Thursday, January 18, 2007

Tafanelli gets back to tackling issues

by Clarke Davis

Paying the bill for education, housing a growing prison population, and preparing for the next comprehensive highway plan are the main topics before Rep. Lee Tafanelli’s House committees.

Rep. Lee Tafanelli

Rep. Lee Tafanelli, R-47th District Chr., Transportation and Public Safety Budget; VChr., Appropriations; Government Efficiency and Technology. Home: (785) 945-3808 Office: (785) 296-7639 email: tafanelli@house.state.ks.us or ltafanelli@grasshoppernet.com Capitol Office No. 514 S.

Tafanelli, R-47th District, is one of six subcommittee chairmen under the umbrella
of the Appropriations Committee of which he
is vice chairman.

The entire $12 billion state budget goes
through the Appropriations Committee.

This year the expected revenue is above
the estimates, unlike some previous
sessions he has served in. The
Republican Party was quick to suggest
locking away part of the excess funds
to pay for the promised increase to
schools for the next two years that
was passed last year, amounting to
$240 million.

The Senate has already passed that bill
and Tafanelli’s committee has a similar bill
before the House.

The best use for the rest of the excess money, according to Tafanelli, will be to pay down bonded indebtedness and spend it for some needs that won’t put stress on future budgets.

Approximately $76.6 million will pay off a Board of Regents’ debt that requires about $15 million a year to retire. With this debt lifted and some more money added to the purse, the Regents can begin to tackle the problem of crumbling buildings on college campuses.

Tafanelli said his party—the Republican majority—met in December during which he was a leader in creating a plan to lock away the needed education funds and bring restraint to the budget.

“The party made a commitment to take this money off the table and protect it,” he said. “We have come through some times when money was tight.”

“Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, we heard the same thing on the doorsteps during the campaign,” he said.

“Our party must have an agenda, a vision—and we must live up to it,” he said. (Tafanelli failed by four votes to be elected Speaker Pro Tem during this party session.)

He said he knows the annual revenue problem is cyclical. The unpredictable weather affects agriculture and world oil prices affect Kansas oil and gas production. Both have an impact on state revenues.

The Ozawkie representative’s subcommittee is the initial oversight appropriations committee for the Department of Transportation, Department of Corrections, Highway Patrol, Adjutant General, Juvenile Justice, Fire Marshal, and Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

This subcommittee—Transportation and Public Safety—provides recommendations to the full Appropriations Committee and then its sent to the House floor for debate.

With the passage of Jessica’s Law dealing with sex offenders and other mandatory sentencing measures, the state’s prison population is expected to increase by 1,500, added bed space the Legislature will have to deal with.

Tafanelli said the discussion will center around building a new prison, adding on to other facilities, or the use of private prisons.

“Longer sentencing for the more heinous crimes and taking more discretion away from judges is going to swell the prison population,” he said.

A new prison would cost approximately $150 million.

There will probably be some discussion about the next comprehensive highway plan and how that will be developed, he said.

The last 10-year plan was passed in 1999. The 2008 budget year kicks in in July, he said, so the state is about one year away from that milestone.

“The state’s highway system is a great deal different today than it was 10 years ago, so it’s too early to tell how the Legislature will approach the next plan,” he said.

Tafanelli will meet with the KDOT secretary this week to become familiar with its $1.2 billion operating budget.

Some other legislative matters on Tafanelli’s agenda include:

• A bill dealing with prorating taxes on a boat following a sale. Currently one has to act within 30 days and an attempt will be made to lengthen this time.

• A bill to make hospices tax exempt while raising money. They must now pay sales tax on auction items when raising funds.

• Make some attempt to get health providers to state their prices upfront for insurance purposes. There is now a transparency to the system, Tafanelli said. “Try to find out what a particular procedure will cost!”

• A bill by Tafanelli failed a few years ago that would have brought property tax relief to senior citizens. He said others are joining the band wagon, but he’s not sure if something will develop this session.

• The governor wants a health plan whereby every child age 5 and under is insured. He also serves on the Government Efficiencies and Technology Committee and the Joint Committee on Kansas Security.

Tafanelli, 45, resides in rural Ozawkie with his wife, Tammy, and two children. He is program coordinator at the National Agriculture Bio-Security Center located at Kansas State University and a colonel in the Kansas Army National Guard.