With the halfway point of the 2022 Kansas Legislative Session quickly approaching, local lawmakers made an appearance at Flint Hills Technical College Saturday morning to offer an update to local constituents.
When asked about the progress of the legislature thus far, 17th District Senator Jeff Longbine of Emporia says he feels things are going “okay.” Both he and 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia feel the volume of bills being passed is somewhat behind the benchmarks set in previous years.
One of the biggest talking points at this time continues to be the state’s congressional redistricting map that is now set to go before Federal court in the coming weeks following votes to override a veto by Governor Laura Kelly. 76th District Representative Eric Smith of Burlington says he believed the matter was destined to go through the courts from the start.
For Longbine, one of the biggest issues with the so-called Ad Astra II map is the split of either Wyandotte or Johnson County. Longbine says splitting one of the counties is unavoidable and either option carries a series of ramifications for the state.
Another major talking point that is certain to generate vigorous debate is Senate Bill 393 which if passed would require school districts to publish a list of learning materials and activities used for student instruction within each district building on an annual basis. Failure to do so would result in financial penalties for the district.
Both Longbine and Schreiber state they are not in favor of the legislation with Schreiber saying there has already been enough burden placed on the shoulders of educators over the past few years.
Saturday’s dialogue comes as the Legislature’s turnaround day is now less than two weeks away. All three lawmakers agree that they expect action to pick up in the coming days ahead of the turnaround deadline of Feb. 24.
51st District Representative Ron Highland of Wamego was scheduled to take part in Saturday’s dialogue, however, he was unable to attend.
Legislative Dialogues are organized by the Chamber’s Government Matters Committee and the League of Women Voters.
