The 2006 session of the Kansas Legislature has come to a close. It is a great honor to serve as your representative in the Kansas House. This newsletter will provide you with a brief overview on some of the issues we dealt with in Topeka this year. For more detailed information about these and other issues please visit my website www.lancekinzer.com. If you have questions or need assistance with any matter relating to State government please do not hesitate to contact me.

During my time in the legislature I have become acquainted with an interesting service offered by the State Treasurer’s Office that I wanted to make sure you are aware of. Each year tens of thousands of dollars of unclaimed property is reported to the State. This is property (often in the form of cash) that belongs to regular Kansas citizens. A brief search of the web at http://www.kansascash.com/prodweb/up/disclaimer_page.php will tell you if you have a right to claim any of this property. It only takes a few minutes and might put a few dollars in your pocket.

On a less pleasant but even more important note, I would encourage you to periodically search the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Offender Registry http://www.accesskansas.org/kbi/ro.shtml. This website contains a record of potentially dangerous people living in our community, including those who have been convicted of committing crimes against children. The State of Kansas took great strides in imposing tougher sentences on these kinds of offenders this year, but more on that below.

God bless each of you. Thanks once again for the privilege of serving the 14th District.

Cordially,
Lance Kinzer

II. Immigration. While immigration policy is largely a federal issue the State does have a role to play. I believe that all people are entitled to be treated with dignity and to be afforded basic human rights. That having been said, civil benefits such as in-state tuition, welfare benefits and voting rights should not be extended to those who are in this country unlawfully. With this in mind I voted against the current Kansas law that allows undocumented students to receive in-state tuition at Kansas Universities; unfortunately, this law was not repealed. As a result Kansas continues the odd policy of granting in-state tuition to students who lack lawful status, while charging out-of-state tuition to immigrants who follow the rules and obtain a valid student visa. I also introduced legislation this session that would require proof of citizenship in order to receive any public benefit federal law does not require us to provide to undocumented aliens. Furthermore, I introduced legislation requiring more stringent proof of citizenship requirements for voting. The United States has both a right and an obligation to enforce an orderly and lawful immigration system. Policies that provide incentives for people to skirt the law are inherently counterproductive and must be reformed.

III. Education. Education in Kansas must be kid focused, not system focused. I am convinced that local control coupled with accountability is vital to maintaining excellent schools. We must be innovative and efficient in our expenditure of taxpayer dollars. K - 12 education makes up well over 1/2 of the State General Fund budget, but we are not doing enough to make sure these dollars get to the classroom. I favor reducing the number of school districts in the state, allowing local districts the ability (with voter approval) to raise more revenue at the local level, targeting state dollars to the core requirements necessary to provide a suitable education for all students, and providing greater flexibility for parents to choose the best educational options for their children.

During the legislative session I worked to pass a school finance plan that would 1) increase local control; 2) provide a fair percentage of state dollars to Olathe schools; 3) be affordable in the overall context of the state budget; 4) include reasonable accountability measures. The plan the Governor now intends to sign fails each of these standards, which is why I voted no. In my two years in the legislature I supported plans that called for increasing overall K-12 spending in the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years by approximately $460 million dollars. While the plan that ultimately passed this year included significant new dollars for education it distributes those dollars in a fashion that is unfair to our school district. To put this in perspective Johnson County will pay 30% of the tax bill for this plan and educate 18% all Kansas students, but only 8% of new dollars will come back to our local schools. The plan I supported fell just a few votes short. It would have provided greater local control over funding of schools while directing a more equitable percentage of new dollars to Olathe.

IV. Taxation and Fiscal Policy. I favor lowering the tax burden on Kansas families and businesses. Currently Kansas has a higher per capita tax burden than most of the States in our region; in fact our tax burden is even higher than California and Massachusetts. As a member of the House tax committee I have consistently supported measures to decrease the cost of living and doing business in Kansas. This year I supported measures to reform our property tax system to limit stealth tax increases created by reappraisals. While these measures did not pass they began an important conversation on this issue. I support providing greater tax relief to families with children, and voted to follow through on the elimination of the estate tax. Our tax code must encourage wealth creation; that’s why I also voted to for elimination of taxes on business investment in machinery and equipment. I was also proud to be the chief sponsor of the Taxpayer Protection Act, which would have required a two-thirds vote of the legislature to approve any tax increase.

The fiscal picture in Kansas provides great cause for concern. Government continues to grow faster than the private sector and we are spending more than we take in. Indeed, the budget just passed by the legislature exceeds expected revenues by over $221 million. I voted against this irresponsible budget. Assuming 4% annual revenue growth over the next two years, Kansas is on track to exhaust its cash reserves by fiscal year 2008 and to be over $422 million in the red by fiscal 2009. I support limiting the growth of government spending to an amount no greater than population growth plus the rate of inflation. This will require fiscal discipline, but we have no choice but to start making tough responsible decisions regarding government spending.

V. Judicial Reform. The Kansas Constitution currently provides that “no money shall be drawn from the treasury except in pursuance of a specific appropriation made by law.” In light of the Kansas Supreme Court’s actions directing the legislature to make specific appropriations for K-12 education I proposed a constitutional amendment that would add that “the executive and judicial branches shall have no authority to direct the legislature to make an appropriation of money.” This proposal did not receive the necessary 2/3 vote to allow the people to consider this matter at the ballot box. I continue to believe that respect for the balance of powers between the branches of government is crucial and that only elected representatives, not Judges, should have power over issues of taxing and spending the people’s money.

I also advocated this year for changing the current method of appellate court judicial selection in Kansas. Right now a committee of attorneys and political appointees select three candidates from which the Governor must choose in filling an appellate court vacancy. Under my proposal the Governor would be allowed to nominate any qualified Kansas attorney, subject to Senate Confirmation. When the President fills a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy he is not left to choose from among a list submitted by the American Bar Association or some other group. He or she is free to select the best available person for the job. Our current system in Kansas needlessly limits the ability to select the best available justices.

VI. Building a Culture of Life. As a strong and compassionate nation I believe we must extend that compassion to the weakest among us; the disabled, the unborn and the terminally ill. We cannot treat human beings as objects, whether they live in the womb, in a wheel chair or in a nursing home. I am proud to have introduced legislation providing increased due process rights regarding end of life decisions for the disabled and terminally ill. I also worked to stop taxpayer dollars from being spent on human cloning research, while increasing funding for ethical adult stem cell research that offers so much hope for providing cures and treatments for various diseases and disabilities.

Rep. Lance Kinzer
12549 S. Brougham
Olathe, KS 66062
(913)782-5885