Dear Friends,
You may have already picked up the news about the 2009 April consensus revenue estimate report for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. The information was not good, and as we expected, the revenues have fallen further. More is in the budget section below.
More recent bad news is that sadly, Gov. Sebelius vetoed the late-term abortion bill, which would have given the Legislature more tools to enforce the laws already on the books. For more information see the abortion section below. There is a strong probability Gov. Sebelius will be confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services this Tuesday by the U.S. Senate.
Gov. Sebelius also vetoed the energy bill, HB 2014, a comprehensive energy bill which would establish a renewable portfolio standard and among many other things, establish fixed regulations for carbon dioxide storage. Kansas needs an energy policy that uses all available resources to provide electricity in the most cost effective manner possible. We need utilities to deploy base load, intermediate, peaking and renewable resources in the manner that provides reliable electricity at the most reasonable cost. As we confront our current economic situation, reasonable electric rates need to be an important part of the economic recovery.
The number of people who attended the tea parties was good news, and I was honored to be invited to speak at the tea party at Johnson County Community College. I spoke on the importance of the tenth amendment in our U.S. Constitution which emphasizes the importance of state sovereignty to ensure our freedoms. See the tenth amendment section below. I was deeply impressed with the thousands of citizens who took the time to gather peacefully and promote the principles of limited government and individual responsibility.
I have worked with Northwest Johnson County Republican Chairman Mike Pirner to invite Jack Confer, the executive director of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts to speak at the next NWJCR meeting on Monday, May 4 at 6:30 pm at Barley's off Midland Drive. If you are affiliated with the medical profession in any way, you won't want to miss this meeting. Mr. Confer is new to Kansas and I have been impressed with his determination to correct past problems and find the appropriate balance of implementing BOHA rules to protect the health of Kansas citizens while ensuring the freedom of the medical profession to do their work.
Budget
For fiscal year 2009, Kansas took in $115.3 million less than expected in Nov., 2008, and a 2 percent shortfall.
For fiscal year 2010, the state will take in $401.6 million less than anticipated in Nov., 2008, a sobering decline of 6.9 percent.
Based on the new numbers and legislative action to date, if no adjustments were made, Kansas would experience a budget deficit of just over $500 million in 2009 and $374 million in 2010. The Kansas constitution prohibits the state from running a budget deficit.
The estimates further predict that, if current trends continue, the state would face a budget deficit of $568 million in 2011 and of $896 million in 2012.
The estimates of Kansas Growth State Product used by the analysts of 3.5 percent for Nov. 2009 was reduced to negative 1.5 percent. The GSP for Nov. 2010 was changed from 5.0 percent to 2.9 percent.
The Kansas Department of Revenue estimates that compliance by our state with the federal stimulus money will reduce receipts an additional $77.5 million by the end of FY 2010.
Abortion
There will be an effort during the veto session to override SB 218, the bill vetoed by Gov. Sebelius. This legislation would hold abortion providers more accountable to the reporting requirements that already exist in late-term abortion law, with continued privacy protections for women's identities that have always been provided for in law.
Another change in the abortion law would be a requirement for the abortion provider to inform the woman that "the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being." Sometimes there is confusion about this statement because some are not aware that this is a scientific fact.
The Legislature received numerous testimonies from women who were told their unborn child was "only a blob of tissue," and felt traumatized when they found out the truth. There needs to be a reminder -- there is no debate about when human life exists. That has been determined through embryology and biological development. What has not yet been decided definitively by our society is when human life has inherent value.
If an illegal abortion has been performed, new language in the bill allows a woman or the father, if married to the woman, and the parents of the woman, if she is under the age of 18 at the time of the abortion, to file a lawsuit against the abortion provider.
In addition, the legislation would synchronize Kansas partial birth abortion law with the federal law most recently approved by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tenth amendment
I introduced SCR 1609, like Texas' HCR 50, to the Kansas Legislature in early February of this year. Because of the support I received, I had the resolution redrafted and was able to get a total of 24 senators' signatures onto the measure, including all of Senate leadership. The new number is SCR 1615.
The Judiciary Chairman, Sen. Tim Owens, did not want to have hearings on the bill because he had other priorities he wanted to address, and eventually we ran out of time this session. He has promised we will have a hearing the first Friday of the next session, January 15, 2010. On the bright side, it will give us plenty of time to prepare and build momentum for the hearing.
This resolution stresses that our U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to intrude into the lives of citizens with excess spending, or to interfere with the affairs of our state by dangling money in front of us with multiple strings attached. As James Madison stressed in the Federalist Papers, “The powers delegated … to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.”
Closing
Don't forget, you can always see more in the details listed on the Legislative Reports page on my website. I don't want to flood you with information if you don't want it, but I want the information to be available if you are interested.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve you. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see an issue more thoroughly covered next newsletter.
In honor of your liberty,
Mary Pilcher Cook
