Representative
Marti Crow
Kansas
House of Representatives 41st District
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Representative
Marti Crow Home | Biography | Committees | Newsletters | Links | District Information | Email |
1999 LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Children's Endowment Fund Established
I was proud to be selected to serve on the House Select Committee on Tobacco Funds. The committee proposed and the Legislature passed a plan to dedicate 100% of the money that Kansas receives from the state tobacco lawsuit to programs for children. This legislation will have a positive impact on Kansas children and families for generations. What a wonderful commitment as we prepare to enter the 21st century!
Under the plan, most of the money will go into an endowment with the interest earned dedicated to programs to improve and enhance the health and well-being of children. The legislation creates a Children's Cabinet who will make recommendations to the Legislature about programs worthy of funding. It is anticipated that many of the programs will be community-based. The trust will be managed using current state government resources; no new state bureaucracy will be created.
In the past, Kansas has created the Economic Development Incentive Fund to set aside state gambling revenue for programs to stimulate and sustain the economy. Kansas is experiencing a period of economic well-being, at least in part because of the EDIF. The children's trust fund will be a Kansas Endowment for Youth, a historic step toward making Kansas a national leader in giving our children the best start possible in life.
Most of the tobacco money will be invested and the principle will continue to grow, providing a secure source of funding for programs even if the tobacco settlement does not continue to provide funds. I see this as a commitment to make today's kids the successful adults of the next century.
Budget
Prioritizes "Forgotten Kansans"
Support given to children's mental health, services for the disabled
The 1999 Legislature provided funding to fulfill the state's responsibility to citizens and families who need the most help in our community. The final budget provides more support for community programs for children with mental health needs and individuals with developmental disabilities, mental retardation and physical disabilities.
When Kansas closed our state hospitals, the plan was for the funding that had gone to state institutions to flow instead into communities where local organizations like Northeast Kansas Mental Health and Guidance Center and Riverside Resources would provide services to assist families and clients to live successfully in communities like Leavenworth.
The need for services has grown as the hospitals closed and we learned that hundreds of people were on waiting lists across the state and the Governor's budget recommendations were not adequate to continue past services, much less fund the waiting list needs.
The 1999 budget funds mandates placed on local agencies. It also provides the families of mentally ill children and disabled adults with assistance and support.
Joining as a state and community with these families and agencies to assist is the right thing to do.
The penalties for making methamphetamine were increased dramatically in a new law which also provides penalties for setting booby traps at meth labs, possession of legal drugs or anhydrous ammonia with the intent to make meth. Property used for meth production can be confiscated and sold, if the owner knows about the lab. Funds from the sales will be used to cleanup of meth labs, which are often hazardous waste sites.
Meth is made from ingredients that are sold over the counter in pharmacies and hardware stores. A Kansas Chemical Control Act outlines procedures for retailers to report suspicious sales of substances which can be used in meth labs.
The Legislature provided funding for senior citizen home-based services. Kansas has made a commitment to assist people who, with support services, can stay in their homes. It is more cost effective than nursing home residency, and our older citizens are healthier and happier if they live independently as long as possible.
For seniors who reside in nursing homes, the Legislature including funding which will provide increased pay for care givers in nursing homes. Nursing home staff must be excellent and they must be paid a living wage.
Several new laws are intended to make schools safer and deter violence. Funding is provided for in-school mental health counseling for troubled youth. The definition of weapon in the Weapon-Free School Act now includes hunting rifles and various other weapons.
Students who violate the law by bringing guns or drugs to school or by violent behavior may have their drivers license suspended. The Open Meetings Law was amended to allow school boards to discuss school security plans in executive session.
A school safety hot-line for confidential reporting of potentially dangerous students has been established and manned by the Highway Patrol. The hotline may be used to anonymously report possible impending school violence.
For School Safety Hotline, Call 1-800-626-8203
State Makes Two-Year Commitment to Schools
For the first time in history, the Legislature passed a school finance law which provides a two-year increase in funding for public schools, $50 for fiscal years 2000 and 2001. In many state finance items, like transportation and tax reduction, the state has used a multi-year approach, so it makes sense for looking further than one year ahead when funding education.
Also, in next year's budget, increases in funding for at risk students and correlation weighting and more flexibility for districts with declining enrollments will benefit our local school districts. Unfortunately, although the funding for special education was increased, the state will be funding a lower percentage of the actual cost of special education services.
The State Board of Education will also be studying school district boundaries and consolidation. Small district that consolidate will not have reduction in state funding for the first two years after joining.
Health Care Consumer Protection
An appeals process, called external review, will be set up by the Kansas Insurance Department. When an insurance company denies coverage for a medical service or procedure, the patient can appeal to the Insurance Department to appoint a panel of independent doctors to review the claim.
The decision of the panel is binding on the health insurance company. If patients disagree with panel decisions, they can go to court. Kansas joins 26 other states that have external review.
Veterans license plate owners are exempt from the $40 personalized license plate fee when a new plate is issued and when the plate is reissued after five years.
A state system of veterans cemeteries will be established and maintained by the Kansas Commission of Veterans Affairs. The Commission will acquire title to land and federal funds will pay for constructing the cemeteries. It is hoped that veterans cemeteries will be established in areas of the state that do not have a National Cemetery.
For over a year, a community juvenile justice planning team has been working in Leavenworth and Atchison Counties, the First Judicial District, to develop programs to deal with prevention and response to juvenile delinquency. The Legislature provided funding which will help make our local plans a reality. Juvenile court filings have increased by 11 % over the past five years.
We must make a proactive effort to prevent juvenile delinquency and to provide community programs which will intervene, correct and follow juveniles through an effective justice system.
Funds were also provided to improve our four state juvenile corrections institutions and to plan for maximum security beds in those facilities or in a new state facility. Funding for the state D.A.R.E. coordinator will continue thanks to hard lobbying by local law enforcement folks.
The Newborn Infant Hearing Screening Act requires Kansas hospitals to examine newborns to detect hearing problems if parents consent. Health assessments will continue to be required for pupils when they first enroll in Kansas schools. A Residential Childhood Lead Poisoning Act requires creation of a program for education, prevention, identification, and investigating poisoning of Kansas children by lead-based paint.
Young drivers will now be required to complete 25 hours of supervised driving prior to getting a restricted license and another 25 hours prior to getting their full license at age 16. A Family Centered System of Care will create community programs to involve families in addressing children's mental health needs. It is estimated that 50,000 Kansas children with emotional problems are not receiving help.
There is no more important investment than those we make in our children.
Comprehensive Transportation Plan
A new $12.6 billion transportation package which invests in roads, bridges, railroads, rural airports and public transportation during the next ten years passed this year. The plan is financed by a 4¢ per gallon fuel tax increase incrementally over four years, $995 million in 20-year bonds, 12% transfer of revenue from state sales taxes and
A substantial investment in future economic growth is made by providing safe and convenient transportation for citizens and businesses, and many jobs will result from this infrastructure maintenance and enhancement. The public transit funding will provide transportation for the elderly and disabled as well in our community.
Although there are no specific projects included in the plan, KDOT is required to spend at least $3 million in each county and state aid for local roads will increase an average of $14 annually.
Dear Neighbors,
The 1999 Kansas Legislature, I believe, will be long remembered for the far reaching impact of this year's work. We created a children's endowment fund, passed the first-ever multi-year school financing and a ten year commitment to transportation infrastructure.
We focused on you, your family and your community by supporting services to senior citizens, children with mental health needs, people with disabilities, and juvenile justice. We passed measures to enhance school safety and to prevent crime.
I am proud and honored to represent you and be your voice in the Kansas House of Representatives. Don't hesitate to call me with concerns or questions.
Did You Know?
Kansas Taxpayers can dial 1-800-259-2829 anytime, day or night, to get tax questions answered. A refund status hotline, 1-800-894-0318, can be dialed to find out when to expect your income tax refund. You can download Kansas tax forms straight from your computer. The address is http://www.ink.org/public/kdor.
The Kansas Insurance Department has a number of insurance booklets to assist you in addressing your insurance needs and answering your questions.
- The Health Insurance Guide includes information about individual and group health insurance coverages. It also contains information about long term care insurance, which insures against nursing home costs.
- Life Insurance Basics describes the basic types of life insurance plans, explains what happens when you apply for coverage, and gives easy to understand definitions for policy terms.
- Kansas Homeowners and Renters Insurance and Kansas Auto Insurance provide information on basic auto and property insurance coverages, examines factors that influence your insurance rates, and discusses discounts.
- The Department also publishes four shoppers' guides: Kansas Medicare Supplement Insurance Shopper's Guide, Kansas Auto Insurance Shopper's Guide, Long Term Care Insurance Shopper's Guide, and Homeowners and Renters Insurance Shopper's Guide. These guides compare the rates of different companies selling these types of insurance in Kansas.
For a free copy of these booklets, call the Insurance Consumer Hotline, 1-800-432-2484, or order one through the Kansas Insurance Department homepage at http://www/ink.org/public/kid.
You can also call the hotline with questions or complaints about insurance. The e-mail address for the Department is ksebelius@ins.wpo.state.ks.us.
Healthwave is a program for children in families with limited incomes to provide health insurance at little or no cost. To qualify, the child must:
For more information or to apply, call Healthwave, 1-800-792-4292.
Stop Junk Mail and Phone Solicitation:
You can stop many phone solicitations and junk mailings. Tell each unsolicited phone caller/seller that you want to be removed from their telemarketing list. Also, you can write to the following address and request that your name be removed from lists for national phone and mail marketers like catalogs, credit card offers, discount coupon offers, magazine subscription offers, and sweepstakes offers. Write to:
Mail Preference Servic
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmington, NY 11735-9008Within a few months, you should see a marked reduction in the junk mail and phone calls you receive. Your name will remain off the list for five years.