Kari Ann Rinker, executive director of the National Organization for Women’s Kansas branch, didn’t show proper respect when she pulled out a rubber stamp during her testimony last week against a series of anti-abortion measures. “You can use it on every abortion bill that comes through here this session,” she told members of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, “and you can even share it with the governor if you like.” But Rinker is understandably frustrated with how the Legislature passes and Gov. Sam Brownback signs anti-abortion bills that seem to clearly violate federal rules and court decisions. As a result, the state spent about $1 million last year trying to defend the laws in court. This session lawmakers are again considering measures that defy the courts and mainstream science.
Nearly 39,000 Kansas residents with Medicare saved more than $23 million on their prescription drugs in 2011 because of reforms in the Affordable Care Act, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The savings came from discounts on prescription drugs and some closing of the benefits “doughnut hole.” By 2021, when the gap is closed completely, the average person with Medicare is expected to save nearly $4,200, according to HHS.
Gov. Sam Brownback and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad sent a joint letter to Congress calling for an extension of wind-energy production tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of this year. “Our states have experienced the economic benefits of wind energy firsthand, and we cannot overstate the importance of extending this tax provision early in the year so the wind industry has the certainty it needs to grow,” they wrote. One of the lawmakers they will have to overcome is Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, who introduced a bill to repeal all energy-specific tax credits.
The historic preservation tax credit has been pivotal in redeveloping downtown Wichita, including such projects as the Drury Broadview Hotel. Most of these projects wouldn’t have happened without the tax credit, because restoring historic buildings can be cost-prohibitive. And those renovations created jobs and increased property values. Since 2001, the tax-credit program has created 15,000 jobs and $700 million in investment in Kansas, according to supporters. That’s why the city of Wichita and others testified last week against Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to eliminate the credit. Lowering overall taxes, as Brownback proposes, won’t save historic buildings or fuel downtown redevelopment the way the targeted credit has.
Kari Ann Rinker, executive director of the National Organization for Women’s Kansas branch, didn’t show proper respect when she pulled out a rubber stamp during her testimony last week against a series of anti-abortion measures. “You can use it on every abortion bill that comes through here this session,” she told members of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, “and you can even share it with the governor if you like.” But Rinker is understandably frustrated with how the Legislature passes and Gov. Sam Brownback signs anti-abortion bills that seem to clearly violate federal rules and court decisions. As a result, the state spent about $1 million last year trying to defend the laws in court. This session lawmakers are again considering measures that defy the courts and mainstream science.
