BenjaminHodge.org. Hodge, Kansas economic conservative.

The following article appeared in the Johnson County Sun.

49th District House race
Sheri Baker-Rickman
Johnson County Sun

Republican Benjamin Hodge, 26, a member of the Johnson County Community College Board, and Democrat Bond Faulwell, 61, both of Overland Park, seek the Kansas 49th District House seat on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The seat is held by conservative Republican Scott Schwab, Olathe, who is retiring. In August he lost the 3rd Congressional District primary race to Chuck Ahner.

Prior to answering questions from The Sun, each candidate agreed to start each answer with a “yes” or “no,” understanding that an “X” would be used in the absence of a clear answer.

Following are the candidates’ own words …

Question: Is the school district that serves the people in your area funded adequately?

Hodge: Yes. Schools receive $11,000 per student (state average). Important: Parents now have LESS control over schools because of Sebelius and liberal judges - that must be fixed.

Faulwell: No. Based on two studies by the state, our schools clearly did not receive a fair share of state funding from the legislature.

Question: Do you favor funding all-day kindergarten for all public schools?

Hodge: No. Kansas cannot afford more government programs. Under Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas is ranked last in private sector job growth and ranked first in government job growth.

Faulwell: Yes. The people in the 49th District tell me they favor this and evidence indicates it helps children progress in school.

Question: Should lawmakers toughen penalties to punish those who knowingly, or through lax practices, hire illegal aliens?

Hodge: Yes. Democratic Gov. Sebelius signed a law granting in-state tuition to illegals. This encourages illegal immigration; I oppose that law.

Faulwell: Yes. Illegal aliens come to Kansas for jobs. Unfortunately the legislature defeated the Governor’s proposal to fine employers $10,000 for hiring illegals. I support tough penalties.

Question: Should the children of illegal aliens be able to attend state colleges and universities?

Hodge: X Poorly-worded question. Let’s enforce laws against illegal immigrants of any age. Democrat Sebelius’ “in-state tuition for illegal immigrants” law should be repealed.

Faulwell: Yes. We accept students from around the world. I am more concerned about the rising costs of higher education for the people of my district.

Question: Should pregnant, competent adults always be allowed to decide on their own whether to have abortions?

Hodge: No. I am pro-life. I will respect differing opinions. Democrat Faulwell is on the far left (received 95% rating from a Wichita partial-birth abortionist).

Faulwell: Yes. Abortion is a tragedy. I support positive alternatives to abortion. I support family, clergy, and medical support, but not government involvement.

Question: Except for human cloning, do you support embryonic stem cell research.

Hodge: X A poorly-worded question. Some scientists will use human cloning to produce human embryos. I fully support ethical research. Democrat Bond Faulwell supports human cloning.

Faulwell: Yes. I join with Nobel Prize winners and the health research community in wanting to improve human life.

Question: Do you support returning control over rights of way to cities as opposed to letting telephone, cable and other utilities bypass city regulations?

Hodge: X Something to think about. I would need to see the actual proposed law, and to see if it is best for the people of Kansas.

Faulwell: X I am unaware of the issue. No one in Olathe or Overland Park has mentioned this to me as a concern. I will seek local input.

Question: Do you agree with the Legislature’s decision to phase out the death tax?

Hodge: Yes. It is because of Republican leadership that the estate tax will be phased out.

Faulwell: Yes, as long as it is necessary to preserve family farms and businesses and we do not need the revenue.

Question: Should lawmakers put TABOR, the taxpayers bill of rights to cap taxes, on the ballot?

Hodge: Yes. Under Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas is $4 billion (with a “B”) in debt. I support requiring a super-majority of legislators before taxes can increase.

Faulwell: No. In a representative democracy the people elect decision makers who are expected to respond to citizen needs, including lower taxation. Representatives need to answer for their actions not hide from them.

Question: Why are you running for office?

Hodge: To help provide the best education for Kansans, to lower taxes, to decrease the size of government, and to uphold the Constitution.

Faulwell: I want to serve my community by offering a moderate political approach promoting public education, economic growth, business development, and affordable health care.

Question: Rank by importance your qualifications for office.

Hodge: Endorsements: Commissioners John Toplikar and Doug Wood. Elected in April 2005 to a four-year term as a Johnson County Community College trustee.

Faulwell: 1. Bipartisan experience at the highest levels of Government; 2. Knowledge of the district and the issues people are concerned about; 3. Not interested in a political career.

The following article appeared in The Kansas City Star.

“Professor, graduate student divided on social issues”
The Kansas City Star
October 18, 2006

A Johnson County Community College professor and a University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate student are vying for the 49th District seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, a position vacated by Scott Schwab, who lost the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Democrat Bond Faulwell serves as adjunct associate professor of Political Science at JCCC, while Republican Ben Hodge is studying for a master’s degree in business administration at UMKC.

Neither candidate supports a Taxpayers Bill of Rights that would limit growth in state spending according to inflation and population growth. On social issues such as homosexual marriage, abortion rights and the death penalty, the candidates are divided along party lines.

If elected, Faulwell would focus on education. Hodge wishes to change state judicial selection to the federal model so that the governor would make appointments and the Kansas House would confirm the appointments. The 49th district encompasses much of southeast Olathe, bordered by Interstate 35 on the west and Overland Park on the east.

The following responses were excerpted from a questionnaire sent to all legislative candidates.

Would you support an increase in the local option budgets (the current state-imposed ceiling on the collection of local tax dollars) for Kansas school districts?

Faulwell: Definitely. If a community wants world-class schools it should be able to have them. I believe in local government and local control.

Hodge: I will support the ability of local governments to raise more money, if they so desire. Whether local governments should indeed raise taxes is another matter.

If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade and allows states to decide the abortion question, would you vote to ban all abortions in the state and make it a crime for a woman to have an abortion and a physician to perform an abortion? In what instances do you believe abortion should be legal?

Hodge: I believe an advanced and compassionate society will value life at all stages - regardless of a person’s intelligence, regardless of disease, regardless of handicap, and regardless of whether a child had been planned for by the parents. I only support abortion in the event of an extreme health-related situation with the mother.

Faulwell: This issue has been discussed as a hypothetical for decades. Candidates have run on it, knowing they would never have to deliver. I do not like abortions - they represent a tragedy - and I will work to reduce them through promotion of adoption, providing better health care and education. If we prevent conception we avoid the abortion. Under no circumstances, however, should abortion be in the criminal justice system. We do not need to be putting poor women in prison for seeking abortions through back alley butchers while more affluent women travel to get safe abortions.

Should alternatives to the theory of evolution - like intelligent design or creationism - be taught in public science classrooms?

Faulwell: Creationism and intelligent design are not alternatives to evolution. Evolution is a scientific theory. Creationism, intelligent design and other cosmological and teleological arguments belong in philosophy classes. I do not believe the state should be teaching religion. This responsibility rests with the family and the church. As a Christian, I find the idea of evolution vs. Christianity to be a false dichotomy.

Hodge: I suppose leaving these decisions to the local school district. When I am a parent, I will support such teaching.

Do you support the state’s death penalty? Would you expand it to cover other crimes like child rape? In what instances do you think the state should put a criminal to death?

Hodge: I support the death penalty.

Faulwell: I do not personally believe in the death penalty. It puts government in the position of taking a life. We also know innocent people have been executed as well as placed on “death row.” Those unable to hire their own counsel are also more likely to receive the death penalty. However, I believe a majority of Kansans do support the penalty and it will therefore be continued. I believe it should be used rarely for the most heinous crimes such as mass murder by John Robinson.

Should schools be required to teach abstinence only in sex education courses? Should students automatically be exempted from sex education classes unless a parent or guardian specifically requests they be included?

Faulwell: I believe in abstinence plus education in other facets of sexuality. Preventing conception is the key to preventing abortion. I believe in opt-out, not opt-in.

Hodge: I support leaving these decisions to the local school district. When I am a parent, I will support my local school district teaching abstinence education, and I will support opt-in sex education.

BOND FAULWELL

Party: Democrat

Age: 51

Occupation: Adjunct associate professor of Political Science at Johnson County Community College

Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Grinnell College; Master’s degree in public administration, University of Missouri - Kansas City; further study at Harvard University and University of Hull in the UK

Public service: Elder, Presbyterian Church; Advisory Committee to American Red Cross; University of Missouri School of Administration; President of the Lenexa Jaycees; President of local chapters of the Senior Executives Association and the American Society for Public Administration; Associate Coordinator of the Combined Federal United Way Campaign; high school hockey commissioner.

Family: Wife, Shirley, two children and four grandchildren.

Endorsements: Political Action Committee for Mainstream Coalition, Kansas Families United for Public Education and Heavy Constructors Association.

BEN HODGE

Party: Republican

Age: 26

Occupation: Business administration graduate student at University of Missouri - Kansas City

Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism, Kansas State University

Public service: Trustee, Johnson County Community College; Eagle scout

Family: Single

Endorsements include: Kansans for Life, Commissioner Doug Wood, Commissioner John Toplikar

A candidate forum for District 49 will air on Time Warner Channel 17 and Comcast Channel 22 at 8 p.m. Oct. 25. The forum can be viewed online at video.jccc.edu.

For a complete set of questions and answers, go to www.kansascity.com and visit the Politics page.

To reach Ashley Brown, Olathe education reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-7729 or send e-mail to abrown@kcstar.com

The following article appeared in Gardner News/Spring Hill News.

“JCCC maintains the highest bond ratings”
Gardner News/Spring Hill News
December 13-15, 2006

From Johnson County Community College

According to a recently published report from Standard & Poor’s titled AAA-Rated Credits in U.S. State & Local Government Finance, Johnson County Community College continues to maintain the highest bond ratings, AAA.

Only 21 school districts in the nation, including five community college districts and one technical college district, had their government obligation debt rated AAA.

According to the report, general characteristics of AAA districts include growing tax bases and proximity to economic centers, very high wealth indices, strong management practices with a focus on multi-year planning, strong financial position, management of debt burden and appropriate ratios and rankings for average overall net debt per capita, average per capita market value and average general fund balance as a percentage of operating expenditures.

“Several years ago, the finance committee and the board of trustees wisely adopted a policy setting a minimum unallocated cash balance reserve for the general fund,” said Larry Tyree, JCCC interim president. “This action is certainly a major determining factor in the college’s AAA rating.”

In March 2004, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services assigned the college a rating of AAA for general obligation bonds, series 2004, dated April 1, 2004, that will come due August 1, 2005 through 2008. These bonds were used to help construct the Regnier Center and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art on the college campus. Construction of both buildings should be finished in the late spring.

According to Standard & Poor’s, an organization rated BBB or higher is regarded as having financial security characteristics that outweigh any vulnerabilities and is highly likely to have the ability to meet financial commitments. An organization rated AAA has “extremely strong” financial security characteristics; AAA is the highest rating Standard & Poor’s assigns.

House advances budget containing pay raise
State employees would receive 1 percent increase and a $1,450 bonus,br> By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, March 16, 2007

The House tentatively endorsed a $12.4 billion state budget Thursday containing a salary plan for state employees and excluding proposals for broader financing of all-day kindergarten programs and health care for uninsured children.

The nine-hour debate included adoption of an amendment cutting money for a 2008 presidential primary and passage of a House-Senate compromise on the two-year, $175 million unemployment tax break for businesses and an easing of the waiting period for people to receive jobless benefits.

Final action is expected today.

Inserted into the legislation was a provision requiring broader oversight of a controversial affiliation proposal between The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City , Kan. , and St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City , Mo.

More than two dozen amendments to adjust spending, many offered by Democrats, were defeated in the Republican-controlled House.

Perhaps the most unexpected came from freshman Rep. Benjamin Hodge, R-Overland Park, who proposed a 1 percent across-the-board cut in all state spending other than education, debt service and retirement benefits. His motion failed 18-89.

“I don’t believe that our citizens need government,” Hodge said. “I believe we’re bankrupting our children. We are not being responsible with our taxpayers’ money.”

The House budget also sets aside $271 million for two years of increases in K-12 education and $76 million for five years of state university building maintenance projects.

The Senate is working on its own version of the budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

Senate and House leaders will work toward a tentative budget deal by April 4, with final action on state spending occurring when lawmakers convene April 25 for the annual omnibus wrap-up session.

House Speaker Melvin Neufeld , R-Ingalls, said the House debate resulted in a $1.1 million increase in the budget blueprint put forward by the House Appropriations Committee.

“What we’ve done is make some adjustments in priority spending on the floor today, and we’ve now funded all the basic core functions of government. What’s left for omnibus is how much we add on,” Neufeld said.

House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, said the spending package emerging from the House left undecided hundreds of budget items.

The list includes funding for the frail elderly, community and technical colleges, health care initiatives and disaster relief for western Kansas .

“The budget should reflect your values,” he said. “I guess we’ve decided it’s OK to pass tax cuts for some of the wealthiest corporations before we fund waiting lists for people with disabilities, before we address critical health insurance issues. That’s what’s disappointing here, because I don’t think that reflects the values most Kansans have.”

Under the salary plan accepted by the House, 41,000 workers on the state payroll would get a 1 percent raise and one-time $1,450 bonus in the upcoming fiscal year. Workers with salaries at least 25 percent below market rates would qualify for an additional 5 percent pay hike.

Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius recommended a 4 percent increase for state workers.

Rep. Ann Mah, D-Topeka, unsuccessfully moved to send the House salary package back to the committee for more hearings. A subsequent proposal from Mah to require bonus payments to be counted toward the calculation of retirement benefits was defeated.

“I have not heard one positive comment from state employees when details of this plan were released,” Mah said.

The House shot down an amendment to expand state funding for all-day kindergarten programs in public schools, which had been proposed by Sebelius.

Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, also failed to gain sufficient votes for an amendment allocating $4 million to bring an estimated 2,000 children from infant to 5 years of age into a health care insurance program. The governor has been an advocate for expansion of this health care initiative.

“Some people attacking this did favor a presidential primary,” Mc-Kinney said.

The House voted to strip $2 million for the state’s share of the cost of a presidential primary, which promised to feature Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. He is a candidate for the GOP nomination.

Members of the House agreed to require an affiliation agreement between the KU Medical Center and St. Luke’s to undergo review by the Kansas Board of Regents, the KU Hospital board and the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education.

The amendment removed, for now, a threat to withhold $116 million in state funding to KUMC pending completion of affiliation negotiations.

“The Board of Regents needs to accept their responsibility not to do anything to harm medical education for the state of Kansas ,” said Neufeld, the House’s GOP leader.

In the middle of debate about the budget, the House agreed 123-0 on a compromise with the Senate to move ahead with reductions in business unemployment taxes and easing of the wait for some jobless Kansans to receive unemployment checks. The Senate voted 40-0 for the deal.

That was followed by a proposal by Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, to cut $2.2 million from state funding of public radio and television in Kansas . He wanted to use the money for elderly programs.

“The money in public broadcasting is sort of for the artsy crowd,” he said before it was defeated 40-70.

Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 296-3005 or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.

This article appeared in the Hutchinson News

House advances technical education measure
By Chris Green
Harris News Service
cgreen@dailynews.net

TOPEKA - House members gave first-round approval Monday to a bill establishing a new board to oversee improvements in work training programs.

Some critics said the board wouldn’t be effective or that it could rob community college boards of local control.

A final vote on the measure could come today. Should it pass, the bill would advance to the Senate.

Backers of the proposal said they hope the authority will ensure vocational classes receive more attention from state higher education officials.

The board, recommended by a state commission earlier this year, would be responsible for coordinating technical education programs statewide. It would also find ways to boost the number of graduates entering the workforce.

Although he wasn’t sure the board would be effective, House Education Chairman Clay Aurand, R-Courtland, said it was important to improve technical education in the state.

“Occasionally, we have to try something different than what we’re doing.”

However, some members questioned how the change would affect community colleges, which provide 77 percent of the state’s technical education, along with Washburn University.

Rep. Valdenia Winn, D-Kansas City, said she was concerned the authority could overrule the decisions of local trustee boards.

Winn offered an alternative plan that would’ve created a new Board of Regents vice president to supervise technical education instead. But that amendment fell 65-54.

Rep. Ben Hodge, R-Overland Park, also questioned why lawmakers weren’t holding the Board of Regents responsible for improving technical education.

“I don’t think we need to be adding extra government,” Hodge said.

House members made several changes to the bill including expanding the size of the authority from seven to nine members. They also called for the authority to end in 2010, unless lawmakers vote to extend it.

The bill also requires the state’s five technical schools, including Salina Area Technical School and Southwest Kansas Technical School in Liberal, to develop plans to become technical colleges or affiliate with other post-secondary institutions by July 1, 2008.

Legislators tackle gambling until early hours but reach no consensus
By Tim Carpenter

The Capital-Journal

Published Sunday, March 25, 2007

Rep. Anthony Brown took a deep breath before revealing a family secret to members of the House.

In the midst of a 12-hour floor debate on a bill permitting state-sanctioned gambling at casinos and racetracks in Kansas , Brown spoke of his late father-in-law. Jacob Weber was a successful Atchison businessman for decades, he said. But the man also was tormented by an addiction to casino gambling.

Of course, the Eudora Republican said, Weber won a pile of cash. He also lost big. In 1998, the deficit was $750,000.

Losses eventually stripped Weber of career, marriage and pride.

“He died penniless,” said Brown, his words expelled between sobs.

Brown’s story preceded a request to amend the gambling bill to include a prohibition on use of credit cards and a ban on ATMs in casinos. To the surprise of a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats orchestrating action on the bill, Brown’s amendment passed 59-58.

His motion was among dozens considered Friday and Saturday during a marathon clash on the touchstone issue of the 2007 session.

Casinos, slots

Bleary-eyed House members finished at 2:30 a.m. Saturday by voting 65-50 to advance the gambling bill to final action Monday. It is expected to pass and move to the Senate.

The House bill permits casinos in four zones: Wyandotte County , Sedgwick or Sumner counties, Crawford or Cherokee counties, and Ford County . Slot machines - 2,200 to 2,800 - would be split among Wichita Greyhound Park, Woodlands in Kansas City, Kan., and Camptown Greyhound Park in Frontenac.

Rep. Clay Aurand, R-Courtland, and a chief architect of the bipartisan gaming plan, said the deal would generate $238 million annually for the state if fully implemented.

Casino developers would pay an upfront fee of $25 million to the state and agree to invest at least $250 million in each “destination” casino. The Ford County casino would be smaller in scope and subject to reduced investment triggers.

The state’s 22 percent share of casino revenue and 40 percent of slot revenue at racetracks wasn’t earmarked in the bill.

Each gambling development would be subject to a countywide vote. If approved, there is revenue sharing for city and county governments in the zone. Two percent would go to help problem gamblers.

The bill reauthorizes the Kansas Lottery for 15 years and sets a 25-year moratorium on expansion of casino gambling beyond the bill.

The House also gave tentative approval to a proposed state constitutional amendment on casino gambling.

Rep. Marc Rhoades, R-Newton, read Scripture on the House floor to caution against this quest for quick money.

“My son, let no one entice you,” he said. “Do not consent if they say, ‘Come with us, let us ambush the innocent, let us swallow them alive. We will find all kinds of precious wealth. We will fill our houses with spoil.’ My son, do not walk in that way. Keep your feet from their path, for their feet run to evil.”

Brown’s loss

Just before midnight, Brown felt the brunt of a House rule allowing anyone on the prevailing side of a vote to call for reconsideration.

House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, turned to this parliamentary device to seek a second vote on Brown’s amendment banning ATMs and credit cards.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Brown declared. “For God sakes, people.”

He pleaded with House members to set politics aside and do what was right.

“Some things are not a game here!” Brown said.

Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said he admired Brown’s courage for sharing a painful life experience. He said the bill sets aside $17 million each year to aid people unable to gamble responsibly.

It also was noted Brown’s amendment contained a previously undisclosed maximum weekly loss limit of $500. Casinos in Missouri have a daily loss cap of $500.

“The amendment is unfeasible,” Davis said.

On the second vote, Brown’s amendment was defeated 61-59.

Role reversal

One peculiar aspect of the debate was a torrent of more than 50 proposed amendments. Some dealt with substantive policy, but most were crafted to irritate the bipartisan gambling coalition or undermine overall support for the measure.

Rep. Ben Hodge, R-Overland Park , pushed an amendment setting aside 40 percent of gambling revenue for teacher salaries. In case his political point was missed, he added: “A vote for this is a vote for teachers. A vote against this is a vote against teachers.”

His amendment was crushed 43-73.

Rep. John Faber, R-Brewster, offered an amendment allocating 15 percent of gambling revenue to all-day kindergarten classes in public schools.

It is an initiative supported by the governor but opposed by many legislators.

This amendment was dismissed 45-70.

Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, proposed a ban on smoking in casinos.

“We all know smoking is not good for our health,” he said.

The vote against his idea was 48-68.

As amendments cascaded down, patience wore thin.

“Let’s quit playing games,” said Rep. Tim Owens, R-Overland Park .

Final roll of dice

With the clock winding toward 2:30 a.m., Brown made one more run. His final amendment dropped the weekly $500 loss limit but retained ATM and credit card prohibitions.

“I know the handwriting is on the wall, because some people who were with me the first time aren’t looking me in the eyes this time,” he said.

He confessed to naively believing legislators would follow him if he spoke from the heart about his family’s experience.

“Just give them that one slim chance to walk away,” he begged.

This amendment went down 59-55.

Policy for sale

Willingness to drop Brown’s idea of limiting easy credit brought Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, out of her seat. She said it was the “saddest day” of her 12-year legislative career, and she declared the vote indicated policy was for sale in the House.

She pointed to the influence of Phil Ruffin, a billionaire who owns Wichita Greyhound Park . Ruffin bought former President Bill Clinton’s tie for $26,000 at a recent Democratic Party event in Topeka .

Voting in the House shows the chamber marches to Ruffin’s beat, she said.

She vowed her vote against the gambling bill would highlight her loyalty was “not for sale to a billionaire from Nevada .”

Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 296-3005 or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.

Flint Hills photos hit newsstands soon

Grand views

A 22-page photo spread of the Flint Hills by Lindsborg photographer Jim Richardson is featured in April’s issue of National Geographic, set to hit newsstands this week.

But the magazine won’t be the only way Kansans can take in Richardson’s shots of the state’s rolling landscapes.

At the Statehouse Monday, Richardson and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will unveil an exhibit of the magazine spread that will tour the state in 2007 and 2008.

The show features more than 30 large-scale prints, including an 8-foot wide, multi-panel photograph of a tree standing against a backdrop of stars and the Milky Way.

The exhibit is slated for one-week stops in Hutchinson, Abilene, Hays and Salina, among others. A full schedule is at www.travelks.com.

Richardson proposed the Flint Hills story to National Geographic editors two years ago as part of the magazine’s ongoing coverage of the nation’s great landscapes.

Storm aid

House members turned down a request Thursday to prepare for a multi-million-dollar package to leverage federal aid for damages from December’s severe winter storm in western Kansas.

The House voted 57-61 against an amendment sought by Chanute Rep. Jerry Williams to begin setting aside money for the required state match.

“Let’s make a down payment. Let’s put $2 million into disaster relief to draw down federal funds,” said Williams.

The Democrat warned the chamber that the amount would likely be much higher - from $15 million to $40 million - once the Legislature returns for its final budget session in mid-April. A complete report on damage costs is expected by then.

But House Appropriations Vice Chairman Lee Tafanelli, R-Ozawkie, suggested the money be allotted in April after lawmakers have a better picture of the actual cost.

Beats deer

In Senate Natural Resources Committee few issues stir more debate than bills about deer.

But committee Chairwoman Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, is now finding that another topic - water - can be just as contentious.

Her committee recently passed a bill to create a new payment program to encourage farmers to retire water rights along the upper Arkansas River. The measure easily passed the Senate this week and is now pending before the House.

“This has topped any deer bill I’ve had in my committee. This has been an emotional issue,” McGinn said.

She’s unapologetic for helping launch the voluntary program.

“This is about the most-valued natural resource we have - water. Folks, if you don’t have water there’s no reason to discuss oil or any other natural resource.”

The Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies much of western Kansas, recharges slowly - on average less than an inch of water per year - making it no match for the decades of rapid depletion by irrigators.

“We cannot continue the practices of the past,” McGinn said.

Top inaugural

This year’s inaugural celebration for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and other elected state officials proved the most expensive on record.

The four-city, three-day event cost $539,967, according to a report filed this past week with the state. It’s the highest total since 1994, when a law first required reporting of inaugural funds.

Spending on Sebelius’ 2003 inaugural reached $476,000, while inaugurals for former Gov. Bill Graves cost $350,000 in 1995 and $336,000 in 1999, said Carol Williams, executive director of the state Governmental Ethics Commission.

In addition, private donors and special interests continued to bankroll much of the event in 2007.

Ticket sales raised $152,892 or 27 percent of the funds for the event while donations added $401,600 or 72 percent.

Unions, corporations and interest groups also provided the bulk of funding for the 2003 inaugural, with ticket sales funding 19 percent.

By contrast, ticket sales funded 64 percent of the 1995 Graves event and 41 percent in 1999.

The state’s reporting law for inaugurals was passed in 1994 after 90 corporations paid several thousand dollars for tables at Gov. Joan Finney’s 1991 inaugural bash.

Impending crisis?

Funding for the state’s higher education system is vulnerable to a slow-down in the state’s economy - and tax cuts could make the situation worse, a higher education group warned this past week.

Citizens for Higher Education, an advocacy group based in the Kansas City area, presented a report to the state Board of Regents showing that the state’s dependence on volatile corporate and income tax revenue could wind up hurting colleges and universities.

“State income is good now. There is even talk of tax cuts in the Legislature,” said Bill Taylor, one of the group’s founding members. “But every economic cycle comes to an end.”

Taylor went on to say that the ability of higher education to increase tuition could work against it during hard economic times.

“When a downturn comes and belt tightening occurs, higher education will be among the first areas to be cut because they have alternate sources of revenues - parents and students.”

Despite recent tuition hikes, in-state rates at the University of Kansas and Kansas State University still rank in the middle among institutions in the Big 12 Conference.

But faculty salaries still lag most of the conference’s averages, the group reported.

Crunching numbers

House Republicans firmly declared this past week that they’d hold down spending in crafting a budget for next year.

However, freshman Rep. Ben Hodge, R-Overland Park, took the effort a step further during House budget debate Thursday.

Hodge proposed an amendment to cut state budgets across the board by 1 percent, except for education, the state pension plan and debt service.

Rather than just slowing the rate of growth in government, Hodge said lawmakers needed to stop it.

“I don’t believe our citizens need government,” he said.

The amendment failed with just 18 supporters.

“I think it would be irresponsible to do this at this time,” said House Appropriations Chairwoman Sharon Schwartz, R-Washington.

So They Said — Wichita Eagle

“This system should be taken behind the barn and be killed with a dull ax.”
– Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., holding up two volumes of the federal tax code during a presidential campaign speech in New Hampshire.

“Any other topics that people want to talk about?”
– Brownback again, in Iowa, after 30 minutes of voter questions about nothing but illegal immigration.

“I don’t believe our citizens need government.”
– Rep. Ben Hodge, R-Overland Park, on his unsuccessful amendment to cut most state spending 1 percent.

“I just don’t think the ladies here need to see that word.”
– House Majority Leader Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, about the F-word on a bumper sticker seen on a state employee’s car in a Capitol garage.

“It’s hard to think the senator from Wyandotte would seek to annoy the British.”
Sen. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, on an amendment proposed by Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, to replace the word “English” with the word “American” in the bill to make English the state’s official language.

Analysis: Passage of gambling fast, loose
By John Hanna
The Associated Press
Published Monday, April 02, 2007

Two weeks ago, if someone wanted to read the casino-and-slots bill that would pass the Legislature and make perhaps the biggest social and political change in Kansas in the past 20 years, its sponsors didn’t have a copy to share.

Even some supporters didn’t see the text of the 98-page gambling proposal until the House began debating it March 22. Six days and 10 hours later, it was on its way to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who will sign it and make Kansas the only state to operate its own casino resorts.

Opponents were angered that such a big bill could fly through the Legislature so quickly. Supporters took advantage of long-term changes in how the Legislature operates, accomplishing something that would have seemed inconceivable two decades ago.

That process - looser, far less predictable and less controlled from the top - has flaws that gambling opponents were quick to note, such as the ability to pass such a big proposal with a minimum of fly-specking. But there is an advantage, too: It is far more difficult for one person or a small group to thwart the will of legislative majorities, if those majorities are determined and spend some time on strategy.

“That’s not unique to Kansas. That’s a national trend that’s true at the federal level as well,” said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, who voted for the bill. “It’s the democratization of the legislative process.”

Passage of the gambling bill turned a session known mostly for low productivity into one likely to be memorable.

Large, casino-and-hotel complexes will be permitted in Ford County, Wyandotte County, either Cherokee or Crawford counties and either Sedgwick or Sumner counties. The Wichita Greyhound Park, the Woodlands in Kansas City and the now-closed Camptown Greyhound Park in Frontenac, will share 2,200 slots at first, then get another 600 once the state signs casino contracts with private developers.

The state will own and operate the casinos, though private companies will manage their day-to-day operations. Supporters believe the state eventually will realize $200 million a year in revenues.

Opponents predict the state also will lose restaurants and entertainment businesses, see bankruptcies spike, have more gambling addicts and deal with more broken families.

“They didn’t want the Legislature or people to understand what was in their bill,” House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, an opponent, said of the bill’s backers.

Gambling supporters, of course, argue with Neufeld’s statement and point out that authorizing slots and casinos is hardly a new issue.

Gambling promoters had been trying for 15 years, with no success - largely because their coalitions would fray, then unravel, as lawmakers hashed over details.

So how were they successful this year?

They truncated the legislative process.

The textbook process for passing legislation is lengthy and repetitive, and in that process, committee chairmen and leaders are powerful. If they don’t like bills, they can refuse to hold hearings or refuse to take votes.

But the power of leaders and chairmen has diminished over time. Bills are so often rewritten radically that there is a well-worn term for it - “gut and go.” If a chairman refuses to take a vote, a bill’s supporters often amend it during House and Senate debate into something else.

This year, gambling supporters concentrating on finding exactly what would pass and getting it into print.

They were confident the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, whose members Neufeld appointed, wouldn’t be sympathetic, so they wanted to get around it, and they did.

“We had no other choice,” said Rep. L. Candy Ruff, D-Leavenworth, a supporter.

Schmidt said such determination can be driven by groups building pressure on legislators back home.

Constituents, he said, are less likely than they used to be to accept the notion that a bill couldn’t pass simply because it got stuck in the legislative process.

Furthermore, many Kansans have been voting on gambling with their cars and wallets, traveling to Indian casinos in northeast Kansas and Oklahoma, or casinos in Missouri.

“Everywhere I go - the gas station, grocery store, even the church - little old ladies are coming up to me, ‘When are we going to get a casino?’” said Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, who supported the bill.

In January, the Senate passed a bill extending the Kansas Lottery, something necessary to keep ticket sales going past June 30.

After a threat from supporters to force a debate on casinos and slots, the House Federal and State Affairs Committee endorsed the lottery bill on March 21.

Legislators on both sides of the debate knew the lottery bill was a vehicle, something that could become a casino-and-slots bill. There was a link, with the new gambling owned and operated by the lottery.

The House amended the bill on March 22 and gave it first-round approval before dawn on March 23, a Friday.

The following Monday, the House passed the bill and returned it to the Senate.

Though it was radically different, senators didn’t have to send it through committee. They could demand negotiations or take the even quicker step of voting to accept the House’s changes and send the bill to the governor.

They did the latter Thursday, just after midnight.

And gambling supporters made a point, whether they intended to or not.

They showed that the Legislature’s rules are flexible enough to allow a group to move a bill around key leaders and to the governor’s desk - and to do it with stunning speed.

Gaming asked, answered
With legislation’s approval, many questions remain for Kansans
By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Monday, April 02, 2007

The bill expanding gambling in Kansas, which is on its way to the governor’s desk, is 78 pages that read like the small print in a life insurance policy.

Some of the answers to your questions may be answered in those pages (if you could find them), but others aren’t, and the process forward is complicated, even according to the experts.

“It’s a little nebulous, for sure,” said Pete Coker, assistant attorney general. “It’s a complex bill.”

So here, we have provided some answers about the specifics of the bill and about what happens now.

When does the bill become law?

The reviser of statutes has 10 days to print and deliver it to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius then has 10 more days to sign it, which she said she will do. It will take effect upon publication in the register a few weeks later.

What happens then?

The Kansas Lottery Commission, within 30 days, has to publish the procedures for the bidding process. Those guidelines will include the date by which bids must be received.

Developers will then submit their bids, which must include a $25 million application fee and at least a $225 million investment for a destination casino in the three gaming zones in the northeast, southeast and south-central parts of the state. There is a $5.5 million application fee and minimum $50 million investment for a destination casino in the southwest gaming zone.

The commission, within 90 days after the deadline for submitting bids, will choose one or more applicants to send to a casino review board made up of appointments from the governor, House speaker and Senate president.

That panel then will choose the best applicant.

Will the public have a chance to comment on the proposals?

Yes. The review board will hold public hearings and take expert testimony on each proposal to select the winning contract.

So when will we see casinos up and running?

It will be at least 2010 before you can drop your dollar at a blackjack table, according to Chuck Brooke, with International Game Technology in Nevada. The counties have to approve a referendum to allow the facilities before anything can move forward with the bidding process. Then construction and wiring of the casinos will follow.

“It never seems to go as fast as everyone thinks,” Brooke said.

What about slot machines at the racetracks?

Some lawmakers have said slots could be running by the end of the summer, but Brooke said a more realistic timeline is about a year from now.

What does “destination” casino mean?

Restaurants, hotels and other recreational venues are all part of the “destination” package included in the minimum $225 million investment.

Why does the casino in Ford County require a smaller investment?

Ford County, unlike the other three gaming zones, isn’t near a casino in a neighboring state or near any major population centers, said Dennis Hodgins, principal analyst for Kansas Legislative Research.

“Why build a giant facility if you don’t have the population base to patronize it?” Hodgins asked.

How would a court battle over the constitutionality of the law affect the timeline?

The Kansas Constitution requires any lottery or casino to be state-owned. There is some disagreement over whether contracting out casino management will pass constitutional muster.

One group expected to file suit is the Prairie Band Potawatomi, which operates a casino north of Topeka. According to Ed Van Petten, executive director of the Kansas Lottery, the bidding process would continue to move forward in the face of a lawsuit.

He said there is always a possibility, however, that a judge could order an injunction halting construction or forward movement on the casinos until the court proceedings were complete.

“Who knows how long that could take,” Van Petten said.

James Carlson can be reached at (785) 233-7470 or james.carlson@cjonline.com.

Posted on Tue, Apr. 10, 2007

Teachers and parents bash standards
Lawmaker gets many responses when he asks how No Child Left Behind can be improved.
By MELODEE HALL BLOBAUM
The Kansas City Star

Teachers and parents fed up with the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act gave Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore an earful during a listening tour last week.

Parents said the law’s emphasis on proficiency rather than excellence was leaving gifted children behind and draining the fun from learning.

Teachers said the focus on math and reading took time away from subjects such as social studies and created children who were good at taking tests but who were losing ground in critical-thinking skills and creativity.

Administrators fumed that promised funding had not kept pace with its mandates.

Signed into law in 2002, No Child Left Behind calls for all children to be proficient in math and reading by 2014 and mandates tests in both subjects every year from third to eighth grade and once in high school. Beyond that, it requires schools to pay particular attention to students whose academic progress often lags - ethnic minorities, those in special education and those who are learning English - or face sanctions.

With the law up for reauthorization this year, politicians are asking their constituents how it should be changed.

Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican, met behind closed doors with school administrators in a series of meetings across the state in February. Moore ’s listening tour drew scores of people to four meetings.

Most at the forums praised the law’s intent, though many want to see changes.

“I support the effort for No Child Left Behind because it makes us push those students,” said LaDawndra Rob bs, who teaches at M.E. Pearson Elementary in Kansas City , Kan. “We don’t want to do away with it or even make it easier. I think it needs to be attainable.”

Moore, who voted for the law, said he did so after talking to school officials who said they were concerned about some provisions but welcomed the extra money.

However, he said, the federal government has not followed through with the funding.

“Congress and the president are $55 billion short of full funding since it was implemented,” he said.

John Rios, a Kansas City , Kan. , assistant superintendent, said the money was essential.

“They want No Child Left Behind, fork it up,” he said at the community forum in Kansas City , Kan. “What’s the movie? Show me the money, and we’ll show you the results.”

Others at the Kansas City , Kan. , forum focused on the inequities between wealthy schools and poorer counterparts.

LeAnn Jones teaches in the Shawnee Mission district, but her children attend school in Bonner Springs.

“We need to make sure that if you’re teaching reading in one school, it should be the same way in another school,” she said. “You should have the same kind of resources.”

Kansas Teacher of the Year Josh Anderson told a Shawnee audience that he typically sacrificed nine weeks of classroom instruction to prepare his Olathe Northwest High School students for the annual Kansas reading tests. He worried that he was trading an enriched education for academic proficiency.

“In our quest to pass these tests,” Anderson said, “we are producing a nation full of empty children with outstanding test scores.”

——————————————————————————–

Making it better
Panelists at Rep. Dennis Moore’s listening tour suggested these changes for No Child Left Behind:

• Allow flexibility in determining how a school makes “adequate yearly progress,” as defined by the law. Some proposed a model that looks at gains made by individual students from year to year, rather than fixed targets by grade levels.

• Give English Language Learners more time to grasp the language before making them take grade-level reading tests with peers who are native-born English speakers.
• Allow more flexibility in determining how special education students are tested.

Posted on Mon, Apr. 09, 2007

Gambling bill dispute predicted
By DAVID KLEPPER and JIM SULLINGER
The Star’s Topeka correspondents

TOPEKA | Even before lawmakers passed landmark gambling legislation this session, critics and supporters alike predicted lawsuits.

The bill, which should be signed into law soon by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, would authorize a casino in Kansas City , Kan. , in Dodge City , near Wichita and in southeast Kansas . It would also allow slot machines at some racetracks, including The Woodlands in Kansas City , Kan.

The legal question? Whether state-owned but privately-run gambling operations would violate the state constitution.

Voters approved a state-owned lottery in 1986 that is used to justify state-owned gambling operations. But critics of this year’s gambling proposal say voters had no idea they would be authorizing casinos and slot machines when they approved the lottery.

It’s predicted that the lawsuit will come from either opponents of gambling or gambling groups left out of the bill - like the Indian tribes that operate Kansas ‘ only existing casinos.

What’s their chance of success? House Speaker Melvin Neufeld , an opponent of the legislation, said: “I believe it’s unconstitutional.”

But Senate President Steve Morris, a supporter of the plan, said the bill is legally sound. He said lawsuits from opponents are inevitable. “I’m not overly concerned,” said Morris, a Hugoton Republican. “It’s a good bill. But we anticipate legal challenges.”

How long the court fight could delay the opening of a casino is anybody’s guess.

Barbara Allen, a state senator from Overland Park , packed several boxes and a big dog named Bailey in the back of her car Wednesday and left Topeka smiling.

She had just completed the most successful three months of her 20-year legislative career.

Although she is chairwoman of the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, this moderate Republican usually prefers to work behind the scenes and isn’t known for throwing her political weight around. That reputation went out the window this year.

Allen led the Senate effort to restrain the large tax reduction bills sought by conservatives in the House and maneuvered two Johnson County sales tax bills through the Legislature in the face of attempts by House leaders to derail them.

She used the large appetite for tax cuts by House leaders to push through a bill she sponsored to create a special license plate to support breast cancer research. It passed just before the Legislature adjourned early Wednesday.

Allen, a breast cancer survivor, held up Senate consideration of several major tax bills on that last day until House leaders promised to act on her breast cancer bill. In the wee hours of Wednesday, they gave in.

But first, Allen had to endure harsh criticism from her fellow Johnson County lawmaker, House Majority Leader Ray Merrick. Merrick didn’t like the sales tax bill for a Johnson County research triangle. He went down to the House microphone to blast Allen, criticizing her leadership of the Senate tax committee, and saying she was only using her position to help her friends.

“We sent tax cuts over there, and the Senate dragged its feet,” Merrick said.

But when Johnson County civic leaders wanted the research triangle proposal, “now all of a sudden she’s (Allen) been motivated to get things done,” Merrick said. “Now, when she wants something done for her friends, she’s all for it.”

Allen, who watched the fray from the House gallery, wouldn’t comment on Merrick ’s remarks. But other lawmakers apparently didn’t put much stock in them. The research triangle sales tax bill passed 75-44.

Posted on Sat, Apr. 14, 2007

Sebelius veto backs cities
Governor rejects the plan, even though legislators adopted it by big margins and could vote to override.
By DAVID KLEPPER
The Star’s Topeka correspondent

TOPEKA | Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Friday vetoed a bill that would have nullified local ordinances on where concealed weapons could legally be carried.

The bill was passed overwhelmingly by the Legislature, and it’s likely there will be an effort to override the veto when lawmakers return to Topeka in two weeks.

In a statement accompanying the veto, Sebelius said she didn’t oppose efforts to keep concealed-handgun rules consistent across the state. But she objected to a deletion made by lawmakers that took out a prohibition against guns at nonschool youth athletic events like soccer league games.

State law already prohibited handguns at school sporting events and professional sporting events, but not sports league events. Gun competitions were exempt from the restrictions.

“If it is in the interest of public safety to not have weapons at school-sponsored sporting events, it makes little sense to then prohibit local officials from banning guns at other sporting events,” Sebelius, a Democrat, said in her statement.

Supporters of the bill said they were disappointed. They argue that people authorized to carry handguns are trained to use them responsibly and that cities don’t need to pass further restrictions.

“I think cities have overreacted from the danger of permit holders,” said Rep. Candy Ruff, a Leavenworth Democrat and a lead sponsor of the bill. “They’re thinking that law-abiding citizens who have gone through the training for a permit are a danger. I think that’s unfair.”

Two-thirds of each legislative chamber must vote to enact a bill into law over a governor’s veto. The House and Senate met that threshold when they initially passed the bill, but it remains to be seen whether some - particularly Democrats - might change their mind in the face of Sebelius’ veto.

When the Legislature enacted a law last year permitting concealed weapons - over a Sebelius veto - it included a list of 22 places where concealed weapons were prohibited, including bars, courtrooms and private properties with posted signs. The list also included city halls, libraries and schools, but not parks or other city properties.

Once the bill was passed, cities began adding their own restrictions. Roeland Park and Mission passed ordinances prohibiting concealed handguns on city property - including city offices and parks. Olathe banned guns at city offices. Leawood restricts concealed weapons in city buildings, greenways and parks.

Those laws would have been nullified under the bill vetoed Friday, HB 2528. Under the bill, cities could prohibit employees from bringing concealed weapons to work, just as any employer can. But lawmakers said they didn’t think cities should be able to tell nonemployees where they could wear concealed handguns and where they couldn’t.

City officials and local law enforcement agencies had lobbied against the bill, arguing that they were in the best position to make decisions affecting the public safety of their residents. They also objected to being told by state lawmakers what laws they could pass.

After Friday’s veto, Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn was cautiously optimistic but she noted the likelihood of an override attempt.

“I’m delighted that she vetoed it,” Dunn said, “but I will have to see what happens next.”

Dunn said it was important for local governments to be able to pass ordinances addressing public safety, including additional restrictions on concealed guns.

“It’s all about local control,” she said. “We are living here. We are close to the public that we’re serving. I believe that we feel we have a better handle on what’s in the best interest of our citizenry.”

The Star’s Laura Bauer and Benita Y. Williams contributed to this report. To reach David Klepper, call 1-(785) 354-1388 or send e-mail to dklepper@kcstar.com.

© 2007 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Posted on Sat, Apr. 14, 2007

Kansas acts on campaign reforms
Small-step changes include financial reporting and automated calling.
By JIM SULLINGER
The Kansas City Star

Kansas voters will see some changes next year when the political campaign season rolls around.

Remember those automated phone messages - “robo” calls - for this or that candidate? Some were a mystery because there was no way of knowing who was behind them.

“Everyone was so disgusted with them last year,” said Rep. Sue Storm, an Overland Park Democrat and a member of the committee that took action on a new bill.

Before adjourning April 3, the Legislature approved a bill requiring such calls to identify who is behind them.

Another measure that is nearing enactment would close a loophole in the current campaign finance law that allows an 11-day “blackout period” before Election Day. Under current law, candidates running for a state, county or city office do not have to report contributions received during those 11 days until after the general or primary election.

Under Senate Bill 196, they would be required to report contributions and expenses for that period. Action is expected on that bill during the wrap-up session scheduled to begin April 25.

“We want to know where the money’s coming from and where it’s going to,” said Rep. Sheryl Spalding, an Overland Park Republican.

The first bill, House Bill 2081, also includes a provision that will allow candidates to file their expense and contribution reports electronically. The secretary of state’s office is being required to set up a system for electronic filing.

Carol Williams , executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, said that would allow the public more access to information on the contributors. Williams said Iowa approved a bill requiring reports be filed electronically. It will be optional under the new Kansas law.

Information about a candidate’s contributors is available on the commission’s Web site but often isn’t posted until after the election because commission employees must enter the data by hand from a printed report that could be hundreds of pages long. Electronic filing will streamline that process, Williams said.

Supporters aren’t calling the bills major reform but small steps.

A big step that failed to get much consideration would have required issue advocacy groups to file campaign finance reports. They are currently exempt as long as they do not specifically ask people to vote for or against a particular candidate.

But they can savagely attack a candidate and do not have to disclose who is paying for the attacks.

Williams said she was seeing more and more of these independent, issue advocacy campaigns each campaign season.

“You can do a lot in secret,” she said. “It’s becoming a big influence in our elections.”

Williams was told that the bill on issue advocacy campaigns would be considered next year.

“I’m hearing about things going on in campaigns that I didn’t even know existed,” Spalding said.

To reach Jim Sullinger, call 1-(785) 354-1388 or send e-mail to jsullinger@kcstar.com. © 2007 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Posted on Sun, Apr. 15, 2007

Will the No Child act be left behind?
Former core supporters of Bush’s education law are seeking alternatives.
By ROB HOTAKAINEN
The Star’s Washington correspondent

WASHINGTON | Five years ago, President Bush persuaded a Republican-led Congress to pass a landmark law that forces schools to give students more tests.

Now his own party is leading a revolt.

When Congress signed off on the legislation in December 2001, Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, said it represented “a new era” that would benefit students across the country, and he saluted Bush’s leadership. Brownback now would be happy if states could just opt out of the federal testing mandates.

Ditto for Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri , the second-ranking Republican in the House. After co-sponsoring the 2001 legislation, the minority whip now says that he regrets ever voting for it.

Is No Child Left Behind about to get left behind?

While no one is predicting its immediate demise, discontent with the law’s mandates is growing on Capitol Hill, and change appears to be in the offing.

So far, 66 Republicans - 59 in the House and seven in the Senate - have signed on to the A-Plus Act, legislation that would allow states to sidestep the yearly tests. Many Democrats want to alter the testing requirements, giving states more leeway in how they measure progress, especially for disabled students.

Even some strong advocates acknowledge that at least some tweaks - and more money for schools - will be required before the law can be renewed.

In 2001, critics of No Child Left Behind feared the law would give Washington too much power over local schools. Much of the suspicion came from conservative Republicans, who nevertheless bowed to the popular first-term president after he made education a big issue in his 2000 campaign.

The president prevailed by arguing that federally mandated tests would put a spotlight on failing schools and pressure them to improve.

Since then, Bush’s popularity has plummeted, while teachers and school officials have stepped up their criticism of the law. Opponents say test scores have risen only because schools have focused so intensely on teaching the basics, often at the expense of programs for gifted children.

A spokeswoman for Blunt said he changed his mind this year after meeting with teachers and school officials in southwest Missouri . They convinced him the law was too onerous.

Other Republicans and some Democrats say much the same thing to explain why they want the law changed.

But ironically, some of the strongest backing for No Child Left Behind is now coming from top-ranked Democrats, who charge that Republicans want to abandon testing requirements while still giving federal money to schools.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and the chairman of the Senate education committee, said the Republican plan is an attempt “to turn back the clock on reform.” In 2001, he worked closely with the Bush administration to craft the law. He said that it has become “a national commitment” and that it would be wrong to abandon it.

After meeting with business, education and civil rights leaders on Thursday, Bush said that “there is a universal belief” that No Child Left Behind should be renewed and that it will be necessary to keep the United States competitive with other nations.

In a speech in Indiana last month, Bush vowed to oppose any attempts at “watering down” the law, which he called one of the most important of his presidency. He said the law “is working across the country” and, as proof, he noted that test scores have improved and that the achievement gap between white and minority-race students is closing.

Before the law was passed, he said, schools could “quit early on a child” and just move them on to another grade, but that’s no longer allowed.

“In life, if you lower the bar, you get lousy results,” Bush said. “If you keep raising that bar, it’s amazing what can happen.”

The tests are aimed at making all students proficient in reading and math by 2014, but teachers and school officials have complained bitterly, saying they put far too much emphasis on a single test score. Members of Congress have been getting an earful in their districts as they prepare for their upcoming deliberations.

Rep. Dennis Moore, a Kansas Democrat, is among them. After conducting a “listening tour” on No Child Left Behind earlier this month, he released a survey that found that 40 percent of the teachers in his district want the law repealed, while 90 percent feel that some subjects - mainly science and social studies - are being shortchanged due to the emphasis on testing.

Moore is the chief sponsor of a separate bill that would allow school districts to suspend the federal testing requirements until Congress approves $55 billion in additional funding.

The Republican A-Plus Act would allow states to opt out of No Child Left Behind in different ways. Under the House bill, states could hold a referendum, or two of three entities - the governor, the legislature and the state’s top education officials - could make the decision. Under the Senate bill, states could negotiate a charter with the federal government allowing them to bypass the testing requirements.

Brownback said that schools have made “great strides” under No Child Left Behind but that it’s time to give states “the freedom and flexibility” they need to establish their own educational guidelines.

Blunt sounded a similar theme when he broke with the president last month, saying it’s time to put parents and local officials back in charge of schools: “As Congress looks to update No Child Left Behind this year, we would do well to keep that principle in mind.”

Rep. Todd Tiahrt, a Kansas Republican, who met with 30 school superintendents in his district earlier this month, said it has become clear that the federal education strategy isn’t working.

“We have this current one-size-fits-all, and there’s something to be said about 50 state laboratories that can come up with good ideas,” Tiahrt said. “Personally, I’d like to see Kansas opt out.”

The legislation is the latest in a string of challenges to No Child Left Behind.

The state of Connecticut sued the federal government two years ago, saying that Congress had failed to provide enough financial support to implement the law.

Virginia and Arizona have questioned rules dealing with the testing of students with limited English skills.

Utah, meanwhile, has tussled with the U.S. Department of Education over a requirement that every teacher must have the equivalent of a college degree in the subjects that they teach.

To reach Rob Hotakainen, call (202) 383-0009 or send e-mail to rhotakainen @mcclatchydc.com. © 2007 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Johnson County Sun, April 25, 2007

Trustee uses post to blast triangle plan
BY: Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia, Editor

Less than three hours after the triangle bill signing, a conservative Kansas House member who holds a second elected position as a Johnson County Community College trustee, Ben Hodge, used the college board meeting as a forum to oppose the triangle.

“One of our most important roles is taxation and that is why I’m speaking here. Arguably, this does not directly affect the college, but there is much more evidence that this would,” Hodge said April 19.

Hodge said he did not want anyone to come away thinking the college board favors the triangle.

Trustee Jon Stewart said later the board does not oppose the plan, either.

“My concern is that this will take money away from other worthwhile causes, including we are told that $500,000 would fix a whole lot of problems around here - with regard to people who cannot afford to go to this school,” Hodge said, without explaining how the triangle plan would reduce college funds.

Hodge said the construction part of the triangle would cost less than $20 million, but paying off the loan would cost more than $500 million. He then criticized Sens. John Vratil and Barbara Allen for not placing a “sunset” clause on the proposed tax.

“The people behind this don’t have an appreciation for taxation,” Hodge said.

Supporters have said the tax covers construction and ongoing personnel costs.

Board Chairman Lynn Mitchelson said, “As I understand it, first of all, this has to have legislative approval, then it has to have approval through the County Commission to be on the ballot, and then the voters have to approve it, so I think the democratic process will be served.”

“Actually, this was bulldozed through,” Hodge replied.

“Now, wait a minute, don’t you believe a vote by the voters - they’re the ones entitled to determine whether this is the taxation they want?” Mitchelson asked.

“If you’re asking me whether the voters elect people to just hand things to them-”

“If the voters are able to vote on this taxation,” Mitchelson said, “aren’t they able to express themselves as to whether they want it?”

“They are. It’s a question of whether that is truly the leadership they’re truly asking for.”

Hodge stands against more bureaucracy
College could drop out of association due to dispute about vo-tech control
BY: Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia, Editor

Legislation that appears to threaten community college control over vocational-technical education programs left several Johnson County Community College trustees seeking answers and Ben Hodge seeking retribution at last week’s board meeting.

Hodge said he does not like the Kansas Board of Regents overseeing a new group formed to handle vo-tech education issues. Senate bill 2556 establishes a 12-member group, under the State Board of Regents, with authority reserved formerly for community colleges.

“I’m of a mind that this will take money from community colleges,” Hodge, a Kansas House member, told the board.

Hodge said more bureaucracy could cost taxpayers more money and he criticized the regents.

“I do not consider the Board of Regents a friend to taxpayers,” Hodge said.

He began flogging regents on a separate issue, for backing university maintenance funds, but trustees Chairman Lynn Mitchelson suggested focusing the discussion on the vo-tech issue.

Hodge slammed the Kansas Association of Community Colleges Trustees for failing in lobbying efforts to prevent SB 25

“First-years talk about Legislature”
Jack “Miles” Ventimiglia, Editor
Johnson County Sun

Rep. Ben Hodge said he wants to cut the ties that bind Kansas public schools to federal funding, Rep. Sheryl Spalding said her constituents want more school funding and Rep. Cindy Neighbor identified health care as a major concern for lawmakers this year.

These members of Johnson County’s delegation in Topeka n Hodge a first-year conservative Republican, Spalding a first-year moderate Republican and Neighbor, a first-year Democrat n discussed their takes on the start of the 2007 legislative session while on the House floor Jan. 18.

BEN HODGE: NO TO FEDERAL SCHOOL FUNDS

Hodge, R-49th, representing Olathe and Overland Park, stood at his desk on the center aisle at the back of the chamber. He said he came to the session with reasonable expectations about what conservative House leaders could accomplish n not any “bold legislation.”

“I have to be somewhat realistic knowing that we have a fairly moderate Senate and a very liberal governor,” Hodge said, taking a shot at Kathleen

Sebelius, a Democrat. Increasing the local-option budget beyond the present 30 percent lid has Hodge’s support. LOB budgeting is about school districts being allowed to raise tax funds locally to supplement limited state funds for education.

In association with that idea, Hodge, who also is a Johnson County Community College trustee, said he might pursue a plan to snip the purse strings on federal dollars for public schools in Kansas.

“I’ll just tell you a bill I’m considering having introduced would be to leave the federal education department,” Hodge said. “I think, both conservatives and liberals, this is perhaps something we can agree on. Many conservatives think the federal education department accomplishes little and should never have been created.

SHERYL SPALDING: RAISE THE LOB

A moderate Republican representing 29th District residents in Overland Park, Spalding stood on the right side of the speaker’s dais while saying there has been unexpected demands on her time, including many meet-and-greet opportunities.

“It’s a wonderful week, but very busy,” Spalding said, trying to be heard while keeping her own ears trained on the commotion that represented legislative progress on the floor.

Residents in her district, Spalding said, expect her to focus on schools.

“They elected me because I have a background in education and I’m on the Education Committee, so we will be trying to ? get a little bit more money for some of our school districts in Johnson County,” Spalding said.

Getting more money will be difficult, she said.

“Everybody’s competing for the same general dollars,” Spalding said, with the result being a focus on local-option funding. “If we could be allowed to add more money into the pot for ourselves, we would like to be able to do that.”

The 22-member Johnson County House delegation supports LOB funding, Spalding said.

“We’re very united, both sides of the aisle,” she said.

CINDY NEIGHBOR: FOCUS ON HEALTH

Although starting her first year as a Democrat, Neighbor, representing 18th District residents in Shawnee, knows her way around the House floor. She worked her way back from the floor to a quiet hallway behind the speaker’s dais.

Neighbor represented the 18th District from 2003 to 2005, then lost a primary bid to conservative Republican Mary Pilcher-Cook. Rather than face another likely primary loss to Cook, Neighbor switched parties and relied on a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans to retake the seat Nov. 7.

Neighbor said health insurance could become a major issue this session, with Gov. Sebelius having opened the door on the issue during the state of the state address Jan. 9.

“More than one in 10 of our neighbors has no health insurance. While we strive to reach our hopes and dreams, they have a different kind of hope n they hope they and their children won’t get sick,” Sebelius said during the address, and advocated providing health care this year to every child through age 5. “The cost to the state will be minimal, but the benefit to 15,000 Kansas kids will be immeasurable. It will also ease financial pressure on moms and dads across our state, and let them have different hopes for their kids.”

Neighbor is an Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee member.

“We’re going to be looking at (health care) both from small business aspects ? as well as other places that might want to buy into the state pool,” Neighbor said.

Health costs are no longer a concern just for Democrats, she said.

“Health care is costing employees and employers, and I think that is something (both parties) will probably be able to work together on,” Neighbor said. “We have to sit down and compromise. Everybody has an idea or a proposal and it’s important for all of us to come together ? to meet the needs of all Kansans.”

Kansas ranks high on home foreclosures

Locked out on home life
More and more Kansans face foreclosure; subprime mortgages sometimes faulted
By Michael Hooper
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, April 29, 2007

Welcome to the neighborhood. Don’t forget to cut your grass, wave to the neighbors and, of course, pay the mortgage.

Pretty simple, right?

Not for thousands of Kansans who are finding the American dream of home ownership increasingly difficult to achieve.

As recently as December, there were 4,220 homes in foreclosure across the state, and another 7,385 home loans were seriously delinquent, meaning more than 90 days in arrears, said John Santner, district director with NeighborWorks America, a Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp. based in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas is experiencing foreclosure rates higher than the national average for virtually all types of mortgages, he said. A total of 1.32 percent of all mortgages were in foreclosure in Kansas in late 2006, higher than the 1.19 percent elsewhere in the United States.

Robert Baker, counselor and education coordinator with Housing and Credit Counseling, said Kansans are strapped with credit card debts, reduced income, job losses and medical hardships. Homeowners are struggling to pay higher monthly payments on mortgages with interest rates that climb in the second and third year of the loans. And Americans have little savings.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said Americans spent more than they earned in 2005 - creating a negative savings rate of 0.5 percent for the year.

“The middle class is getting squeezed,” Baker said. “They’ve become accustomed to a lifestyle that they can no longer afford.”

Subprime mortgages

While the foreclosure rate has historically hovered at about 1 percent of all outstanding loans, the nation is witnessing a dramatic growth in the foreclosure rate for subprime loans and “exotic mortgages,” Santner said.

Mortgage brokers offer subprime adjustable rate mortgages to buyers with poor credit. The interest rate is inexpensive on the front end. But the interest rate climbs in the second or third year, increasing monthly payments by up to 30 percent, Santner said. Such loans are often tied to the prime rate - currently at 8.25 percent. Sometimes the loan will increase to 2 or 3 points over prime - making the interest rate as much as 10.2 percent to 11.2 percent.

“This escalator clause is rarely explained to anyone,” said Steve Hermes, management consultant for communications and public affairs for NeighborWorks America, Kansas City, Mo.

A recent study by the Center for Responsible Lending suggests almost 20 percent of Kansas’ subprime loans could end in foreclosure.

Topeka has a higher level of delinquent subprime mortgages than Wichita and Lawrence. The delinquent portion of subprime mortgages in Topeka in 2006 was 13.92 percent, up from 10.57 percent a year earlier.

The delinquent portion of subprime mortgages in Wichita in 2006 was 12.64 percent. In Lawrence, the delinquent rate was 11.5 percent, according to estimates from First American LoanPerformance and the Census Bureau.

Jerry Brown, general manager of Kaw Valley Home Loans Inc., a subsidiary of Kaw Valley State Bank & Trust in Topeka, said about 25 percent of their mortgages are subprime loans.

“Normally we try to do a fixed rate, but that is not always possible. It’s the customer’s option,” Brown said.

He said Kaw Valley generates the loans locally but sells them on the secondary market. Because the loans are sold, he said, Kaw Valley doesn’t track them.

“I don’t see it being a dire situation in Topeka,” he said. “It will kind of straighten itself out.”

But Baker said today he sees more clients in northeast Kansas with complicated financial problems than in the past.

Marilyn Stanley, spokeswoman with Housing and Credit Counseling in Topeka, said some families are forced to downsize to live within their means. And downsizing can be painful.

While experts say homeowners shouldn’t spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, “a lot of people are at 50 percent,” Stanley said. “That doesn’t leave room for gas and utilities.”

Lawrence market

Only 4.9 percent of all mortgages are subprime mortgages in Lawrence, compared with 10.53 percent in Topeka and 10.95 percent in Wichita.

Baker said there are fewer subprime mortgages in Lawrence because housing is more expensive there. Topeka and Wichita have more low-income housing.

An entry-level, two-bedroom house typically sells for $120,000 in Lawrence, Baker said. It isn’t uncommon to see three-bedroom homes in Lawrence sell for $180,000.

“It’s hard to make a subprime mortgage for $180,000,” he said. “It’s easy to get a subprime mortgage for $50,000 in Topeka.”

Neighborhood demise

Experts say home ownership will improve a neighborhood because homeowners tend to take care of their property. But a foreclosure leaves a neighborhood with a vacant house that might otherwise be healthy and vital, said Hermes, of NeighborWorks America.

“It’s an economic problem for the neighborhood, the city and the bank,” Hermes said.

The bank might be in California or Germany, he said. The bank will look at it like a blip on the balance sheet. So it will sell the foreclosed house to whatever bidder at 60 cents on the dollar. The investor buys it and converts it into a rental, he said.

One study by Duda Apgar called “Collateral Damage: The Municipal Impact of Today’s Mortgage Foreclosure Boom” says a foreclosure on a single-family home, especially one left vacant, may generate $30,000 in losses per property.

Baker said Detroit, damaged by the declining auto sector, has seen neighborhoods decimated by foreclosures.

Hermes said lenders often pair up with mortgage brokers who pitch the adjustable rate mortgages to people who don’t qualify for a prime loan from such financial institutions as Capitol Federal Savings.

Jack Huey, chief lending officer for Capitol Federal, said the financial institution doesn’t offer subprime mortgages.

“Capitol Federal has sound lending policies and strong underwriting principles that mitigate credit risk for the various programs that we offer, resulting in low default rates,” Huey said.

When someone doesn’t qualify for a loan, Capitol Federal encourages the person to improve his or her financial situation. He also recommends contacting the local Housing and Credit Counseling office for educational homeownership and budgeting counseling.

Regulation needed

A top federal regulator recently endorsed congressional efforts to pass legislation cracking down on predatory lending.

“We believe that the time has come for national anti-predatory lending standards applicable to all mortgage lenders,” Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairwoman Sheila Bair told a House Financial Services subcommittee.

Bair suggested predatory lending legislation could require lenders to take into account a borrower’s ability to repay a loan at its full cost, not just on an initial, low teaser payment, and crack down on confusing and misleading marketing and prepayment penalties.

Stanley, of Housing and Credit Counseling, said there are alternatives besides foreclosure, such as putting the past-due amount at the end of the loan.

“There’s other options, but some people wait until it is too late,” she said.

She recommended struggling homeowners assess their entire financial situation. While setting priorities, she said, cut out expenses that aren’t needed. To get help, call Housing and Credit Counseling at (785) 234-0217 or (800) 383-0217.

Michael Hooper can be reached at (785)295-1293 or michael.hooper@cjonline.com.

Posted on Mon, Mar. 05, 2007 — Kansas City Star

Lawmakers consider repealing bi-state pact
By DAVID KLEPPER and JIM SULLINGER

TOPEKA | Sixteen years after Kansas and Missouri agreed to the first bistate compact to renovate Union Station, some Johnson County lawmakers want to end the compact.

“People are tired of all these taxes and big schemes,” said Rep. Judy Morrison, a Shawnee Republican.

The first bistate tax helped pay for the renovation of Union Station. The second, which failed at the polls, would have paid for arts projects and the remodeling of Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums.

Any future project funded by a bistate tax must be approved by voters in both Jackson and Johnson counties.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Ben Hodge, an Overland Park Republican, would repeal the bistate accord. It would pull Kansas out of the deal, probably killing the compact entirely.

The House Federal and State Affairs Committee held a hearing on the bill last week. Rep. Arlen Siegfreid , an Olathe Republican and the committee’s chairman, said he considers the issue a Johnson County matter. Before holding a committee vote on the bill, he said, he would poll Johnson County lawmakers on their views.

Judging from lawmakers’ comments last week, the bill is likely to elicit some heated discussion. Several referred to the compact as a Jackson County “money grab.”

Morrison called those behind the bistate efforts “elitist.” She also said that “unless you live in Johnson County , you don’t know what it’s like” to contribute so much tax revenue to causes outside the county. She said Missouri should look after itself.

Hodge argues there’s nothing preventing Kansas , Missouri and local governments on both sides of the border from cooperating without bistate plans and joint sales taxes.

“I think the people of Johnson County are getting weary of this,” he said.

Bob Vancrum, the lobbyist for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, defended the bistate compact and urged lawmakers to oppose the bill. He noted that voters have shown they will pick which projects to support or oppose.

The mystery of the eminent domain loophole in Senate Bill 316 has been solved. Olathe wants the bill to attract a professional soccer stadium.

The issue was first raised a week ago and delayed action on the bill.

Sen. Tim Huelskamp , a Fowler Republican, found a section of the bill that appeared to create a loophole in a 2006 law prohibiting taking private property for future ownership by a private business.

Sen. Karin Brownlee, an Olathe Republican and committee co-chairwoman, said the problem has been fixed, making the bill ready for debate by the full Senate.