Your Monday Morning Update!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Your Monday Morning Update:

Just like the balloon drop on New Year’s Eve, the Kansas legislature is counting down. The legislature has until March 26^th to debate, pontificate, and deliberate bills which had been introduced and passed the opposite house of origin. In other words, what has been passed by the House must be addressed by the Senate and vice versa. This day is affectionately called “Drop Dead Day”.  The exception to this deadline is exempt committees (House Appropriations, Calendar & Printing, Federal & State Affairs, Taxation, and Senate Ways & Means). Exempt committees are not subject to bill deadlines and bills can be acted upon any time.

Most committees stop meeting after the 26^th and April 4^th will be the last day for consideration of most bills. Spring break for our legislative delegation is April 5^th through the 29^th. Time is of the essence.

With those sands of time flowing, there were several bills discussed last week that are of interest to our I/DD community. 

1.     The House Committee on Insurance held hearings on an Autism Insurance Bill which would require insurance companies to provide coverage for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy.  This would include children up to the age of 18.  The autism community pushed hard for this bill last year, but the insurance network is powerful and blocked it.  It didn’t appear to have much momentum this year until Johnson County Representative John Rubin crafted a compromise bill which would provide ten hours of ABA each week and limit the number of children who would be covered. Individuals who typically would support an Autism Insurance Bill testified against Rubin’s amendment saying the bill didn’t “go far enough” as the minimum recommendation is 20 hours.  You decide for yourself whether it’s better to negotiate or stand our ground.

2.     House Bill 2762 was a surprise bill that just showed up!  This bill was introduced into the House Taxation committee on March 13^th, was passed out, and then showed up on the House calendar for Friday March 14^th.  It was referred back to the House Taxation committee. This bill has to do with credits and benefits to businesses who hire folks who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. The short title for this bill is the “Enacting the Kansas tax weight-loss act”. It’s a long bill, fairly complicated and because I’m not a lawyer, don’t really understand what it says (and I definitely don’t understand the name). More info to come…

3.     A bill that passed out of the House and the Senate and is now sitting on the Governor’s desk is a bill which makes it harder for voters to switch parties before primary elections.  Kansas is one state that operates a “closed primary”.  Registered party members can only vote in their own party’s primary.  For example, if you are a registered Republican, and there is a primary election, you can only vote for a Republican. If you are a registered Democrat and there is a primary, you can only vote for a Democrat.  Republicans can’t vote for the Democrat and vice versa. Unaffiliated voters or independents are able to vote for either party. Current law allows switching up to two weeks before the primary.  This new bill prohibits individuals from switching their registration between the June 1^st candidate filing dates, until after results from the August primary are certified.  Republicans say that the change protects the integrity of party contests.  Democrats say that the bill restricts voting rights.

So there you have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about last week’s goings on, but were afraid to ask.

This legislative session is much like a balloon. You blow it up and tie it securely.  You push on it and you don’t know what will happen.  It may bulge a little here, it may bulge a little there, or it may explode. 

Warm regards,

Lurena Mead

Community Relations Manager

Johnson County Developmental Supports

10501 Lackman Rd. Lenexa, Kansas 66219

Direct (913) 826-2212  Office (913) 826-2626

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