Legislative Issues
   

  Prison Employee Safety
Because the Lansing Correctional Facility is in my District, I consider the safety of corrections employees as my number one legislative priority. More than 500 employees go behind the walls everyday of the most dangerous prison in Kansas. Making sure they return home safely to their families drives me to support legislation and champion issues that support them.

   Taxes, Taxes and Reappraisal Woes
Because Leavenworth County is the tax protest capitol of Kansas, I keep a keen eye on property taxes. Since the reappraisal mess of the late 1980s, I have seen those taxes sharply increase. What is sad is that some good people have almost lost the roof over their heads. That will never do. The present system needs changing, but that is much easier said than done. I have actively supported tying the annual increases in property taxes to inflation rates. So far, the votes have not been there to pass the legislation. The push is still on to find a solution to rising property taxes.

   State Spending
In the past five years, Kansas revenues allowed lawmakers to cut taxes. With a state budget topping $9 billion and tax revenues not as generous as in the past, Kansans in the 1999 Legislative Session found tax breaks few and far between. Next year may be more of the same or worse. State agencies could be forced to cut back and tax increases will be limited if at all.

As the new 2000 legislative session begins, we will be updating this area with the "hot" topics for this coming year.