by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives The legislative session is getting interesting as we are winding down and nearing first adjournment. Many previously passed bills are now in conference, but the big issues remain unresolved. Those issues are school funding and the budget. Obviously, those issues must be resolved, but doing so may not be easy. To start […]

by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives It is hard to believe that next week will bring the regular session to a close. This week we spent the days on the floor hearing, debating and amending bills. Next week will be mostly conference committee reports, which means we spend a few minutes on the floor several times per day, […]

As we approach first adjournment on April 6, the committee meeting schedule has slowed down considerably. The budget committees have finished most of their work and recommendations are being made to Appropri­ations, and only a few other committees continue to meet. The main committees still meeting regularly are primarily Tax and Appropri­ations committees. A few interesting developments have come to […]

by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives As promised, the pace has picked up for the legislative session. Many of the Senate bills look similar to previously passed House bills, so the time to debate and amend is shorter. The missing piece is still the study on appropriate school funding. That will be available next week, so expect a […]

by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives Turnaround week held few surprises as the Legisla­ture finished business before a short break. It was surprising how many unanimous, or near unanimous, votes were taken in the House the last day. Hopefully that is a sign that we are working together well for the betterment of the state. Having said that, […]

by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives This week the legislative schedule is very different as we reach the mid-point of the session. It is turn-around week, so we have spent the week debating bills on the floor of the House as well as the Senate. Sometimes the debate is rather boring, but other times it is lively. Next […]

by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives This week in the Legis­la­tive session we are beginning to clear the calendar for turnaround. The calendar for next week has us on the floor all day Tuesday through Thursday and then off until Wednes­day, Feb. 28, to allow time for all the bills to be processed and in the proper place […]

by Rep. Don Schroeder Kansas House of Representatives As we move further into February, the session has definitely picked up the pace. Bills are being kicked out of committees and will be run across the House floor soon. According to the session calendar, turn-around is less than two weeks away. That means that any non-exempt bills need to be out […]

This week of session has been a little different with Gov. Brownback’s resignation effective Jan. 31 and Lieutenant Governor Colyer’s swearing in the exact same day and time as Gov. Brownback’s resignation goes into effect. It is unlikely the change in the executive branch will cause an upheaval as Gov. Brownback has included Lt. Gov. Colyer in assembling the budget […]

The third week of the 2018 Legislative Ses­sion remains fairly slow as it takes a little time to get the process moving, but committees are meeting and some are sending bills to the House floor. As we wait for more information to be assembled on education issues, it is likely these other bills will be moved through the system. Friday, […]