Thank you to everyone who contacted legislators and asked family and friends to do so as well.
Please see the article below.
Thanks again,
Dr. Bob
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USA|Kansas
Legislative Update
May 11, 2010
Prepared by: Dodie Wellshear, Government Relations Consultant
Leadership, courage, and conviction; House passes tax increase
The Kansas House of Representatives passed
Sub. for HB 2360
, by a vote of 64-61, in the wee hours Tuesday morning. The debate began just before 7:00 pm and didn't end until shortly after 2:00 am. Although there were a number of members who spoke to the bill, most of the time was spent waiting for Rep. Virgil Peck (R-Tyro) to drive to the Capitol following a "call of the House." A call of the House requires all members to vote on the bill, unless the call is raised at some point; it was not, in this case. As Rep. Peck was not present on Monday, the vote was held open until he could drive up from his home.
Beyond the call, a number of observers noted particularly those who had voted for the budget (SB 572), but did not vote for the revenue package to help fund it. Those members included Representatives Horst, Meier, Palmer, Prescott, Rardin, Schroeder, Shultz, Tafanelli, and Talia. Reasons for that varied, but certainly there have been a plethora of groups putting gross pressure on legislators-threatening to find opponents to run against anyone who voted for a tax increase and to direct campaign funding toward those races. Americans for Prosperity, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and other very conservative groups are among those who have run ads, sent letters and postcards to targeted legislative districts, and employed other "intimidating" tactics aimed at keeping legislators from voting for both a responsible State Budget package and a responsible revenue package to go with it.
USA|Kansas commends and is grateful to those leaders who stepped up and demonstrated true leadership in these times of economic hardship-who didn't turn their backs on school children, seniors, the disabled, battered women and children, and so many more of our most vulnerable citizens-and matched their consciences and convictions, with remarkable courage.
Please take time to contact those legislators who supported so many of us in the budget and tax process, and remind them of how grateful we are for their responsible leadership on behalf of this great state.
Sub. for HB 2360 now goes to Governor Parkinson, for his signature. Following is a listing of how House members voted on the bill.
·
Yeas:
Ballard, Barnes, Benlon, Bethell ,Bollier, Brookens, T. Brown, Burroughs, Carlin, Colloton, Craft, Crow, Davis, Dillmore, Feuerborn, Finney, Flaharty, Frownfelter, Furtado, Garcia, D. Gatewood, S. Gatewood, George, Grant, Hawk, Henderson, Henry, Hill, Hineman, Johnson, Kuether, Lane, Light, Loganbill, Long, Lukert, Mah, McCray-Miller, Menghini, Moxley, Neighbor ,Otto, Pauls, Peterson, Phelps, Pottorff, Proehl, Quigley, Roth, Ruiz, Slattery, Sloan, Spalding, Svaty, Swanson, Swenson, Tietze, Trimmer, Ward, Wetta, Williams, Winn, K. Wolf, Worley.
Nays:
Aurand, Bowers, A. Brown, Brunk, Burgess, Carlson, Crum, DeGraaf, Donohoe, Faber, Fund, Goico, Gordon, Goyle, Grange, Hayzlett, Hermanson, C. Holmes, M. Holmes, Horst, Huebert, Jack, Kelley, Kerschen, Kiegerl, King, Kinzer, Kleeb, Knox, Landwehr, Maloney, Mast, McLeland, Meier, Merrick, Morrison, Myers, Neufeld, O'Brien, O'Neal, Olson, Palmer, Patton, Peck, Powell, Prescott, Rardin, Rhoades, Schroeder, Schwab, Schwartz, Seiwert, Shultz, Siegfreid, Suellentrop, Tafanelli, Talia, Vickrey, Whitham, B. Wolf, Yoder.
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