Under the dome

‘Highlight film’ of session’s highs, lows

The Legislature ended the main part of the 2004 legislative session April 2. Here is a look at some of the highs, lows and in-betweens so far. Lawmakers will reconvene April 28 for the wrap-up session.

• Was it savvy or duplicity? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius opened the session with a televised speech that focused on the need for high-quality public schools. It wasn’t until after the speech and the broadcast were over that her staff handed out information on Sebelius’ proposed $304 million tax increase.
• Chambers collided in February when the statewide chamber of commerce testified to the Legislature against a tax increase for schools, but Larry McElwain, chairman of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said the Lawrence chamber supported Sebelius’ proposed tax increase.
• Rep. Todd Novascone, R-Wichita, said it sounded like a good idea when he talked about proposing legislation to require that Kansas University play Wichita State in men’s basketball. But when a hearing was conducted on the matter, the House Higher Education Committee rejected it, then adjourned, with many members heading to Lawrence to attend a KU basketball game.
• Regardless of your politics, you should agree Sen. David Adkins, R-Leawood, gave a textbook example on how to use Senate rules and procedures to help kill something — in this case a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage — that probably would have been approved.
• A large proportion of people speaking against the gay-marriage prohibition when the measure was in committee came from Lawrence, led by former state Rep. Forrest Swall. A mammoth effort by conservative religious officials continues to persuade the Legislature to take up the issue again this month.
• For the second straight year, some members of the House Insurance Committee complained about the way its chairwoman, Rep. Pat Barbieri-Lightner, R-Overland Park, handled a meeting. This time, 10 members boycotted an insurance committee meeting complaining Barbieri-Lightner was argumentative with abortion-rights supporters who came to testify against a bill expanding Health Wave insurance coverage to the unborn children of certain pregnant women.
• Sebelius and Kansas City, Kan., Archbishop James Keleher were cordial with each other during a news conference in support of housing for the poor. Later that night, Sebelius, who supports abortion rights, spoke at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth. The next day, Keleher issued a statement saying that Catholic schools should not invite abortion-rights advocates to speak.
• Which chamber has moved the ball? The Senate has taken up six school-finance plans and rejected each one; the House has approved two widely different plans. One would increase taxes by $155 million, while the other is a no-new-statewide-tax proposal of $28 million with an option for 16 districts, including Lawrence, to increase local taxes. Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, said the compromise position might be a $65 million, one-year increase for schools. But the trick will be deciding how to pay for it, he said.

Controversial building work nears completion

As the state struggles to fund schools and social services, it is putting the finishing touches on renovation of a downtown Topeka building that will house the Kansas Department of Transportation.

The building was purchased by the state from Security Benefit Group of Insurance Cos. in a deal that has stirred controversy for years. The building cost $18.5 million, the renovation $10.8 million, and the state bought Security Benefit’s used furniture for $2.2 million, for a total cost of $31.5 million. It will also cost $500,000 to $1 million to move KDOT from the Docking Building to the former Security Benefit building, officials said.

The building was sold to the state by Security Benefit’s former chief executive Howard Fricke, who now serves as Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ secretary of administration. Fricke remains chairman of the board of Security Benefit. The move of KDOT will prompt significant changes to the Docking building. State officials have talked about whether to do major renovations to Docking, or demolish it.