Topeka — From laws dealing with lynching to the recent smoking ban, Kansas Department of Administration Secretary Dennis Taylor on Monday said he has received hundreds of suggestions on measures to be repealed.
Taylor, who also was appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback as the state’s repealer, said he would present his report to the governor soon.
He said Brownback would then make recommendations to the Legislature on what laws to repeal. Brownback, through an executive order, created the Office of the Repealer, saying he wanted to get rid of outdated, unreasonable and burdensome laws.
Taylor has been receiving suggestions from the public through a website and a recently completed statewide tour. “We are listening to people,” he said.
He said that among the many laws people have suggested be repealed is one from the early 1900s that states a sheriff should lose his or her job if a person in custody is lynched. The statute also outlines a process for the sheriff to get reinstated.
Taylor told a legislative committee dealing with rules and regulations there have also been many public comments both for and against the law that allows the eradication of prairie dogs.
Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, asked if that recommendation was suggested at a meeting in Lawrence. There was no repealer meeting in Lawrence, and Taylor said it was suggested at other meetings. But Ostmeyer persisted, saying he wanted to know if Taylor would accept a suggestion from a Lawrence resident on something “that affected my district.”
On the 2010 law that prohibited smoking in indoor public places, Taylor said some people are unhappy with it.
There has been talk by some in the Legislature of trying to get rid of the law, but Taylor would not say whether Brownback would propose such a move.
During his campaign for governor, Brownback said it was hypocritical for the state to ban smoking in most indoor, public places but not in state-owned casinos.
Comments
appleaday 1 year, 6 months ago
Affected
JustNoticed 1 year, 6 months ago
Isn't that refreshing? He didn't say "impacted".
kernal 1 year, 6 months ago
I like Utah's law that you can't drive camels on the roads.
kernal 1 year, 6 months ago
Okay, I have to ask. Scott, what in the sam hill is State Sen. Ostermeyer talking about?
tolawdjk 1 year, 6 months ago
I'm guessing a prairie dog took his wiener.
Wait. What? "Ostermeyer?" Not "Oscar Mayer?"
My bad.
Scott, further followup question. If the lynching law is repealed, will a sheriff be able to keep his job should a lynching occur in his/her county? What about if it is just a simple hanging with none of the "evil" associated with lynchings?
Crazy_Larry 1 year, 6 months ago
In 1901 and 1903, the Kansas legislature passed laws authorizing townships to conduct prairie dog eradication programs and provide funding to KSU to hire field agents to "direct and conduct experiments for the purpose of destroying prairie dogs and gophers".
Prairie dog habitat is found in the western 2/3rds of Kansas, and prairie dogs are viewed as pests by most. I'm guessing most people in Lawrence would think prairie dogs are cute and deserving of protection, not eradication.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv87T1CQF8E
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 1 year, 6 months ago
Has he been to the penitentiaries in Lansing and El Dorado yet? I'm sure he'd get lots of suggestions there.
tolawdjk 1 year, 6 months ago
I do find it interesting that Senator Lostmywiener wants suggestions of anyone from Lawrence thrown out of consideration.
LogicMan 1 year, 6 months ago
Only of those who make racist jokes about others, I'd guess.
clovis_sangrail 1 year, 6 months ago
Except for the prairie dogs, I would expect this list to be nothing more than a wish list from the Chamber of Commerce to get rid of those pesky irritants like minimum wage and the Kansas Department of Labor and the bank regulators.
thebigspoon 1 year, 6 months ago
Goodness! Just imagine a hypocritical law being repealed by the hypocritical governor. What a laugh.
Cappy 1 year, 6 months ago
In Kansas it's illegal to fish with a telephone. Sounds stupid until you realize that you can throw the lines from an old crank phone into a pond and stun fish. I don't know, but I think we should keep laws that encourage Sheriffs to at least TRY to protect their prisoners.
Keith 1 year, 6 months ago
'State Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, asked if it was suggested at a meeting in Lawrence to do away with that law. There was no repealer meeting in Lawrence, and Taylor said it was suggested at other meetings. But Ostmeyer persisted, saying he wanted to know if Taylor was going to accept a suggestion from a Lawrence resident on something "that affected my district." '
Oxygen thief
Katara 1 year, 6 months ago
Perhaps State Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer would prefer to eradicate prairie dogs by lynching them.
pace 1 year, 6 months ago
I hope he kept a list of all laws suggested for repeal. Maybe he could share all of them rather than a couple. Sen. Ralph Ostmeye loves Lawrence, he want to be with Lawrence, He wants to marry Lawrence.
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