By Tim Carpenter, Topeka Capital-Journal, January 09, 2012
Topeka Rep. Joe Patton kicked off the annual legislative session Monday by proposing a boot heel be deployed to squash a special retirement benefit enjoyed only by state lawmakers.
A bipartisan contingent of the Shawnee County delegation, meanwhile, took their first breath of the 2012 session by objecting to Gov. Sam Brownback's plans for reforming public school financing and Medicaid programs to the poor, disabled and elderly.
"We've got to make sure what comes out of this session funds our schools adequately and fairly," said Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka.
Sen. Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka, said she would chair committee hearings on Medicaid.
"It's important to understand how Medicaid reform is going to be implemented and what the consequences are," she said. "I do want all interested parties to have a venue."
Patton focused on his bill taking a bite out of retirement benefits for the 125 representatives and 40 senators.
The Republican said lawmakers who inadequately dealt with an $8 billion shortfall in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System also manipulated rules to inflate their pensions. Instead of calculating retirement payments of legislators based on the usual 90 days worked each session, the formula assumes legislators toil full-time throughout the year.
The actual salary paid House and Senate members is less than one-third the total used to calculate pension benefits.
"Career politicians receive a special benefit, through a formula unique to them, which inflates their retirement benefits at the expense of other workers," Patton said.
Rep. Ann Mah, D-Topeka, said the Republican-led House and Senate cut K-12 education too deeply a year ago, and consideration should be given to restoring money pulled from classrooms.
"We need to get back on track," she said.
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said the governor's blueprint for rewriting the school formula would eliminate special aid for at-risk students and place greater burden on property taxpayers.
He said Brownback's strategy of boosting economic development by reducing personal income taxes would add instability to a system that should be equally reliant upon property, sales and income tax revenue.
Property taxes are already high in relation to income taxes, he said.
The central theme of tax reform this session ought to be making all state residents pay a fair share, said Rep. Sean Gatewood, D-Topeka.
The state should stop applying the sales tax in a way detrimental to Kansas' impoverished residents, he said.
"What I'd like to see is elimination of sales tax on food," Gatewood said.
Rep. Annie Kuether, D-Topeka, said she was anxious about turmoil at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. Possible movement of SRS programs to other agencies leaves service recipients uncertain about the future. The agency's top official abruptly resigned in December.
"What in God's name is going on at SRS?" Kuether said.
Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 295-1158 or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com. Read his blog at cjonline.com/blog/political-runoff.
http://cjonline.com/news/2012-01-09/shawnee-co-lawmakers-dig-full-plate
Read more on the start of the 2012 Kansas legislative Session: Busy '12 Legislature takes leap of faith