Activities are focusing on the FY 2010 Budget and my budget committee has been tasked to suggest cuts to various agencies that includes Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, KDHE, and others.
We started with the revised 2009 budgets that have been reduced by a total of around $350 million and ask the agency=s for an additional 10%. We have tried to hold harmless the fee funds that some collect as payment for services they provide and have been successful in doing so.
Time will tell as we move closer to the final budget bill and recommend to the Governor if our numbers will hold. As I told you before our Consensus Estimating Group has been in the cash-flow forecasting business since 1975. Their track record is they are averaging 1% error in the ending balance fund. When they talk we listen.
This morning I was visited by three energetic women representing Parents as Teachers. Shari Mills from Clearwater, Leslie Sissel and Kim Brack both from Rose Hill discussed their important function of helping children whose ages range from birth to age 3. They presented the argument that one efficient way to invest public money to ensure a skilled workforce is to invest it in a quality care and education early in children=s lives.
Their mission is ATo provide the information, support and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of life@. Parents as Teachers is a free, voluntary program provided by the Kansas State department of Education and the Service Center at Clearwater.
We discussed their funding which is provided through the Department of Education. The ladies discussed funding priorities and I was impressed with their enthusiasm. The participating school districts they represent include, Andover, Clearwater, Remington, Bluestem, Conway Springs, Circle and Douglass.For additional information
Children under the age of 36 months, regardless of income and who live within the member school districts are eligible to participate. For more information please contact; The Service Center at Clearwater, 13939 Diagonal road. P.O. Box 160 Clearwater KS. 67026, online www.sckesc.org, or e-mail smills@sckesc.org, 1-866-875-3305.
Several topics have surfaced that we will be discussing in the near future include, HB 2206 and H Sub for SB238. Abortion Rights, HB 2311 authorizing Licensed private detectives to be process servers, SB 102 concerning the use of an automatic defibrillator, SB 160 raising the minimum wage in Kansas, just to list a few. With the budget crunch anything that has a positive fiscal note does not get much attention.
My Legislative post Audit Committee had an eye-opening meeting last week when we discussed computer security at KU, KSU and Emporia State. The report we received was in follow-up to an audit conducted in late 2005 which highlighted deficiencies in campus computer security.
That audit included a large number of recommendations related to missing or inadequate security policies, and to non-policy areas such as the authority of the security officer position and the efficiency of the policy-setting process.
In this audit the staff found that the three universities have full implemented very few of the policy recommendations from the 2005 report. While ESU did the best, fully complying with 28 of 41 recommendations, KsU complied with only 7 of 33, and KU complied with only 5 of 33.
In testing some of the areas, staff found significant access control at one university. Because of the sensitivity of the report we had to recess into executive session for the discussion with the audit computer security specialists, Board of Regents Representative, and the individual university representatives.
After committee discussion with the above universities, we believe the track record on security requirements will see a significant improvement. The committee was able to fully discuss the need for tightened measures and to receive assurances from the universities that by next January we will receive an update on corrective measures.
I consider it an honor and privilege to be your Representative in Topeka and I want to know what you think. Please contact me at my Topeka office at 1-785-296-7655, john.grange@house.ks.gov, or write me at Rep. John C. Grange room 724, Docking State Office Building, Topeka Kansas 66612.
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