76th District Republican Peggy Mast
October 31, 2008
Peggy Mast is seeking another term in the Kansas House representing the 76th District.
Moderator: Peggy Mast is the Republican incumbent in the 76th District of the Kansas House, which represents parts of Lyon, Coffey and Greenwood counties. She has been representing the people of her district for 12 years. She is married. She and her husband, John, have four children.
sharon: Please respond to the comments that you voted for consolidation of schools in your district. I have searached and searched and I cannot find any record of this.
Peggy Mast: Thanks for asking the question. I too have been confused by this accusation and so I asked the Legislative staff to research it for me. They came up with only two possibilities of bills that dealt with consolidation. The first bill passed the House with an overwhelming majority in 2003, but never made it through the process. It was the result of small school districts that wanted to consolidate and needed help to make it financially possible. It was endorsed by the Kansas Association of School Boards, the Kansas National Education Association and the small schools that were affected. There were no opponents. The bill number is HB 2734. Please check it out for yourself. The second bill, SB 481, passed the House and Senate with an overwhelming majority in 2006. It again was requested by some small school districts that were suffering from declining enrollment as well as the Kansas Association of School Boards. There were no opponents. If someone out there can find a bill that forced consolidation, I would be happy to publically apologize, but I'm sure that none exists.
Moderator: Our next questions come from speedy. He or she has asked three, so we'll break them apart for simplicity. The first addressed whether Peggy voted for school consolidation. That's already been answered. Speedy's second question is this — Did you "vote to give tax breaks to big oil companies?"
Peggy Mast: This accusation was leveled against me in the last campaign and I thought we had it cleared up. The bill that is being referred to is one that resulted from Hurricane Katrina and Rita. The storms that hit the coast shut down the refineries off the coast and the gas prices rose sharply as a result. The Utilities Committee worked a bill to give incentives to allow for construction of a new refinery in Kansas. Another factor in the bill is the fact that a major pipeline will be coming right through Kansas from Canada. We did indeed, have a major refinery interested in locating in Kansas just last year that would have promised an additional $18 Billion dollars to our economy without any cost to the taxpayer. That is right - $18,000,000,000. I will never regret the attempt that we made to help improve our economy.
Moderator: Speedy's final question is this — What has been done or could Kansas do to help accomplish energy independence for the U.S.?
Peggy Mast: We are seeing Kansas become very pro-active in this. We are now committed to producing much more wind energy in the state. Again, the Utilities Committee that I serve on has done all we can to allow an addition to the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant. I still envision the day when we will be using hydrogen cells to help to power the turbines when the wind is not blowing and to move our vehicles down the road.
elebrown: What will you do to make a change in the bill that makes retired teachers "second-class" teachers, and are now only hired as "at-will" employees, which means not being paid on the salary schedule, no benefits, no due process, etc.?
Peggy Mast: I am unaware of a bill that would make retired teachers "second-class" teachers. I think that teaching is and should be one of the most respected occupations in the state. We trust teachers with our most precious resource and that is our youth. I am sorry to say that I did not know such a bill existed that would make retired teachers feel this way. It seems like a very unfair bill and I would have to vote "no" on a bill that did what you say it would. Thanks again for asking.
elebrown: I am the KNEA member who conducts the recommendation interviews and you surely know that there is never a requirement to sign a tax pledge at all. The only tax question KNEA asks is whether or not you would support the establishment of a blue ribbon task force to study the Kansas tax system and mrake recommendations to the legislature so that our tax system will be fair to businesses and individuals and will provide for a stable revenue stream in bad economic times as well as good. Did I hear you correctly--that KNEA requires you to sign a tax pledge?
Peggy Mast: I don't recall stating that I was ever asked to sign a tax pledge by the KNEA. I do recall making a statement that every time I have been interviewed by a KNEA member, they have asked if I would be willing to raise taxes for education. I think that you may be aware of that on the list of questions for an interview. I want to establish a good rapport with individuals that are in the education community and will continue to try to establish a "trust" relationship with them.
moderator: So far, Kansas is considered to be "at risk" for falling into a recession, although it hasn't yet. What must be done by the state government to ensure that Kansas remains one of those states not experiencing a recession?
Peggy Mast: This is a good question. I feel that it is time for all of us to work together to protect the economy of our state. It will be a very big challenge and this is no time for partisanship. It is tragic that the economy has taken a major hit at the same time we are facing an election. I am willing to make some sacrifices and I hope that others will realize that if we all take that approach, Kansas will be stronger for it.
moderator: Higher education is clearly a concern of many Emporia residents with ESU providing a large amount of city and county revenue. What must be done to ensure that state colleges continue to run in the black and will receive all the funding they need amidst the current "credit freeze?"
Peggy Mast: These questions are challenges that most of us have never faced before. The projected revenues for the end of this session, with a 4% growth in revenues show us to be over $224 million dollars in the red with the commitments that we had already made for spending. Just yesterday, I read that we should expect a growth in the social services case load especially with utility rates and other expenses going up. The challenge is a big one and you are right. Our college is crucial not only for the local economy but also for the future of each student who wants to get a college education and contribute to our future economy. I hope that we can work together to face the challenge and come up with the solutions.
moderator: Where do you stand on expanding nuclear energy? Many believe that the Wolf Creek plant southeast of Emporia is a vastly underused resource; that we have the infrastructure and work force in place to help get us off foreign oil and coal, while putting Kansans to work. Do you agree that we need more units at Wolf Creek? If not, why not? If so, what would you do to try to make it happen?
Peggy Mast: Another great question! I do believe that an expansion of Wolf Creek would be a wonderful thing for my district as well as a real benefit to address the growing demand for energy in our state. Legislatively, we have done all that we can to allow an addition to the plant. The footprint is in place, but the problem is two-fold. It has been over twenty years since nuclear plants have been built and we lack the trained professionals to get it done. The supplies for the construction are not available in the U.S. and will have to come from Europe. We also lack the financing to make it happen. I will do all I can and I think we need to encourage our Congress to help as well.
blulitespecial: Would you consider a run for Governor?
Peggy Mast: What can I say? What a compliment!!!! I appreciate your question, but think that the position that I hold right now is the right one for me. I care about every individual who approaches me and the entire population of Kansas would be a real challenge.
srh123: Hi Peggy, I think you are doing a wonderful job. You are truly a good person and I am proud to know you. My question is this: Do you think a state-wide health insurance plan for all teachers/faculty would ever be possible? Health insurance at our school is very expensive even with the school paying a chunk of it. We don't even have dental insurance because a majority of the people signing up for health insurance didn't want it because it's too expensive to add it on. I think if we were to have a state-wide plan it would work like a big company such as Boeing or Tyson and make the premiums much lower and the benefits better. I get insurance through my husband's job. If we didn't have his, I wouldn't be able to afford it through school for my family. Thanks so much. Stacey
Peggy Mast: Stacey, your idea is one that I have shared for a long time. The second bill that I ever authored was requested from a teacher in my district that asked me to address this. We had a hearing in the Insurance Committee and the testimony was wonderful. The bill would offer state health insurance for all school employees just like other state employees. I thought it would be great and would be portable when teachers relocated across the state, they could carry it with them. The first year, the Insurance Commissioner oppossed it claiming that school employees were not as healthy or young as the average state employee. I requested a study to be done and we found that school employees are a little healthier and younger than the average state employee. The second year, I took the bill back and was refused the opportunity to have it heard or considered. The third year, our Governor made it a part of her platform to run for the office and so, I thought that if anyone could get it accomplished, she could. I still think it is a good idea and would love to see it come to pass.
historian1982: Representative Mast, I am the Site Administrator for the William Allen White House State Historic Site here in Emporia. If reelected, how would you support the valuable local attractions such as the WAW site to ensure that they are open for all in the community and state to visit, use, and enjoy for years to come?
Peggy Mast: We have so many treasures in Emporia and the WAW Site is definately one of them. I think that we need to make a collective commitment to help to support these facilities. I cannot commit to raising the level of state support at a time when we are facing such a shortfall, but I can promise to work with you to come up with ideas that will help us find funding from other sources.
Moderator: Our time's up. This was our final chat with candidates running for local and state offices. We hope you, our readers, enjoyed using our online technology to find out more before heading to the polls. Once again, we encourage you to exercise your right to vote. This is a key election at all levels. All of us who are registered should vote.