Wichitopekington

TOPEKA – Below is a written response by Kansans For Life Executive Director Mary Kay Culp.

Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, on Friday line-item vetoed from the wrap-up budget bill a provision aimed at blocking Planned Parenthood from receiving money for family planning services.

The money, a federal grant disseminated by the state, cannot be used for abortion services and helps fund Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Hays and Wichita.

Below is the response:

“Any hopes that Governor Parkinson was better than Sebelius on life issues just flew out the window with this veto in which he gives Planned Parenthood priority over public health clinics without him even having the guts to mention the nation’s single largest abortion provider, by name.

The Governor purposely gave the wrong impression when saying the budget went against the rules. This budget didn’t ban Planned Parenthood from getting one dime–they would remain on the list to receive funds. It simply re-prioritized the order of which entities got funds first.

When a private organization like Planned Parenthood gets tax dollars it frees up their private funds to pay lobbyists to troll for more tax funds, not to mention lobby against state abortion regulations. And even if the money goes to their clinics that don’t do abortions, again, it frees up the private money they have available for their clinics that do. In addition, even those clinics that don’t do abortions, refer for them.

By the Governor putting Planned Parenthood at the top, rather than the bottom of the list, he is saying he doesn’t care that they perform abortions, doesn’t care that they lobby to keep all abortions, even partial-birth abortions, legal, and doesn’t care that they are in trouble across the country for breaking state laws, including our own. But his veto does likely show that like Sebelius, Governor Parkinson appreciates that, unlike public health clinics, Planned Parenthood has a political arm that works to influence elections. .

There is no reason to give Planned Parenthood tax funding priority when the same services can be provided just as easily, and much less politically, by our public health clinics.”

TOPEKA – Kansas students at Wichita State University could see their tuition and fees for a semester of school increase by 5.5 percent in the fall.

A semester at WSU would cost $2,681.75 — or $139.50 more than the current rate of $2,542.25 — under a proposal presented to the Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday.

The regents, who oversee the state’s colleges and universities, listened to the heads of the six universities pitch their proposed increases; the board will likely vote on the proposals during its June meeting.

Other fee and tuition increases for Kansas students ranged between a $101 jump for Emporia State University students to $206.25 for Kansas University students who enter the compact system where they pay a fixed tuition rate for four years.

For more, read Friday’s Wichita Eagle.

Here are the initial proposals for instate undergraduates:

Wichita State University Current tuition and fees: $2,542.25 Proposed tuition and fees: $2,681.75 Dollar difference: $139.50 Percent increase: 5.5 percent

University of Kansas – standard Current tuition and fees: $3,520.85 Proposed tuition and fees: $3,644.60 Dollar difference: $123.75 Percent increase: 3.5 percent

University of Kansas – compact Current tuition and fees: $3,862.10 Proposed tuition and fees: $4,068.35 Dollar difference: $206.25 Percent increase: 5.3 percent

Kansas State University Current tuition and fees: $3,313.65 Proposed tuition and fees: $3,434.75 Dollar difference: $121.10 Percent increase: 3.7 percent

Emporia State University Current tuition and fees: $2,068 Proposed tuition and fees: $2,169 Dollar difference: $101 Percent increase: 4.9 percent

Pittsburgh State University Current tuition and fees: $2,161 Proposed tuition and fees: $$2,296 Dollar difference: $135 Percent increase: 6.2

Fort Hays State University Current tuition and fees: $1,770 Proposed tuition and fees: $1,881 Dollar difference: $111 Percent increase: 6.3 percent

TOPEKA – Just when you think things at the Capitol are dragging, life gets interesting.

The House was in the middle of debating a procedural point – essentially arguing if they could or could not re-debate a measure allowing law enforcement to pull people over for not wearing a seat belt – when the emergency lights started flashing and klaxon blaring.

Rumor is a fire alarm triggered on the first floor of the Statehouse, but it could easily be a false alarm or dust kicked up from the renovation construction.

In the House at least, most people’s first reaction was to wait and see if the alarms such off. Then lawmakers started to slowly wander out.

Even in an emergency, the rules must be followed. Just before leaving, House Speaker Rep. Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchison, declared the House in recess.

Lawmakers, lobbyists, visitors and even journalists are milling about outside the building while the Topeka Fire Department checks out the alarm.

While the weather is lovely and it’s nice to be out side, this is a somewhat unwelcome disruption. Lawmakers are nearing the end of session, they could adjourn late tonight or early tomorrow.

After a busy night, the Senate is recessed to the sound of the gavel waiting for the House to take action on a handful of bills.

Earlier this morning, the House sent a energy bill to the governor’s desk. The measure way part of a negotiated agreement that allows one coal plant to be built in Western Kansas.

UPDATE: People are starting to trickle back in at 12:45 p.m. and the fire trucks are leaving so everything must have been given the all clear.

Topeka Fire Battalion Chief Ron Hufford said water leaked into a sensor in a construction area on the South side of the building triggering the fire alarm.

At 12:58 p.m., O’Neal gaveled the House back in.

TOPEKA – In an unusual move, the state House of Representatives voted to accept a budget bill already passed by the Senate instead of debating a proposal of its own.

The motion to concur with Senate substitute for House Bill 2373 came from Rep. Clay Aurand, R-Courtland, who voted against the measure himself but said he wanted to vote to move the issue forward.

The motion narrowly passed 64-60. The bill now goes to the governor.

It is identical to a proposal passed by the Senate on Tuesday. It includes 2.75 percent across the board cuts to most state agencies including kindergarten through 12th grade education.

The measure fills all but $70 million of a $328 million budget gap lawmakers have been struggling to fill.

The Senate Taxation Committee is working on several tax proposals to help fill the rest of the gap.

Appropriations Chairman Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, urged House members to vote against the proposal, saying the chamber would have a second chance to debate its own proposal later Thursday afternoon.

“What we are doing here is we are taking the House completely out of the process,” Yoder said.

Last Friday, a House budget proposal failed to gain enough support to pass. The House Appropriations Committee had been working to develop a second proposal but there still didn’t seem to be enough support in the chamber to pass the second bill.

Lawmakers are already eight days into a wrapup session and usually the budget is in a negotiating committee by this time, Aurand argued.

“I just wanted to move this down the road,” he said.

TOPEKA – An effort to eliminate money from the state budget that is aimed at making Wichita air fares competitive went down in flames during the Senate’s budget debate Tuesday.

The proposal includes a 2.75 percent cut to all state government, including public schools and universities. Lawmakers are trying to plug a $328 million budget gap. The Senate’s proposal includes a mix of delayed tax cuts to increase revenue by $122.3 million and cuts to state government to the tune of about $154.5 million.

Kansas City, Kan. Democrat Sen. Chris Steineger suggested eliminating $5 million from the budget that goes to the fair fares program.

The idea met a hostile reception – ultimately Steineger was the only one to vote for the measure. A similar amendment failed during the House debate last Friday. The House failed to pass its budget bill.

“I think we need to save the five million per year,” he said. “That’s my goal to save some money.”

Lawmakers from throughout the state praised the program and opposed cutting the money.

“Why in the world would we abandon a project like this that has been wildly successful,” asked Sen. John Vratil, R-Leawood.

He noted the state recouped about $5.25 for ever dollar it spent on the program.

The program had been developed to help make air fair prices out of Wichita competitive, said Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick.

“We were looking at ways to stop the bleeding for people going out of state to catch a flight in another state, we finally reversed that,” she said.

Wichita Democrat Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau said eliminating the program would “be a step backwards.”

The amendment failed overwhelmingly.

The Senate is currently debating its budget proposal and could finish the bill this afternoon. Lawmakers are back in Topeka for a final wrap-up session where cutting more money from state budget is one of the top goals.