Gaming debate rolls on through night
Local legislators short on sleep
By Bobbi Mlynar
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The morning newspaper was in Don Hill's driveway by the time he got home from the Friday session of the Kansas House of Representatives.
Hill told an audience at the Saturday morning Eggs and Issues Breakfast that the wrangling debate over a gaming bill and amendments in the House had lasted into the early-morning hours of Saturday.
"It was probably the most emotional debate I've experienced and taken part in," Hill said. "... I actually lost some sleep over it during the three hours my head was on the pillow" before he got up and came to Eggs and Issues.
Hill said that and state has had paramutual and lottery gaming since 1986 and has compacts with the sovereign nations. This year's proposal under debate would reduce the number of additional slot machines from the 7,000 proposed in previous years to 2,800 and would place a 25-year moratorium on gaming changes. It also would include devoting 2 percent of gaming revenues to treating social problems that are byproducts of gaming. Those funds would be administered on a grant basis by the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
Hill said that the three topics he hears of most from his constituents are that property taxes are too high; that infrastructure issues such as public buildings and deferred maintenance need to be addressed; and that Kansas Public Employment Retirement System (KPERS) needs to be funded adequately.
"For the life of me I have not seen any way way, with our existing revenue stream and taxes, that any of those three could be meaningfully addressed," Hill said.
He said that Kansas border counties are being affected by new casinos built across the border in Oklahoma.
Rep. Peggy Mast termed Friday's all-night session "the lowest of the lows" during a year that also has seen the "highest of the highs."
"I was riding pretty high, then I started hearing about a gambling amendment," Mast said.
A 98-page amendment was brought into the picture Friday, "without anybody knowing what was in it."
She said that 20 full-time lobbyists who earn 6-figure incomes would earn bonuses if the bill they are plumping for is passed.
Mast said there are aspects of gaming that need to be clarified. She tried to get some gaming funds committed to a cost-of-living increase for KPRS and for better accountability in knowing who is operating the gaming and how much money is coming in. She also wanted to eliminate use of credit cards for gambling and to limit payday-type loan operations' proximity to casinos. None of her amendments passed, she said.
"It was the first time I was ever ashamed of being in the legislature," she said.
On the "highs" side of legislative action, Mast said that House Bill 2591 could mark a big step in health care reform to give uninsured Kansans better access to health insurance. The bill includes provisions for a 15 percent discount in premiums; a high-deductible, lower-premium health plan; insurance paid for by a combination of employee, employer and federal or state government contributions; and the ability to own a plan that would not be affected by changes in employment.
Sen. Jim Barnett said there had been bipartisan focus on health care. The ability to screen all newborns for 29 conditions that can be diagnosed at birth could greatly improve treatment for children. The bill is being called Alexis' Law in honor of an 8-year-old girl who died from a disease that could have been diagnosed early and easily, but was not.
A bill that would have set aside money each year for maintenance on state buildings did not pass. However, a bill to eliminate unemployment tax on business did pass 40-0. Changes in business taxes also have taken place, and a pamphlet, "Keeping Kansas Competitive," is available through his office.
Mast was pleased with a bill intended to curb teen drinking would penalize both the teens and the adults who purchase alcohol for them. Driver's licenses would be suspended for 30 days for the first offense and one year for the second. Liquor stores also would be able to pursue a civil fine for people who attempted to purchase liquor illegally. The civil fine could be up to $1,000.
Car dealership owner Jeff Longbine, a member of the audience, said that he was concerned over the way the Department of Motor Vehicles recorded alcohol-related offenses. Longbine has been working with the technical college's automotive department and recently found that one of the top students had been convicted of being a minor in possession of alcohol. The MIP conviction, however, was recorded as an alcohol-related offense, which made it the equivalent of driving under the influence of an intoxicant.
"He's uninsurable and unemployable in the field he's trained for three semesters," Longbine said.
"I wasn't aware of that and that is sad," Mast responded before pledging to try to correct the problem with records.
Emporia State University President Mike Lane inquired about the status of a proposal to pay for deferred maintenance costs by imposing a local tax on the counties housing the colleges and universities.
"It should be on Lyon County," Lane said, "it should be statewide. ... We may be Emporia's university, but we are not Emporia's responsibility."
Both Mast and Barnett said they would not support a local tax to fund maintenance; Hill had left early because of a prior commitment.
Responding to a question from audience member Jim Calvert, Barnett said that the immigration bill currently in the House would pay in-state tuition for people who had lived legally in Kansas and had moved from the state and returned to attend college.
Carol Strickland asked Barnett about the status of a bill regarding technical education. Barnett said that after April 15, the state will have more accurate figures on budgets and that the bill would be part of the omnibus funding package that legislators consider at the end of the session.
Hill earlier had discussed House Bill 2556, which deals with post-secondary technical eduction. The bill would add commission as a layer of authority under the Board of Regents to govern technical colleges.
"It's like a houseful of dog lovers who wake up in the morning and find a bunch of cats on the porch," Hill said.
Hill emphasized that technical education was more than education.
"It's more about economic development," he said.
Technical colleges can provide the workforce needed for development, and said that so far the system has been woefully inadequate.
He would like to see substantial additional focus on technical institutions, which as a group graduate more than 80 percent of their students and place more than 90 percent of them.
"Some are recruited out of class," he said.
Hill invited the audience to look for more information on his website, www.repdonhill.com