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Message from the House Majority Leader: This week things have started to pick up. Bills are starting to come out of the committees. House Republicans will start consideration of the bills beginning next Monday. Here are three issues that are generating news: Budget As we move into the third full week of the 2009 legislative session the House Republicans are rolling up their sleeves. Committees and individual members have been working around to the clock proposing and debating ideas to correct the 2009 budget while ensuring lasting policy change in the budget process for 2010 and beyond. This week House Republicans met and discussed possible spending cuts for 2009, which included reviewing a Senate proposal to remove $300 million for the current budget year. As of this newsletter, the Senate has passed a modified 2009 budget bill. The new bill includes an across the board cut of 1.5% and does not impact the education budget to the extent of the previous bill. The remainder of the cuts come from ³one time² money such as fee sweeps and further targeted cuts. This is just the beginning of the budget process. Once an agreement is reached on the 2009 budget, both chambers will have to turn their attention to the looming deficit in 2010 and beyond. According to new numbers by the non-partisan Legislative Research Department, the Governor's proposed cuts for 2009 will not be enough to get the state out of the red ink for 2009. The House will likely take up its 2009 budget rescission bill next week. Abortion bill introduced This week in the Kansas House of Representatives a bipartisan bill was introduced that would protect a woman's physical and psychological health while advancing the state's interest in protecting fetal life. HB 2076, A Woman's Right to Know and See, will require that 24 hours prior to an abortion, the mother must be provided a list of free sonogram locations and with information for free counseling assistance for medically challenging pregnancies and contacts for free perinatal hospice services. 30 minutes prior to an abortion, when the mother consults with her doctor (which is required under current law) and a sonogram is used, the woman must be offered the opportunity to see and get a copy of the sonogram image and to hear her babyıs heartbeat. Additionally, the bill requires that an anti-coercion sign be posted in the clinic so that every woman is aware of her legal rights. The bill is awaiting a hearing in the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs. Judicial Selection House Concurrent Resolution has been introduced in the Judiciary Committee to change the way justices are selected. The current system of selecting Court of Appeals & Supreme Court Justices gives too much power to attorneys. Under current law a nine member commission, five of whom are attorneys selected by other attorneys, submit a list of three nominees to the Governor. The Governor is then required to appoint one of those three nominees. Kansas is the only state in the nation that allows lawyers to control the selection of the majority of a state judicial nominating commission. HCR 5005 would implement the following reforms: Even though these bills are currently garnering the most attention, I would still like to hear any ideas or concerns regarding issues that matter to you. Please contact me with your comments.
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| Copyright © 2009 Owen Donohoe Campaign, Rebecca K. Chapman, Treasurer. |
