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Thursday
March 28th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

shannon francisGUEST COLUMN, Shannon Francis, 125th District Representative

 

It was a busy week in Topeka with folks from home at the Capitol for state meetings. It’s always wonderful to see someone from home. The best people in the world live in Southwest Kansas.

Karem Gallo, Corey Barnett, and Tanya Colvin were in Topeka for meetings with the Kansas Board of Realtors Assoc. We had talked about the need for housing and the effect of rising interest rates on home affordability. Karem is also on the Kansas Creative Arts Industry Commission. 

Mary Rose, our new County Treasurer, was at the Capitol for a state meeting. I know Mary will do an excellent job. We talked about HB 2148, described below, that directly impacts County Treasurers. 

It’s always good to see Sally Fuller, our tourism director. She does a fantastic job selling Liberal across the state as a place to visit or have a convention. As a member of the Governor’s Council on Travel and Tourism, she has been an invaluable resource to me.

County Commissioners Scott Carr, Presephoni Fuller, County Administrator April Warden and Melinda Hoddy-Baker were in Topeka meeting with policy makers and attending legislative committee meetings.

I can’t thank Seward County Farm Bureau enough for all the support they have given me year in and year out. The members are informed and passionate about growing and protecting our agricultural economy. They are a great group to get feedback from. Farm Bureau members Donna Walker and Starla Young visited with me about the Highway 54 four-lane intersection at Panhandle Road and the House Water Committee. Donna also makes some delicious chocolate chip cookies!

This week I and other legislative transportation leaders met with Economic Lifelines, the leading grassroots advocacy group for transportation in Kansas. I spoke about the need to four lane our major freight corridors, like Highways 54 and 83. At one time Liberal had a major role in Economic Lifelines. We need to restore that connection.

 

House bills passed this week

HB 2014 - Names a portion of State Highway 69 after Robert Lessen. Robert was a combat veteran of WWII and Korean wars. After his service, Robert continued to serve his Southeast Kansas community along the stretch of highway being named.

HB 2033 – This bill clarifies and adds definitions for mental health and behavioral health crises in order to allow flexibility for crisis intervention. Intervention centers will now be better able to offer their services to minors who are exhibiting extreme behaviors that previously would not have received help as easily.

HB 2042 - Today, self-storage business operators must go through government agencies to get a vehicle towed off their property if a client defaults on their contract. This leads to gridlock and hampering their abilities to conduct business. With this bill, they can arrange the towing themselves with prior notice to a customer in default.

HB 2065 - Current law only allows for a spouse undergoing a divorce to change their name to a previously used name or a maiden name. This bill allows for the spouse to select a different name if desired.

HB 2069 - This bill will help in achieving more consistency in the courts statewide. When an offender is on supervision for a crime committed and is arrested for an alleged new crime, this legislation clarifies how the time spent in jail is credited. The time is credited to the original case first and then to the new case if applicable.

HB 2070 - The bill expands and clarifies which offenders are eligible for nonprison drug treatment programs. This allows offenders who suffer with addiction that have been convicted of felony property crimes to have access to treatment as part of their sentence. The bill is supported by law enforcement officers across the state who believe this can have a great impact in reducing future crimes. 

SCR 1602 - Disapproving the designation of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species in Kansas by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Simply put, Kansas knows what’s best for Kansas. Kansas farmers and ranchers already provide private efforts to protect the lesser prairie chicken that go above and beyond any measures the federal government is seeking to impose. While this is a symbolic gesture, it is very important that we stand with our Kansas Congressional delegation in opposition to the designation of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.

 

Transportation Committee action this week

The committee worked and passed out the following bills:

HB 2014 — Designated a portion of U.S. Highway 69 in Crawford county as the Robert Lessen Memorial Highway.

HB 2019 — Established conditions for when a driver is an independent contractor for a transportation network company.

HB 2020 — Provided that the employment status of a driver of a motor carrier does not change as a result of the inclusion of safety improvements on a vehicle.

HB 2146 — Increased penalties for operating a vehicle at a speed in excess of 30 miles per hour over the speed limit.

HB 2149 — Allowed distinctive license plates to be personalized license plates.

The committee had hearings on:

HB 2148 — Increasing certain registration and title fees on vehicles for services provided by county treasurers and the division of vehicles, decreasing certain fees related to administrative costs and disposition of such fees and eliminating the division of vehicles modernization surcharge.

HB 2267 — Allowing adult care homes to apply for disability special license plates.

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

 

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GUEST COLUMN, Shannon Francis, 125th District Representative

 

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