By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com
When looking over the 200-plus page opinion filed by a three-judge panel about their congressional redistricting plan, two items jump out when it comes to Wyandotte County and why the judges kept it in the Third District.
First, the judges believed in the long history of Wyandotte County being in the Third District.
"The Court agrees with all of the recommended plans that the entirety of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties should be included in the Third District," the judges wrote in their opinion. "Those counties have formed the core of the Third District for decades, and as the Court concluded in O’Sullivan, they should be placed in the same district because they 'represent the Kansas portion of greater Kansas City, a major socio-economic unit,” and the counties’ economic, political and cultural ties are significantly greater than their differences.'"
In the written opinion, judges also expressed concern for the minority population in Wyandotte County, writing their voices would be "diluted" if the county was moved to the First District of Kansas.
"The Court also agrees with O’Sullivan that Wyandotte County should be placed in a single district so that the voting power of its large minority population may not be diluted," the judges wrote. "The Court's plan maintains the voting strength of the minority population in Wyandotte County."
Needless to say, Wyandotte County's minority population was very important when it came to the panel.
According to the recent population estimates, Wyandotte County's minority population is 42 percent of the county's population total. State-wide, the minority population is an estimated 16 percent.
The entire ruling can be read here. You need software that can read PDF files to open it: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/60051535/12-4046Opinion_original.pdf
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wyandotte County to remain in third Congressional District under judges' plan
By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com
When the redistricting process began, Wyandotte County was at the center of attention regarding a possible move to the First Congressional District.
However, three federal judges have kept the entire county in the Third Congressional District.
Late Thursday night, the federal court released their congressional redistricting map. Among the highlights include leaving Wyandotte County in the third district, moving Manhattan, Kan, into the first district and unifying the city of Lawrence, Kan., into the second district.
After the Kansas Legislature failed to approve their own maps, the federal court was required to rule on the matter.
"As a result, the court has regretfully resorted to the painstaking task of drawing its own plans," the judges said in the unsigned order.
Many officials in Wyandotte County had feared the county and Kansas City, Kan., would be gerrymandered into the first district.
Instead, it appears Wyandotte County will be virtually untouched following the conclusion of the redistricting process.
More soon.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Democrats accuse Brownback of interfering in redistricting; governor says he has a special interest
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
Democratic legislative leaders Wednesday called on Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, to stop interfering with the redistricting fight that is now before a federal judicial panel.
"He might not like it, but Gov. Brownback can only control one branch of government," said House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence. "He needs to get back to his job and let the court fix the mess he created," Davis said.
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, had similar thoughts, saying that Brownback, a conservative, is using redistricting to try to oust moderate members of the GOP.
"His involvement has poisoned the process, making a difficult task impossible to complete," Hensley said.
Legislators and Brownback failed during the legislative session to approve new maps for congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts.
Every 10 years, the Legislature must draw new maps to accommodate changes and shifts in population so that districts are nearly equal.
But political warfare erupted between conservative Republicans and a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats, with each side accusing the other of trying to gain the upper hand in getting their candidates elected.
The issue is now before three federal judges who heard testimony Tuesday and Wednesday from several legislators.
Brownback a conservative, has denied he is trying to oust moderate state Senators, but his staff members have been pushing maps that benefit conservative candidates and his allies have been funding campaigns against those moderates.
On Tuesday, Brownback filed a legal brief urging the judges to throw out all state legislative maps that had been considered by the Legislature because, he said, the districts varied too greatly in population from ideal size districts.
Brownback noted one proposal, which had been worked on by a conservative state senator, had a low enough deviation for the judges to consider.
Davis and Hensley criticized Brownback for interfering by submitting the legal brief.
In that brief, Brownback said he has a special interest in the case because he is "the state officer who would have been required to either approve or veto any reapportionment plan that successfully passed both the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House."
Democratic legislative leaders Wednesday called on Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, to stop interfering with the redistricting fight that is now before a federal judicial panel.
"He might not like it, but Gov. Brownback can only control one branch of government," said House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence. "He needs to get back to his job and let the court fix the mess he created," Davis said.
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, had similar thoughts, saying that Brownback, a conservative, is using redistricting to try to oust moderate members of the GOP.
"His involvement has poisoned the process, making a difficult task impossible to complete," Hensley said.
Legislators and Brownback failed during the legislative session to approve new maps for congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts.
Every 10 years, the Legislature must draw new maps to accommodate changes and shifts in population so that districts are nearly equal.
But political warfare erupted between conservative Republicans and a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats, with each side accusing the other of trying to gain the upper hand in getting their candidates elected.
The issue is now before three federal judges who heard testimony Tuesday and Wednesday from several legislators.
Brownback a conservative, has denied he is trying to oust moderate state Senators, but his staff members have been pushing maps that benefit conservative candidates and his allies have been funding campaigns against those moderates.
On Tuesday, Brownback filed a legal brief urging the judges to throw out all state legislative maps that had been considered by the Legislature because, he said, the districts varied too greatly in population from ideal size districts.
Brownback noted one proposal, which had been worked on by a conservative state senator, had a low enough deviation for the judges to consider.
Davis and Hensley criticized Brownback for interfering by submitting the legal brief.
In that brief, Brownback said he has a special interest in the case because he is "the state officer who would have been required to either approve or veto any reapportionment plan that successfully passed both the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House."
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Redistricting panel rejects arguments from Kobach, allows more intervenors
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
A panel of three federal judges Monday rejected arguments from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and allowed a host of plaintiffs into a lawsuit over the Legislature's failure to redraw legislative and congressional political boundaries.
The outcome of the lawsuit could have a big impact on Lawrence, which has been at the center of some of the redistricting disputes in the Legislature.
Kobach wanted to limit those allowed to intervene in the case, voicing concerns that accepting more plaintiffs might prolong the case and prevent him and other election officials from making deadlines in the run up to the Aug. 7 primaries. He said his most immediate concern was getting ballots mailed to military personnel deployed overseas.
But U.S. District Court judges — Kathryn Vratil, Mary Beck Briscoe and John Lungstrum — pushed back hard, saying that while they understood the urgency of the situation, they didn't want to be rushed and they wanted to hear input from various sources.
"I'm really troubled by this line of argument," said Vratil, the presiding judge of the panel. "I think the people of Kansas deserve better," than to have redistricting "ramrodded," she said. She also said to Kobach, "It seems like you are trying to restrict the information that's coming to us ."
Kobach said many of the people seeking plaintiff status had preferred district boundaries based on politics, but the judges said they at least wanted to hear their opinions.
At one point, Kobach said he was concerned that if more plaintiffs were involved, then attorneys might start seeking fees from the state in the case.
Lungstrum shot back, "That is a very weak argument. That is truly the tail wagging the dog." He said if awarding attorney fees was appropriate, the judges will grant them, and if not, they won't.
Kobach also brought up the death of state Rep. Bob Bethell, R-Alden, who died in a car wreck just hours after the end of the legislative session on Sunday. Kobach said without a quick resolution of district boundaries, officials in Bethell's district will have to meet a couple of times to pick a replacement. Lungstrum said that as a former county political official, he didn't think that would be a problem.
Greg Musil, one of several attorneys representing different groups of voters, argued for intervenor status, telling the judges, "This is historic, and it (the decision on district boundaries) will last for 10 years. It's more important to get it right than to get it fast."
After hearing arguments for an hour, the judges recessed for 15 minutes and returned, saying they were unanimous in allowing at least 13 individuals who had filed for intervenor status to be plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Testimony in the case is expected to take at least two days, May 29-30. Further proceedings may occur June 4-6.
Among those allowed to participate in the case are U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, whose 3rd congressional district includes eastern Douglas County; state Sen. Tim Owens, R-Overland Park, who was chair of the Senate redistricting committee; and House Minority Leader Paul Davis, of Lawrence, who was the ranking Democrat on the House redistricting committee.
Legislators adjourned Sunday but were unable to agree on new district lines as conservative and moderate Republicans were locked in a bitter political battle.
In congressional redistricting, the state Senate had adopted a map that would have placed Lawrence wholly in the 2nd U.S. House District. Lawrence is currently divided between the 2nd and 3rd districts.
The House rejected that map and approved one dividing Lawrence between the 1st, which includes western Kansas and much of central Kansas, and 2nd districts. That plan was opposed by Lawrence legislators and U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, who represents the 1st. The proposal never gained traction in the Senate.
Conservative and moderate Republicans fought mostly over state Senate maps. The conservative House supported proposals that gave conservative Republicans a chance to take control of the Senate, while moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Senate formed a coalition to reject those efforts.
At least 15 attorneys were present at Monday's hearing, and several legislators, including state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park, who is challenging Owens in the GOP primary.
The three-judge panel indicated it would use the computer software that legislators used to devise maps, and would also work with legislative staff.
After the hearing, Kobach was asked if he thought the legal proceedings would delay the primary. "It's too early to tell," he said.
A panel of three federal judges Monday rejected arguments from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and allowed a host of plaintiffs into a lawsuit over the Legislature's failure to redraw legislative and congressional political boundaries.
The outcome of the lawsuit could have a big impact on Lawrence, which has been at the center of some of the redistricting disputes in the Legislature.
Kobach wanted to limit those allowed to intervene in the case, voicing concerns that accepting more plaintiffs might prolong the case and prevent him and other election officials from making deadlines in the run up to the Aug. 7 primaries. He said his most immediate concern was getting ballots mailed to military personnel deployed overseas.
But U.S. District Court judges — Kathryn Vratil, Mary Beck Briscoe and John Lungstrum — pushed back hard, saying that while they understood the urgency of the situation, they didn't want to be rushed and they wanted to hear input from various sources.
"I'm really troubled by this line of argument," said Vratil, the presiding judge of the panel. "I think the people of Kansas deserve better," than to have redistricting "ramrodded," she said. She also said to Kobach, "It seems like you are trying to restrict the information that's coming to us ."
Kobach said many of the people seeking plaintiff status had preferred district boundaries based on politics, but the judges said they at least wanted to hear their opinions.
At one point, Kobach said he was concerned that if more plaintiffs were involved, then attorneys might start seeking fees from the state in the case.
Lungstrum shot back, "That is a very weak argument. That is truly the tail wagging the dog." He said if awarding attorney fees was appropriate, the judges will grant them, and if not, they won't.
Kobach also brought up the death of state Rep. Bob Bethell, R-Alden, who died in a car wreck just hours after the end of the legislative session on Sunday. Kobach said without a quick resolution of district boundaries, officials in Bethell's district will have to meet a couple of times to pick a replacement. Lungstrum said that as a former county political official, he didn't think that would be a problem.
Greg Musil, one of several attorneys representing different groups of voters, argued for intervenor status, telling the judges, "This is historic, and it (the decision on district boundaries) will last for 10 years. It's more important to get it right than to get it fast."
After hearing arguments for an hour, the judges recessed for 15 minutes and returned, saying they were unanimous in allowing at least 13 individuals who had filed for intervenor status to be plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Testimony in the case is expected to take at least two days, May 29-30. Further proceedings may occur June 4-6.
Among those allowed to participate in the case are U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, whose 3rd congressional district includes eastern Douglas County; state Sen. Tim Owens, R-Overland Park, who was chair of the Senate redistricting committee; and House Minority Leader Paul Davis, of Lawrence, who was the ranking Democrat on the House redistricting committee.
Legislators adjourned Sunday but were unable to agree on new district lines as conservative and moderate Republicans were locked in a bitter political battle.
In congressional redistricting, the state Senate had adopted a map that would have placed Lawrence wholly in the 2nd U.S. House District. Lawrence is currently divided between the 2nd and 3rd districts.
The House rejected that map and approved one dividing Lawrence between the 1st, which includes western Kansas and much of central Kansas, and 2nd districts. That plan was opposed by Lawrence legislators and U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, who represents the 1st. The proposal never gained traction in the Senate.
Conservative and moderate Republicans fought mostly over state Senate maps. The conservative House supported proposals that gave conservative Republicans a chance to take control of the Senate, while moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Senate formed a coalition to reject those efforts.
At least 15 attorneys were present at Monday's hearing, and several legislators, including state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park, who is challenging Owens in the GOP primary.
The three-judge panel indicated it would use the computer software that legislators used to devise maps, and would also work with legislative staff.
After the hearing, Kobach was asked if he thought the legal proceedings would delay the primary. "It's too early to tell," he said.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Brownback says Senate redistricting may be left up to the court system
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
Gov. Sam Brownback said Thursday it may take a court to sort out Senate redistricting.
Brownback said he'd like the Legislature to approve congressional and state House maps, and possibly leave the rest to the judicial system.
"I'd like to even see them pass the other maps and leave the Senate and State Board of Education, which is tied to the Senate map. If that's the one you can't get, then let's send it to court rather than all of them," Brownback said.
The moderate and conservative factions of the Kansas Republican Party are locked in a bitter struggle over efforts to redraw boundaries for state Senate districts.
A coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats have approved a Senate map, but conservative Republicans in the House have rejected that measure.
Gov. Sam Brownback said Thursday it may take a court to sort out Senate redistricting.
Brownback said he'd like the Legislature to approve congressional and state House maps, and possibly leave the rest to the judicial system.
"I'd like to even see them pass the other maps and leave the Senate and State Board of Education, which is tied to the Senate map. If that's the one you can't get, then let's send it to court rather than all of them," Brownback said.
The moderate and conservative factions of the Kansas Republican Party are locked in a bitter struggle over efforts to redraw boundaries for state Senate districts.
A coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats have approved a Senate map, but conservative Republicans in the House have rejected that measure.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Haley: Redistricting Gamesmanship was Predictable
By DAVID HALEY, Kansas Senator
For nearly a year, members of the Kansas Legislature have been working diligently to redraw each of the state’s congressional, senate, house and state board of education districts to reflect changes in population.
And for nearly that entire time, Governor Sam Brownback has done everything in his power to interfere with the process.
In an attempt to ouster members of his own political party, Governor Brownback has manipulated the system to his favor and stifled progress being made by the Senate chamber.
Kansas is now the only state in the nation to have not completed redistricting, forcing the Secretary of State to postpone the filing deadline until June 11th and leaving the threat of court-intervention hanging over our heads.
Unfortunately, all of this political one-upmanship could have been prevented.
In a letter to the co-chairmen of the Joint Committee on Redistricting, dated December 2nd, 2011 and published in several local news media, I formally requested that the committee reconvene prior to the 2012 Legislative Session. Such a meeting would have eased the prospect of the partisan gamesmanship we have encountered this year.
But instead, the legislature has allowed Governor Brownback to manipulate the process and suffocate bi-partisan cooperation, at a cost of $63,000 per day to Kansas taxpayers.
Now 95 days into a 90-day session, the time for political power grabs is over.
Governor Brownback needs to step aside and let the Senate complete its work.
As much as I hate for redistricting to turn into an 'I told you so' moment, sadly, this was a predictable outcome.
For nearly a year, members of the Kansas Legislature have been working diligently to redraw each of the state’s congressional, senate, house and state board of education districts to reflect changes in population.
And for nearly that entire time, Governor Sam Brownback has done everything in his power to interfere with the process.
In an attempt to ouster members of his own political party, Governor Brownback has manipulated the system to his favor and stifled progress being made by the Senate chamber.
Kansas is now the only state in the nation to have not completed redistricting, forcing the Secretary of State to postpone the filing deadline until June 11th and leaving the threat of court-intervention hanging over our heads.Unfortunately, all of this political one-upmanship could have been prevented.
In a letter to the co-chairmen of the Joint Committee on Redistricting, dated December 2nd, 2011 and published in several local news media, I formally requested that the committee reconvene prior to the 2012 Legislative Session. Such a meeting would have eased the prospect of the partisan gamesmanship we have encountered this year.
But instead, the legislature has allowed Governor Brownback to manipulate the process and suffocate bi-partisan cooperation, at a cost of $63,000 per day to Kansas taxpayers.
Now 95 days into a 90-day session, the time for political power grabs is over.
Governor Brownback needs to step aside and let the Senate complete its work.
As much as I hate for redistricting to turn into an 'I told you so' moment, sadly, this was a predictable outcome.
Republicans at war with each other over redistricting
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
A Senate Republican caucus meeting on Tuesday exploded into a war of words between conservatives and moderates over redistricting.
At one point, state Sen. Tim Owens, a moderate Republican from Overland Park, who is chair of the Senate redistricting committee, stormed out of the meeting, saying, "I don't need to sit here and listen to this garbage."
Meanwhile, conservatives demanded that Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, and Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, be summoned to the meeting.
"We're in a political war," said state Sen. Susan Wagle, a conservative Republican from Wichita. She accused Morris and Emler of wanting to work more with Democrats than conservatives.
Later in the evening, the Senate reconvened, and Morris postponed the redistricting debate until Wednesday. He urged opposing sides to try to reach a compromise.
The fireworks came as legislators continued to meet in overtime with no resolution in sight on key issues, such as the budget, tax cuts and redistricting.
The once-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries to adjust for population shifts has been particularly nasty, especially between the factions of the Kansas Republican Party.
Gov. Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican, and the conservative-led House have opposed Senate-approved maps that were approved by a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats.
State Sen. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, said the process was poisoned by Brownback when the governor's allies made it clear they were going to try to defeat moderates in the Republican Party primary.
"This whole collision course was started by people not in this room," Brungardt said during the caucus meeting.
But conservatives pounced on the latest map that Owens planned to carry on the Senate floor. They said it would have hurt conservatives and helped Democrats. Sen. Pat Apple, R-Louisburg, said Douglas and Shawnee counties were over-represented. "It would seem, the Democrats basically got what they wanted," he said.
But Owens said it was impossible to draw a map that would satisfy everyone. Frustrated over the issue, Owens said the committee process had been a waste of time and that Brownback politicized the issue further.
"This is about politics," Owens said. "It is not about a logical map. This is a political war, and I'm tired of it," he said, adding that he didn't care if the issue was resolved in the courts.
State Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence, urged Owens to pull down the map, saying even if it passed, Brownback would veto it. "Why on earth are we doing this? We don't need to make a difficult week any worse," King said.
A Senate Republican caucus meeting on Tuesday exploded into a war of words between conservatives and moderates over redistricting.
At one point, state Sen. Tim Owens, a moderate Republican from Overland Park, who is chair of the Senate redistricting committee, stormed out of the meeting, saying, "I don't need to sit here and listen to this garbage."
Meanwhile, conservatives demanded that Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, and Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, be summoned to the meeting.
"We're in a political war," said state Sen. Susan Wagle, a conservative Republican from Wichita. She accused Morris and Emler of wanting to work more with Democrats than conservatives.
Later in the evening, the Senate reconvened, and Morris postponed the redistricting debate until Wednesday. He urged opposing sides to try to reach a compromise.
The fireworks came as legislators continued to meet in overtime with no resolution in sight on key issues, such as the budget, tax cuts and redistricting.
The once-a-decade process of redrawing political boundaries to adjust for population shifts has been particularly nasty, especially between the factions of the Kansas Republican Party.
Gov. Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican, and the conservative-led House have opposed Senate-approved maps that were approved by a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats.
State Sen. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, said the process was poisoned by Brownback when the governor's allies made it clear they were going to try to defeat moderates in the Republican Party primary.
"This whole collision course was started by people not in this room," Brungardt said during the caucus meeting.
But conservatives pounced on the latest map that Owens planned to carry on the Senate floor. They said it would have hurt conservatives and helped Democrats. Sen. Pat Apple, R-Louisburg, said Douglas and Shawnee counties were over-represented. "It would seem, the Democrats basically got what they wanted," he said.
But Owens said it was impossible to draw a map that would satisfy everyone. Frustrated over the issue, Owens said the committee process had been a waste of time and that Brownback politicized the issue further.
"This is about politics," Owens said. "It is not about a logical map. This is a political war, and I'm tired of it," he said, adding that he didn't care if the issue was resolved in the courts.
State Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence, urged Owens to pull down the map, saying even if it passed, Brownback would veto it. "Why on earth are we doing this? We don't need to make a difficult week any worse," King said.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Kansas House panel to vote on Senate remap plan
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
The political war between conservatives and moderates escalated on Monday.
Conservative Republican legislators approved a plan to redraw Senate district boundaries that is similar to one that has already been rejected by a bipartisan coalition in the Senate.
House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, said his plan was for the House Redistricting Committee to finalize the proposal today and then have the full House vote on it Wednesday. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn Friday, although it can extend the session.
Redistricting is one of several key issues, along with the state budget and proposed tax cuts, that legislators are fighting over.
“I’d like to keep pushing forward,” said O’Neal, who also serves as chairman of the House Redistricting Committee.
While the committee’s redistricting plan will probably gain House approval, House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said he didn’t think the proposal would fare any better in the Senate than the last time a similar plan was rejected.
“It’s a map that a lot of moderate Republicans as well as Democrats would have difficulties with,” Davis said.
A bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats have approved a Senate map, 21-19. But conservative Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and the conservative Republican majority in the House don’t like that map.
On Monday, a parade of conservative Republican senators told the House Redistricting Committee that the Senate-approved map had numerous flaws.
They got agreement from their conservative counterparts in the House.
Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, said moderate Republicans agreed to a Senate map that reduced Republican voting strength in several districts.
“That is not in the best interest of Kansas,” she said.
The Senate-approved map collapsed a district in western Kansas, which is losing population as a region, and added a district in fast-growing Johnson County.
But conservatives argued the collapse of the western Kansas district diluted Hispanic voting strength, while the additional Johnson County district was added to an area of the county that wasn’t growing.
The map approved by the House committee, however, would change boundaries in Sedgwick County to boost the chances of Landwehr, who is challenging moderate Republican Sen. Jean Schodorf.
“To say this map was not drawn for political considerations, is absolutely false,” said Davis, who was on the losing end of a 12-5 vote for the map in the committee.
The political war between conservatives and moderates escalated on Monday.
Conservative Republican legislators approved a plan to redraw Senate district boundaries that is similar to one that has already been rejected by a bipartisan coalition in the Senate.
House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, said his plan was for the House Redistricting Committee to finalize the proposal today and then have the full House vote on it Wednesday. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn Friday, although it can extend the session.
Redistricting is one of several key issues, along with the state budget and proposed tax cuts, that legislators are fighting over.
“I’d like to keep pushing forward,” said O’Neal, who also serves as chairman of the House Redistricting Committee.
While the committee’s redistricting plan will probably gain House approval, House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said he didn’t think the proposal would fare any better in the Senate than the last time a similar plan was rejected.
“It’s a map that a lot of moderate Republicans as well as Democrats would have difficulties with,” Davis said.
A bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats have approved a Senate map, 21-19. But conservative Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and the conservative Republican majority in the House don’t like that map.
On Monday, a parade of conservative Republican senators told the House Redistricting Committee that the Senate-approved map had numerous flaws.
They got agreement from their conservative counterparts in the House.
Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, said moderate Republicans agreed to a Senate map that reduced Republican voting strength in several districts.
“That is not in the best interest of Kansas,” she said.
The Senate-approved map collapsed a district in western Kansas, which is losing population as a region, and added a district in fast-growing Johnson County.
But conservatives argued the collapse of the western Kansas district diluted Hispanic voting strength, while the additional Johnson County district was added to an area of the county that wasn’t growing.
The map approved by the House committee, however, would change boundaries in Sedgwick County to boost the chances of Landwehr, who is challenging moderate Republican Sen. Jean Schodorf.
“To say this map was not drawn for political considerations, is absolutely false,” said Davis, who was on the losing end of a 12-5 vote for the map in the committee.
Monday, May 7, 2012
School funding, tax cuts and redistricting lead agenda in Kansas Legislature's final days of 2012 session
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
What’s more important for Kansas today and in the future: strong schools, a solid social safety net or tax cuts?
That will be the debate this week as legislators approach the final days of the 2012 session.
The decision legislators make will affect Kansas for years to come.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is pushing the Republican-controlled Legislature hard for tax cuts, saying the cuts will turbo-blast the state economy.
Critics say the large tax cuts Brownback wants will deplete state coffers making it impossible for the state to adequately fund schools and social services, which have sustained cuts over the past few years during the recession.
The tax cuts, they say, also will shift the burden of paying for these functions to local governments resulting in an increase in property taxes.
The political backstory of the debate couldn’t be more intense as legislators also fight over redistricting.
Kansas is the last state in the nation to redraw political boundaries to adjust for population shifts over the past decade.
Those district lines will help determine who wins elections for the next decade.
Adjourning the House on Friday for the weekend, House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, told legislators to rest up because this week “could be a dandy.”
Taxing question
Brownback has been pushing since the start of session in January to cut state income and business taxes.
A proposal that has been approved by a House-Senate tax conference committee would reduce the top individual personal income tax rate from 6.45 percent to 5.5 percent for 2013 and then decline in increments to 4.9 percent for 2017, and it would drop the bottom tax rate from 3.5 percent to 3 percent. It would also put into place a tax break for businesses that Brownback said would be a shot of adrenaline to the heart of the economy.
“I think this is overall a good conference committee bill. I think this gets us on a growth curve from the modeling, from experience,” Brownback said. The cuts aren’t as aggressive as he initially proposed, Brownback said, dropping the adrenaline comparison. “The heart’s going to be pumping harder. Better, I should say, not harder.”
But others have said the business tax cut proposal is unwarranted, unprecedented and will have an unknown effect on state revenue. The measure would phase out state taxes on certain types of income for partnerships, sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, and corporations formed under Subchapter S.
“The new tax break would benefit large corporations and investment vehicles more than the small-business job creators the governor and legislative advocates claim they are trying to help,” a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said.
The Brownback administration maintains that the tax break will give businesses more money to invest and hire.
But Senate Vice President John Vratil, R-Leawood, said the idea that tax cuts will spur the economy is discredited supply-side economics.
“I am getting more emails saying do not cut my income tax if it is going to result in reductions in schools, public safety and highways,” Vratil said.
Opponents of the tax cut plan also are wary of estimates by the Brownback administration that its overhaul of the state’s Medicaid system will produce savings. If that assumption is wrong, the combined effect of traditional growth in Medicaid and the tax cuts will drive the state into huge deficits.
Moderates vs. conservatives
The conference committee tax plan will likely be voted on this week.
Essentially, the only obstacle to enacting the Brownback-endorsed tax plan are Democrats and moderate Republicans in the Senate. That group favors a plan with a smaller price tag that is aimed at controlling property taxes, restoring cuts to public schools and carrying through on current law to drop the state sales tax rate of 6.3 percent to 5.7 percent.
The moderate Republican leadership in the Senate is in the crosshairs of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, which is led by Brownback.
Conservative Republicans hold a solid majority in the House, but they are at a slight disadvantage in the Senate, and that is how the tax issue bleeds into redistricting.
Brownback’s allies want new Senate district boundaries drawn in a way that benefits conservative Republicans so that the Senate will be controlled by conservatives in 2013.
Asked point-blank if he was trying to oust moderate Republicans in the Senate through the redistricting process, Brownback gave a one-word answer: “No.”
But during debates in the Senate on redistricting, Brownback’s top staff have flooded the zone on the Senate floor. Republicans and Democrats have said Brownback has cast a long shadow on redistricting. In addition, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce political action committee is working to oust the moderates.
A nuclear option in the House
And if pressure from Brownback, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and the House weren’t enough, there is even more leverage against the moderates.
In March, the Senate killed a $3.7 billion, five-year tax cut, but then moderates reversed course after arm-twisting from Brownback’s office and sent the measure to the House-Senate conference committee to continue work on tax plans.
Now, if the Senate this week rejects the tax-cutting plan that has been approved by the conference committee, the House could simply concur with that more expensive plan already approved by the Senate and put that on Brownback’s desk for his signature.
Speaking to reporters last week, House Speaker O’Neal said he wasn’t making a threat but mentioned that scenario was a possibility.
“The administration tells us that they can make it work. It’s a lot of tax relief in a hurry, so you’d expect a quicker stimulus from that,” O’Neal said. He said he would prefer that not happen, but added, “It happens. Last week in the session, if that’s the only option left when you want to move forward, the option is used. And this wouldn’t be the first time.”
What’s more important for Kansas today and in the future: strong schools, a solid social safety net or tax cuts?
That will be the debate this week as legislators approach the final days of the 2012 session.
The decision legislators make will affect Kansas for years to come.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is pushing the Republican-controlled Legislature hard for tax cuts, saying the cuts will turbo-blast the state economy.
Critics say the large tax cuts Brownback wants will deplete state coffers making it impossible for the state to adequately fund schools and social services, which have sustained cuts over the past few years during the recession.
The tax cuts, they say, also will shift the burden of paying for these functions to local governments resulting in an increase in property taxes.
The political backstory of the debate couldn’t be more intense as legislators also fight over redistricting.
Kansas is the last state in the nation to redraw political boundaries to adjust for population shifts over the past decade.
Those district lines will help determine who wins elections for the next decade.
Adjourning the House on Friday for the weekend, House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, told legislators to rest up because this week “could be a dandy.”
Taxing question
Brownback has been pushing since the start of session in January to cut state income and business taxes.
A proposal that has been approved by a House-Senate tax conference committee would reduce the top individual personal income tax rate from 6.45 percent to 5.5 percent for 2013 and then decline in increments to 4.9 percent for 2017, and it would drop the bottom tax rate from 3.5 percent to 3 percent. It would also put into place a tax break for businesses that Brownback said would be a shot of adrenaline to the heart of the economy.
“I think this is overall a good conference committee bill. I think this gets us on a growth curve from the modeling, from experience,” Brownback said. The cuts aren’t as aggressive as he initially proposed, Brownback said, dropping the adrenaline comparison. “The heart’s going to be pumping harder. Better, I should say, not harder.”
But others have said the business tax cut proposal is unwarranted, unprecedented and will have an unknown effect on state revenue. The measure would phase out state taxes on certain types of income for partnerships, sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, and corporations formed under Subchapter S.
“The new tax break would benefit large corporations and investment vehicles more than the small-business job creators the governor and legislative advocates claim they are trying to help,” a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said.
The Brownback administration maintains that the tax break will give businesses more money to invest and hire.
But Senate Vice President John Vratil, R-Leawood, said the idea that tax cuts will spur the economy is discredited supply-side economics.
“I am getting more emails saying do not cut my income tax if it is going to result in reductions in schools, public safety and highways,” Vratil said.
Opponents of the tax cut plan also are wary of estimates by the Brownback administration that its overhaul of the state’s Medicaid system will produce savings. If that assumption is wrong, the combined effect of traditional growth in Medicaid and the tax cuts will drive the state into huge deficits.
Moderates vs. conservatives
The conference committee tax plan will likely be voted on this week.
Essentially, the only obstacle to enacting the Brownback-endorsed tax plan are Democrats and moderate Republicans in the Senate. That group favors a plan with a smaller price tag that is aimed at controlling property taxes, restoring cuts to public schools and carrying through on current law to drop the state sales tax rate of 6.3 percent to 5.7 percent.
The moderate Republican leadership in the Senate is in the crosshairs of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, which is led by Brownback.
Conservative Republicans hold a solid majority in the House, but they are at a slight disadvantage in the Senate, and that is how the tax issue bleeds into redistricting.
Brownback’s allies want new Senate district boundaries drawn in a way that benefits conservative Republicans so that the Senate will be controlled by conservatives in 2013.
Asked point-blank if he was trying to oust moderate Republicans in the Senate through the redistricting process, Brownback gave a one-word answer: “No.”
But during debates in the Senate on redistricting, Brownback’s top staff have flooded the zone on the Senate floor. Republicans and Democrats have said Brownback has cast a long shadow on redistricting. In addition, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce political action committee is working to oust the moderates.
A nuclear option in the House
And if pressure from Brownback, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and the House weren’t enough, there is even more leverage against the moderates.
In March, the Senate killed a $3.7 billion, five-year tax cut, but then moderates reversed course after arm-twisting from Brownback’s office and sent the measure to the House-Senate conference committee to continue work on tax plans.
Now, if the Senate this week rejects the tax-cutting plan that has been approved by the conference committee, the House could simply concur with that more expensive plan already approved by the Senate and put that on Brownback’s desk for his signature.
Speaking to reporters last week, House Speaker O’Neal said he wasn’t making a threat but mentioned that scenario was a possibility.
“The administration tells us that they can make it work. It’s a lot of tax relief in a hurry, so you’d expect a quicker stimulus from that,” O’Neal said. He said he would prefer that not happen, but added, “It happens. Last week in the session, if that’s the only option left when you want to move forward, the option is used. And this wouldn’t be the first time.”
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Senate approves redistricting plan after heated debate
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
A divided Kansas Senate on Tuesday approved new Senate district boundaries in one of the most contentious debates of the 2012 legislative session.
The measure passed 21-19 with moderate Republicans and Democrats teaming up against conservative Republicans.
Moderate Republicans made amendments to draw district lines that would allow two conservative GOP House members to challenge two moderate Republican senators in the August primary.
But conservative senators, House members and Gov. Sam Brownback have said they wanted more changes.
An attempt to redraw district lines to force a face-off between Sens. Marci Francisco of Lawrence and Tom Holland of Baldwin City failed. And an attempt to save a western Kansas district also failed.
Senate Redistricting Chairman Tim Owens, R-Overland Park, referred to demands from Brownback and House Republican leaders as the “800-pound gorilla in this room.”
He said that as a concession to them, both he and state Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita, proposed amendments that redrew district lines, allowing potential conservative Republican opponents to take them on.
During the nearly three-hour debate, potential House challengers to senators and Brownback’s staff crowded the side aisles of the Senate.
Schodorf said the House was holding hostage a number of issues, such as the budget and school funding, until the Senate approved a district plan. Owens said he didn’t like redrawing a map to accommodate his expected opponent, state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park, because it violated communities of interest. But he was doing it, he said, because House and Senate leadership had made a deal to try to resolve redistricting.
Later, House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, denied he made a deal.
Owens’ proposed map also added a senate district in Johnson County because of the growth there, and collapsed a western Kansas district that has been losing population.
State Sen. Steve Abrams, R-Arkansas City, proposed a map that would have kept the western Kansas district.
“Kansas is a rural state,” he said.
Owens said he sympathized with the concerns of western Kansas, but there was a 93,000 increase in population in Johnson and Wyandotte counties and those concerns “need to be addressed as well.”
Abrams’ map failed 19-21, and then Owens’ was approved.
The Senate bill also includes the measure that the House already approved for its district lines, and the new boundaries for State Board of Education districts.
Owens said he hoped the House would approve the Senate plan just as the Senate approved the House plan.
“If we fail there, we will be in conference committee. And if we fail there, then we will be in court,” he said.
A divided Kansas Senate on Tuesday approved new Senate district boundaries in one of the most contentious debates of the 2012 legislative session.
The measure passed 21-19 with moderate Republicans and Democrats teaming up against conservative Republicans.
Moderate Republicans made amendments to draw district lines that would allow two conservative GOP House members to challenge two moderate Republican senators in the August primary.
But conservative senators, House members and Gov. Sam Brownback have said they wanted more changes.
An attempt to redraw district lines to force a face-off between Sens. Marci Francisco of Lawrence and Tom Holland of Baldwin City failed. And an attempt to save a western Kansas district also failed.
Senate Redistricting Chairman Tim Owens, R-Overland Park, referred to demands from Brownback and House Republican leaders as the “800-pound gorilla in this room.”
He said that as a concession to them, both he and state Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita, proposed amendments that redrew district lines, allowing potential conservative Republican opponents to take them on.
During the nearly three-hour debate, potential House challengers to senators and Brownback’s staff crowded the side aisles of the Senate.
Schodorf said the House was holding hostage a number of issues, such as the budget and school funding, until the Senate approved a district plan. Owens said he didn’t like redrawing a map to accommodate his expected opponent, state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park, because it violated communities of interest. But he was doing it, he said, because House and Senate leadership had made a deal to try to resolve redistricting.
Later, House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, denied he made a deal.
Owens’ proposed map also added a senate district in Johnson County because of the growth there, and collapsed a western Kansas district that has been losing population.
State Sen. Steve Abrams, R-Arkansas City, proposed a map that would have kept the western Kansas district.
“Kansas is a rural state,” he said.
Owens said he sympathized with the concerns of western Kansas, but there was a 93,000 increase in population in Johnson and Wyandotte counties and those concerns “need to be addressed as well.”
Abrams’ map failed 19-21, and then Owens’ was approved.
The Senate bill also includes the measure that the House already approved for its district lines, and the new boundaries for State Board of Education districts.
Owens said he hoped the House would approve the Senate plan just as the Senate approved the House plan.
“If we fail there, we will be in conference committee. And if we fail there, then we will be in court,” he said.
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