, Concordia resident and State Representative, Elaine Bowers reported:

“I really don’t have a “ghost story” but I will never forget a “feeling” I had following a tour that I gave when I worked at the Chamber of Commerce many years ago. I always had a routine of dropping the curtain last and pulling it up when everyone had left. But one day (and the last time I ever did this) when I was pulling it up and was keenly aware of a “heaviness” (the best way I can describe it) behind me and I turned around and saw the basement drop/floor door was open. It was more of a sense - I never saw anything but I felt something that made me tense up in a way that I had never done before - I had a big urgency to leave quickly. I had a hard time breathing and I felt a level of panic even. I pulled up the curtain as fast as I could and then hurried down the hallway to the front and locked up. I never had that “feeling” before or after nor have I allowed myself to be backstage near the basement door alone again - and I am perfectly happy to go on stage or even give a tour again - but never alone - I will leave with the group!”

Curry said that she didn’t have to worry because it is the electromagnetic force that causes that heaviness. The Brown Grand Ghost has always been a playful spirit.

This weekend, Cloud County Community College will be presenting a play written by director Susan Sutton entitled “Pleasant Hill” on October 29, 30 & 31 at 7. This play centers on the lives of the people buried in Pleasant Hill cemetery in Concordia, including the Brown family who established the Brown Grand Theatre. Perhaps audience members will also witness an occasional cameo role played by a spirit on stage or in the balcony.

For further information from the Wichita Paranormal Research Society contact

Sherrie Curry sherrie10@cox.net
1-316-993-2422

Susan Cantine-Maxson, Executive Director
Brown Grand Theatre, 1907 Restored Opera House
310 W 6th St
PO Box 347
Concordia, KS 66901
(785)243-2553
FAX: 785 243 1167
email: browngrand@nckcn.com
website: www.browngrand.org

Lincoln County Post Rock Celebration 2008

2009-10-24T09:22:00.002-05:00

REPRESENTATIVE ELAINE BOWERS TAPPED FOR LEADERSHIP POSITION

2009-09-22T20:15:00.002-05:00

September 22, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Kansas Representative Elaine Bowers was selected to serve in leadership for the nation’s oldest organization addressing the needs of elected women at all levels of government.

Bowers was elected to serve as State Director of Kansas for the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) at the 2009 NFWL Annual Conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. Representative Bowers was elected into the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006 and represents House District #107 in north central Kansas.

By accepting the State Director position, Representative Bowers is charged with encouraging support throughout Kansas. Representative Bowers also coordinates activities with the Regional Director of Region 5 which includes AR, KS, LA, MS, MO, OK.

“I am honored to have been selected for this position and eager to reach out to all of the elected women who serve in Kansas to build relationships and include them in the many important programs and initiatives that the National Foundation for Women Legislators offers,” stated Bowers. “I plan to increase opportunities for growth, prosperity, and wellness within the state.”

“Representative Bowers is an articulate and impassioned leader,” remarked NFWL President & CEO, Robin Read. “Her leadership will be an asset to the Foundation and I am confident that with her commitment this will be one of the most exciting and productive years that NFWL has seen,” continued Read.

Elected women from across the nation gathered at NFWL’s recent Annual Conference in New Mexico to identify effective solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing issues. Providing a non-partisan environment that encourages dialogue and information-sharing, legislators are able to build coalitions, share the concerns of their constituents, and highlight initiatives that have been successful within their own state at this annual event.

NFWL’s 2010 Annual Conference will take place November 18-22 at a location to be named shortly.

About the National Foundation For Women Legislators, Inc. (NFWL)
The mission of NFWL is to provide strategic resources to elected women from all levels of government for leadership development and effective governance through conferences, seminars, issue education materials, professional and personal relationships, and networking at the local, state, and federal levels. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, NFWL does not take ideological positions on public policy issues, but rather serves as a forum for women legislators to be empowered through information and experience.

Jamestown Dedication and managing the Wetlands

2009-09-21T12:41:00.000-05:00

By Sharon Sahlfeld

Beloit Call Sports Editor

Local sportsman, area residents and political leaders joined the leaders of several conservation organizations in celebrating the dedication of the Jamestown Wetland Renovation Project on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Gun Club Marsh dam site.

Master of Ceremonies for the dedication was Scott Manley, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Jackson, MS. The invocation was given by Johnny Belz, TX and the youth led in the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance. Speakers included Keith Sexson, Assistant Secretary of Operation, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks; Jane Irvine, Greenwing Legacy Advocate, Leavenworth; Tom Warner, former Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commissioner; Bill Watson, The Nature Conservancy, Wichita; Dennis Haag, Kansas Alliance of Wetlands and Stream, Salina; Jordan Martincich, Pheasants Forever, Ottawa; Kirk Lowell, Cloud Corp, Concordia; Barth Couch, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Salina; Representative Elaine Bowers, Concordia; and concluded by Judy Hill, Mayor, Jamestown.

The day of the dedication began at 9:30 when Greenwing Legacy members (youth members) of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. banded geese with leg bands and neck collars, then released them onto the marsh. After a short break, a drawing was held in which Lori Slate, Jewell, won a copy of a limited edition print entitled "Jamestown Revisited" by Harold Roe, wildlife artist.

"The dedication marks the end of phase one in a multiphase renovation project," said Rob Unruh, Wildlife Manager for Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, These historic wetlands were deteriorating due to sediment deposited in the wetland from the 138 square miles of the Marsh Creek Watershed which lies mostly in Jewell County, but also in Republic and Cloud counties."

The Kansas Forestry Fish and Game Commission purchased back several tracts from private landowners in 1932 and began management of what was referred to as Republic County State Lake, which is now Gamekeeper Marsh, the largest marsh that lies just north of Gun Club Marsh which is where the dedication took place. The old Jamestown Gun Club was purchased by the agency in the 1950's and 60's and became Gun Club Marsh.

The area is managed by Rob Unruh, Webber, and Assistant Manager, Matt Farmer, Concordia. It is supervised by Public Lands Supervisor, Bruce Taggart, Hays. Law enforcement duties are shared by the Wildlife Area Managers, Lieutenant Lynn Thompson, Scandia, and Natural Resource Officers Todd Robinson, Concordia and Michael Peterson, Mankato.

Rob Unruh was hired in January of 1990 to manage several wildlife areas in North Central Kansas with Jamestown being one of those areas. "I have been hunting in Jamestown for several years prior to being hired by KDWP so I was familiar with the territory and the mud, oh the mud!, said Unruh.

Working for another conservation agency prior to his employment at Jamestown, Unruh understood the landscape and the processes responsible for the sediment which had filled the marshes. "Now it has become my chance to explore options to keep this marsh functioning for wildlife to migrate to and hunters to build memories with," stated Unruh.

The natural salt marsh wetland located on the 140 mile drainage of Marsh Creek is historically old and was mentioned in Col. Zebulon Pike's journals and in many historical accounts, surveyors notes and early naturalist bird findings. They were wet and then in the summer they were dry leaving the salt laying on top of the cracked soil. Sometimes that schedule was reversed but it attracted wildlife and water attracted people. Early settlers tried to dam the marshes to make the wet season last longer than the dry. Floods would cover vast areas in the flat creek bottoms. They would not last long but maybe several in a year.

The marshes had been managed as lakes by the early Forestry Fish and Game Commission since 1932 but they were really marshes all along. Management was at the pleasure of the creek. "The former managers showed me copies of grand projects to offset the sediment and control the water but they never quite got funded and those old hunters would tell the tales of the good old days but they didn't quite remember the bad days," said Unruh, "When it was time to ask the public if they thought the marshes were worth saving they all said yes. They offered ideas, brushed off old plans to be updated and even money if we could make a plan. The old duck hunters were told that the renovation would dry up the marshes for awhile and they were willing to make the sacrifice."

Matt Farmer has known Rob since he was ten years old. "Not to make him sound old or anything, but he has a picture of me when the department initiated its first youth season," said Farmer, "I was fifteen years old when my dad and a friend brought myself and two other youngsters to Jamestown. We had a great hunt and an even better experience."

Now Farmers experience has brought him back to the wetlands to assist Unruh in managing the wetlands.

Farmer started working in the Jamestown Wildlife area on December, 2008. He attended the Kansas Law Enforcement training center for law enforcement certification January through mid April at Marion Reservoir in 2006. At Marion, he was a seasonal employee through the summers in college and was hired as a Public Lands Wildlife Biologist Technician. He has been with KDWP since March of 2006.

Farmer was hired at Jamestown Wildlife Area to assist with the operation and management of the area. Rob has three other properties he manages along with Jamestown. Farmer's job is to lighten his load where ever he can. He oversees projects that take place on the area and coordinates with contractors to make sure everything runs smooth. He assist with habitat development and management, which includes moving water to flood habitat for waterfowl, burning uplands for ground nesting birds, controlling noxious weeds and unwanted vegetation on the area, and anything else that we include in our management plan. He supervises several seasonal employees and is responsible for the maintenance of the area infrastructure, equipment and buildings on the area. Farmer performs Law Enforcement duties as well, patrolling opening and busy weekends and is in the area throughout the year. He works with other Area Managers and Biologists inside and outside the department on surveys and research projects that take place throughout the year.

"Law Enforcement is another management tool that is crucial for our resources on the area," said Farmer, "My job is to make sure every one is safe and that they are following our state/federal laws and regulations."

Farmer works with other organizations to plan special events such as youth hunts, special hunts/events such as the dedication. He also gives presentations to groups about the area and the natural resources of Kansas.

"As managers, we wear a lot of different hats. We do everything from paying bills and cleaning toilets, to working on equipment and writing articles for our magazine and our area web page," says Farmer, "If you can think of anything at all, we do it on our areas. We are passionate about what we do and we want our users to enjoy our areas as much as possible."

"I love working at Jamestown," said Farmer, "I have always been interested in wetland management, and to come to an area that is growing and improving is very exciting to me. I find the job challenging and I am learning a lot from Rob and the other managers in this region. The improvements we have made have been exciting as well. It is great to see how the local community has supported this project. These improvements will allow us to be able to produce the best habitat possible for the wildlife that thrive here and for our users enjoy."

Farmer lives in Concordia with his wife of four years and his 16 month old daughter. "I grew up hunting ducks here at Jamestown and harvested my first duck here when I was eleven years old," said Farmer, "I have been blessed with a family who loves the outdoors." Hunting, fishing and camping out was a major part Farmer's childhood. He decided at an early age that he wanted to work with wildlife and has always been interested in managing habitat for wildlife. "It is very rewarding to see people on our area (especially kids and families) having great experiences while hunting, fishing, and/or camping," said Farmer, "My father has been an avid waterfowler his whole life. He has been a major influence on me and is still my best hunting partner. We have always been close and I consider him to be my best friend. I believe that is all because he took the time 24 year ago to take me along and show me what the outdoors and hunting were all about. He started taking me duck hunting when I was four years old, and I have been a "waterfowl junkie" ever since. I can't get enough of it. My wife loves to join me on some hunts to harvest a few birds and take pictures."

Rob Unruh has become the right person at the right place and time. With Rob in the lead, joined by the cast of Scott Manley, Eric Held and Bruce Taggart, with backing from Secretary Mike Hayden, Fish and Wildlife Division Director Joe Kramer and Public Lands Section Chief Brad Simpson, local constituents and legislators, these improvements have been carried out like clockwork.

"The engineers drew up plans and we would evaluate and then look for partners to help with funding the project," say Rob Unruh. We formed a group of 15 partners. We applied for the grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, twice! We finally got approved and construction began. Bids were let and contractors came to work from Louisiana, Beloit and Oklahoma. Drainage canals were built first but they not only helped dry the marsh to help construction but are a part of the seasonal water management we will use for years to come. The new Marsh Creek Marsh was constructed to gain almost 300 more acres of habitat. The old Gun Club Dam was raised to gain back some water depth lost from years of sediment buildup. Then the berm in the middle of Gun Club Marsh was constructed to divide the marsh and help us manage water and habitat better, especially in the dry years when at least one side will have the water needed for migrating waterfowl and fall hunting. A by pass canal was also constructed to move water stored in the upper Marsh, Gamekeeper, into the west marsh of Gun Club. We also constructed the drainage canals in Gamekeeper Marsh in preparation of a future project. We had a lot of help.

At the start of the dedication, Speaker, Jane Irvine, Greenwing president said, "The dedication today is proof of hard work where state and federal came together to help save our wetlands. The Carin monument dedicated in 1932 to preserve our wetlands left a legacy over 75 years ago for the future of Ducks Unlimited."

Junior Greenwings are younger Ducks Unlimited members. By joining DU, they participate in the conservation, restoration and management of wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. A contribution of $10 makes a Greenwing member of Ducks Unlimited. As a DU Greenwing member, they can be proud to know that they are one of more than 60,000 young people who love the outdoors and care about protecting wetlands across North America.

In 1985 Kansas Fish and Game Commission partnered with Ducks Unlimited to purchase habitat and build several small wetlands, the first project of this type in Kansas. More lands were purchased in the 1990's and the Shelley Wetland and the Jamestown Oxbow Marshes were completed.

In 2001, it was decided to get serious about making significant improvements to Jamestown for future generations. A public meeting was held in Concordia and the consensus was to move forward with a renovation project. Ducks Unlimited stepped forward and Scott Manley was assigned to the project. This was the start of something big for Jamestown.

In 2002, an engineer was needed to put ideas on paper and Chris Cox, a lifelong hunter of Jamestown, from Schwab-Eaton Engineering took an interest in the project. He was later joined by Eric Held, DU Engineer, to progressively plan towards results on the ground.

The plans were presented to the public in 2003 and everyone was realizing this renovation was really going to happen.

A contract to develop drainage channels in Gun Club Marsh was completed and additional wetlands were purchased in 2004.

In 2005, new acquisitions made it possible for a new large marsh below Gun Club and the 300 acre Marsh Creek Marsh, which backs up to the Gun Club Dam behind were the dedication took place, was born.

Also in 2005, the first Jamestown North American Wetland Conservation Act grant (NAWCA) was submitted and rejected, but the council said they could resubmit if the funds were secured with partner support. In just 60 days, a total of 13 new partners and $152,000 was submitted and the $3.2 million grant was approved.

Gun Club Marsh dam was modified in 2006 and raised one foot to offset the loss of water depth due to sedimentation. The average depth at the time was only 18 inches.

The Gun Club Phase I Project began in 2007 with construction of the subdividing berm which split the marsh in two for better habitat management. Marsh acres loss for berm construction, were mitigated by building the small 14 acre marsh directly below Gun Club. A bypass canal was also constructed to move normal creek flows from the Gamekeeper Dam, trough the west side of Gun Club Marsh. Phase I construction was complete with the drainage channels for Gamekeeper Marsh and replacing he old slide gate.

In December 2007, the 2nd NAWCA grant was received for $1.4 million land acquisition from willing sellers. To date there have been three acquisitions adding 185 acres. All these acres remain on the local county tax roles.

In 2008, with the help and support of local Concordia Representative Elaine Bowers, the new Assistant Manager position was achieved. Matt Farmer, a lifelong hunter of Jamestown started work in December 2008.

During the 2009 ceremony, Representative Elaine Bowers, Concordia, thanked Rob Unruh for all that he has done on the project. "It has been a learning experience and we have been able to keep the front doors open for the project," she said.

Awarded in 2009, a grant from Conoco/Pillips, will result in a $220,000 project called Buffalo Creek Marshes located just across the Buffalo Creek Bridge north of the city of Jamestown. With support from conservation partners, DU, and the Play Lakes Joint Venture, the Buffalo Creek Marsh project will create 197 acres of marsh that will be ready to hunt in 2010.

Tom Warner, former Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commissioner; and now a professor at K-State in natural resources said, "Thirty three years ago at the overlook, I saw open water with ducks everywhere and I knew then, we had found a very special place. I come and hunt here every year and I am a strong supporter in the development of the Marsh." He continued, "We have had tremendous support by the Wildlife and Parks and I tip my hat to them for their support. I hope the Wildlife and Parks and sportsman continue to work on this development. It's not done yet. I come here for outdoor recreation and I wish to thank Rob Unruh for his always helpful way. He is a good guy to be around, a true professional, a mainstay always there to say hi and welcome us to our site."

Scott Manley, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. and Master of the ceremony, presented speaker Bill Watson, The Nature Conservancy, Wichita. "I showed Watson the project from an airplane and it was a bumpy ride that day," said Manley, "Both of us were looking a little green and I told Bill that if he promised to help us out I would take him down," Manley said laughingly, as he introduced Watson to the podium.

"This movement has gone forward but has been a long journey and without all the pieces in the middle it would have never worked," said Watson, "It has all been about connections. About connections of water flowing, that provides for wildlife. A connection that is hard to understand and easy to disrupt. A connection between the government, county, landowners, etc. Today, I appreciate the chance to celebrate that connection that made this all possible, and to be a part of this project.

Dennis Hagg, Kansas Alliance of Wetlands and Stream from Salina talked about KAWS and their outlook on the Jamestown project.

KAWS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure the future of wetland and streams for future of generations. KAWS works with local people to create, protect and restore our state’s wetland and stream resources. Organized in 1996, KAWS is a 501.C.3. educational public charity reaching a broad spectrum of individuals, groups, and governments to improve the wetlands and streams they own or control. KAWS provides its services through 12 local chapters that cover the entire state.

Jordan Martincich, Pheasants Forever speaker of Ottawa, thanked all the Chapters for their support and said, "It is great to see all the young people here and getting involved. Kids, I hope you remember your parents, uncles or whoever are taking you hunting are doing you a service and always thank them."

Barth Couch, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Salina, said, "We are not done yet. We still have to focus on our mission."

Speaker Kirk Lowell, Cloud Corp, Concordia, said, "There has been local partnership that has helped make this happen and Rob Unruh is the spark plug that keeps it running. We need our local participation and regional coalition with Cloud County commissioners. Without our local and political help this would not be possible."

Jamestown mayor, Judy Hill, thanked all who were their to support the dedication and invited them to the community hall for a wonderful dinner which was prepared by Jude's and sponsored by Ducks Unlimited. Mayor Hill concluded with a prayer. Hill and Bowers along with Greenwing, Justin Saathoff of Lawrence, unveiled the Carin Monument overlooking the Marsh.

The wildlife area is a 4,729 acre public hunting area and is situated in the Central Flyway, making it an important migration stopover for waterfowl, shore birds and other water birds, including the endangered whooping crane, which is a frequent visitor in both spring and fall.

"This project is the result of a partnership between 15 different groups and organizations." continued Unruh, "Together they supported the 3.2 million dollar renovation. Without this renovation, the marsh would have filled with sediment and cattails, and ceased to exist someday."

Unruh explained that current farming and conservation methods on the watershed have drastically reduced the amount of sediment that now comes into the marsh. However, with the renovation, Wildlife Area managers are able now to better control excessive stands of cattails, provide better habitat for wildlife and it improved the area with better access for hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.

"The key element in the renovation was better water management, said Unruh, No sediment was removed due to the prohibitive cost and environmental concern."

In March 2010, another NAWCA grant will be submitted to enhance existing Marsh Creek Marsh and a pumping facility for the Buffalo Creek Marshes. Department funds used for the construction of Buffalo Creek Marsh this year will be used as match in NAWCA III next year.

Partners of the Jamestown Wetland Renovation Project are: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; North American Wetland Conservation Council (NAWCA); Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; The Nature Conservancy; Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams; Pheasants Forever; Westar Energy; Kansas Wildlife Federation; Cloud Corp; Cloud County Board of Commissioners; City of Jamestown; Cloud County Convention and Tourism; Jewell County Board of Commissioners; Republic County Board of Commissioners; and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

“In order to secure the NAWCA grant we had to show support from this partnership; NAWCA contributed $1 million while the 2.2 million dollar balance was a combined effort from the other groups,” said Unruh.

Rob Unruh commented, "If you attended the dedication you saw the shadow of the good old days and the folks, almost 200 strong. The old duck hunters, former managers and the new faces of the young Greenwings that banded the wild geese. They all still said yes. We will still manage at the pleasure of the creek but we have learned a lot about her and will try to work with her to mimic the natural wet and dry cycles and of course manage for the future. Water for everyone and every living thing is important. We need more good old days outdoors, more old duck hunters. It takes young duck hunters to make old duck hunters and older need to recruit the younger. Oh the mud? It's still there but it's not so bad when it has a chance to dry out and grow plants that wildlife love."

Jamestown Wetland Renovation Project Dedication

2009-09-21T11:04:00.001-05:00

Local sportsman, area residents and political leaders joined the leaders of several conservation organizations in celebrating the dedication of the Jamestown Wetland Renovation Project on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Gun Club Marsh dam site.

The dedication marks the end of phase one in a multi-phase renovation project, said Rob Unruh, Wildlife Manager for Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. These historic wetlands were deteriorating due to sediment deposited in the wetland from the 138 square miles of the Marsh Creek Watershed which lies mostly in Jewell County, but also in Republic and Cloud counties.

The marsh itself is just north of the city of Jamestown. The wildlife area is a 4,729 acre public hunting area and is situated in the Central Flyway, making it an important migration stop-over for waterfowl, shore birds and other water birds, including the endangered whooping crane, which is a frequent visitor in both spring and fall.

This project is the result of a partnership between 15 different groups and organizations. continued Unruh, Together they supported the 3.2 million dollar renovation. Without this renovation, the marsh would have filled with sediment and cattails, and ceased to exist someday.

Unruh explained that current farming and conservation methods on the watershed have drastically reduced the amount of sediment that now comes into the marsh. However, with the renovation, Wildlife Area managers are able now to better control excessive stands of cattails, provide better habitat for wildlife and it improved the area with better access for hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The key element in the renovation was better water management, said Unruh. No sediment was removed due to the prohibitive cost and environmental concern.

The renovation project began in 2001 with public meetings followed by a feasibility study in 2003; drainage of channels in 2004; construction of a new 300 acre marsh, named Marsh Creek Marsh, in 2005; raising the height of the Gun Club Marsh dam in 2006; and they completed construction of a sub-dividing berm and bypass canal in Gun Club Marsh in 2007. Jamestown Marsh was flooded 8 times in 2008 causing damage to the construction and repairs were completed early this year.

The division of Gun Club Marsh into 2 units, accomplished by constructing an earthen levy, allows for different management activities in each marsh unit. This arrangement also is a water conservation measure to be used in water-short years. All of the water can be channeled into one or the other units, allowing the marsh to be at optimum condition for wildlife and hunting.

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. enlisted the professional services of Schwab-Eaton Engineers to design and manage construction of the project. Chris Cox, a Concordia native, was the principle engineer.

Speakers at the dedication highlighted the value of the renovation and the importance of the 15-organization partnership that made it all possible.

Partners of the Jamestown Wetland Renovation Project are: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; North American Wetland Conservation Council (NAWCA); Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; The Nature Conservancy; Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams; Pheasants Forever; Westar Energy; Kansas Wildlife Federation; CloudCorp; Cloud County Board of Commissioners; City of Jamestown; Cloud County Convention and Tourism; Jewell County Board of Commissioners; Republic County Board of Commissioners; and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

In order to secure the NAWCA grant we had to show support from this partnership; NAWCA contributed $1million while the 2.2 million dollar balance was a combined effort from the other groups, said Unruh.

The day of the dedication began at 9:30 when Greenwing Legacy members (youth members) of Ducks Unlimited, Inc banded geese with leg bands and neck collars, then released them onto the marsh. After a short break, a drawing was held in which Lori Slate, Jewell, won a copy of a limited edition print entitled Jamestown Revisited by Harold Roe, wildlife artist.

Master of Ceremonies for the dedication was Scott Manley, Ducks Unlimited, Inc, Jackson, MS. The invocation was given by Johnny Belz, TX and the youth led in the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance. Speakers included Keith Sexson, Assistant Secretary of Operation, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks; Jane Irvine, Greenwing Legacy Advocate, Leavenworth; Tom Warner, former Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commissioner; Bill Watson, The Nature Conservancy, Wichita; Dennis Haag, Kansas Alliance of Wetlands and Stream, Salina; Jordan Martincich, Pheasants Forever, Ottawa; Kirk Lowell, CloudCorp, Concordia; Barth Couch, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Salina; Representative Elaine Bowers, Concordia; and concluded by Judy Hill, Mayor, Jamestown.

The unveiling of the Carin Monument was accomplished by Judy Hill and Rep. Elaine Bowers. A luncheon, sponsored by Ducks Unlimited, Inc. was held at the Jamestown Community Center following the dedication.

The area is managed by Rob Unruh, Webber, and Assistant Manager, Matt Farmer, Concordia; supervised by Public Lands Supervisor, Bruce Taggart, Hays. Law enforcement duties are shared by the Wildlife Area Managers, Lieutenant Lynn Thompson, Scandia, and Natural Resource Officers Todd Robinson, Concordia and Michael Peterson, Mankato.

Local Troops Deployment Luncheon Speech

2009-07-22T18:22:00.004-05:00

Thank you fellows! It’s so wonderful to be up here wishing you goodbye from us here in north central Kansas! I asked myself how to make this ceremony better yet for you and I think I found a few ways. When your Captain Reidel called, he asked just for a speech but he got all of this instead. I phoned our American Legion Auxiliary President Gwen and asked her to do a lunch for you and your families – she said “YOU BET” – I asked if we should check with American Legion men - she said NOPE. Sorry Commander Valcoure! –GIRLS WIN! Let me have them wave to you: (insert from Gwen: The American Legion Aux. Unit 76 of Concordia has sponsored this luncheion. Hosted by the Units veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Chairman Pattie Post and Community Service Chairman Lorenne Phipps. Other members helping are: Gwen Trost, Laura Christensen, Ruth Lewellyn, Vicki Roberts, Anita Wisdom, Alice Fay Hanson, Jeniffer Ramsey, Kathy feriend, Karen Driscal, Wanda Sallman and Makayla Nelson. The auxiliary also wants to thank Walmart and the American Legion Club Room for their donations. The Auiliary all want to wish our local Troops and others the best of luck and that their prayers will be with you.
Just so you all know, Gwen is the President of the largest American Auxiliary unit in Kansas – 530plus! Good Job ladies!
And to Commander Bill Valcoure and Legion Rider President Ricky Simpson – thank you for never telling me NO whenever I ask for your help. You know and I know that everything I do in my job; you do in your job is due to these soldiers today and the veterans we’ve lost & those still with us. So a big thank you to the American Legion, the Auxiliary and Riders for today, for not forgetting our past & for stepping up EVERY TIME our men need us here.

So another thing I did was to call in some of my co-mates from Topeka to be here to eat lunch with you and say farewell with me. They’re here from around the state for you – let me have them stand up for you - Senator Jay Emler, Lindsborg, Representative Sharon Schwartz, Washington, Rep. Jim Ward, Wichita and Rep. Arlen Siegfried, Olatha. Thanks for coming!
I asked them here for a reason and this it is: I don’t know how many of you have ever contacted your legislator or have give much thought to who we are. I honestly thought the same way myself before I joined them in Topeka. Well here’s the great thing – besides your one Senator and your 1 Representative – you truly have 165 of us total in Topeka pulling for you, watching out for you & your families. And I haven’t even mentioned the other elected officials such as Treasurer McKinney, Agency heads and of course, your Governor. It’s important for you to know that you have any & all of us at a drop of a hat to help you at anytime. I also wanted you to see that we are really just PUBLIC SERVANTS or CITIZEN LEGISLATORS and not POLITICIANS you read about in the papers or see on TV. Real people doing a job defending your rights with laws like you do WITH your job of defending my freedom that you are trained to do. And Kansas Citizen Soldiers at that.

I know I was introduced as a Representative – but I also want you to know me as a daughter, grand-daughter and great-grand-daughter of Kansas soldiers. I grew up with stories full of memories complete with uniforms, pictures and medals to back them up. I still remember my Dad pulling down a shoebox of stuff from the closet when his friends were over. And so you also know, a big joy of my new job is working with veterans and supporting our troops anyway I can. There are so many aspects of the job but one is to carry a bill on the house floor – every member will do this at some point or another. If you are not used to standing behind a podium – it is nerve racking to say the least and if you have ever seen the house floor then you may remember how close the desks are together. I was assigned a bill my 1st month there, I researched it, tweaked the bill brief and took it to “the well” and did the job my leadership trained me to do to the best of my ability as a newcomer. And it went a good as I expected. – later that day Rep. McKinney (now Treasurer) who sat the closest to the podium on one side told me good job and I asked him if he could see my knees shaking! My friends know this quark of mine and still ask me about my knees today. The point of this story is to tell you that my knees aren’t shaking talking to you today and I know the secret now. I’m here for one reason today – that is to speak to you and you alone. They’re my peers – you are my people. It’s like tunnel vision just for you. I know who I am and I know who you are but better yet, I know what you do for me and everyone else in the State. I understand your oath, which by the way is very similar to ours. We both swear to God to defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Kansas. I understand your commitment but I also respect your sacrifice. I will never tell you I know how you feel – I don’t and I won’t pretend too even guess. Instead, let me tell you how I feel when I leave for the 4 ½ months to be a representative in Topeka. I leave every Sunday night and return every Friday night. I leave my life here - I leave my family, friends, job, my dog and my hobbies. My career consumes me that if you asked my husband Charlie if I’m really home when I’m home, he’d tell you NO. I miss dance programs, vocal programs, band concerts, conferences and homework. But I don’t miss a call to home every night. Other than what I just mentioned, I miss the smells of home the most; the dew on the grass, the mist of off my pond – just plain-fresh-Kansas-country air. NOW - what I gained is camaraderie with my co-mates - people I can count on through thick and thin, leadership from my “veterans” those who have served longer than I have – both parties and the notion of being part of something so much bigger than myself. And finally the satisfaction of knowing that I am doing something to help people, protecting people with good laws by using my own good judgment. I hope as I rattled those things off if I hit on a few of yours – so not to compare myself with you and your job at all, I dare to say I feel a connection to you that perhaps others not in our situation wouldn’t understand. Now having said all of that, I know when I leave home; people are there to take care of my family. And if by inviting my legislative friends here today & that you know you have me here or there, perhaps you can rest some easier knowing we all care more than you ever knew. Now Sgt. Mehlius and Sgt. Metz have my cell # and my email address – that’s how quick you can get me – and thanks to my 17 year old daughter – I know how to text too!

I want to tell you about a KS National Guardsman we sold a truck to before I left for session in January. Not unlike other people, he brought in a portfolio which I assumed he would put his title and paperwork into after I finished it – but I was wrong, he was headed directly to the courthouse to tag his truck and that thick book was his Purple Heart – one of two – so he could apply for the Kansas Purple Heart metal tag. As we talked about his experiences in Iraq he kept turning the conversation back to my job in Topeka – and then my jaw dropped as he told he admires what I do as a Representative. I was shocked – this Kansas soldier – wounded twice and with 2 bronze stars for bravery – admired me & my job? It didn’t compute and still doesn’t but we both agree we respect each other for what we do and will always be friends. He is in CA waiting for surgery as I speak – and I am anxious for him to return back to Kansas but certainly no more than his family who wants him home. I have another hero in Concordia and this one I related to as a parent. I knew my Chief of Police, Danny Parker & his wife had lost a son in Iraq but until he told us his story on Veterans Day in 2008 did I understand how a vote of mine in Topeka can matter in a truly personal way back home. He spoke of his grief, his anguish and his anger – his anger toward a group who protests at our soldiers funerals – you know who I mean. I voted for the Funeral Picketing Bill in my Federal & State Affairs Committee and then again on the house floor. It was back the next year to be strengthen even more. I voted again and I would vote a million more times YES for each and every one of you - and for my chief and all the families who need that protection that the law allows. It would be no big surprise to you that the American Legion Riders and Patriot Guards are heroes of Chef Parker would it? Today is my chiefs last day here in Concordia – lucky people in Winfield Kansas. But I doubt he can forget us here in Concordia though because we won’t let him!!

Did you know there was a display in the Capital building with an original Kansas National Guardsman uniform and other memento on the 1st floor? Well, I didn’t myself I am ashamed to tell you – I rushed by it every day my 1st year there always in a hurry going to my next meeting. It’s been moved now due to the remodeling of the Capital. I haven’t found it displayed yet but I will make you a promise – I’ll chase down that architect in the hard hat and 3 piece suit and see what his plans are and where they are putting it upon completion of the remodel. So when you are back from your tour in a year, how about looking me up in Topeka or one of my friends here to show it to you. And for that matter, with you commanders’ permission, of course, I bet this American Legion community will throw you a homecoming party – dinner and dance – if you’d like that – and you know - they haven’t told me NO yet!

So now, thank you taking time to have lunch with us here in Concordia with our citizens, our veterans and members of the American Legion, Auxiliary and Riders. Thanks you for everything you do to protect us and for all your sacrifices in doing it. Be safe, take care and remember, we will take care of everything and everyone back here in Kansas while you’re gone. And that’s a promise that cannot be broken – ever.

God speed and God Bless America!!

REP. BOWERS RECORDS THIRD CONSECUTIVE PERFECT VOTING RECORD

2009-06-30T16:15:00.000-05:00

TOPEKA – Representative Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) today commented on her 100% voting record during the 2009 Legislative Session. The accomplishment marks the third consecutive year of both perfect attendance and voting records for Rep. Bowers.

“I’ve always worked hard to maintain a diligent voting record,” she said. “That means casting some very difficult votes—but I was elected to represent our families and communities and that’s part of it.”

The House recorded over 300 votes on bills, amendments and resolutions during the session. This year the session was highlighted by challenging debates on the state’s budget shortfalls and the funding cuts resulting from a stagnant economy.

“There are so many unknowns heading into a year like this, but my personal commitment to the process is the one factor I can always control,” she said. “I come from a hard-working district that expects dependability. This is simply a reflection of that expectation.”

Rep. Bowers was first elected in 2006, and serves on the committees for Commerce and Labor, Agriculture and Natural Resources, as well as Federal and State Affairs. She represents the 107th district, which includes Cloud, Lincoln, Ottawa and part of Dickinson Counties.

Girl State

2009-06-26T19:33:00.003-05:00

Haley Bowers and Megan Thoman attended the 67th Annual Sunflower Girls State session sponsored by the Kansas American Legion Auxiliary which is held on the KU campus in Lawrence each year. The week long government camp mirrors the Kansas Government with the 350 girls campaigning for city, county and state offices. The girls are assigned to counties which are made up of two cities on each dorm floor. Megan served on Cherokee City Park and Recreation planning Board and her Cherokee city was City-of-the-day and All-State City. She ran for the Kansas House of Representatives and passed the bar exam. Megan is the daughter of Mary and Lowell Thoman of Concordia. Haley ran for the House of Representative, won her election and then was elected Majority Whip. She carried 3 bills on the House floor at the Capital in Topeka. She also was awarded the Outstanding Representative of the House and the Imogene Hummel Sunflower Girl State Scholarship. Haley is the daughter of Charlie and Rep. Elaine Bowers of Concordia.
Sunflower Girl State began in 1939 and has been held annually in Lawrence except during World War II. The Concordia American Auxiliary Unit 76 sponsors staters every year and is open to all girls just finishing their junior year in high school. Gwen Trost is the Girl State Chairperson for the local unit which also has the largest number of members in Kansas with 539 women.

REP. BOWERS HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2009 SESSION

2009-06-04T19:28:00.001-05:00

TOPEKA- Wednesday the Kansas Legislature officially completed the 2009 session with a ceremonial “Sine Die” adjournment. In conjunction with the legislative wrap-up, Rep. Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) commented this week on legislation specifically affecting the 107th legislative district.

“In a very difficult budget year I am still proud of what we were able to accomplish—specifically for my constituents,” she said. “In such a politically charged session there are a lot of variables, and even non-budget related bills can be difficult to get through the process.”

Among the personal highlights for Rep. Bowers are bills she initiated to assist local tire recycling businesses and community development interests.

One of those projects, House Bill 2324, has already been signed by the Governor—enacting the Community Investment District Act. The purpose of a community investment district (CID) is simply to promote and support economic development, including tourism and cultural activities. The bill defines CID projects to include capital improvements, infrastructure, and certain operational costs.

“Both the recycling bill (HB 2080) and the CID Act represent important progress in a stressful time for small communities,” Rep. Bowers said. “Any assistance or flexibility we can provide our local governments with becomes pretty valuable when revenue generating opportunities are so difficult to come by.”

The Sine Die adjournment marks the end of a tumultuous session in which Rep. Bowers said plummeting state revenues and increasing pressure to produce a balanced budget pushed the legislature’s creativity to the brink.

“There’s just not a good answer when we’re faced with such devastating shortfalls. Every decision we make at this point has an effect somewhere down the line. However, I continue to receive excellent support and advice from my constituents on what their priorities are, and I’m very thankful for that.”

Rep. Bowers was first elected in 2006, and serves on the committees for Commerce and Labor, Agriculture and Natural Resources, as well as Federal and State Affairs. She represents the 107th district, which includes Cloud, Lincoln, Ottawa and part of Dickinson Counties.

Ryan Gilliland
Chief of Staff
Speaker Pro Tem Arlen Siegfreid
State Capitol, Rm. 330-N
Topeka, KS 66612

Protecting Kansans' Personal Information

2009-05-26T20:13:00.002-05:00

In 2008 several constituents brought in post cards and letters informing them that their warranties were about to expire. We knew that this these companies were not businesses that we recognized and I wondered how our customers’ information was obtained by these “warranty companies”. I worked with the Department of Revenue and Titles for several months and they determined that Kansans’ personal information from the titling process was be used unlawfully. The State of Kansas was the first to file suit with the Recall Center based in Utah.

For Immediate Release:
May 26, 2009

Ashley Anstaett
785.230.5247

Attorney General wins lawsuit against Utah company

Attorney General Steve Six today announces a victory against The Recall Center, a Utah corporation, for misusing Kansans' personal information for financial benefit. The Kansas Department of Revenue assisted in the case.

"I am pleased to work with the Department of Revenue to protect Kansans' personal information from being used inappropriately," Six said. "Protecting Kansans' personal information and motor vehicle records from misuse is a priority for my office."

The Recall Center agreed to a consent judgment of $1,000,000 for unlawfully selling Kansas motor vehicle records to third parties. The agreement also prevents the Recall Center from using the records in any unauthorized way in the future.

In January 2008, the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Information Network of Kansas entered into a contract with The Recall Center, a Utah corporation, and its owner, Mr. Keith Hayes. Pursuant to the contract, The Recall Center was permitted to purchase Kansas vehicle title and registration records, which could then be used for specific, legal purposes.

Such permitted uses included:
Assisting car manufacturers in notifying car owners of safety-related defects to be remedied at the car manufacturer's expense;
Assisting authorized insurers in processing an application for liability insurance
Assisting the government or law enforcement in carrying out their official functions; and
Assisting businesses in verifying information for the purpose of compiling vehicle history reports, so long as the vehicle history reports do not identify the name or address of any current or previous owner.
The consent judgment stated that the Recall Center and Mr. Hayes sold tens of thousands of Kansas vehicle title and registration records in violation of the contract and Kansas law. The law prohibits any person from knowingly selling a list of names and addresses derived from public records for the purpose of offering for sale any property or service.

Pawnee Indian Museum Visit

2009-05-22T19:24:00.001-05:00

Rep. Elaine Bowers and Treasurer McKinney visiting the Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site on May 22.

State Treasurer Visits Rotary Club

2009-05-22T15:08:00.003-05:00

State Treasurer Dennis McKinney, Rep. Elaine Bowers, and Rep. Vern Swanson

State Treasurer Dennis McKinney spoke to the Concordia Rotary Club and guests at the weekly Rotary Meeting held at Cloud County Community College on May 22, 2009. Representatives Vern Swanson from Clay Center and Elaine Bowers, Concordia also attended. Among Treasurer McKinney’s topics included the Kansas Unclaimed Property held at his office. The website is www.kansascash.com or to be assisted by his staff call 800-432-0386 or email the Topeka office - unclaimed@treasurer.state.ks.us There is no fee to withdrawal funds or bank safety box deposit items if you find your name on the Treasurer’s website.

May 15, 2009

2009-05-16T13:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

The Kansas Legislature wrapped up the 2009 session just before 3 a.m. last Saturday morning (it always seems that it’s the middle of the night when we gavel out for the year). As expected, the state’s declining economy and balancing the budget dominated our work -- affecting nearly every other decision we made. We ended with much the same news as when we left for our 3 week break with revenue numbers down and projections weak.

Since 2002, State General Fund (SGF) tax receipts have increased almost $2 billion; this is an increase of 38%. As tax revenues grew since 2002, state spending kept right along with it. SGF spending increased 48% from 2004 to 2008 while inflation during the same time was only 13% and the population is increasing less than ½ of 1% a year. As you can see, spending is the simple fact that the state is now out of money. We are facing a situation where spending has outpaced receipts and we have not put any money “in the bank” to help us weather this type of financial storm. I recently learned Kansas is one of only four states without a “rainy day fund”. I fear I sound like a broken record but this is very bad money management and I will continue to work and support a savings or reserve type bill which hasn’t managed to pass the legislature in the past years. One bill, house bill #2320, is making progress though the system and will continue to be “alive” next year of the 2 yr session cycle that addresses this problem.

It certainly has been a different process this year “working” the budget then the last two years. We were asked to vote on a motion to concur with the Senate budget. This motion was successful and eliminated any House ideas and my vote for District #107. A trailer tax bill followed with the same type of motion to fill the gap and again was a motion to agree with the Senate and passed. With the passage of these two bills - to state it simply - we don’t have a enough of a cushion and next year’s budget will be bleak if we aren’t called back earlier for a special session due to the state running out of dollars. We ended the year with only $17,000.00 in the state’s checkbook. This budget bill was nearly 1” thick and as I worried there are flaws popping up now. It included a “mistake” of funding left out for the Kansas court system of nearly $10M which may result in furloughs for court employees and delayed court dates for the entire state. The budget reduces the state funding to schools by 2.75% and eliminates the “slider payment” to counties which is the promised machinery & equipment tax refund. The slider rebate (property tax refund) is not only a reduction in the amount of funds to our counties but also to Cloud County Community College. It also cuts spending to mentally and physically disabled programs just under $10M. Normally there is a compromised bill passed out of a conference committee (3 senators-3 house members) which is made up of two budget versions (one House and one Senate) - what comes out is usually a bill the majority of the 165 legislators can agree upon. With the motion of concurring – it took my vote as a house member out of the picture. Let me say this: I am your Representative not your Senator – so when my vote is taken away with a procedural vote like this, it is unfair to all of us as you have two of us in Topeka (Senator Mark Taddiken and myself) to represent you.
The other big headline – the Legislature and the Governor finally overcame their nearly two-year impasse on a comprehensive state energy plan. Sunflower Electric reached a settlement earlier with the new governor to build a new coal plant near Holcomb. The compromise allows the electric coop to build one 895 megawatt plant instead of the original request to build two plants. Among its commitments, Sunflower also will build 179 Megawatts of wind energy facilities; develop two 345 Kilovolts transmission lines to meet the western energy grid; and develop a bio-digester to capture methane and an algae reactor. This is great news for our state because it means new 1500 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs plus re-establishes regulatory certainty and fairness in Kansas. All of these are part of Sunflower’s original plan that you can read more about at http://www.holcombstation.coop/.
There were approximately 200 less bills voted on in the House this year than last however two of those were ours! House bill #2324 changed the population count from the last US Census number to a yearly “soft number” that the Secretary of State’s office uses. Dr. Randall at Tall grass Veterinary Hospital brought this to my attention – the law was flawed as far as we were concerned. I introduced the bill in the House and Senator Mark carried it through in the Senate where it passed. The Tire Recycling program ran by Kansas Health and Environment (KHDE) which provides grants to purchase playground cover to schools, city and county parks was to expire this year. Champlin Tire along with four other recycling businesses and Kansas jobs would’ve disappeared if a bill wasn’t reintroduced this year. The recycling program not only reduces the amount of tires in our landfills but the ground-up tires makes the play areas safer for our kids. It was a good program all away around – good policy as we say in Topeka. Senator Mark ran the bill on the Senate side first and then sent it over to the House where I made a motion to agree with the Senate bill. It passed 105-20 votes in the house. Both of these bills where signed in to law last week.

Mrs. Gerard’s Senior Government Class from Concordia visited one day during this last week of session – we even had time to step on the house floor before the full House gathered in the morning. School visits are very important to me as I think every student should have a chance to climb the 296 steps to the top or sit above the chambers to watch the House or Senate work - government in action. I do have a file started for future pages (ages 10-18) for next year if you know of students who would like the opportunity to work in the capital for a day with me.

This will be the last article for the 2009 year as session will begin on January 11th, 2010 for the final year of the 09-10 term. Please continue to call me over the summer at 243-3325 or 243-4256 if I can help in any way or if you have suggestions or questions for me. My mailing address is: 1326 N. 150th Road, Concordia, KS 66901. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your Representative.

Rep. Elaine Bowers

March 26, 2009

2009-03-26T16:34:00.001-05:00

Greetings!

It’s difficult to believe but the 11th week of the session is already upon us. At the time of this article, we are fast approaching first adjournment. We have been considering bills on the floor all week in order to prepare for “drop dead day” or the last day for non-exempt bills to be heard in either chamber. Next week, conference committees will meet and then we adjourn until April 22nd. I will be home during that time and if you would like me to speak to your organization, please feel free to call me. I also plan on visiting schools at this time to explain to students this very interesting job I have here in Topeka.

Even though this week is only 3 days – it certainly seems long! My days begin at 7:30 in the morning at my office in the Docking Building, then calendar review in the Capital at 8:00 and finally to the House floor at 9:00AM. We have adjourned just before 8PM most of these nights. We have had between 30-40 bills a day “above the line” on General Orders which have been debated and then voted on the next day. Now Conference Committees are being formed. These committees are made up of 3 house members and 3 senate members – they will iron out the differences between bills and bring the bills back to us for a final vote. Here is where I pay extra attention because what I voted on the 1st time may come back “tweaked” and I need to make sure the bill still does what it has been drafted to do and any changes only made it better. Much of the remaining days after the break then we return will be devoted to the Budget and these conference committee reports.

One bill I introduced, HB 2324, finally has made it through the 2 chamber process. It had hearings in both the Senate and House Tax Committees and now has been voted on by the full House and Senate membership. It will be placed in a Tax Conference Committee to be worked next week. The vote in the House was 122-0 and 38-2 in the Senate. It was amended by a Senator on the Senate floor to include another bill in hopes his issue would be heard before the end of session. Senator Taddiken was paying special attention to HB2324 and made sure the amendment wouldn’t “kill” the bill – and I am certain the two NO votes were for the new provision that was added. Now HB2324 will be approved by this Conference Committee and then voted on one more time in each chamber as part of a package of tax bills. The Governor will sign it in to law next month. Dr. Randall Hobrock with the Tallgrass Veterinary Hospital in Cloud County was instrumental in this law change as he brought a problem to both my and Senator Mark’s attention. This is exactly how the process should work – an idea brought forward by a resident, a Representative and Senator working together to move it through the system and finally to a law that benefits not only just our Senate District #21, House District #107 but the entire state of Kansas.

Monday was a special day as Rev. Barry Nelson and his wife Julie attended the House session where Barry gave the invocation on the House floor. Barry is the Pastor at the Living Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Delphos. It was also my privilege to lead the body in the Pledge of Allegiance following his prayer. Isn’t it refreshing to know that I start my day here just the same as I did growing up back home at the Delphos Attendance Center?

Please contact me anytime with your comments or suggestions. You can find me in on the 7th Floor of the Docking Building or email me at: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov or phone me at 785 296-7644. It’s my honor to serve you, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing you in Topeka!

Representative Elaine Bowers
107th District
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612

March 20, 2009

2009-03-20T15:39:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Topeka!!

This week in Topeka we kicked off our own version of “March Madness” with deadlines rapidly approaching and committees working hard to shut down for the 2009 session. Committees had to wrap up deliberations by the end of the week, so while much of the work going on was behind the scenes our rush to the finish is officially underway. Action next week will be focused entirely on the floor of the House and much of that work will be dealing with the major issues of the session—which are typically reserved for this latter part of the session.

One of the most encouraging developments this week was the Appropriations Committee’s passage of our House budget proposal for the 2010 fiscal year. The committee spent weeks listening to constituents and budget experts to determine how the federal stimulus package will affect Kansas and how to best approach our budget shortfall not only for this year, but future years as well. I was very pleased to see the committee find a way to use every federal dollar, without encumbering future budgets as a result of the “strings” attached to those dollars. In addition to our budget debate next week we still have yet to determine the status of bills concerning energy and the Holcomb power plants, minimum wage, abortion, and a host of other well-publicized issues.

As I mentioned, our committees have finished work for 2009. I’m proud of the work that took place on the various committees I sit on and the work that was done. We have heard a variety of topics recently including deer population, clothing for hunting, milk labeling, water issues, concealed carry, home inspectors, wine shipments and even a bill for a mural to be painted in the Capital of the Topeka Brown vs. Brown case.

One bill from Commerce and Labor which has created a lot of attention is SB160, the Minimum Wage Act. The Kansas minimum wage is $2.65. Curious enough, there are 5 states who do not have a minimum wage at all. This bill will simply match the federal rate of $7.25. Most businesses in Kansas take checks or credit card or do interstate commerce therefore must pay the federal minimum wage. It should be heard on the floor this next week. It isn’t as hotly debated as I suspected and seems to have support from both parties. Another bill of interest to us is HCR 5017 – this bill would change wording in section 4 of the Kansas Bill of Rights in the State Constitution to read this: A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, for lawful hunting and recreational use. It will require a 2/3rd majority vote here in both the house and the senate and a vote of the people across the state on a future ballot.

I currently am working on a spreadsheet from the State Treasurer’s office including over 5000 names of people from District #107 with funds being held at the state as unclaimable. These monies are from a variety of sources - rebates, insurance proceeds, utility deposits, court and other fees. For one reason or another, this money was undeliverable to the Kansas resident and is now being held until it is claimed. You can go online at www.kansascash.com or call 800-432-0386 to see if your name is on this list. The amounts range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. And of course, you can always call me at 785-296-7644 to check for your name.

After wrapping up in the next couple weeks I’ll be back home for a break before we begin our veto session in which we consider final measures before adjourning for the year. During this time, I’m always looking for activities in the district. If you have an event or gathering that you would like to have me attend, please don’t hesitate to ask. I also plan on visiting as many schools in the district as I can.

I had two groups of pages this week – Seth Bowers and Luke Benfer from the Longford School helped me on a very busy Monday morning. Marie Brewer, Emily Brown, Hadrian Currier, Cody Schmitz from Concordia and Jacy Martin and Darien Bellows from Glasco were pages on Thursday. They also attended my Commerce and Labor meeting before walking in the tunnel under Harrison Street to session in the capitol.

Please contact me anytime with your comments or suggestions. You can find me in on the 7th Floor of the Docking Building or email me at: elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov or phone me at 785 296-7644. It’s my honor to serve you, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing you in Topeka!

Representative Elaine Bowers
107th District
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612

March 13, 2009

2009-03-13T15:58:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Topeka!

It was another busy week of work both behind the scenes and on the floor of the House as we continue to rapidly approach first adjournment on April 4th. Committees are busy trying to squeeze in last minute hearings on a host of topics and the list of bills awaiting a full debate before the body is growing quickly. Each week we’ re taking a chunk of bills off that list, but with so little time left and so many good proposals before us, it’s going to be a wild finish.

Among the measures that came before us this week were two bills that represent responsible government planning and spending—both of which I think are important priorities given the current economic climate. The first, HB 2320, establishes a rainy day fund for the state. This way, in years where the state is collecting more than we’re spending we’ll be able to save up for periods similar to this in which revenues fall short. We simply call this at home a “savings account”!

The second measure, which is still being debated in committee, would fundamentally change the way we spend money in Kansas by transitioning to a zero based budgeting system. If passed, the measure would require us to begin each fiscal year with a clean slate, and add spending items based on their merit. Under the current system, we begin with a pre-established budget and have to remove any items we deem unnecessary---a much more difficult process.

In addition to the broader issues shaping up for the final weeks of the session, my committees have been busy grinding through last minute proposals as well. We continually have weekly updates from the Department of Labor with the latest unemployment rate at 6.4% up from 4.9%. Although this rate is creeping up, we are still well below the Federal rate at 8.1%. Remember to call me if you are experiencing difficulty getting through to the agency – they answered between 9-12,000 calls a week during January which is twice as many as last year at this time. The Federal & State Affairs committee recently worked a concealed carry bill, an amusement ride bill and had a hearing on a bill allowing liqueur cabinets in restaurants and other organizations. This committee is always interesting and often times with issues I have rarely thought of. The last bill I mentioned deals with the storage of your own wine at a restaurant you would frequent often and would want to be served your wine only. A bill in Agricultural and Natural Resources which I believe to very important to us and one that I am amazed we haven’t heard more about is SB 64 concerning water appropriations. I was surprised to learn a water permit may be applied for at the state of Kansas without the knowledge of the owner of the land. SB 64 bill would correct this situation. In my opinion, it is simply unfair to land owners to not have this information or notification of any kind. Of course, this would become very important when the property would come up for sale. It gives an unfair advantage to a potential buyer especially if the owner was not aware of a pending water permit. It was sent out of committee and awaits a vote by the entire house body.

I am always happy to see familiar faces from home and I had a lot of them March 5th when the Concordia 7th grades came to the Capitol for the annual visit. They were able to step on the Senate and House floor with Senator Taddiken and myself. Dr. Steve Bryant and former Clyde resident Travis Sharpe attended the Optometric Association Legislative day and had lunch with me. Although Wava and Kim Kramer are in District #64 at Longford, it was a great honor to congratulate them on winning the Emerging Business of the Year Award along with Linda Sutton with the Kansas Small Business Development Center. They are known for their great tasting water at their company Longford Water Company – www.longfordwater.com. It was a treat to have Stewart McCormick, owner of the Miltovale Record, spend the day with me at the Capitol Friday. He was able to set on the house floor during session with the legislators and witness the legislative process up close and personal.

As I mentioned, the upcoming weeks are going to be busier than any we’ve had so far this year, with a number of our most important issues making their way to the floor. The conference committee on the comprehensive energy proposal met this week and we expect the Governor’s veto soon. We also are continuing to hold many discussions on the budget solution for 2010 and beyond. As simple as it would be to accept all the federal dollars blindly - there are “strings attached” - I feel it’s important to get an accurate assessment of what we’re agreeing to in accepting the money before making any final decisions.

I appreciate your interest in our work and assure you I am dedicated to representing your wishes to the best of my ability. Please feel free to reach me if you have concerns or questions on any of the topics we’re debating.

Representative Elaine Bowers
District #107
Kansas State Capitol Building
300 W. 10th
Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-7644
elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
http://www.rep-elainbowers.com/

March 06, 2009

2009-03-06T13:05:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Topeka!

It’s difficult to believe, but the 9th week of the session is already upon us and while we’ve made some excellent progress already this session, there is still a long list of commitments to fulfill. The legislature is scheduled to have “first adjournment” in less than a month, so activity in the next 3 to 4 weeks will be quite hectic later in the session.

Last Saturday was “turn around day” which means we have received a number of proposals from the Senate addressing new issues in the coming weeks. Among those will be the smoking ban, minimum wage, our negotiations on the 2010 budget, and our comprehensive energy proposals.

As many of you will remember, our decision concerning energy is a critically important and highly controversial topic. Last Thursday, we debated and overwhelmingly passed HB 2014, our comprehensive energy proposal for 2009. The bill represents months of work on behalf of our energy and utilities committee and is one of the more advanced policies in the nation. The bill encourages renewable energy technology, includes true “net metering” guidelines, and most importantly establishes clear, reasonable permitting guidelines which will encourage critical economic development throughout the state and keep utility rates reasonable for all Kansans.

The other item generating considerable buzz here at the Capitol this week was our passage of two laws dealing with late-term abortions. While any debate dealing with this issue draws interest as well as concern, the bills we passed dealt not so much with the right to have abortions, but rather the safety of those patients, and the information they are being provided with leading up to their decisions. I understand legislators may not ever completely agree on the matter—but the two measures clearing the house this week were overwhelmingly approved on the merits of their intent, which is simply to properly educate and protect women.

Committees still meeting are covering a multitude of topics that will still have time to be considered in the ’09 session including Prop K, a somewhat controversial property tax bill that would automate the property-appraisal process and limit property valuation increases to two percent a year. Sub. for HB 2320 is one of the key pieces of the Republican Agenda to fix the policies surrounding the structural imbalance in the budget. This is a great step in order to provide a responsible and accountable state budget that prioritizes taxpayer dollars. The bill would enact a new law establishing the Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund (Stabilization Fund) in the State Treasury. Revenue sent to the State General Fund in excess of the amount expected during a fiscal year, based on the April consensus revenue estimate, would be transferred to the Stabilization Fund. Money in the Stabilization Fund could only be spent to make up for shortfalls when compared to the previous year’s budget. This bill will take effect in fiscal year 2011. This is equivalent to a “rainy day” fund to me.

As a former 4-Her, I was very happy to have Laura Wilson and Allie Danielson of Clyde and Allissa Kearn, Kaylee Mosher and Erica Johnson from Concordia visit me on 4-H day here in the Capitol with Pat Gerhardt, District Extension Agent. Judie Deal with Tiny K (Kindergarten) came over to my office in the Docking Building and sat in on Session at 11:00. Denise DeRochfort-Reynolds, Concordia, Doris White, Lincoln and Frances Drummond, Minneapolis attended the Kansas Librarian Association meeting in Topeka and presented a poster supporting reading to me – it is currently hanging in the Frank Carlson Library. On Wednesday I attended a dinner with Connie Walenta from Concordia with the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents. It’s an exciting time of the year and as the weather continues to improve I hope more people can make the trip to the Capitol to visit. Even though the Capitol is under renovation, it is still a beautiful place to visit.

On March 21, Senator Pete and I will be at a Legislative Coffee in Ottawa County again this year sponsored by Farm Bureau. The first meeting will be at 8::00 AM in Tescott and the second one in Minneapolis at 10:00 AM.

Next week, we’ll begin to finish most of our committee work. Soon after, action will move almost exclusively to the house floor, where we will be debating and voting throughout the day—and sometimes into the night, please feel free to call or write with your concerns and I’ll be happy to assist. I invite you to contact me if you have concerns with issues and I’ll work diligently to get back with you as quickly as possible. I appreciate your comments and calls.

Representative Elaine Bowers
107th District
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612
785-243-7644
Elaine.bowers@house.ks.gov
http://www.rep-elainbowers.com/

February 20, 2009

2009-02-20T17:56:00.003-06:00

Greetings from Topeka!!!

After a trying, yet productive week the 2009 legislative session reached its official halfway point. While the sheer number of bills that we’re considering is lower than it has been in previous years, the legislature is taking on some of our more controversial topics under the harsh spotlight of a delicate and politically precarious budget shortfall.
The week began with a well publicized and critical debate as the coalition of House and Senate leadership argued with the Governor on the legal ramifications of issuing a certificate of indebtedness in order to meet Friday’s payroll and continue issuing income tax returns. A certificate of indebtedness is essentially an intergovernmental loan used to enable the government to continue offering services during times in which our revenues are down. Luckily, the situation was quickly addressed and both sides came to terms and issued the loans.

Turn around week also marks the end of many of our regular standing committees.
The week flew by – my committees, Commerce & Labor, Federal and State Affairs and Agriculture and Natural Recourses met Monday only and worked bills to send to the house floor. Issues we voted on for 1st round approval included home inspector licensing, license tags for Disabled Veterans, Vietnam War Medallion Program, cell phone locations in emergencies, graduated Drivers Licenses (farm permits left untouched), freezes on consumer reports, delinquent child support and voter registration to name a few this week. When we return to work next Wednesday, we’ll begin addressing some of the issues that have cleared the Senate in addition to work from the House that comes from some of our “exempt” committees. I anticipate debate very soon on a comprehensive energy policy, the 2010 budget, and a few localized issues such as the statewide smoking ban. As always, your input on these matters and any others are critically important to my decision making and I hope you’ll take a moment to notify me of your wishes and concerns as these matters come before us.

I had quite a few people from our area visit this week, Bev Mortimer and Larry Combs, USD Superintendents in my House District #107 were in Topeka with school board events. Cameron Presler and Jennie Thrash with the KS Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence attended their annual reception. Lincoln County Emergency preparedness director Rodney Job came by the Capitol on Thursday. James, Blake and Brock Quillen from Clyde were my pages on Friday and had a busy day on the floor and had their picture taken with the Governor.

We also had the honor of celebrating Armed Forces appreciation day here at the Capitol on February 18th. Both at home and abroad our Armed Forces are performing their duties in a heroic and outstanding manner. Through their sacrifices they have purchased for us the privileges of freedom, democracy, and unmatched opportunity that we enjoy in the United States today, and they have set the conditions for the United States’ place as global leader, and the most respected and feared military in the world. I was very privileged to have two representatives from Fort Riley with us and thank all of our service members so much for their dedicated service. However, my biggest honor this week was to introduce Captain Aaron Isaacson on a Personal Privilege motion. Captain Isaacson is the son of John and Robin Isaacson of Concordia,

My remarks recorded in the House Journal:

Good Morning!
As you checked your calendar this morning you would see that it is Military Appreciation Day and I have a constituent who I’d like you all to meet. Caption Aaron Isaacson has just recently returned home from his 3rd tour to Iraq & Afghanistan. As important as we know his job is – he tells me he admires us more – for our service in this chamber to the people of Kansas. But I wonder how we can even compare our duties to someone like Aaron who protects our freedom in a way that most of us can’t even fathom. Caption Isaacson is currently stationed at Fort Riley with the Wounded Warrior Transition Unit. And as you shake his hand and welcome him home – I’d like you to know this: this soldier not only has one bronze star but two – not only one Purple Heart but two plus other numerous decorations.
Mr. Speaker – it is my pleasure to introduce Caption Aaron P. Isaacson of the Kansas National Guard to you and to the members of the Kansas House of Representatives.

As always, I’m interested to hear fresh perspectives and hope you’ll share your thoughts with me. Drop me a few lines at Elaine.Bowers@house.ks.gov – we receive so many emails across the state and nation even, so please include your address and phone number so I can get back with you and your own words from home are so important to me.

Representative Elaine Bowers
107th District
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-7644
bowers@house.state.ks.us
http://www.rep-elainbowers.com/

Soldier Honored by Kansas House

2009-02-18T10:20:00.006-06:00

By Maj. Michael Wallace
105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Plains Guardian, April 2009

"Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce Captain Aaron P. Isaacson of the United States Army and Kansas National Guard to you and to the members of the Kansas House of Representatives," said Kansas State Representative Elaine S. Bowers(R-107) from the speaker's podium on the Kansas House floor. She pointed to Kansas Army National Guardsman Capt. Aaron P. Isaacson standing nearby. He was recognized for Armed Forces Appreciation Day at the Capitol on Feb. 18, 2009.
"Captain Aaron Isaacson has just recently returned home from his third tour to Iraq and Afghanistan," said Bowers. "As important as we know his job is, he tells me he admires us more for our service in this chamber to the people of Kansas. But I wonder how we can even compare our duties to someone like Aaron who protects our freedom in a way that most of us can't even fathom."
Bowers referred to Isaacson's awards of the Bronze Star and the fact that the paperwork to award him a second Purple Heart had been submitted for his current combat injuries that have left him with a broken leg.
Isaacson has been in the Guard for nearly six years. He joined after the attacks on America because he wanted to make a difference in how America will be shaped in the future. Currently he is an engineer with the 203rd Corps, 2-2 Kandak Embedded Training Team, Company Mentor, Afghanistan, but he is recovering from his injuries at a medical facility in California.
Isaacson was born in Meade, Kan., to John and Robin Isaacson, who both now live in Concordia. He graduated from Hugoton High School in 1995, then went on to college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Washburn University in Topeka. The avid hunter went to basic training in 2003, then earning his commission at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2004.
"Aaron has always had a sense of duty," says Robin Isaacson, "from my viewpoint, situations that your children are in can be difficult, but I know him well enough that I knew he would go forward with his best foot to handle any situation. He's always had a lot of confidence and pride in everything he's done. It's tough to let your children go in harm's way, but my husband and I had confidence that he would do well and take care of the people he's with because we know him."
Isaacson's father, John, agrees. "Three deployments - it's a real experience having somebody like a son over in the environment of the war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan. But he did what he was supposed to do, as he's always done. We've always been pretty proud of him and I want to thank Representative Bowers for acknowledging his achievements."
When Isaacson is released from his military duties, he will be working for a California Law firm, with the intentions to be a legal assistant while attending law school, but the deployments have put those plans on hold for a while.
"I just keep pushing that back," said Isaacson. "I think it is more important right now to finish what I want to do in the Army."

Military Appreciation Day

2009-02-18T10:05:00.000-06:00

JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE
TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY, HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TOPEKA, KS,
Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 10:30 a.m.

The House met pursuant to recess with Speaker O'Neal in the chair. The roll was called with 125 members present. Prayer by guest chaplain, the Rev. Donald F. Davidson, pastor, St. David's Episcopal Church, and Command Chaplain, Kansas National Guard, guest of Rep. Tafanelli:

Good and Gracious Creator God,
Bless this House dedicated to the people of Kansas, and the proceedings therein. Let the work of the people be accomplished in this place, and may it be to the betterment of our society. Give our elected officials grace as they pursue the noble principles of our state and nation, and on this day bless all those who serve our nation in uniform wherever they may be.
We ask all of this in your holy Name. Amen.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Rep. Frownfelter.

PERSONAL PRIVILEGE
In recognition of Armed Forces Appreciation Day at the Capitol, Rep. Tafanelli addressed a few remarks to the members of the House.

There being no objection, the following remarks by Rep. Bowers are spread upon the journal:

Good Morning! As you checked your calendar this morning you would see that it is Military Appreciation Day and among our guests here, I have a constituent who I'd like you all to meet. Caption Aaron Isaacson has just recently returned home from his 3rd tour to Iraq & Afghanistan. As important
as we know his job is-he tells me he admires us more for our service in this chamber-to the people of Kansas. But I wonder how we can even compare our duties to someone like Aaron who protects our freedom in a way that most of us can't even fathom. Caption Isaacson is currently stationed at Fort Riley with the Wounded Warrior Transition Unit. And as you shake his hand and welcome him home-I'd like you to know this: this soldier not only has one Bronze Star but two-not only one Purple Heart but two plus other numerous decorations.
Mr. Speaker-it is my pleasure to introduce Caption Aaron P. Isaacson of the United States Army and Kansas National Guard to you and to the members of the Kansas House of Representatives.

State Representative Elaine Bowers Elected to Kansas STARBASE Board

2009-02-14T09:07:00.001-06:00

(from the Plains Guardian - February 2009)

State Representative Elaine Bowers was recently elected to the Kansas STARBASE Foundation Board. The Board assists with dispersing funds for STARBASE programs.
"We are excited to have State Representative Elaine Bowers joining the STARBASE Foundation Board. Her familiarity with the STARBASE program both from her personal experience attending STARBASE academies with her children, as well as many of the elementary schools she represents in her district participating in the Salina STARBASE site are a great asset to our team," said Gary Cushinberry, STABBASE Foundation president.
General elections were held last fall during which Barbara Bunting was elected for another three-year term as the secretary for the Foundation Board.

Generally, one or two positions on the board open each year, and Board members can serve two, two-to-three-year terms for a maximum of six years.

The STARBASE Foundation Board of Directors consists of: Gary Cushinberry, president; Dennis Hansen, vice president; Barbara Bunting, secretary; Frank Garver, Treasurer; and members Dr. Kurt Barnhart, State Representative Elaine Bowers, Marlon Johnston and Alan States.

The Board of Directors is the sole governing body of the Kansas STARBASE 501(c)3 organization. The nonprofit organization manages the STARBASE program o behalf of the state of Kansas and augments the U.S. Department of Defense funds to enhance the youth educational program in Kansas.

February 13, 2009

2009-02-13T14:34:00.003-06:00

Greetings from Topeka!

This week the House experienced a notable increase in activity as we draw closer to our first legislative deadline known as “Turn Around Day” marking the end of our initial six week stretch. Turn Around Day is significant simply because it marks the final opportunity for most bills to be considered in their house of origin. As a practical matter, this means our committees are working quickly to finish hearings on bills they hope to be considered. It also tends to mark the point where our overall pace begins to pick up. It’s an exciting time and I’m looking forward to learning more about the proposals we’ll be considering this year.

As you have perhaps already heard, the House produced the first half of the budget solution for this legislative session in passing our FY 2009 budget. This was a painful and time consuming process. Both the House and Senate spent hours working to negotiate a plan that creates around $325 million in funding. This money will conceivably allow state government to operate through the close of our fiscal year, June 30.

The bill is a compromise in the truest sense, as perhaps no member was truly happy with every aspect of the accord; however, I’m confident the House and Senate conferees worked diligently to distribute the painful cuts as evenly as possible. My hope now is that our Governor allows the carefully crafted compromise to pass “as-is” so we may confidently begin work on the 2010 budget knowing our financial footing for FY 2009 is on solid ground.

All committees are in full force. Much of my Commerce and Labor Committee days have been spent creating professional standards for the newly formed Kansas home inspectors. We continue to hear updates from the Department of Labor – they have brought in more people to answer phone calls about unemployment. I have been helping people from our district each week with problems with their claims – please call me at 785 296-7644 if you are facing difficulties with the phone hold time or the online service. Federal & State Affairs is the most controversial of all committees here in Topeka dealing with issues that tend to be complex and sensitive. This is my 3rd year of listening to hearings on abortion bills with three this week. It is at the chairman’s discretion to work these bills which would be happening next week if we do so. As every agency is feeling the pinch of the budget crisis, the Department of Ag has asked the Ag & Natural Recourse committee to review their fees on programs from the dairy, fertilizer & pesticide programs and water recourses. As I have learned here, a fee is a tax and these I am very careful to watch as they are passed to us as citizens of Kansas. We also reviewed the Kansas Veterinary Training Scholarship Program from K-State. There are currently 15 scholars in this program - all who will graduate and stay in Kansas to practice as the bill dictates. The debate on the bill was what area is “underserved” – and of course the answer is “it depends”. All areas of Kansas are in need for vets for all sizes of animals – livestock to small animals. Needless to say, this is a great program for vet students and the 15 young people are the best in the nation. Kansas’ program is very unique and copied as a model for other states in their legislatures.

I was very happy to attend the Kansas Preservation Alliance award ceremony where the Parker House Hotel was recognized as the most endangered structure of the 10 selected across Kansas. Bob Lott was acknowledged for his effort and it was a pleasure to be with him and Randy as he accepted the award. I was proud to sit with our 2 table of staff and students at the Phi Theta Kappa Academic Awards – our 2 students from the Concordia campus who were recognized as All-Americans are Raela Reames from Jamestown and Deandra Schirmer from Holton. The Country Treasurers from the state held their annual meeting in Topeka on Thursday. Leah Hern from Dickenson County, Joyce Walker form Lincoln County, Pat Baccus from Ottawa all attended plus the bonus of Steve Baccus, President of KS Farm Bureau, Pat’s husband joined us. As always, I am very honored to welcome the American Legion and VFW members each year at their annual meeting. Daman & Laura Christenson and Dave Hazelwood from Post No.76 all attended this year plus the State Finance Officer, Ron O’Leary, who stills claims Concordia as his home although he is based in Topeka just down the street from the capital. Their concerns of veterans’ benefits are very important to me and I am glad to have their support and opinion about what the State of Kansas can continue to do for them.

As you know, it is very important to me to bring young people here to the capital and the page program allows me several days to do this. I do have the opportunity to add more page dates to my schedule. Middle to high school age students are welcome to do this for legislators at the same pay as I received 20 years ago when I was a page for Rep. Bill Fuller - $3.00 for the day. But of course, the pay isn’t the important aspect obviously, it is the experience. I can still remember traveling through the tunnel to the Docking building from the Capitol and can still remember the people who were legislators – busy like I am now. Please call me at 785 296-7644 and let me know of any interested students and we’ll find a date that would work with the legislative calendar.

As always, I’m interested to hear fresh perspectives and hope you’ll share your thoughts with me. Drop me a few lines at Elaine.Bowers@house.ks.gov – we receive so many emails across the state and nation even, so please include your address and phone number so I can get back with you.

Elaine Bowers
House of Representatives
District 107
300 SW 10th Avenue
Room 110-S
Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-7644
bowers@house.state.ks.us

www.rep-elainbowers.com

February 06, 2009

2009-02-06T17:32:00.003-06:00

Greetings from Topeka!

This week’s balmy spring-like temperatures had a bit of a thawing effect on the previously frosty 2009 legislative session. On Wednesday, after weeks of preparation and careful consideration on a very difficult ’09 budget, the House passed our version of the “recession bill” making just over $300 billion in cuts. This bill is now in conference committee where undoubtedly more “tweaks” will be made. The adjustments will all be made prior to June 30, which marks the end of our fiscal year in Kansas.

This was a tremendously difficult process; however it pales in comparison to the work we now face in finding a solution for the projected $1.2 billion shortfall in 2010. To give you some perspective, this shortfall comes out of an annual budget of around $6.4 billion. Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away while listening to Congress and national media outlets throw around the astronomical figures that are being debated in Washington, but the reality is Kansans are going to be facing devastating shortfalls in the coming year and this is BILLIONs and not MILLIONs.

We also passed a resolution in both the House and Senate dealing with an issue receiving national attention and threatening to impact Kansas. As you may know, President Obama recently chose to close the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Since then, the Military Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth have emerged as a potential candidate for re-location. I am strongly opposed to this terrible idea. The heart of the Midwest is not fit to be the home for the world’s most dangerous criminals. Additionally, I find it highly inappropriate to force our soldiers and service members to be in such close quarters with those they’ve fought so vigorously to defend against. I dearly hope the decision makers in Washington soon realize the scope and danger of this decision and reconsider.

Aside from those actions, committee work is in full gear. With just a little over a week left for committees to meet, there are a number of important issues to tackle before hitting those deadlines. I have mentioned, Commerce and Labor is a very important committee this year. The Secretary of Labor updated us on the agencies call load of people who are for filing unemployment in the state. New longer hours and 10 new people have been hired to keep up with the high volume of calls. Please call me at 785 296-7644 if you are experiencing difficulties in reaching the department. The new hours are 7-7 weekdays and Saturday 8-5. Several interesting facts from the Board of Regents Workforce Development were presented to us – 89% of Kansas college graduates remain in the state and 89% of Kansans in the work force have an Associates Degree. Technical and community colleges such Cloud County Community College place a big part in these numbers and are essential to the economy of the state. The Motor Vehicles Division updated the Federal & State Affairs committee on the security of our Drivers Licenses which ranks one of the highest in the nation. We heard a bill on Hunter Safety being taught in schools as an elective in Agriculture. The bill was table until the school board has a chance to weigh in and more questions are answered - the Department of Wildlife & Parks does work with 18 schools in the state with a similar program. The committee would like to have more facts and is trying not to burden the schools with another requirement even now as their budgets are being reduced. As the bill was written, the classes would be taught by a volunteer (as the program is ran currently by KDWP) - my main concern is that it is a local choice by the school boards to offer it or not – no mandate from the state. The Department of Agriculture has several bills coming up next week concerning fees and subcommittees are being set up to review the requests as fees play an important part of their budgets.

It has been my pleasure to request certificates for citizens in the District #107. A certicate is a signed document by the Speaker of the House and approved by the House members recognizing citizens of Kansas for special accomplishments and events. The award is recorded in the House of Representatives Journal and is bound in to a book at the end of session each year – a recorded event in Kansas history. The certificates were awarded to: Doug Moore for induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, City of Glasco for winning the Kansas PRIDE Award, Adele Lewis celebrating her 100th birthday, Linda Houser for the Leon Gennette Volunteer of the Year Award, Verletta Moon for the Concordia Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year and Dalton Buckland for achieving the Eagle Scout Award.

As always, please feel free to contact me; I appreciate your comments and calls.

Elaine Bowers
House of Representatives
District 107
300 SW 10th Avenue
Room 110-S
Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-7644
bowers@house.state.ks.us

January 30, 2009

2009-01-30T18:00:00.001-06:00

Greetings,

February is already upon us, and as we close out January, I want to take a moment during this week’s legislative wrap-up to note a particularly important occasion for all of us--Kansas Day (January 29th)! With such rich tradition and heritage, I encourage each of you to spend a few minutes tracing the fascinating steps of our state history. Kaylee Conwell, Brenn and Garrett Brummett from Concordia served as pages for me on this day. I’m sure they will never forget singing our state song, “Home on the Range” with the entire house.

Other than this, it was business as usual this week, with bills being read into the calendar and committees holding hearings on their designated topics. As these bills are processed through committees we will begin to see more reaching the house floor for full debate next week.

In addition to these House measures, we will also begin debate next week on Senate Bill 23, addressing the state budget for the 2009 fiscal year. With only a few months left in the fiscal year, the task of cutting over $300 million and perhaps more will be both daunting and painful. However, unless decisive action is taken, the cuts will be more dramatic for all of our affected agencies and citizens. This budget discussion is so all consuming and we have to remember, this is a “fix” for the 2009 budget and we have yet to begin to discuss the 2010 budget.

Commerce and Labor Committee has been an important committee to be assigned to, as I receive daily calls from our district on the difficulty of applying for unemployment benefits. The call center is unable to keep up with claims that are being called in and the online service has been tricky to use. Please feel free to call me at 785-296-7644 if you are having this trouble and allow me to call the Department of Labor for you. A bit of encouragement from state figures – District #107’s unemployment rates are still lower than most of the state, 3 of the 4 counties have a rate under 4% (50 counties are under this percentage) from the last report. Agriculture and Natural Resources has met everyday with reports from commissions and state agencies. The Wine Industry Council will be proposing a bill to allow wine to be sold at farmers markets. This issue will probably be heard in Federal & State Affairs which is my other afternoon meeting but was presented to us in Ag. Another topic that would be or interest us is House Bill 2049 which would allow Hunter Safety classes to be taught in schools. The Kansas Department of Wildlife has such a program that they have implemented in 18 schools, this bill would help expand the program.

Stephen Boor and Brenden Wirth from Lincoln County, Sonya Garwood from Concordia and President of KFB, Steve Baccus, from Ottawa County all braved the Kansas cold day on Tuesday to attend Kansas Farm Bureau Day in Topeka. Sonya also had a tour of the Treasurer’s Office by the new State Treasurer Dennis McKinney before the house session the next day. I would encourage anyone who has a free day to visit us here in Topeka and watch a committee meeting or attend the session – I can help arrange tours not only of the Capitol but other places as well.

I was very honored to make an official birth announcement of our new granddaughter with a Point of Personal Privilege on Wednesday of the house floor. This is the recorded journal entry:

It is always thrilling to stand down here – however it is even more thrilling to share my milestones with my colleagues. Monday afternoon, my son, Charles and his wife Julie were in labor. I clutched my phone waiting for it to vibrate with a call or text. After numerous texts from me, I received one back – things going very well – texting stinks!! Four hours later, I get a picture text – no words – just a picture of a pink baby in a pink blanket – all of 15 minutes old. Madalyn Kay Bowers came in our world at 5:13PM weighing in at 7lb 1oz and 19 ¾ inches tall. BTW (by the way) - my response to my son’s – texting stinks – yes, but life is good. His response: life is very, very good! I’ll 2nd that - very good indeed!! Thank you for allowing me to share this moment with you.
Rep. Elaine Bowers District #107

Please contact me anytime with your comments or suggestions. You can find me in on the 7th Floor of the Docking Building or email me at: elaine.bower@house.ks.gov or phone me at
785 296-7644. It’s my honor to serve you, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing you in Topeka!

Elaine Bowers
House of Representatives
District 107
300 SW 10th Avenue
Room 110-S
Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-7644
bowers@house.state.ks.us

National Federation of Womens Legislators

2008-12-31T09:13:00.001-06:00

Kansas Legislator Friends 2008

Buddy Walk 2008 - Clyde, KS

2008-10-20T10:48:00.006-05:00

Participants in the North Central Kansas Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk

Rep. Elaine Bowers holding Isaac Thoman, with Shella Thoman

Two favorite boys: Isaac & Noah!

Company finds one of the answers for the energy crisis is Blowing in the wind

2008-10-08T14:46:00.001-05:00

Article By TIM UNRUH ~ Salina Journal

Photo by Jeff Cooper

CONCORDIA -- A big vinyl banner tied to a wind turbine blade was coming down when farmer Kurt Kocher pulled in with his tractor and wheat drill.

Most of the 200 people attending the ribbon cutting for the Meridian Way Wind Farm had signed the blade that will be installed at the wind farm in southern Cloud County, and Kocher wanted to etch his name in history.

The $340 million farm is being built by Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy.

"It's a big day for Horizon, a big day for the community and for north-central Kansas," Kocher said.

A stiff, cool wind flapped the large tent where a small country band and cowboy poet flavored the event.

"It's windy, but it's a wind farm," said Jim Roberts, Concordia, Horizon senior project manager. "We're very proud to be bringing this farm to Cloud County."

The turnout was a celebration for the Cloud County community. It represented a positive result to Rep. Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, who recalled the perils of Kansas gales while riding her bicycle and throwing the discus at track meets.

Now the wind is producing jobs and wealth in her district, which includes part of the Smoky Hills wind farm in Lincoln and Ellsworth counties.

"Just let that Kansas wind blow," Bowers said.

The state ranks third in wind potential and 12th in development, said Antonio Coutinho, Horizon's chief energy officer.

"There's a lot of room to grow," he said. "This reduces the fuel dependency of the country and stabilizes the (power) cost to consumers."

By the end of this week or early next week, the first wind turbines will begin turning in Cloud County, Roberts said, but it will be November before the farm is producing electricity for Meridian's two customers -- Westar Energy, Topeka, and Empire District Electric, Joplin, Mo.

Producing 201 megawatts

When all 67 turbines are operational by the end of this year, the farm will have the capacity to produce 201 megawatts -- 96 megawatts for Westar and 105 for Empire -- enough to power 60,000 average Kansas homes.

Because fossil fuels are not needed to make electricity at the wind farm, the amount of pollution prevented is like taking 60,000 cars of the road, according to company literature.

The construction phase, from late March through the end of this year, produced about 200 jobs, and the wind farm will create at least 20 full-time jobs. A training program is ongoing at Cloud County Community College, Concordia, Roberts said, and students are being offered full-time jobs with Vestas, the Danish company that makes the turbines for Horizon. He said Horizon also will hire from the program.

"It seems like yesterday when we stood in the cold and wind at the groundbreaking," said Johnita Crawford, chairwoman of the Cloud County Commission.

Several Meridian wind turbines are located on the Kocher family's property, one of 65 landowners who are leasing their land for turbines, access roads, transmission line corridors and wind access (requiring unobstructed wind access).

Money for landowners

The project will produce significant income for some landowners or supplemental income for others, Kocher said, depending on how many turbines are on their land.

Payments can range from $4,000 to $8,000 a year for each turbine, Roberts said.

John Peckham, Salina, bought land to hunt on in early 2007, and ended up leasing one turbine site to the wind farm. Six or seven more leases would be nice, he said, but "the one (lease) is going to subsidize my hunting."

The turbines are kind of like having an oil well on your property, Kocher said. "I bet it'll be cleaner."

There is no downside, said Ken Anderson, Fort Scott, who leased a spot of a pasture to the project.

"It's great. It supports the environment and it's good income we can count on year after year," Anderson said.

Part of the portfolio

Wind energy should be part of any electric company's "portfolio," balanced with other generation from fuels such as coal, natural gas and nuclear, said Bill Moore, Westar president and chief executive officer.

With renewable energy from wind farms near Medicine Lodge and in Wichita County, Westar will be buying 300 megawatts of wind power, he said. To meet Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' recommendation that Kansas reach the level of producing 10 percent of its energy needs from wind by 2010, Westar would need to purchase a total of 500 megawatts.

Moore said the company is not committed to any more wind power purchases.

Fossil fuels are necessary to meeting growing demand, said Bradley Beecher, Empire vice president and chief operations officer. Next year, wind will produce 15 percent of the energy that Empire sends to the power grid.

"The more wind energy we buy, the less natural gas we burn," he said.

Key to the industry development is the federal production tax credit that lowered the cost to purchase wind power by $18 a megawatt, Beecher said. He would not say what Empire is paying for wind power.

"Without that, we wouldn't have bought it," he said.

Congress just continued the tax credit for another year, which is important for wind, Moore said, because it makes the cost compatible with other forms of energy. But, he said, the tax credit should linger longer before needing more federal approval.

"We need an energy policy that will give us an idea of where we should be headed," he said. "Just renewing it a year at a time isn't the way to do it."

Highway 24 Memorial

2008-10-08T10:29:00.001-05:00

American Legion Auxillary members donated $1,500 to purchase a sign for the upcoming dedication and naming of U.S. Highway 24, World War II Veterans Memorial Highway to state Representative Elaine Bowers.

(Click on article to make larger for easier reading)

Article courtesy of the Concordia Blade Empire

And here is a mock-up of what the new signs will look like:

Legislative Coffee

2008-10-07T09:08:00.001-05:00

At a Legislative Coffee. Rep. Bowers is speaking with Don Menard of Clyde.

Rep. Bowers speaking to Gevine Hoseli.

Rep. Bowers Endorsed by Kansas ChamberPAC

2008-10-03T10:56:00.002-05:00

(click to enlarge, for easier reading)

Seth's First Deer

2008-09-30T10:54:00.001-05:00

Speaker Names Rep. Bowers to Special Transportation Committee

2008-09-17T13:05:00.003-05:00

September 17, 2008, Topeka – Kansas Speaker of the House of Representatives Melvin Neufeld (R-Ingalls) announced today he has appointed Representative Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) to serve on the Special Committee on a New Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

Rep. Bowers serves on the House Taxation; Federal and State Affairs and Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees and is a past member of the 2007 Assessment and Taxation Interim Committee.

“Rep. Bowers’ real life experience as a business owner combined with her legislative experience gives her a clear understanding of the transportation infrastructure challenges our state faces and the impact a well-developed and maintained highway system can have on economic development and the state’s budget. I am confident she will work hard to help craft a comprehensive transportation plan that meets the needs of our state while finding new ways to fund the work,” Speaker Neufeld said.

The special committee will study and review:

the need for a new comprehensive transportation plan;
the status of the state’s current transportation system;
possible funding sources for a new transportation plan;
potential federal funding sources;
the status of the current plan; and
the use of toll roads.

Rep. Bowers said she looks forward to working with other legislators on the transportation plan.

“As a business owner in the automotive industry in north central Kansas, I know just how important our roads, bridges and issues concerning their upkeep and development are to our communities and citizens - not only here in this part of the state but the entire state as well,” Rep. Bowers said.

Rep. Bowers represents the 107th District which includes Cloud, Lincoln, Ottawa and part of Dickinson Counties.

Speaker Congratulates Rep. Bowers on Perfect Voting & Attendance Record

2008-06-18T20:03:00.002-05:00

June 18, 2008

Topeka - Kansas Speaker of the House of Representatives Melvin Neufeld (R-Ingalls) congratulated Representative Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia) today on her 100% voting and attendance records during the 2007-2008 Legislative Term.

“During her first two years in office, Rep. Bowers never missed a day of work and voted every time House members were called to do so. Not many legislators can point to such an accomplishment. This shows not only her dedication to represent her district well but also her commitment to always be on the job for her constituents and to never shy away from the tough votes,” Speaker Neufeld said.

During the two year term, the House recorded nearly 900 votes on bills, amendments, motions to concur, conference committee reports and resolutions.

Rep. Bowers represents the 107th District which includes Cloud, Lincoln, Ottawa and part of Dickinson Counties.

She serves on the House Taxation; Federal and State Affairs and Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees and is a past member of the 2007 Assessment and Taxation Interim Committee.

2008 Capitol Update

2008-05-02T19:23:00.000-05:00

(click images to enlarge for reading)

New Deer Crossing Signs

2008-04-30T18:58:00.001-05:00

April 30, 2008:

Cloud county residents may notice two new signs that were erected in the past few weeks by the Kansas Department of Transportation. Deer crossing signs have been installed at the junction of US 81 and 24 highways and on east highway 9 outside of Concordia.

Brian Marks, Kansas Department of Wildlife Natural Resource Officer, contacted Kansas Representative Elaine Bowers about placement of signs in the county. The most needed locations where the public needed to be warned of high deer movement were selected and submitted to the state. During the two years of meetings, KDOT District Engineer, Leland Tice, worked with Marks and signs were scheduled to be put up in the spring.

Public safety is a top priority to the state of Kansas and the Department of Transportation Bureau of Traffic Safety. The Bureau influences human behavior by identifying problems and implementing effective educational and enforcement programs focusing on prevention. Deer crossing signs such as these two new sets placed in strategic locations with the help of local officials is the type of cooperation between local government and the state that benefits all Kansas residents.