LAWRENCE • STATE
L awrence J ournal -W orld
Chamber backs energy, education By John Hanna
“
The Kansas business owners I know believe strong public schools are the founda— The Kansas tion of a strong Kansas economy.� Associated Press
Topeka Chamber of Commerce has expanded its 2014 legislative agenda to support repealing the state’s renewable energy standard for utilities and to become involved in education issues, its executives said Tuesday. Chamber leaders said businesses’ concerns about energy costs are prompting it to enter the debate over a state law requiring utilities to see that renewable resources, such as wind power, account for 20 percent of their capacity to generate electricity by 2020. President and CEO Mike O’Neal, a former Kansas House speaker, said the chamber will jump into education issues because businesses hire public school graduates. Also, he said, the chamber wants to protect massive income tax cuts
— Paul Davis, House Minority Leader enacted at the urging of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. O’Neal said its goal is to make Kansas as businessfriendly as possible, and the chamber can’t avoid energy or education issues. The chamber has been influential on tax, government spending, immigration and regulatory issues. “We want this to be the best environment, whether that’s good tax policy or whatever, and we want it to have a good education system, but we want it to be efficient, and we want to be focused on getting those kids college and career ready,� O’Neal said during
an interview. Republicans hold large majorities in both legislative chambers. But O’Neal said that with educators and Democratic lawmakers suggesting that the tax cuts will starve schools of state funds, “That’s a clear invitation to the table that we can’t ignore.� House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat who’s running for governor, said he hopes the chamber will work to restore funds to public schools. “The Kansas business owners I know believe strong public schools are the foundation of a strong
Kansas economy,� said Davis, a critic of the tax cuts. House Energy and Environment Committee Chairman Dennis Hedke, a Wichita Republican, said the chamber’s stance on the renewable energy standard will help efforts to modify or repeal it. Separate bills stalled in the House and Senate last year. Hedke called the chamber’s new stance “a big move forward.� The Kansas Policy Institute, a conservative think tank that’s also influential among GOP legislators, predicted in 2012 that electric costs in Kansas would rise 45 percent by 2020 because of the renewable energy standard. But two reports last year from the Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities, suggested the additional cost would be less than 2 percent.
BRIEFLY AG Schmidt reports started the fundraising cycle with $189,000. fundraising efforts Schmidt also reported
House leadership position filled
Topeka — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt reports raising more than $229,000 in 2013 as he begins his bid for a second term. The Republican attorney general reported Friday he had nearly $375,000 in cash for the period from Jan. 1, 2013, through Dec. 31. He
campaign expenses of $44,000 in 2013. No other Republican or Democrat has formed a committee for a campaign to challenge Schmidt. The former state Senate majority leader won his first term as attorney general in 2010 by defeating Democratic incumbent Steve Six.
Topeka — Republicans in the Kansas House have elected a freshman lawmaker from Olathe to fill a vacant leadership position. Rep. Ron Ryckman Jr. will be the House majority whip, serving as the Republicans’ chief vote-counter on significant issues. He prevailed over Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady of Palco
on a 62-28 vote Monday. Ryckman will replace former Brian Weber of Dodge City, who resigned from the Legislature in June for family and business reasons. Ryckman already is serving as chairman of the House Social Services Budget Committee. He is the son of Rep. Ron Ryckman, a Meade Republican who was elected to the House in 2010.
Position
provide up to $75,000 in one-time funding. In addition to $75,000 in salary and benefits for the position, the program is expected to have another $60,000 in start-up costs related to creating a cultural arts plan and funding for marketing efforts. Lawrence-based Callahan Creek, an advertising and marketing firm, also has offered to donate $100,000 in design services to help with the marketing efforts. Susan Tate, director of the Lawrence Arts Center, said the new position also will improve the city’s chances at winning other arts-based grants. She said the city last year finished
second for a $500,000 private grant, and the award committee said one of its reasons for bypassing Lawrence was because city government wasn’t involved enough in the planning for arts and culture. In other news, commissioners on Tuesday unanimously: l Finalized a $995,000 contract to purchase a new site for the city’s solid waste division and its storage yard for trash trucks. The approximately 11-acre site is at 2201 Kresge Road, which is in the industrial area just north of the Kansas Turnpike. l Agreed to complete
the eminent domain process for the dilapidated house and property at 1106 Rhode Island St. The city will pay $114,500 to the Barland estate for the property, which then will be offered to developers who are willing to rehabilitate the late 1800s home. l Approved a plan that will temporarily close both lanes of New Hampshire Street from Ninth Street to the mid-block crosswalk in front of the Lawrence Arts Center. The lane closures will be through March 31, and will accommodate a construction crane for the adjacent multistory hotel at Ninth and New Hampshire.
has to come from somewhere else, because we know that he’s not going to raise taxes,� Morantz said. Brownback is expected to discuss the initiative Wednesday evening during his State of the State address. The annual speech will be broadcast live from the House chambers on public television statewide. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley has raised questions about Brownback’s kindergarten plan as well as the state’s ability to restore
funding for higher education and the corrections system, in light of the tax cuts enacted in 2012. Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, said new revenue projections from legislative researchers suggest that Kansas would have to cut spending by more than $950 million over the next five years to keep the state budget balanced. The figure grows to more than $1.4 billion over that period to maintain a statutory requirement that the state maintain reserves equal to 7.5 percent of state general
fund revenues. “I think it’s worth looking at. My conclusion is those tax cuts are going to bankrupt the state,� Hensley said. Sara Belfry, a spokeswoman for the governor, declined to discuss the budget projections, saying Brownback will outline his priorities Wednesday in his address and Thursday when the budget is released to legislators.
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City Commissioner Mike Amyx voted against the proposal because he thought it should have been considered during the 2015 budget process, where it could have been ranked against all other projects that were seeking funds. The budget process doesn’t take place until the summer, but the application deadline for a Kansas Department of Commerce grant is in early February. The state grant could
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have all-day kindergarten, so the committee will have numerous case studies to look over,� Merrick said. “The goal of the committee is to ensure that taxpayers get the largest return on additional early childhood investment.� Brownback announced in December that he wanted to increase funding for all-day kindergarten over five years. The first year would cost $16 million, increasing by the same amount until fully funded at more than $80 million in the fifth year. Currently, nearly all of the state’s 286 school districts provide all-day kindergarten. The program is funded with existing state aid, such as money allocated for students at risk of academic failure, or general school revenues. However, several school districts charge parents to make up the cost of providing the additional instruction. Tuition costs range from $270 to $1,350 a semester. In the Shawnee Mission district in Johnson County, parents pay $300 a month for all-day kindergarten classes. But David Morantz, a 38-yearold Leawood attorney whose 5-year-old daughter, Rebecca, is a kindergartner at Brookwood Elementary, is skeptical of the governor’s proposal. “The money for that
—Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed to this report from Topeka.
There’s a new family practice in town‌
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
No ruling issued on evidence to be used in rape case retrial By Stephen Montemayor smontemayor@ljworld.com
On Monday, Grey’s defense filed a motion to dismiss the state’s case against Grey. Grey’s attorney, Angela Keck, argued that Assistant District Attorney Evelyn Kemple, the lead prosecutor, purposefully contaminated an article of clothing used as evidence when the defense and prosecution met to view evidence in 2012. Kemple testified Monday that she handled the evidence while wearing gloves and that it was not contaminated. On Tuesday, after hearing testimony about fingerprint samples used in the case, District Judge Michael Malone did not issue a ruling on the defense’s motion to dismiss, opting instead to continue the hearing until Feb. 14.
A Douglas County judge on Tuesday again continued an evidentiary hearing in the retrial of a 40-year-old man convicted of raping a Kansas University student in 1997. Robert E. Grey will return to court Grey on Feb. 14. G r e y was awarded a retrial last year by a Kansas Court of Appeals panel. The panel found that prosecutorial misconduct deprived Grey of a fair trial. Grey had been sentenced to 26 years in prison following a 2009 conviction in the case, and he is being held —Reporter Stephen Montemayor can be contacted at 832-7160. Follow him at in Douglas County Jail on twitter.com/smontemayor a $500,000 bond.
Cuts
The regents and universities have made restoration of budget cuts their top priority this session. But House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, said he believes universities have room to cut administrative expenses. Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, said she didn’t think higher education would be cut more, but added, “I think that would be difficult to have full restoration of funds.� Wagle said she believed Brownback would propose budget enhancements in targeted areas. “We will look very closely at whatever the governor recommends,� she said. KU also is seeking funding to build a new health education building in Kansas City, Kan., and expand the KU School of Medicine-Wichita program.
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of the State address. After the 45-minute private meeting, Tompkins and Kansas University Provost Jeffrey Vitter declined to say what Brownback will unveil. Vitter said Brownback expressed his support of the universities. “He’s traditionally a strong supporter and wants us to succeed,� Vitter said. Vitter said Brownback briefed higher education officials on the process he went through in planning his budget. “He gave us a rationale for why he is putting forward what he did, and in terms of what would be the way of getting the most support for these measures,� Vitter said. “He’s very practical as well as supportive.� At KU, the budget cuts — Statehouse reporter Scott Rothschild enacted last year amountcan be reached at 785-423-0668. ed to $13.5 million.
How to watch Topeka — Gov. Sam Brownback’s State of the State address and the Democratic Party response will be broadcast live on television and radio at 6:30 p.m. today. Brownback’s speech, outlining his policy priorities for the 2014 legislative session, will be carried on the Topeka PBS station, KTWU Channel 11, and Kansas Public Radio. His speech is expected to last about 30 minutes and will be followed by the Democratic response from House Minority Leader Paul Davis, of Lawrence, and a candidate for governor. Journal-World Statehouse reporter Scott Rothschild and education reporter Peter Hancock will tweet during Brownback’s speech and the Democratic response. Follow them: @ljwrothschild and @LJWpqhancock.
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Sherri Vaughn, MD
Joy Murphy, MD
Luis Salazar, MD
Bethany K. Vardiman, PA-C
Join us for an official Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting and open house 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16 1130 W. 4th Street, Suite 3200, Lawrence In the 4th Street Health Plaza on the campus of Lawrence Memorial Hospital ' ' ' ( # $)( / %*'( / !+ , -( Program and ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m.
Welcoming new patients
(785) 505-5850 www.lmh.org/totalfamilycare C1-445207
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