Svaty and Neufeld

State Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth, has said he was wrong about some comments he made about House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, concerning the rejection of permits to build two coal-fired electric plants near Holcomb. Neufeld supports the plants and has been highly critical of the state rejection of the permits.

At a meeting with voters, Svaty was quoted in the Salina Journal as saying, “The speaker of the House has said that if we don’t do exactly what he wants to do with Holcomb in the first two weeks, he’ll essentially shut the Legislature down and we won’t get anything through.”

But Neufeld said he never said that and wouldn’t do that.

Contacted by the Lawrence Journal-World, Svaty later said he used a poor choice of words. Svaty said that soon after the Oct. 18 decision by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to reject the plants, supporters of the decision were talking about how it might affect the entire legislative session. But since then, he said, supporters and opponents of the plants have started talking about power needs in western Kansas.

Kobach and FAIR

Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kris Kobach is defending his association with a group called the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Kobach is an attorney working on behalf of FAIR in a court challenge of a Kansas law that allows the children of some undocumented workers to pay in-state tuition for postsecondary education.

In a recent report, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated FAIR as a hate group, saying it has promoted racist conspiracy theories and employed white supremacists.

FAIR denies the charge, and Kobach defended the group, saying, “The people overseeing FAIR represent some of America’s finest statesmen. It’s the same allegation made against anyone who wants to enforce immigration law.”

Straight-shooter

State Rep. Ann Mah, D-Topeka, cracked up the audience at the Dole Institute of Politics last week during a meeting between residents and Douglas County legislators. Mah’s district covers mostly suburban Shawnee County but includes a part of southwest Douglas County.

At the end of the meeting, Mah noted there were no questions on the rights of gun owners. “That’s how I know I’m not in Shawnee County,” she said.

A race for efficiency

Scrubbing the budget for savings has become in vogue again.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson asked Kansans to phone in cost-cutting ideas at 1-877-KS-WORKS during office hours.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, unveiled a plan to have a new commission review all aspects of state government. The commission would have the authority to recommend consolidation, downsizing or elimination. The Legislature would be required to vote up or down on the recommendations.

Schmidt said the process would be similar to the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), which decides the fate of military bases.

Quote of the week

“I hope that we don’t take the chicken way out and vote on the good stuff and let the hard stuff – voting for a tax increase – go away.”

– State Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, on proposed health care recommendations that include a 50-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax.

Next up

House and Senate start the legislative session at 2 p.m. today.

Sebelius delivers State of the State address at 7 tonight. Neufeld will follow with the Republican response.

On Tuesday, Sebelius will release her proposed state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.