KPOA Week 10 Summary
The week of March 16-20 was the last opportunity for bills not exempt from deadlines to be passed by the second chamber. Wednesday and Thursday were devoted to floor debate and final action on bills.
The upcoming week will see more floor debate and final action on bills exempt from the deadlines, but primarily focused on conference committee work to iron out differences in Senate and House positions on bills.
A bill exempt to deadlines is one that has been assigned at any time to a Senate or House Federal and State Affairs Committee, a Senate or House Tax Committee, or the House Appropriations Committee or the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The Active Bill list will show a bill exempt from deadlines as being “Not subject to deadlines” in the bottom of the bill entry.
Here is where we are at on our “high interest” and Priority Bills for this year:
- PTSD: The Pilot Project in included as a budget proviso in both House and Senate budget proposals. The House and Senate have agreed to fund it with $1M for two years. The budget bills are currently in conference. There is a technical amendment they plan to make to the proviso language.
- Pole Camera Limitations: SB379 is now dead, but SB478 is an exempt bill so it is still alive on Senate General Orders.
- SB452, Sen. Masterson’s bill on support of federal law enforcement agencies remains on House General Orders and we are told it will be debated next week.
- Marijuana bills: There are three marijuana legalization bills. All of them are exempt bills. None have been scheduled for a hearing.
- PSAPs and Emergency Medical Dispatching: SB379 passed the Senate 37-3. A hearing was held in the House Utilities Committee and the chair announced he will not work the bill. The bill is now dead.
- The speeding bill (100+mph) is dead again.
- CPOST Funding: No progress was made on the funding issue CPOST is facing.
- KPERS: No movement on any meaningful KPERS bills this year. Neither Tier 3 or retirees COLA advanced to even having a hearing. HB2500 is now officially dead, but the identical SB500 is exempt and while not technically dead it is dead for all practical purposes.
