GUEST COLUMN, Shannon Francis, 125th District Representative
We had a good group from home in Topeka last week for Pancakes at the Capitol. This is always one of the most anticipated events of the session for legislators and their staff. Legislators from across the state come by to eat pancakes and talk about Liberal and Pancake Day.
In Topeka for Pancakes at the Capitol, Seward County Administrator and Commission Chair testified on HB 2004. This bill lets Seward County voters decide on a 0.5 percent sales tax for road and bridge projects. If voters approve, the tax will expire 10 years after implementation. Below, I will discuss Seward County’s and the state’s road funding issues.
Highway funding issues in Kansas
The state and local governments in Kansas face challenges in funding road maintenance. A significant portion of funding for the state highway system and local roads comes from the state fuel tax, which is $0.24 per gallon for gasoline and $0.26 per gallon for diesel. The last increase in the fuel tax was in 2003. Fuel tax is a fixed amount and does not change with the price of gas like a sales tax. Due to the increasing fuel efficiency of vehicles, state fuel tax revenue has remained stagnant over the past 20 years. Local governments receive one-third of the State Motor Fuels Tax.
And yet as all of us know inflation is soaring. Each dollar does less.
Helping local government with road funding
Last year, I collaborated with other legislators and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to secure a $6 million state appropriation, which leveraged a $26.7 million federal grant to enhance roads affected by the expanding dairy industry in Southwest Kansas. As a member of the Build Kansas Committee, I supported Liberal’s successful application for a $1.6 million federal grant for engineering and design work for a future railroad overpass, supplemented by a $305,000 state grant. The Cost Share Program at KDOT has enabled Seward County to improve the US 83-Salley Road intersection and overlay Meade Lake Road. Additionally, there are cost share programs available for local bridges, airports, safe streets, railroad sidings, and many more infrastructure projects. This year, I am advocating for the reinstatement of approximately $10 million in commercial vehicle registration fees from the State General Fund to the City County Highway Fund, which was discontinued in 2008. Furthermore, my colleagues and I are working on legislation to ensure that electric vehicles contribute fairly to road construction and maintenance costs in Kansas.
Digital ID
This year at the Capitol, there has been much discussion about digital ID/mobile driver’s licenses. The Transportation Committee had a presentation on it last week. Currently, 11 states have implemented digital ID, mainly used for TSA and age verification for cigarettes and alcohol. Digital ID cannot be used for traffic stops or voting. The technology involves an electronic key on your phone, provided by the state, and a vendor reader, similar to airport boarding pass readers. There are no recurring links between your phone, the vendor, or the state. You can choose what information to share; for example, only your picture and date of birth for age verification for beer. Digital ID would not be mandatory. It would be an option for those wanting the convenience.
Meg Atwood
This session my office assistant is Meg Atwood. I am excited to be working with Meg again. She has more than 30 years experience in education in China, Hungary, and the United States. Her background includes consulting for home schools, ESL and Special Education in the public school system. She will be the friendly voice on the other end of the phone when you call my office. You can reach her at
Pages
The Page program is designed for students in middle school, junior high or the first years of high school. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. If you or someone you know is interested in serving as a page, please contact me or Meg for more information.
Constituent services
Thank you for the opportunity to continue serving our families in Seward and Meade County. Please reach out to me any time I can assist you with a state agency concern. I do ask that you send the request to me by email. This ensures that I get the information correctly to the agency we are working with. You can reach me when I’m in Topeka by email at
