NEWSLETTER FROM BILL BLOOM:
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! This week we’re on Conference Committee meetings. This occurs when the Senate and House don’t agree on a Bill and try to hammer out the differences.
TAX RELIEF:
● House Republicans came to Topeka this year knowing our constituents want tax relief. With current economic conditions and a large surplus, there’s no excuse not to keep more of your money in your hands. This week, the Kansas House unanimously passed a tax bill that moves us in the right direction, providing comprehensive relief to all Kansans.
● It’s commonly said that property tax is the most hated tax. That’s why my colleagues and I took action to reduce the state portion by exempting the first $100,000 from residential property taxes. Property taxes are on the rise, and valuations are increasing, so we want to do everything we can to pass on relief to you.
● We are reducing our complicated income tax structure to a two-bracket system with higher exemptions. This results in a lower tax bill for those currently in our higher tax brackets while exempting more income at the bottom to help lower-income Kansans.
● I often hear how tough it can be to retire in Kansas. Many retirees want to stay here, but compared to other states, they feel that it’s just too expensive with rising costs and a fixed income. Retirees have given so much to our state across their careers, and they deserve to have relief. Our tax plan exempts their Social Security income from taxation, ensuring they can utilize more of their hard earned money.
HEALTH:
● Ambulance transfers from one hospital to another are essential, especially in small communities where one facility may be more equipped to handle a condition than a local one.
● These transfers are subject to regulations requiring multiple medical professionals and a driver, which can be costly in smaller workforces.
● House Republicans passed a bill that allows rural counties flexibility on transfers. While medical personnel will still be present, we recognize we can increase efficiency and lower costs by allowing fewer people to be present on routine transfers.
K-12 EDUCATION BUDGET
● This week House Republicans passed a K-12 Budget that fully and constitutionally funds education.
ECONOMY:
● Parents across Kansas know that childcare is facing severe difficulties. The costs are high; the workforce is stretched, and regulations are burdensome on providers we need. This week, the House passed major legislation that empowers our providers and gives us a great start, making Kansas more attractive to young families.
● SB 96 allows the Legislature to appropriate funds from sources such as the Children’s Cabinet, Key Fund, and CIF, providing more clarity on how funds designated for childcare initiatives can be utilized.
● This ensures that financial resources are directed towards enhancing childcare services across the state.
● Additionally, the tax credit for childcare for parents is increased from 25% to 50%, making childcare services more affordable for families. This significant increase represents a substantial investment in supporting families to access quality care.
PROTECTING KANSAS ENERGY:
● House Republicans believe in reinforcing our energy grid to ensure reliability into the future. This week we passed a bill that requires that transitions from fossil fuels to renewables must happen sustainably. We want Kansans to have peace of mind that we will have a solid capacity going forward.
● This bill blocks Kansas from retiring fossil fuel plants if the energy cannot be made up effectively by alternatives or if rate-payers would be negatively impacted by the shutdown, decreasing our regional competitiveness.
WORKERS COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
● House Republicans passed SB 430, a bill that represents a comprehensive effort to update and improve Kansas’s workers’ compensation system. This bill offers increased protections and benefits for workers while also modernizing and streamlining administrative processes for employers.
● The Commerce Committee created a package that demonstrates a balanced approach to reforming workers’ compensation laws to reflect current economic realities and the workforce’s needs.
PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE:
● The Kansas House, with broad bipartisan support, voted to implement age verification for viewing online adult content. This bill is about protecting children from pornographic content that they may accidentally stumble upon. With no real age verification on these sites, children can access thousands of images and videos without the websites being held accountable.
HELP NOT HARM:
● The Help Not Harm Act is designed to prevent minors suffering from gender dysphoria from receiving permanent and irreversible surgeries and chemical interventions. This week, the House and Senate both passed this legislation to be signed by the Governor.
● This bill protects vulnerable children who are not old enough to make these life-altering decisions. We are one step closer to joining 22 states and multiple European countries to protect our children from these irreversible procedures.
LAW AND ORDER:
● Civil asset forfeiture has been a topic on Kansans’ minds for years. The House has facilitated conversations between all parties involved on how we can reform this practice to make it the most effective against the criminals it is intended to be used against.
● This week, we again passed a bill with bipartisan support that increases due process for all Kansans and focuses our law enforcement resources on the most dangerous criminals.
FIGHTING FENTANYL:
● Fentanyl has been pouring into this nation and our communities in record numbers. House Republicans won’t stand for this deadly drug destroying lives. That’s why we unanimously passed a bill to raise penalties for distribution and other crimes that endanger the safety and lives of Kansans.
ENACTING THE ADOPTION SAVINGS ACCOUNT:
● Kansas has various savings accounts to assist Kansans, such as ABLE for individuals with disabilities, LearningQuest for education expenses, and the first-time homebuyer account for housing costs.
● Now, House Republicans have created a tax-advantaged account for adoption expenses. Adoption can be costly, and we want to empower Kansans with every tool possible to help them in this endeavor.
ADDRESSING FOREIGN ADVERSARY ACTIVITY IN KANSAS:
● States nationwide are taking notice of the activities conducted by foreign adversaries in the United States. House Republicans spent the last year working hard to find the best path forward for Kansas. This week, we passed three bills that begin this mission, keeping Kansans safe and protecting our state’s critical assets.
● The first of these bills addresses land ownership by countries of concern like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
● The next bill prohibits any government in Kansas from utilizing air drones made with components from foreign adversarial nations. It is well documented that the CCP is using these drones to collect sensitive data on our critical infrastructure.
● We also looked into investments made by the state through our retirement system. Under our last bill, KPERS dollars will not be allowed to be invested in businesses owned by adversarial foreign nations. We do not want our money to support companies and nations that oppose our way of life.
