TOPEKA C The Kansas House Democrat Caucus is excited to announce its agenda to build a better Kansas in the 2007 Legislative Session.

"These policy proposals will help make Kansas a better place to live, work, and raise a family," said House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney.   "Our members have worked hard to provide a comprehensive agenda covering a wide range of legislative priorities.   I look forward to working with Governor Sebelius and our friends across the aisle to build a better Kansas."

Priorities for the agenda include:

• Providing much-needed property tax relief for seniors,

• Expanding health insurance coverage for Kansans with innovative solutions for health insurance purchasing for small businesses,

• Protecting the Kansas workforce by increasing the state minimum wage, protecting workers who are not receiving entitled benefits, and penalizing employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers,

• ·Keeping Kansas safe with initiatives to protect Kansans from identity theft, providing additional benefits for victims of crime, limiting access to violent video games and prohibiting picketing at funerals.

• Providing energy conservation incentives to improve efficiency of homes and apartments and to help families.

 A press conference to formally announce legislative goals was held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 16, 2007.   Details of the agenda are below.

2007 Legislative Agenda

House Democratic Caucus

 

Property tax relief for seniors  

Kansas has traditionally relied on a combination of income, sales, and property tax revenues to fund its services and operations.   Over the past 10 years, however, property taxes are providing a larger and growing portion of revenue to the state.  

 The Kansas House Democrats recognize the need to protect those financially vulnerable seniors from being literally taxed out of their homes.   Rep. Tom Holland, Baldwin, is working on two different programs to ease the burden.   These programs will provide much-needed relief to Kansas seniors and allow them to stay in their homes.

Enhancements to the Homestead Refund Program

• The maximum refund amount would increase from $600 to $750.

• Social Security income would be eliminated from the total household income calculation used to determine eligibility.

• The total household income threshold would increases from $27,000 to $30,000.

• Kansans with assets in excess of $250,000 would not be eligible for the program.

• The "rent constituting property taxes paid" is reduced from 20 percent to 15 percent.

 

Introduction of a new Property Tax Deferral Program

• The state would finance the deferral of property taxes on the homesteads of qualifying taxpayers.

• The State Treasurer would pay to the county treasurer the amount of deferred taxes.

• The deferred taxes would be owed to the State Treasurer.

• The spouse of a deceased taxpayer could elect to continue a deferral upon the death of the original claimant if the spouse was at least 60 years of age and lived at the homestead.

• There is no fiscal note to the program.

   

Expanding Health Insurance Coverage

House Democrats want to make sure that every Kansan has access to quality health care and affordable health insurance.   The caucus would like to express their support of Governor Sebelius, plan to insure all children in the State of Kansas under the age of five, as well as proposing innovative policies for small businesses to combat rising health insurance costs.

Currently, over 250,000 Kansans in working families are without health insurance.   An overwhelming majority of uninsured Kansans are from working families.   Smaller employers are less likely to offer health insurance to their employees because premiums are prohibitively expensive. House Democrats are offering solutions to help small business owners purchase affordable group policies.  

 

Small Business Pilot Project

Rep. Doug Gatewood will re-introduce his 2006 plan creating a pilot program for businesses with 25 or fewer uninsured employees to buy into the state health insurance plan.   The program would be capped at 1,000 workers in the first year.

The proposal would give small businesses access to the state's purchasing power, allowing them the benefits of a group purchasing pool and coverage of preexisting conditions.   This would cost businesses and employees less than purchasing health coverage on their own.

Since businesses and employees would be responsible for the premiums, there would be no cost to the state.

 

No-interest loans to small businesses to start group coverage

House Democrats propose to allow small businesses to apply for no-interest loans through the Department of Commerce that would help pay the start-up costs of establishing group health insurance coverage. Currently, the high start-up cost for establishing a new purchasing group for discourages small businesses from collaborating with one another.

This proposal would give businesses an opportunity to pool resources and create a larger pool for group coverage and therefore increase their purchasing power.   By joining with other businesses, business owners will be able to provide affordable options to their employees with coverage of preexisting conditions at a much lower cost than a small group policy.  

Both the pilot project and the start-up loans would afford small businesses the advantages of a group purchasing pool costing those businesses and employees less than purchasing health coverage on their own.

 Protecting the Kansas Workforce

 

Increase in the State Minimum Wage

Kansas currently has the lowest minimum wage in the country and is the only state to have a minimum wage lower than the national minimum wage.   House Democrats know that $2.65 per hour is not enough for any Kansan to live and raise their family and believe that workers should be paid fairly for the work they do.

Rep. Valdenia Winn, Kansas City, is introducing legislation to increase the State minimum wage from $2.65 an hour to $5.15 an hour and require the state minimum wage to increase at the same rate as the federal minimum wage.

Currently, about 19,000 Kansans are paid less than $5.15 per hour and would be affected by an increase in the state minimum wage.

 

Penalties for Employers who Knowingly Hire Undocumented Workers

House Democrats are poised to work across party lines in this session to find solutions to one of our state,s biggest problems - businesses who knowingly hire illegal workers.  

In 2004, Representatives Nile Dillmore of Wichita and Tom Holland of Baldwin both introduced  legislation that proposed increases in fines for businesses that knowingly hire illegal workers and would bar companies who commit these practices from receiving any state contracts for five years.

Additionally, the new bill offered this year would require that violators return to the state any tax breaks or other incentives that had been received for the previous five years.  Also, a toll-free hotline would be established in the Attorney General,s office for reporting violations.   The bill also increases fines for employers who repeatedly hire undocumented workers.

1099 Misclassification

House Democrats are also proposing the addition of full-time employees at the Department of Labor to investigate the misclassification of workers for tax purposes.   Some employers pay workers as independent contractors to avoid paying state and federal taxes and workers compensation insurance for employees. These workers receive a 1099 tax form, rather than a W-2, and are responsible for all of their state, federal, Social Security, and Medicaid taxes.

Initial work into the investigation of 1099 misclassification has already netted over $1,000,000 for the state general fund. In addition to recovering funds withheld from the state, these investigations will also protect Kansas workers from exploitation and helping law abiding contractors compete in bidding on construction projects.

   Ensuring fair and open elections

House Democrats are sponsoring a number of campaign finance reforms that would ensure that elections remain fair and open.

The reforms include:

• Any person who spends $500 or more per year for elections communications must file a report specifying the candidate they support or oppose and identifying individuals who have given more than $50 to that effort.   That person would also be responsible for reporting vendors who receive more than $50 in payments for those communications.  

• Taglines identifying the funding source of phone calls that support or oppose a candidate would be mandated.   Requirements include the phrases "Paid for" or "Sponsored by" followed by the name of the sponsoring organization and its treasurer or chairperson.    

• PACs would be required to file a report with the Secretary of State detailing expenditures in excess of $300 during the last 11 days of a campaign.

• PACs would also have to identify whom they support or oppose in their political communications.  

• Kansans already protected from unwanted telemarketing calls by the "No Call" list would be shielded from political "robocalls" without infringing on candidates, right to personally contact voters.   A similar law exists in Minnesota and has been proposed in Missouri.  

   

Keeping Kansas Safe

 Funeral Picketing

We must respect those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. The House Democratic Caucus strongly believes we must restrict radicals from picketing at the funerals of soldiers who have died in the line of duty. We cannot let this hateful practice continue for another day.

Other states and the U.S. Congress have enacted restrictions on funeral picketing. This session, Rep. Raj Goyle of Wichita has introduced bipartisan legislation that would prohibit picketers from invading the privacy of the families of fallen soldiers by creating a targeted buffer zone around funeral proceedings.

 

Limiting Access to Violent Video Games

Assistant Minority Leader Jim Ward will re-introduce The Child Protection from Violent Video Games Act, a proposal to help Kansas parents guide their children in a society that is increasingly invaded by the excesses of pop culture.

This act will make it a misdemeanor to sell violent or sexually explicit video games to minors.   These video games are already rated to reflect their content.   The bill also contains a provision to require these explicit games to be kept behind the counter at retailers.

 

Protecting Kansans from Identity Theft

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Last year, the Legislature passed a law that helps people that have been the victims of identity theft.   Kansas joined many other states in allowing individuals to put a freeze on their credit reports so that no one can access your credit information without express permission.   Consequently, no one can get a loan in your name. If someone tries to use your credit, they are rejected and you receive notification.   California has had such a law since 2003.   More than a dozen other states also have one.

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1In May 2006, a laptop containing the Social Security numbers and other personal financial information for millions of veterans and active-duty military personnel was stolen from an employee,s home. It was recovered, but the incident caused many of our constituents to worry about identity theft.   Although veterans and military service members knew that there had been a serious security breach which jeopardized their financial protection, our law did not provide them with the ability to place a freeze on their credit reports because they had not yet become victims.

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Rep. Marti Crow, Leavenworth, is proposing legislation to allow members of a group, such as veterans and military personnel in Kansas, to place a freeze on their credit reports by providing proof that they are a member of the group who has suffered a security breach.

Our veterans should not have to wait until they become victims of identity theft to respond to a theft of their financial information and social security numbers.   Kansas citizens should be provided with some control over their credit reports in such a situation.

House Democrats also propose creating a registry in the Attorney General,s Office that would list people that have had their identity stolen.   Having a centralized database would allow creditors to find information easily in the case of identity theft, at little cost to the state.

   Increasing energy efficiency

The House Democratic Caucus firmly believes that reliable, affordable energy is a primary component of economic development and a progressive business climate.   As stewards of our wonderful state, we must be responsible in the manner in which we generate and consume energy.   For this reason, the House Democrats wholeheartedly support the Governor,s recommendations in her State of the State Address regarding energy policy in Kansas.  

The legislature can play a role in advancing energy conservation in the State of Kansas.   Rep. Tom Hawk is introducing legislation to address weatherizing rental homes.   This legislation, aimed at reducing energy cost and usage for some of the neediest Kansans, would provide tax credits to landlords that make their rental homes more efficient with insulation and other methods of reducing a home,s energy use.   This bill not only reduces the peaking periods of power companies, but it also specifically deals with rentals, which are consistently the least efficient homes filled with occupants that will benefit the most from lower heating and cooling bills.  

Respecting the Service of State Employees

Many Kansans have committed their working lives to the State of Kansas.   Because of the fiscal constraints that the state has been operating under for the past several years, state employee retirees have not received the financial recognition they deserve.   House Democrats support a cost of living adjustment or other upward adjustment for KPERS retirees.   These Kansans have gone without an increase since 1998.