ENGAGE, EXPLORE, EVOLVE with AIA Kansas
May 9, 2019
Legislative Update
Legislature adjourns after weekend tensions

The legislature adjourned early Sunday morning after a weekend standoff regarding Medicaid expansion.
With the need for a budget looming, House members rejected the proposed budget bill, sending it back to conference committee, in order to try to use it as leverage to push Senate leadership into allowing a vote on Medicaid expansion.

The Senate, however, refused to debate the issue, and after additional conference committee meetings and two days of tensions the House finally passed the budget on the third try, 79-45. The House also later passed the Senate’s tax bill, which, among other things, decouples state income tax deductions from federal tax standard deductions. The bill is a response to 2017 federal tax law changes.

Senate leadership promised a summer study on Medicaid expansion, which means the issue may be back next session, but for now, the legislature is done until sine die - the formal last day of session and last chance for the legislature to consider any vetoes from Gov. Kelly - on May 29.

Recap 2019 Session

The 2019 session proved to be an interesting one for the profession. Overall, 754 bills were introduced. Terry Humphrey, AIA Kansas Executive Director, reviewed each bill to determine relevance to the profession. At the end of the session if a bill is not passed or killed, further action on it can be taken during the 2020 legislative session.

AIA Kansas kicked off the session with an Advocacy Summit. AIA Kansas members heard from a variety of legislators on January 31 about hot political issues and current topics relevant to the profession. Secretary of Administration Duane Goossen spoke about how state buildings fared during the budget crisis and the work that now needs to be done as well as the administration's approach to no-bid contracts. Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers shared details about the goals of the Office of Rural Prosperity. Other conversations were had about STAR bonds and taxes. Overall, it was a robust morning with great information shared. The event concluded with a behind the scenes tour of the Capitol, which was led by Vance Kelley from TrainorHL.

A new legislative committee was formed, Rural Revitalization, which was chaired by Representative Don Hineman. Five bills were introduced in the committee, and these bills can be taken up for action during the 2020 legislative session. Click here to read the action report. The committee worked to create a knowledge foundation for the members and held many informational hearings.

Similar to the Rural Revitalization committee, the Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers created the Office for Rural Prosperity. The office will focus on expanding opportunities in rural communities by working with farmers, ranchers, business owners, health profession and communities.

At the end of the session, it was announced that a rural summit would be hosted in Lindsborg, Kansas titled, "Meet in the Middle". It will be held on July 17th. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.

HB 2006 (requiring the Department of Commerce to create a database of economic development incentive program information) passed out of the House Commerce committee and then passed out of the Senate Commerce committee after two hearings. The substance of the bill was later amended into HB 2223 that passed both chambers and was presented to the Governor for signature on May 3rd. Click here to read the bill that was presented. Through this bill, the legislature and the public can evaluate the value of each incentive program.

Opposition testimony to SB 148 (amending requirements for school district board requests for construction or repair projects) was given to the Senate Education committee members. Since the hearing, AIA Kansas representatives have met with Delta Roofing twice.

AIA Kansas tracked HB 2026 closely. It was about fire sprinkler installation licenses. The House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee did not discuss it or take final action.

SB 56 and HB 2115 would require certain duties for professionals contracting with the state on projects of a $100,000 or more. To contract with the state, these professionals must use a project verification software that does certain things (like monitor the hours worked on a project). Both of these bills had significant opposition from a variety of stakeholders. AIA Kansas Executive Director, Terry Humphrey, met with TransparentBusiness, the business behind the bill, along with other stakeholders who opposed the bill to ask questions. The bill did not receive a hearing.

Terry Humphrey met briefly with new Secretary of Commerce, David Toland. He is interested in meeting with architects, developers and preservation consultants to generate ideas and thoughts about creating economic development for the state. A group with these expertise will be formed to meet with him later this summer.

Lastly, the Docking Building became a hot topic this session as discussions about what to do next with the building came forward. The ideas range from full to partial renovation of Docking, with the removal or mothballing of top floors, and the pursuit of private partners who could use excess space for retail, dining or upscale apartments. Read the latest article from the Topeka Capital Journal here . Furthermore, the Office of Facilities and Property at the Kansas Department of Administration will release a request for proposals for the mismantling and reconstruction of the building next week. We will share the proposal as soon as it becomes available.

Kansas Bills of Interest

SB 148 was not taken up for discussion and final action in committee. Additional organizations opposed the bill (including the Kansas Roofing Association), and the Chairman was not comfortable moving forward with the bill. The similar bill in the House (HB 2207) also did not meet the Turnaround deadline.

SB 168 (enacting the Kansas home inspectors professional competence and financial responsibility act) was not taken up for discussion and final action in the Senate committee. This bill did not advance.

HB 2115 , which requires verification of certain hours billed by contractors under certain contracts, was introduced in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. This bill did not advance.

Lastly, HB 2147 was passed by the House (yeas - 123 and nays - 0). It is the bill that will increase bond maturity limitations in the Kansas rural incentive district act. This bill did not advance in the Senate.

If you have any questions regarding these bills, please email Terry .
About AIA Kansas
AIA Kansas is a state chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

The organization provides services and programs to meet the professional development needs and interests of Kansas architects and to develop public awareness for the value of architects and architecture. 

Our 700-plus members are leaders in
building healthy, sustainable communities
that will serve our citizens into the future.

www.aiaks.org | 800-444-9853 | 785-357-5308 |   i nfo@aiaks.org