This weekend is called, "turn around day" and is the time that all bills (suggested laws) that have been approved with the house of origin are exchanged between the Senate and House of Representatives. Bills that have successfully passed both houses; which may include those left over from last year are forwarded onto the governor for signature or veto.
Now if a Bill has been "blessed" or "exempt" are allowed to stay where they are and will continue to be "worked". This is especially true for some hot topic items and appropriations bills.
This time of year the committees work is ½ finished and we spend a lot of time on the floor of the chamber. This is where the final debate is conducted and amendments can still be offered. Normally if the amendment was not allowed in the committee and is still an important issue with legislators, you will see it here offered as a floor amendment.
If you would like to see both boring and stimulating debate this is the time to come to the capitol. If you would like to listen in you can go to www.kslegislature.org, in the middle of the page there is a section that says "listen in live", select Senate or House, you can not see anything but you can listen. Soon we hope to have live video web transmission, so you will be able to see as well.
This same website will direct you to all sorts of information about the state, your legislator(s), voting records, bill explanations, fiscal notes, and is a path to a directory of all state services.
I have three bills to carry to the floor for debate, HB 2735 re-authorizes the transfer of funds to help finance the abandoned oil and gas well plugging program. Starting in 1996 the state took the responsibility to track down those producers and drillers that may have abandoned a well and did not properly plug it.
The State Corporation Commission through the Conservation Division identified 16,133 abandoned wells located in 4 districts across the state. They have contracted with privately owned companies to plug 7,000 of them, 2,000 were removed from the list because they were able to locate another responsible party and they plugged the well. The cost to plug a well varies across the state depending on the depth and diameter of the hole. The cost runs from $1,000 for a shallow well to about $75,000 for a hole on the Greenwood-Butler County line.
The wells are prioritized based on possible contamination of surface water, ground water, or public safety. The majority of wells that are requiring to be plugged are located in SE Kansas. Butler, Greenwood, Sedgwick and Cowley have less that 25 collectively. Http://kcc.ks.gov/maps.
Mechanical contractor HB 2847 that identifies those testing agencies that are allowed to administer a statewide and nationwide test to verify the qualifications of plumbers, electricians, and heat and cooling technicians. Current law identifies an organization that is no longer in business (Block). This is required to allow reciprocity between code and inspection authorities across the state. Eliminates the community issued "good-old-boy" testing that used to take place.
SB 267 relates to the crime of failure to comply with a wildlife and parks citation. The crime would be defined as failing to appear in district court, failing to pay the assessed fines and court costs, or to otherwise comply with a wildlife and parks citation. In addition you could be prohibited from getting a license in another state that is part of a nationwide wildlife compact.
Work continues on the proposed state employee pay plan, immigration, energy and air quality
initiatives. The issues are being debated in committee and through this process all sides are being given the opportunity to comment.
Thanks to all of you who have sent me various communications on these and other issues. I do appreciate knowing where your support or opposition lies. If you oppose please send me your alternative proposition.
Following this weekend I will be in town for a couple of days and have plans to visit the El Dorado High School Class of Scott L’Ecuyer and grade school class of Janet Baker. I will report back on these visits, I wonder who will be the happiest that I came to visit?
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