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My Two Cents of Common Sense
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 "Northwest Kansas holds some truly inspiring scenery, contains a wealth of Old West history, possesses some of the finest educational institutions, promotes an entrepreneurial spirit, and is home to some of the most hard-working, genuine people I've ever met!" ~ Adam Smith |
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1970 RD 3 Weskan, KS 67762
785-821-2568 (Cell)
300 SW 10th St, Suite 512N Topeka, KS 66612
785-296-0715 (Office)
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Amusement Ride bill introduced
Thursday morning, a bill was introduced that would reduce the amount of regulation on our locally owned hometown carnivals and agritourism activities. In 2017, a law was passed requiring registration, inspections, ride certifications, increased insurance limits, and more. This significantly impacted our local carnivals. It was an emotional topic with several recent incidents fresh on legislators' minds, but when the true effect was realized, we were able to get a new law passed at the very end of the session to postpone the enforcement of the law until the Department of Labor developed the administrative rules and regulations to operate the new program.
Amusement associations and organizations from around the state met during multiple meetings this fall in Oakley to develop solutions and propose a legislative remedy this year. I was honored to be a part of this group and provide what guidance I could to help. This bill is one of the first steps toward achieving success. There is plenty of work left to be done in the Capitol now in order to get this bill passed in both the House and Senate.
I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to all of the local people that voiced their concerns and put a tremendous amount of time and effort into working through solutions. These carnivals are such an important part of each community. Not only are they an important economic boost, but they are also a part of each community's identity that should never be slain by government regulations.
Thank you once again to everyone from the area that provided input, asked questions, and helped develop this new amusement ride bill!
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Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss delivers the State of the Judiciary address Wednesday afternoon in the chambers of the House of Representatives.
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KPERS update
The Appropriations committee heard an update on the status of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). This program benefits employees all across Kansas; from direct state employees to county and city employees, school districts, libraries, hospitals, and more.
You may have heard about problems with KPERS funding over the years, so let me attempt to provide a basic explanation of the issue. KPERS benefits are paid out of a fund that is built from statutory payroll deductions from employees, mandatory contributions from employers, and investment growth.
A severe problem arises when the amount of money in the fund is not sufficient to cover the current required benefits. That is not the problem in Kansas. In our state, you'll hear a phrase called "unfunded liability". In Kansas, the program has a funding ratio of about 67%. This is when the accrued liability is greater than the actual value of the funds and/or assets. Although it may be an oversimplification, this is similar to saying if every single KPERS employee retired tomorrow, the state would only be able to fund 67% of the benefits. The program is very stable to handle the current pensions. However, a big problem that was apparent in this report was that the unfunded liability still drastically increases even as the funding ratio stays the same. From 2015 to 2016, even though the funding ratio remained the same at 67%, the unfunded liability increased over $500 million! This is similar to making only the minimum payment on a credit card, and will obviously be unsustainable into the future.
It is imperative that the state pay their full obligated payments into the KPERS program. Employees and employers do not have a choice, and the state is being very hypocritical if we mandate your contributions but evade our own statutory obligations.
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Staying in tune with Topeka
I just wrote above about a hearing in the Appropriations committee. I'm not a member of that committee, but since I had no appointments that morning I eavesdropped on the hearing. Guess what? You can, too! All committee hearings are live-streamed online for the public to listen. This is the first year ALL committees have this capability! To listen in (and in some cases, even watch live video!) you simply go to the website www.kslegislature.org and navigate to the House or Senate committee you wish to observe. On the committee page, it will inform you what time the meeting begins and also provide a link to the agenda, testimony, and other committee documents if desired. The audio link will be immediately below the meeting date and time with a speaker icon as seen below. Simply click on that link that says "Audio Stream" to join in!
Please be aware, we have learned there is a technical issue for users of Mozilla Firefox browser as some users have reported errors and failures. Our technology staff are working to resolve that issue as quickly as possible.
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Are we there yet? How much farther?
Instead of pestering mom and dad with those questions, kids may soon be able to ask our car instead. The Transportation Committee and the Rural Caucus both heard presentations from leaders in the industry about self-driving vehicles this week. This is a technology that I have been fascinated with for many years. I was first exposed to the beginning phases of autonomous technology several years ago when I was working at a John Deere dealership. That system was a simple steering system that could only navigate the tractor along predefined lines. Then came implement management controls with planting and spraying systems. The aviation industry has also blazed a trail with many developments in autonomous navigation and control technologies.
But none of these have had to deal with reacting to the ever-changing environments in automobile travel. Self-driving technology has to successfully control a vehicle amidst other traffic, road construction and emergency vehicles, pedestrians, snow and ice, and more. We are a long way from that, though. We learned that the industry defines 5 levels of autonomy. The lowest level includes features many vehicles have in place today, such as cruise control and lane detection and hands-free parking. Level 5 would be the highest level where the concept vehicle would not have any driver controls! Steering wheel, accelerator, brakes... who needs 'em? As I said before, according to the industry leaders that spoke with us, we are a long way from that point. Most of the development in currently with level 3 and 4 technology. These levels still allow full control by the driver in any situation, but will include complete navigation and traffic interaction.
Some may wonder why the legislature is concerned with something that is still in development. We learned much about the safety and liability issues, but also about how we may need to redesign roads and signage in the near future to best communicate with these vehicles. It is also important to have all states agree on standard policies regulating self-driving vehicles so interstate travels do not run into traffic violation problems as they travel across state lines.
It was also interesting to learn that many manufacturers are partnering with ride-sharing companies like Uber, Lyft, and others to roll-out their newest technologies in the near future. As much as I would like to be able to hop on I-70, hit a "auto-pilot" button, and kick back with a good book, we will probably see most of these applications in large cities at first. Reducing urban traffic congestion seems to be the primary focus at this time.
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House of Representatives Page Opportunity
These are just a few of the Pages I sponsored during the 2017 legislative session.
Do you know any young adults who may be interested in being a Legislative Page for a day? I am taking requests for the new session!
Here's some quick info:
- You must apply - there are limited spots available.
- Check in at 8:00 a.m. with the Page Coordinator.
- Serve as an assistant to the Kansas House of Representatives, running small errands as necessary for myself and other legislators.
- Take a photo at 9:30 a.m. with the Governor (if available).
- Observe the House Chamber as we gavel in and debate legislation on the agenda.
- Receive a $5.00 voucher for the snack bar.
- Tour the Capitol, including the inspiring "Dome Tour", as your time allows.
A certificate of appreciation recognizing your service to the state!
Recommended for young adults at least 12 years of age through High School Seniors, the Legislative Page program offers a memorable experience in the Kansas Capitol. Learn how the state government process works by becoming a part of it for a day!
Each legislator is allowed a limited number of Page sponsorships per month on a first-come, first-serve basis. Be sure to get your requests in as soon as possible. If you have further questions, please contact me at 785-296-0715 or Adam.Smith@House.KS.Gov
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Newsletter Sign-up
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