FROM THE GALLERY
State Legislation
The Kansas Legislature is back in session with much to do before they too will be heading toward the election trail. All Kansas Senators and Representatives will be up for re-election in the fall. It is imperative that you watch this session carefully and stay in touch with your legislators on issues that you support so that you will be able to vote intelligently in the fall. This is part of your job as a citizen. CWA of Kansas wants to help you in this process so we will try to keep you up-to-date on committee hearings, important votes and ways to be an active citizen lobbyist. Our Encourage A Legislator project is another way to be active in support of the political process without being partisan. We will track bills of interest and those that fit into our six core issues throughout the Legislative session. Our six core issues are: Sanctity of Life; Pornography; Education; Definition of the Family; National Sovereignty, and Religious Freedom.
The Budget:
According to the latest national budget figures there may be light at the end of the tunnel for states grappling with budgetary shortfalls according to a recent press release by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC.) Many states that are struggling with budget deficit issues, including Kansas have raised taxes in the past to deal with budget deficits. Other states that have no expected budget deficits like Florida, Minnesota and New Hampshire have relied on spending cuts or other measures rather than raising taxes. Again this year this will be a thorny issue and much misinformation and scare tactics will be afoot. My own senator recently sent out a survey in which I was asked if I were in favor of a tax increase or whether I favored budget cuts. If I favored a budget cut, the implications on the survey were that a budget cut would result in cutting services to: the elderly, disabled, handicapped and persons living in poverty, OR services for education, both higher education and K-12 (Note: Currently 67 cents out of the budget dollar already goes to higher education and K-12) OR services for public safety, law enforcement, and prisons. I also had the option of advocating for a combination of cutting services and raising taxes with the same options on where to cut. My response is this: Are these the ONLY areas that can be cut? What about bureaucracies within the government? What about waste? What about administrative costs? Within each department there have to be duplications and excesses that can be weeded out . . . much like you have to do in your own budgets at home when the money is cut. My opinion was also solicited on the gambling issue . . . as an additional revenue to the state and a source of tourism for certain cities. Unmentioned is the cost of additional services to those communities and to the state for welfare, medical complications, additional police and loss of income to small businesses. This is an example of the games that are being played in an election year to provide cover for elected officials. It is up to you to ask the right questions of your legislator and to think this issue through. Give them feedback on your own situation. Our legislators are not the enemy . . . they NEED your input. They are part-time legislators who have almost no staff to help them and they spend weeks away from their families and businesses to serve you for little pay. They need your input.
Citizen Lobbying:
We would love to have you come to Topeka to observe the Legislative process first-hand. We have a lobbyist who goes to Topeka regularly who would welcome your company. Contact CWA at director@kansas.cwfa.org for more information. Usually I go to the Legislature on Thursdays so if you are interested in meeting me or accompanying me call: 913-491-1380 and leave a message or contact me at: director@kansas.cwfa.org
HCR 5023 urges the Congress of the United States to pass the RU-486 suspension and review act of 2003. This bill is sponsored by Representative Patricia Barbieri-Lightner and supports reviewing the FDA�s review of the medical abortion pill RU-486. There will be more on this issue in the next Family Concerns. It is in the Health and Human Services Committee of the House. Contact committee members to support this concurrent resolution. It was also introduced in the Senate but there is no committee assignment.
WHAT ABOUT SENTENCING IN KANSAS?
We recently attended a meeting held by Attorney General Phill Kline in which Kansas sentencing guidelines were discussed by law enforcement and other experts in the field. The attorney general is calling for the legislature to do a review of the guidelines considering this and other anomalies in the sentencing of criminals in Kansas. Attorney General Kline reported that there are twenty-some felony crimes that receive probation under the current guidelines. Some misdemeanors carry more jail time than certain felonies.
Roger Kemp, the father of the murdered Ali Kemp, whose murder is still unsolved, made a passionate plea for a centralized DNA database to find these offenders quickly. The general consensus of the panel was that only a small part of the population commits these heinous crimes and they re-offend over and over, yet are still being released out into society under community supervision.
Action: Contact your legislator and urge them to support a full review of sentencing guidelines in Kansas and urge them to keep the offenders in prison as long as possible. Innocent citizens should not be in a �prison of fear� . . . offenders should be ones in prison.