The second legislative dialogue of 2021 included a look back at the progress made by local lawmakers so far this year and a look ahead at what is still to come.
The Trussler Business Center once again played host to the event organized by the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters Committee and League of Women Voters. In attendance was 17th District Senator Jeff Longbine of Emporia who believes the current session has been extremely productive, especially considering there were a number of items left on the table when last year’s session was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One item Longbine was not pleased with, however, was Senate Bill 208 that bans transgender athletes in girls and women’s school sports if it gains final approval. Longbine abstained from a recent vote on the bill which passed the Senate 24-10 saying he has serious issues with the constitutionality of the legislation.
60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia shared Longbine’s views and stated he will not support the legislation calling it “discriminatory” and “unnecessary.”
Schreiber, who stated during the first dialogue last month that the session got off to a rocky start, tells KVOE News the session has begun to pick up steam in recent weeks. Schreiber says one major focal point for him remains K-12 and higher education funding.
The potential remains that substantial cuts could be coming for education across the board throughout the state. Schreiber says not only would this be a mistake from an education standpoint but also an economic standpoint at the higher ed level.
One item which recently passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate was Senate Bill 40 which extended the state’s emergency declaration and seeks to end all statewide COVID-19-related mandates — mask mandate included — on March 31. 76th District Representative Eric Smith of Burlington says he fully supports the legislation and feels it adequately addresses the immediate need of Kansas citizens.
With the legislature approaching it’s April break, 51st District Representative Ron Highland of Wamego, who was also in attendance Saturday, says the budget will be a main focal point for him. At this time, Highland says budget proposals far exceed state revenues.
Highland says compromises will need to be made in order to ensure a budget is passed quickly.
The next legislative dialogue for 2021 has yet to be scheduled. For questions or more information on upcoming events contact the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce by calling 342-1600.
