A member of the Kansas House said a plan to overhaul how the state handles its water resources is likely to be shelved this session.
Rep. Boyd Orr, R-Fowler, who is vice chairman of the House Water Committee, said many lawmakers, including himself, got uncomfortable when the bill filled 285 pages. The original House Bill 2682 would have established a Kansas Department of Water and Environment instead of dividing water policy among several current departments including the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas Water Authority. Orr spoke during the Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce’s legislative coffee on March 26 at the city of Dodge City’s Commission Chambers.
One of the water committee’s goals was to streamline the process so urban and rural users would be able to go to one agency. Orr said one of his concerns was irrigators would be paying fees for water use that would be pooled yet with no designated purpose, which to him raises a red flag.
The committee on a 9-to-7 vote, including Orr, recommended approval of a 16-page bill that did not address many of the items expected heading into the session. House leadership, Orr said, indicated the measure is unlikely to move forward because it needs to be vetted in an appropriations committee, too, and the leader said there was not enough time left in the session to accomplish that.
“We set the table to go forward,” Orr said. “We will make great progress in the next session or two sessions.”
Water is too important to Kansans, both in quality and quantity, and he believes dialogue must continue.
Raising awareness about quality and quantity was accomplished, he said. More Kansans are aware of the plight of several older reservoirs that need major work and of financial obligations to the federal government for their original financing. Several lakes serve as drinking supplies for municipalities while others mainly have a flood storage and recreational purpose.
Irrigators in western Kansas are aware of a recent geological survey that in some areas, including near Dodge City, the depth of the Ogallala Aquifer dropped another foot, the lawmaker said.
Agriculture is the state’s No. 1 business, Orr said. Irrigation of crops in western Kansas is integral to the industry. He also believes that conservation, technology, and other avenues are on the table and there is support from irrigators to take actions to extend the life of the aquifer.
District boundaries
Rep. Brad Ralph, a Dodge City Republican, said redrawn boundaries for state House and Senate maps appear to be in place. Gov. Laura Kelly has indicated once both chambers approve the maps, she will sign the bill. Every 10 years the Legislature has to redraw districts plus congressional and state board of education maps.
One of the districts that will be absorbed is the House’s 117th District. That seat is held by Rep. Tatum Lee-Hahn, a Republican from Ness City who succeeded Leonard Mastroni, who died in 2020. She opposed the latest map, but was not able to attend the update.
Ralph, vice chair of the redistricting committee, said input was sought by all representatives and senators as part of the process. He expects the final map to be available soon. The House approved it 112 to 9. Each of the 125 districts has about 23,700 people.
“Every time you have a tweak it ripples across the state,” he said, adding the process is time consuming and not perfect but he felt good about it. Sixty percent of House members come from five counties, he said.
Orr said rural Kansas could have lost up to five seats but only lost three seats.
Ralph says the Census is always a wake-up call to rural areas that they need to find ways to stabilize their population base. Orr and Sen. Ron Ryckman, R-Meade, said they believe the key is to provide opportunities for rural youth so they can stay and that has to be a long-term commitment. Ryckman said he was comfortable with the map the Senate has drafted.
Food sales
Lawmakers expect to see a bill about a sales tax reduction on food sales at some point. Gov. Kelly has called for the eliminating that sales tax. Food is taxed at a rate of 6.5%. She has said it would provide immediate relief to families, particularly lower-income Kansans. She has said that the tax would save a family of four about $500 a year. Tax monies raised from continued growth in the state’s economy will more than pay for the elimination, she has said.
The House Taxation Committee in mid-March had endorsed a bill to lower the state’s sales tax rate to 6.3% on general purchases and drop it to 3.5% on groceries.
Ryckman said many legislators, including himself, are waiting to see a report of the April consensus revenue estimate before making a decision. His primary concern was that cuts might leave a future Legislature with painful decisions if shortfalls occur.
The House Agriculture Committee had a hearing on raw unpasteurized milk bill to clarify whether if someone had a small farm and produced raw milk they could sell by word of mouth but could not advertise it in a local newspaper, for example, Orr said. Ryckman, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said there were concerns about how the milk would be labeled.
Orr said his committee also discussed labeling plant-based meat at grocery stores. The House approved the measure that Orr supported because he believes it should be labeled to help consumers, as he called it a truth in advertising matter.
Roads
Ron Hall, the southwest Kansas district manager for the Kansas Department of Transportation, Garden City, provided an update on several highway projects including a planned four-lane express between Garden City and Dodge City. Other improvements on U.S. Highway 50 address a poor sight line because of a curve on the north edge of Spearville. The project will include adding turn lanes.
KDOT through its Ike program is continuing to seek ways to address current bottlenecks and highway improvements and future ones, he said. The district engineer said after the presentation that addressing long-term traffic flow—particularly in southwest Kansas because of semi-tractors and trailers—is a priority for KDOT and the Legislature and will increase particularly when the Hilmar Cheese Company opens in 2023.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
