Week 1 Kansas Statehouse: new legislature, transparency concerns, abortion, COVID-19, and more
Video Script
Intro
Hey I’m Davis Hammet with Loud Light. Here’s what happened in the 1st week of the 2021 Kansas legislative session.
New Legislature
Traditional moderate Republicans were obliterated in the primary and Democrats lost seats in the general election giving Republicans more than a 2/3 supermajority that can easily override a Governor’s veto. Ron Ryckman is serving an unprecedented 3rd term as Speaker of the House and Ty Masterson is now the Senate President. This new dynamic means the far-right ideology of the Brownback years again dominates Kansas’ government.
Rapid Pace (SB13)
The first week of session is normally slow and informational. Not this year. On day one a bill was introduced that creates new restrictions on how local governments calculate property tax. It includes a requirement that local governments must give property owners 10 days notice of rate increase hearings; however, legislators gave less than 24-hours notice of the hearing on the bill. By Thursday that bill was being debated on the Senate floor where Sen. Doll (R) loathed that it didn’t matter what anyone said because the entire process had been greased to ensure the bill passed. Republican’s declared an emergency to suspend the senate rules requiring a waiting period between debating and voting so that they could immediately pass the bill. It’s scheduled for a House hearing on Wednesday.
Abortion Amendment (HCR 5003 / SCR 1602)
The Kansas Constitution guarantees the “right of personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one's own body… including whether to continue a pregnancy.” On Friday, the House and Senate held hearings on a reintroduced constitutional amendment to abolish this right and give state legislators full control over abortion regulation including the ability to ban rape and incest victims from having an abortion. While proponents argued a total ban is only hypothetical, the legislature rejected language last year that would prevent them from banning medically necessary abortions. As written, it would appear for a public vote in the low turnout August 2022 primary election.
Emergency Powers (SB14)
The COVID-19 State of Emergency is set to expire on January 26th which could jeopardize federal aid among other things. The Senate quickly passed a bill that would extend the emergency declaration through March. It extends and expands provisions the legislature made that restrict the Governor’s ability to combat the pandemic.
Maskless
At least one Kansan dies from COVID-19 every 30 minutes. As the pandemic worsens and many Kansas hospitals near capacity, House leadership instituted several measures attempting to limit exposure during session, but on the Senate side almost no precautions have been taken. Democratic legislators have near universal mask use, but many Republican representatives and the vast majority of Senate Republicans do not wear masks or adhere to social distancing. On Thursday, Missouri announced a COVID-19 outbreak among legislators causing them to cancel at least the next week of their session.
Coming Up
The Kansas Statehouse will be mostly locked down next week as a precaution against insurrectionist violence during Joe Biden’s inauguration, but legislative business will continue. With everything moving so fast, it’s a great time to reach out to your legislators to share your priorities.
I can’t believe this is the start of my 5th year doing these videos! I could not have gotten this far without you. Thanks for commenting and sharing. If you can please sign up to give a monthly donation which makes this possible. Stay tuned, stay engaged, and until next time thank you so much Kansas!