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15 Mar

Posted at 10:44h in Advocacy
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Week Nine of the Kansas Legislative Session This was a short week in the Kansas Legislature, with the House and Senate returning to committee work on Wednesday. Highlights for this week include the swearing in of a new Senator Ron Ryckman Sr., from Southwest Kansas (father of House Speaker Ron Ryckman, Jr.), additional committee work on the state budget, and passage on final action of a property tax transparency bill that will now be sent to Governor Laura Kelly. Next week will bring hearings on many bills passed by the opposite chamber. Please find additional information below. Pesticide Waste Disposal Program  This past...

12 Mar

Posted at 11:06h in Industry News, Regulatory
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Following historic increases in natural gas prices during the February polar vortex, many Kansas municipalities faced gas bills that unpayable. The municipalities risked losing access to natural gas within days if they did not pay their bills. In response, the legislature quickly passed a bill this week to provide $100 million in low-interest loans to Kansas municipalities to help spread out the cost of their natural gas bills over time. House Sub for Senate Bill 88 establishes a low-interest loan program which allows cities to apply to the State Treasurer for loans from state...

08 Mar

Posted at 08:13h in Advocacy
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Week Eight of the Kansas Legislative Session This week was Turnaround - the initial deadline for each chamber to pass its own bills. Any bill not passed by the full House or Senate this week is now dead for the year, unless it was introduced in one of a few select committees. This means that the House and Senate spent much of the week on the floor debating bills that had advanced favorably from committees, including expanded sports gambling, and emergency passage of a bill to provide municipalities with financial assistance for increased natural gas prices. After taking a...

02 Mar

Posted at 12:55h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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During the recent polar vortex over the Midwest, natural gas prices increased dramatically. Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) has been in contact with the Kansas Congressional Delegation, Kansas Dept. of Agriculture and the state's legislative leadership on this looming issue. Available via the buttons to the left are a few documents KGFA has received from Governor Laura Kelly's staff through Kansas Dept. of Agriculture, to include a letter the Governor and the Kansas Corporation Commission sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on February 19, 2021. Although the exact extent of the potential price spikes remains unknown, the...

01 Mar

Posted at 10:34h in Advocacy
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Week Seven of the Kansas Legislative Session This week marked the close of hearings on most bills in their chamber of origin. Next week is the Turnaround Day for bills, which means that the House and Senate will be busy most of the week with floor debate on bills that were advanced favorably from Committees. Any bill that is not passed by the full House or Senate will be dead for the year, unless it was introduced in one of a few select committees. This week was filled with high-profile issues, to include: the introduction of a constitutional amendment...

27 Feb

Posted at 08:12h in Industry News
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The Topeka Capital Journal is reporting, "The town of Denison in Jackson County could become unincorporated if it doesn’t receive some type of assistance paying its gas bill." The newspaper published that Denison is a town of about 180 people that now owes about $241,400 in gas bills, which is double the $125,000 it paid for gas in all of 2020. Earlier last week, KGFA sent notice Governor Laura Kelly has submitted a letter urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take all necessary and possible steps to investigate the causes of the system failures during the...

23 Feb

Posted at 09:46h in Industry News, Regulatory
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Governor Laura Kelly submitted a letter urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take all necessary and possible steps to investigate the causes of the system failures during the recent extreme-weather event in Kansas and protect Kansans from natural gas and electricity price surges resulting from increased demand. Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) Chair Andrew French, Commissioner Dwight D. Keen, and Commissioner Susan K. Duffy also signed onto the letter urging a federal investigation. “I have directed my administration to use every tool at our disposal to ensure Kansans are protected from price surges, and that our system is better prepared...

22 Feb

Posted at 08:01h in Advocacy
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Week Six of the Kansas Legislative SessionThis week brought further committee hearings, and debate and action on numerous bills by both the House and Senate Chambers. Find more details on this week’s legislative action, below. KDA Budget Tentatively Receives Additional Funding for Grain Warehouse ProgramDuring subcommittee hearings on the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture (KDA) budget for fiscal year 2022, Kansas Grain and Feed Association and Kansas Cooperative Council requested a $60,000 budget enhancement for the agency’s grain warehouse inspection program. This enhancement, from the state general fund, is intended to partially offset pending fee increases on the grain...

14 Feb

Posted at 13:40h in Advocacy
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Week Five of the Kansas Legislative SessionScores of new bills were introduced again this week on a wide range of issues as the Kansas Legislature approached the February 12 deadline for non-exempt committee bill introductions. This week also brought further committee hearings on bills relating to the state unemployment insurance trust fund. Numerous hearings have already been scheduled for the coming week which may be shortened due to pending winter weather. KDA Budget Tentatively Receives Grain Warehouse Program Funding This week, the proposed budget for the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture (KDA)...

08 Feb

Posted at 10:13h in Advocacy
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Week Four of the Kansas Legislative Session This week brought continued discussions in multiple committees on the issue of fraud on the Kansas state unemployment fund. It is thought that fraudulent claims paid-out over the last year could be as high as $400 million. Regarding the total number of new unemployment claims, Kansas is second only to the state of Illinois. Governor Laura Kelly has budgeted money for IT system upgrades for the Kansas Dept. of Labor (KDOL) in order to respond to the problem, and legislation has been introduced to hold...

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