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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Monday, February 20, 2017
www.iolaregister.com
Legislators await governor’s word on budget By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
By the end of February Gov. Sam Brownback will decide whether to give up his experiment with supply-side economics for Kansas. House Bill 2178 passed both the House and Senate late last week. The measure would repeal income tax cuts made by the Legislature in 2012-13, at Brownback’s behest, and replace them with rates not as high as before, but enough to restore revenue and help overcome budget shortfalls. Within the bill is removal of exemptions for 330,000 small businesses and farmers. Rep. Kent Thompson, R-La-
We had to do something. We had to pay the bills and there wasn’t much left to cut. — Rep. Kent Thompson
Rep. Kent Thompson Harpe, told the Register Sunday afternoon he thought the bill would withstand a veto in the House. “I’m not sure about
the Senate,” he added. Repeal of the income tax cuts drew 83 votes of 125 in the House at first blush, and then, on final action was approved 97-48, with one member absent. As majority whip, Thompson’s responsibility is to “count votes” ahead of a floor
decisions. “I am pretty confident we would have enough votes to override a veto (84 would be needed) if that occurs,” Thompson said. Brownback has 10 days from the vote, Thursday in the House and Friday in the Senate, to either sign it into law, veto the bill or, let it become law without his signature. “I have no idea what he will do,” Thompson said. In the Senate, the bill passed 22-18. To override a veto, 27 votes would be needed. “If it came to the Senate the president (Susan Wagle) likely would have to vote for it and so would Caryn Tyson,” R-Parker, who represents Allen County and is chairman of the Senate Assessment and
Taxation Committee. On Friday, they both voted against the measure. Thompson thinks the House’s transition to a more moderate body as a result of the Nov. 8 election was critical to the Thursday decision. “It’s hard to raise taxes, but the new representatives had put bull’s-eyes on taxes in their campaign,” which, he thinks, was a factor in them overcoming intensive lobbying by Brownback supporters to retain the cuts. “We had to do something,” he added. “We had to pay the bills and there wasn’t much left to cut,” although one earlier proposal was to reduce See THOMPSON | Page A4
Scrap metal law irks dealer By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Celebrating Funston Larry Manes, Moran, speaks at a wreath-laying ceremony Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Mag. Gen. Frederick Funston, in front of the Funston Museum complex in downtown Iola. Funston was an iconic military figure in the early 20th century. His home, originally 5 miles north of Iola, was brought to the courthouse square in 1994 and converted into a museum. REGISTER/SHELLIE SMITLEY
LAHARPE — A statewide effort to protect farmers, construction companies and others victimized by scrap metal theft brought unintended consequences, Ray Maloney contends. The Ray’s Metal Depot owner in LaHarpe spoke about the Kansas Scrap Metal Theft Reduction Act passed into state law in 2015. The act gives the Attorney General’s office regulatory oversight of each scrap metal dealer in the state, and forces dealers to enact a series of safeguards to document all nonferrous metal purchases. Many of the new law’s regulations have yet to be enforced, because a centralized computer database is not yet online. When it does, Maloney said he and other metal salvage dealers will be forced to purchase camera and computer systems in order to photograph each piece of scrap metal brought into his salvage lot on the north edge of LaHarpe. Additionally, the cost to renew his scrap metal license has increased from $50 to $1,000.
Ray Maloney
THE SCRAP Metal Theft Reduction Act was passed due to an ongoing metal theft issue. Because farms and rural construction sites are often in remote locations, thieves saw them as prime targets. “It wasn’t hard for them to get copper wire from buildings, stuff like that,” Maloney said. The issue grew particularly troublesome in Wichita, where dealers were more inclined to accept loads, regardless of
whether the person bringing in the metal looked suspicious, because of the large number of scrap metal yards. If one dealer rejected a load of metal, the peddler could go to the dealer’s competitor. In response, the Wichita City Council passed an ordinance regulating scrap metal purchases within city limits. Those who sold such metals as copper, brass and aluminum had to be photographed and their vehicle license tags recorded. The crackdown effectively curbed the practice in Wichita, but with a devastating side effect. “What it did was just about make it impossible for dealers in Wichita to buy anything,” Maloney said. “Customers just went to surrounding areas.” To level the playing field, the Wichita vendors — with support from farmers, construction companies, plumbers and electricians — approached state lawmakers in 2015. “They went to see if the state could do anything about it,” Maloney said. “And it did.” The new state law was See METAL | Page A4
Hesston remembers By BECCY TANNER The Wichita Eagle
HESSTON, Kansas — A lot can happen in a year’s time. From sorrow, grief and sadness, a time for hope can eventually come forMourners ward. gather for More than a memo250 people rial Sunday came together in Hesston. Sunday at the WICHITA Hesston High EAGLE/BO School gym- RADER/TNS nasium for a service called “One Year – A Community Remembers: ‘The Light Shines in the See HESSTON | Page A4
Living history on display Jefferson Elementary held a Living History Day Friday. Students rotated through stations to learn about U.S. monuments and memorials including the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, White House, the American flag, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Marine Corps. At left, first-grader Nickoles Stogsdill shows off a replica crown such as one seen atop the Statue of Liberty. At right, Mona Melvin, a library aide, shows campaign memorabilia for Eisenhower, a Kansas native. PHOTOS BY LORI MAXWELL (LEFT) AND TAMMY PRATHER
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 80
“Happiness is a direction, not a place.” — Sydney J. Harris, journalist (1917-1986) 75 Cents
Hi: 68 Lo: 45 Iola, KS