Page 63 – State Affairs

Harris pitches “Opportunity Economy” in first major policy address

Posted on August 16, 2024August 17, 2024 by Matthew Sasser

Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled her first major economic policy speech as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh Friday.

Harris pitched an “Opportunity Economy” targeted at the middle class with a focus on reducing costs in order for Americans of all backgrounds and opportunity levels to succeed.

Among the proposals by Harris are a $25,000 down payment for first-time homebuyers, a pledge to build three million new homes, an expanded child tax credit and a vow to lower costs at the grocery store.

Prior to the 30-minute address by Harris, which marked her 16th trip to the Tarheel State during her vice-presidency, North Carolina Democratic leaders said the room had an Obama-level energy that hasn’t been felt in over a decade.

“I have that 2008 feeling,” Gov. Roy Cooper said, reminding the audience that also happened to be the last election North Carolina voted blue rather than red as a state.

Democrats from all levels of government help fill the crowd at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to become President of the United States. Clockwise from top left: Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, N.C. Sen. Lisa Grafstein (Wake), U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee (NC-4), N.C. Rep. Allison Dahle (Wake), N.C. Sen. Jay J. Chaudhuri (Wake), N.C. Sen. Mike Woodard (Durham), N.C. Sen. Dan Blue (Wake) and N.C. Rep. Julie von Haefen (Wake).

“Kamala has the energy, the pump,” Rep. Allison Dahle, D-Wake, said. “For me this is as exciting as when Obama ran. We have somebody who our young children can look up to and say, ‘I can be president someday.’”

Attorney General and Democratic candidate for Governor Josh Stein remarked that North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the entire country, but not everyone has a fair shot at success.

“….Our economic success is not being evenly shared,” Stein said. “Too many people are struggling to pay rent, buy groceries and afford medicine, and that’s to say nothing of an unexpected auto repair bill or medical expense.”

Harris began her address by crediting the 16 million new jobs that have been created after the COVID-19 pandemic, and noted that inflation is now below 3% as of this week. Harris said it’s a foundation that can be built upon.

Vice President Kamala Harris makes her first major economic policy speech as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States on August 16, 2024 at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C. (Credit: Clifton Dowell)

“Still, we know that many Americans don’t yet feel that progress in their daily lives,” shesaid. “Costs are still too high, and on a deeper level, there are too many people, no matter how much they work, it feels so hard to get ahead.”

Harris stated that it will be a “laser-focus” of her administration to create opportunities for the middle class to advance their economic security.

“Together we will build what I call an Opportunity Economy,” Harris said. “Where everyone can compete and have a real chance to succeed. Everyone, regardless of who they are or where they started, has an opportunity to build wealth for themselves and their children.”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warms up the crowd before a speech by Vice President Kamala Harris on Aug. 16. 2024 in Raleigh. (Credit: Clifton Dowell)

Leaning on her background as a former California Attorney General, Harris said that she fought against companies that illegally increased prices, especially for prescription drugs, and she will do the same as President.

“Many of the big food companies are seeing the highest profits in two decades, and while many grocery chains pass along these savings, others still aren’t,” Harris said.

A final proposal by Harris outlined a plan to build three million new homes by the end of her first term, with an assurance that the homes will go to citizens, not corporate investors. Aspiring homeowners can save for years and still not be able to afford a home, Harris said.

“In addition, while we work on the housing shortage, my administration will provide first-time homebuyers with $25,000 [in a down payment],” Harris said.

Toward the end of her address, Harris referenced Trump’s visit to Asheville earlier this week. Harris said he planned to discuss the economy at his rally, but offered no serious plans to reduce costs for middle-class families and was more focused on personal attacks.

“I think, for most of us, that was not surprising,” Harris said.

An organic chant of “We’re not going back” broke out toward the end of Harris’ address when she said a Donald Trump presidency would repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, said many of the talking points paralleled bills that North Carolina lawmakers have filed, and that she loved the messaging behind an “Opportunity Economy.”

“I think that while we live in a world where the economy is actually getting much better, people don’t feel that,” Batch said. “We have to reassure them not only is the economy getting better, but we are actually putting things in place to make sure that we can lower costs.”

Batch said there has been a “kinetic energy” since Harris has succeeded Biden as the nominee and it was “wonderful to see in person.”

Among the economic proposals from Vice President Kamala Harris are a $25,000 down payment for first-time homebuyers, a pledge to build three million new homes, an expanded child tax credit and a vow to lower costs at the grocery store. (Credit: Clifton Dowell)

That’s a sentiment shared with Rep. Dahle, who said there has been a palpable, positive energy among those she’s interacted with since Harris has assumed the mantle as the Democratic nominee.

“We have a lot of recovery to do,” Dahle said. “Economically, agriculturally — we have so many things that we can do that should be feasible on both sides of the aisle.”

“I thought she had a really strong economic message that focuses on the cost of living issues confronted by middle class Americans,” Sen. Jay J. Chaudhuri, D-Wake, said. “Just as importantly, she drew a strong contrast with the policies of Donald Trump.”

Chaudhuri said when Democrats embrace the values that Harris spoke about, they will win at the polls.

“The speech reminded me of the way Bill Clinton communicated economic messaging in the ‘92 election,” Chaudhuri said. “I think the visual of a middle class American walking down the grocery aisle or paying bills at the kitchen table, those are really going to resonate, I think, with the voters.”

For questions or comments, or to pass along story ideas, please write to Matthew Sasser at [email protected] or contact the NC Insider at [email protected] or @StateAffairsNC

As new school year dawns, districts still hampered by faculty crunches

Posted on August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 by Matt Resnick

As students return to school from summer break, an existential threat looms over K-12 education: teacher shortages — an issue greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to an annual report issued last fall by the National Center for Education Statistics, 45% of public school districts nationwide reported that they were likely understaffed. The study found that the hardest-to-fill positions included teachers of special education and physical science classes, such as chemistry and physics. The report also concluded that 70% of all school districts found “too few candidates” were applying for open positions and the number of “qualified candidates” submitting applications was underwhelming — which correlated with fewer college students seeking education degrees.

According to data provided by the Kansas State Department of Education for fall 2023, the top five vacancies statewide were elementary school teachers (462), special education (404), mathematics (112), English arts (98) and science (92). The total of all reported vacancies for K-12 school districts checked in at 1,810 — up from 1,628 at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. The board will receive updated information in October.

State Board of Education president Melanie Haas told State Affairs that both school districts and universities have steadily increased opportunities for high school students “to choose a pathway straight to teaching.” Haas added that it’s a matter of striking while the iron is hot.

“Because that’s the time that students are most likely to identify with a teacher that they love and say, ‘This teacher has really had an impact on my life — I want to go do what they’ve done for other students,’” she said. “And there are some really neat programs for high school students to begin pursuing that career path right away while they’re still in high school.”

Haas added that education-related apprenticeship programs have continued to expand over the past few years, including Wichita State University’s Teacher Apprentice Program — allowing enrollees an expedited path “from paraeducator to teacher.” Haas added that a growing number of people approaching the end of their career in a non-teaching profession, but not yet ready to retire, are looking to teaching apprenticeship programs.

“They’re wanting to do something different, and so having a pathway for them to become a teacher is also an important thing,” she said. “There are a lot of really good apprenticeship opportunities and alternate pathways to teaching.”

School districts’ ability to retain qualified educators is also a critical component of successful classroom outcomes for both students and new teachers, Haas said.

“It’s about being surrounded by people who have been there and done that, and who have the experience and expertise to be a mentor that a new teacher wants to be surrounded by,” she said.

A districtwide survey administered to teachers in the Lawrence school district revealed high levels of disengagement with jobs and overall dissatisfaction with colleagues. In recent years, the district has grappled with a high volume of teacher turnover as well as a declining student population. According to the Kansas Teacher Retention Initiative devised by Emporia State University, researchers evaluated “educator experience and retention trends.”

Two-thirds of the district’s staff participated in the survey, with the results categorizing 63% of respondents as disengaged and/or actively disengaged, specifically citing relationships with fellow colleagues and building administrators. Only 3% of respondents were categorized as engaged while the remaining 34% were either moderately or actively engaged.

Lawrence school board member “G.R.” Gordon-Ross said he considers the survey to be high-value data, referencing the section of the survey that delves into the dynamics of relationships among building personnel.

“The survey talks about the fact that there’s some mistrust between teachers and district administration,” he said. “It talks about the fact that teachers want to be heard and valued. And also talks about how teachers want meaningful professional development that they have a voice in.”

Those areas, Gordon-Ross said, are things the district can control that have “a minimal financial impact.” That’s important because annual contract negotiations with certified and classified typically take center stage, as salaries and wage increases are considered a major factor in teacher retention.

“We just don’t have the money to pay them, so we have to find ways that we can recruit and retain teachers that have less of a financial impact to the district other than just giving them more money,” he said. “Because that’s always a priority.

“But what is the second priority after we look at salary? What’s next?”

Gordon-Ross noted that the district recently revamped its Leave Buy-Back policy — meaning that departing staff would receive pay at their regular salary rate in exchange for built-up leave-time such as personal, vacation and holiday. Gordon-Ross said teachers who knew they would be departing at the conclusion of the school year would “take a bunch of days off in February, March, April and May because they are worth more if they took those during the school year than if they waited until the end of the school year.” He said that often resulted in an excess need for substitute teachers, while causing “big disruptions in classrooms.”

“We were finding that our Leave Buy-Back was pennies on the dollar,” he said. “So we’re hoping that with the new policy, ‘leave’ is worth more to them if they stick out the entire year. And, the longer they stay in the district, the higher that buy-back number is.”

Gordon-Ross said strides in the areas of wage increases and enhanced benefit packages are paying dividends, noting that 37 teachers who had previously departed the district returned for “new teacher orientation” at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

“I think it’s the biggest number that we’ve ever had,” he said.

Leah Fliter, assistant executive director of advocacy with the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the teaching landscape has been hit hard “by fewer young people expressing interest in the profession.” A confluence of other factors have resulted in the teacher shortage, such as a glut of veteran educators retiring during the pandemic — while others are repelled by the rigors of the job.

“It’s become a very high-stress profession,” she said, adding that unruly outbursts by members of the public pertaining to national hot-button issues have negatively impacted the profession. Fliter said the “chaos” wrought by COVID-19, specifically related to masking and quarantining policies, pushed more teachers out the door.

“Members of the public, whether it be parents or people who might not even be connected with the school, are interacting with teachers or attacking the profession,” Fliter said.

Matt Resnick is a statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected].

Lake fails to make case to reconsider her election loss

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Maricopa County told the Arizona Supreme Court that Lake offers no legitimate reason or legal basis warranting another review of her election contest. Lake petitioned the state high court to revisit her remanded signature verification count and a rejected motion to revive her past claims given “new evidence.” In a response brief, joined by Fontes and Mayes, Thomas Liddy, an attorney for Maricopa County, wrote, there is “no cloudy area of law which requires this Court’s clarification,” and Lake “only argues that the lower courts got it wrong and implicitly asserts that this Court should reverse on that basis alone.” Liddy first addressed Lake’s signature verification claim, which survived her first appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court and was remanded to the Superior Court. He harkened back to earlier evidence presented to the trial court by co-elections director Ray Valenzuela, who testified to steps taken in signature verification training and ran through a list of reasons why a signature may only take a few seconds to verify. The lower court ultimately found his testimony credible and assisted in the final finding that there was “clear and convincing evidence that the elections process for the November 8, 2022, General Election did comply” with state law “and that there was no misconduct in the process.” Liddy wrote, “These factual findings conclusively defeat Lake’s signature verification claim, and Lake does not meaningfully argue that these factual findings were clearly erroneous … Instead, Lake simply ignores these findings and baldly re-urges the same factual assertions the trial court found to be contrary to the evidence.” In turning to Lake’s motion for relief from judgment, Liddy claimed the attempt was untimely, given election contest timelines, and said her “new evidence” was false, and even if true, does not prove any change in the result in the 2022 General Election. He asked the high court to deny review.

Bigwigs headed to DNC next week to represent Arizona

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The Democratic National Convention kicks off next week in Chicago and a who’s who of Arizona Democrats will serve as delegates to the convention. Arizona has 85 Democratic delegates and six alternates, many of whom are current elected officials or candidates for public office. Among the party leader and elected official delegates are statewide officials like Fontes and Corporation Commissioner Anna Tovar. Mayors Corey Woods of Tempe and Regina Romero of Tucson are also “PLEO” delegates alongside Indigenous government leaders like Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon M. Jose and Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is also a PLEO delegate. Several state lawmakers will serve as at-large delegates or are part of the delegation’s standing committees, including Burch, Sundareshan, Crews, Fernandez and Al. Hernandez. The CD 7 delegation is almost entirely composed of local officials or candidates like Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge, Littleton Elementary School Governing Board Member Markus Ceniceros and Corporation Commission candidate Joshua Polacheck. Many former officials round out the delegation, including former Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy and former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez. Hobbs and Mayes will also be in attendance, according to their respective spokespeople.

Horne again tries to block schools from teaching in dual languages

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

In another attempt to see dual language in schools declared illegal by the court , an attorney, who happens to be Horne’s wife, rounded back to the “crystal clear” wording of a 2000 initiative that requires “all children in Arizona public schools shall be taught English by being taught in English, and all children should be placed in English language classrooms.” Carmen Chenal Horne, on behalf of Patricia Pellett, a parent of a high school student, submitted a brief motion for summary judgment against the Creighton Elementary School District. In it, she again highlighted the language in Prop. 203, passed by voters in 2000. Chenal Horne emphasized the definition of structured or sheltered English immersion written in statute too, which requires, “Books and instructional materials are in English and all reading, writing, and subject matter are taught in English. Although teachers may use a minimal amount of the child’s native language, when necessary, no subject matter shall be taught in any language other than English, and children in this program learn to read and write solely in English.” Chenal Horne wrote, “There is no way that can be reconciled with a program where the student receives only three hours of instruction in English, and the rest of the 24-hour day is either a full afternoon of instruction in Spanish or talking Spanish at home.” In an earlier motion from the AG to dismiss, Assistant Attorney General Nathan Arrowsmith pointed out the striking similarity to an earlier failed lawsuit by Horne, which he is now in the process of appealing. Arrowsmith further argued the parent, Pellett, does not have standing because her child is not an English Language Learner and is not entitled to structured English immersion outlined in the challenged statute. In response, Chenal Horne pointed out the law, as it pertains to standing to bring legal action, does not specify that a parent need have an ELL child and instead grants the “parent and legal guardian of any Arizona school child … legal standing to sue for enforcement of the provisions of this statute.” Chenal Horne then noted she initially stipulated the AG’s intervention in the case to defend the constitutionality of the statute. “Now we read the AG’s motion to dismiss and there is not one word in the entire motion pertaining to the constitutionality of a statute,” Chenal Horne wrote. She asked the court to reject the AG’s motion to intervene.

Democratic poll puts Schweiker, Shah neck and neck in CD1 race

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

A poll from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee published this week indicates Schweikert and his Democratic opponent in the Congressional District 1 are tied. Each candidate was supported by 48% of respondents, and 4% of surveyed voters are undecided. “With a record of attacking abortion rights and promoting cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare, it’s clear that Arizonans are rejecting David Schweikert and looking for new leadership in Congress. Dr. Amish Shah will finally give Arizonans the representation they deserve,” DCCC spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen wrote in a press release. The DCCC poll notes when voters were informed of “negatives on Schweikert,” Shah gained 51% support and Schweikert fell to 45%. According to the DCCC, the committee accurately predicted winners of elections in 92% of its polls in the final 60 days before election day in 2022. CD1 leans about 2.6% toward Republicans in the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission’s competitive analysis of the district. In 2022, Schweikert beat Democrat Jevin Hodge by less than 1% of votes, which amounted to a 3,195 vote advantage. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the equivalent of the DCCC for Republicans, has called Shah an “extreme liberal” and tied Shah to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s policies. “Arizonans trust Representative David Schweikert to keep fighting to end the border crisis, combat inflation and lower taxes. Scottsdale and Phoenix voters will re-elect Congressman Schweikert to continue protecting their security and prosperity,” NRCC spokesperson Ben Petersen wrote in a statement after the primary election. The Secretary of State’s office said the primary election voter registration report shows Republicans hold a registration lead – 190,537 to 135,918 – over Democrats in CD1. Another 160,968 voters are registered as “other.” Noble Predictive Insights CEO Mike Noble told our reporter that he believes Shah matches up strongest against Schweikert among the Democrats that were seeking the primary nomination. “Democrats have to be feeling pretty good about that contest.”

Republican PAC takes aim at Schwiebert in LD2 race

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The GOP Arizona Senate Victory Fund PAC’s newest target is Schwiebert, who the committee coined “Radical Judy” in a new round of attacks on Thursday. The PAC is making a targeted candidate-based approach by creating websites and infographics in opposition to Democratic Senate contenders in competitive districts. Similar to the committee’s “Extreme Christine” campaign website, it lists Schwiebert’s voting record on bills relating to border security, public safety, taxes and teacher pay. In comparison to the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee’s widespread candidate-focused strategy, the GOP PAC has focused its attention on two Democratic candidates – Marsh and Schwiebert – in competitive Republican-leaning districts so far during this election cycle. Schwiebert is challenging incumbent Bolick for the LD2 Senate seat, which is highly competitive and favors GOP candidates by just 3.8% of voters. Though Bolick is the incumbent, she was appointed to the LD2 seat to fill former Sen. Steve Kaiser’s empty spot, so this is the first general election she is facing since taking office. The ADLCC is taking a two-pronged approach by funding and focusing on competitive races in both the House and Senate, while the GOP has not yet introduced a similar campaign strategy in the House as they seek to maintain their majority in both chambers. The Senate Victory Fund PAC has received most of its funding from the Republican State Leadership Committee. According to pre-primary finance reports, Bolick had $164,386 on hand, while Schwiebert was leading with $327,518.

Full list of special committee assignments

Posted on August 16, 2024August 19, 2024 by Bryan Richardson

A special committee meant to evaluate the state’s budget development process is scheduled to meet for the first time next week.

The Special Committee on Budget Process and Development will have the first of two days of scheduled hearings Thursday.

The budget committee is the first of eight interim committees that will meet in the months leading to the 2025 session. Some of the other topics include medical marijuana and affordable housing.

Prior to next week’s meeting, State Affairs is providing a list of lawmakers’ assignments for all special committees.

Available and Affordable Housing

Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell (chair)
Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita (vice chair)
Rep. Pam Curtis, D-Kansas City
Sen. Brenda Dietrich, R-Topeka
Rep. Robyn Essex, R-Olathe
Rep. Leah Howell, R-Derby
Rep. Cyndi Howerton, R-Wichita
Rep. Lynn Melton, D-Kansas City
Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe
Sen. Usha Reddi, D-Manhattan
Sen. Tim Shallenburger, R-Baxter Springs

The two-day committee will discuss problems facing certain populations, lower-priced home ownership and rentals, and potential incentives.

Budget Process and Development

Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill (chair)
Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland (vice chair)
Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield
Rep. Avery Anderson, R-Newton
Rep. Will Carpenter, R-El Dorado
Sen. J.R. Claeys, R-Salina
Rep. Ken Corbet, R-Topeka
Rep. Pam Curtis, D-Kansas City
Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita
Sen. Michael Fagg, R-El Dorado
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita
Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Eastborough
Rep. Kyle Hoffman, R-Coldwater
Rep. Steven Howe, R-Salina
Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick
Sen. Pat Pettey, D-Kansas City
Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita
Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa
Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta
Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa

The two-day committee will evaluate and propose recommendations aimed at reforming the state’s budget development process.

Centralized Pooled Collateral and PMIB Modernization

Sen. Jeff Longbine, R-Emporia (chair)
Rep. Nick Hoheisel, R-Wichita (vice chair)
Rep. Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence
Sen. Michael Fagg, R-El Dorado
Rep. Jason Goetz, R-Dodge City
Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City
Sen. Rick Kloos, R-Berryton
Rep. Nikki McDonald, D-Olathe
Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe
Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, R-Ottawa
Rep. Adam Turk, R-Shawnee

The two-day committee will examine adding items to a list of investment options.

Foreign Trade and Regulatory Sandboxes

Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita (chair)
Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell (vice chair)
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita
Sen. Brenda Dietrich, R-Topeka
Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita
Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana
Rep. Patrick Penn, R-Wichita
Sen. Tim Shallenburger, R-Baxter Springs
Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays
Rep. Gary White, R-Ashland
Rep. Rui Xu, D-Westwood

The two-day committee will review the state’s foreign trade agreements and discuss advantages and challenges of regulatory sandboxes.

Medical Marijuana

Sen. Michael Fagg, R-El Dorado (chair)
Rep. Will Carpenter, R-El Dorado (vice chair)
Rep. Dennis “Boog” Highberger, D-Lawrence
Rep. Nick Hoheisel, R-Wichita
Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park
Rep. Steven Howe, R-Salina
Rep. Tom Kessler, R-Wichita
Sen. Rick Kloos, R-Berryton
Rep. Heather Meyer, D-Overland Park
Sen. Mike Petersen, R-Wichita
Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee

The two-day committee will evaluate options for comprehensive legislation.

Sedation Dentistry

Rep. Will Carpenter, R-El Dorado (chair)
Sen. Beverly Gossage, R-Eudora (vice chair)
Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield
Rep. Emil Bergquist, R-Park City
Rep. Doug Blex, R-Independence
Rep. Ron Bryce, R-Coffeyville
Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita
Rep. Kirk Haskins, D-Topeka
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick
Rep. Cindy Neighbor, D-Shawnee
Sen. Pat Pettey, D-Kansas City

The one-day committee will discuss availability of services for Medicaid beneficiaries.

State Employee Compensation

Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill (chair)
Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland (vice chair)
Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield
Rep. Susan Estes, R-Wichita
Sen. Michael Fagg, R-El Dorado
Rep. Shannon Francis, R-Liberal
Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence
Rep. Kyle Hoffman, R-Coldwater
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Segdwick
House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka
Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa

The two-day committee will review comprehensive studies by the Department of Administration on compensation.

Targeted Case Management

Rep. Will Carpenter, R-El Dorado (chair)
Sen. Beverly Gossage, R-Eudora (vice chair)
Sen. Chase Blasi, R-Wichita
Rep. David Buehler, R-Lansing
Rep. Ford Carr, D-Wichita
Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita
Sen. Michael Fagg, R-El Dorado
Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita
Rep. Kyle McNorton, R-Topeka
Rep. Susan Ruiz, D-Shawnee
Sen. Mary Ware, D-Wichita

The one-day committee will provide oversight of potential changes to targeted case management of services for intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Bryan Richardson is the managing editor at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @RichInNews.

Kelly, Kobach pen letter opposing Nebraska water transfer

Posted on August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 by Brett Stover

Gov. Laura Kelly and Attorney General Kris Kobach joined forces to oppose a proposed Nebraska water transfer they believe would harm Kansas’ waterways.

The two leaders, often on opposite sides of major issues, penned a joint letter Friday to Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. The letter stated their “unified and unequivocal objection” to an interbasin transfer that would divert water from the Platte River to the Republican River Basin, which stretches across eastern Colorado, southern Nebraska and northern Kansas.

“The proposed Platte-Republican interbasin transfer would severely damage Kansas’ finest fishing and boating destinations,” Kelly said in a news release. “Places like Milford Lake are enjoyed by thousands of Kansas and Nebraskans alike. We cannot stand idly by while our state’s critical natural assets are put at risk.”

The transfer would allow invasive carp species, currently found in the Platte River, into Kansas’ waterways, the letter argues.

“As an avid fisherman, I’m one of thousands of Kansans who enjoy our first-class lakes and waterways for fishing,” Kobach said in the release. “I will use every tool available to keep these invasive species from harming Kansas waters.”

Kansas first shared its objections to the proposed interbasin transfer in 2018, and the two leaders argue the invasive carp situation “has grown more dire” since.

“Their rapid expansion up the Platte River in the past few years to their current location mere yards from the site of the proposed interbasin transfer means the threat of invasive carp entering the Republican River Basin is immediate,” Kelly and Kobach wrote in the letter.

In Nebraska, debates and legal battles over the proposed water transfer have been underway for years. Nebraska Public Media reported in May that Tom Riley, the director of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, expects to make a decision by the end of the year.

Pillen did not respond to State Affairs’ request for comment on the letter.

Brett Stover is a Statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @BrettStoverKS.

Indiana’s unemployment rate hits highest mark since 2021

Posted on August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 by Jarred Meeks

Indiana’s unemployment rate increased to 4% last month, nearing a three-year high, according to state data posted Friday.

The last time Indiana saw an unemployment rate of 4% was September 2021. However, despite the uptick, Indiana’s rate remains consistent with what economists have traditionally considered “full employment.”

In July, the national unemployment rate also rose slightly to 4.3%, the highest it has been since October 2021. Earlier this month, news of the increased rate and lackluster job creation stoked fear of an economic slowdown and hope that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates in September.

Indiana’s rate has bested the national rate every month since November 2023, when they were equal for the first time since June 2020. In November, the Hoosier State had the 36th-lowest unemployment rate among all states, but Indiana has since regained some ground, finishing July tied with New Mexico for the 34th-lowest rate in the country.

Indiana’s July unemployment rate was lower than those in neighboring Michigan (4.4%), Ohio (4.5%), Kentucky (4.7%) and Illinois (5.2%).

Indiana’s labor force participation rate — the percentage of Hoosiers aged 16 or older who are working or looking for a job — improved slightly in July to 62.5%, just behind the national 62.7% rate, which also increased over the month.

July was the fifth straight month the state’s labor force participation rate trailed the national mark, according to Indiana Department of Workforce Development data. (The department did not immediately respond to a State Affairs request for comment.)

The state has generally continued a steady march downward from a 63.6% labor force participation rate last posted in August 2023. The relative decline comes after the Indiana Chamber of Commerce last year called for the state to increase its workforce participation rate to 70%, especially among minority populations, by 2035 as part of the chamber’s Indiana Prosperity 2035 economic playbook.

Indiana’s open job postings have declined for three straight months, but the state’s total labor force increased in July. Private sector employment was unchanged over the month, according to the department.

Contact Jarred Meeks on X @jarredsmeeks or email him at [email protected].