Kyle HoffmanBy Kyle Hoffman, State Representative of the 116th District — Due to my new responsibilities in the House, I have decided to send this update every other week instead of weekly, at least for right now. I will be conducting some forums around the district over this month, so please watch for times and places.The third week of the 2013 legislative session continued in the fast paced fashion of the previous two weeks. After only three weeks, almost 200 bills have been introduced in the House. Most of the work at this point continues to be done in committees where testimony for and against is being heard, the bill is debated by the committee, and the committee votes whether to approve the bill to go to floor debate.The budget committee I chair will start hearing budgets next week and I plan to have them to the full appropriations committee before the end of the month. I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks getting to know the agencies better, I appreciate the dedication they have and in almost every case their effort to bring good cost effective budgets to us.Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.com.Celebrating KansasOn Tuesday, the Kansas House of Representatives celebrated the birthday of Kansas known as Kansas Day. Our state was founded on January 29, 1861 when President Buchanan signed the resolution establishing Kansas as the 34th state to join the Union. This was a critical time in our county’s history as we were about to fall into the most bloody war in our nation’s history. The roots of our state were sown in the abolitionist movement, opposed to slavery and its expansion west. This led to many violent protests in the state which were labeled by many newspapers as Bleeding Kansas.One of the traditions we celebrate in the House is to sing ‘Home on the Range,’ the state song, usually led by Rep. Barbara Ballard. The song was originally a poem written in the 1870s by Smith County resident Dr. Brewster Higley called ‘My Western Home’. The Kansas Legislature adopted his song as the state’s official song on April 8, 1947. I remarked to Rep. Ballard later that I think it was the best we have sounded; we must have some good singers in our freshman class.Paycheck ProtectionPAYCHECK PROTECTION HB2023 House Bill (HB) 2023, commonly referred to as the Paycheck Protection Act, would ban state or other units of government from making payroll deductions for members of public sector unions for the purpose of contributing to the union’s political action committee (PAC.) The aim of the bill is twofold: to eliminate state and local governments as bookkeepers for the political activities of public unions and to ensure that union members can better control the contributions they make to the PAC. I voted for this bill because I feel it is inappropriate for the state or any other local unit of government to be in the business of making payroll deductions for political purposes.What the Paycheck Protection does NOT do:• The bill does not outlaw the payroll deduction of a member’s union dues.• The bill does not outlaw political action committees for public sector unions• The bill does not keep union members from donating to a public sector union’s PAC.• The bill does not outlaw political activity for unions or members of unions.• The bill does not keep union members from writing a check to a public sector union PAC, or establishing an automatic draft from their checking account, or any other method of direct payment.It is important to point out that in 2009; the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of paycheck protection legislation enacted by Idaho in Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association. The unions involved in the case argued the law violated their First Amendment rights by making it more difficult for them to collect political contributions. The Court, however, disagreed stating that the state “is under no obligation to aid the unions in their political activities. And the state’s decision not to do so is not an abridgment of the unions’ speech; they are free to engage in such speech as they see fit. They simply are barred from enlisting the state in support of that endeavorâ€.I want to thank those that emailed and called me on this issue, I appreciate the dialogue.Corporate Farming LawAfter talking to the Farm Bureau and Kansas Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman, it looks like we will be debating the Kansas Corporate Farming Law (CFL) this year.  CFL was enacted more than 80 years ago and restricts outside corporations’ involvement in agriculture.The law has recently received criticism from Secretary Rodman, who feels it hinders the growth of agriculture and recruitment of new agribusinesses to Kansas; and theAttorney General of Kansas, Derek Schmidt, when asked by the Kansas City Star about the law, merely said a provision allowing only corporations formed by Kansas residents to own land was “discriminatory.â€Â  This has brought the concern that unless a change is made in the law, many farms now owned by family corporations and possibly trusts may be found as illegally owned.Repealing the law would be a major shift in Kansas agriculture policy, I look forward to the debate and any input you have.Kansas March For LifeOn January 23, about 2,500 pro-life supporters marked the 40th anniversary of the court ruling of Roe v. Wade and called for the reversal of the landmark decision which legalizes abortion.Governor Sam Brownback spoke to the crowd, encouraging them and saying “There’s joy in what you’re doing, and keep it up…Keep marching. Keep moving.â€Â I find the Governor’s words inspiring and I hope pro-life supporters will continue their efforts in overturning Roe v. Wade.I was one of around 40 legislators that attended the rally, including leadership from both chambers. One of my core principles is to create a culture of life that values all life here in the state of Kansas; I will continue to vote for any bill that restricts abortion.VISITORSPages needed for the session. Would your Jr. High or High School student like to be a page for a day at the Capitol? The dates available are; February 27, March 27. If none of these dates work, but you would like to page, please call, we may be able to add more dates. Along with paging on the House floor, they will also get a guided tour of the Capitol and their picture with the Governor; if interested, please contact my secretary June at 785-296-7643.Visiting the Capitol? I enjoyed meeting with several constituents the last two weeks, I met with county Magistrate Judges, Sheriffs, Appraisers, Commissioners, and City Administrators. I also met with several members and staff of; area Agribusiness Coops, the Independent Telephones Association, Rural Electric Cooperatives, and Farm Bureau.I’ll be happy to arrange a time to meet with you individually, but even if you are unable to come to Topeka, I’m always interested in hearing your thoughts on what you’re hearing around the district. It’s very helpful for me when I have reliable feedback. I am setting up meetings in the district so please watch the local paper or my website to find out when I will be in your area.In ClosingAs always, I welcome your comments as I work through this session. I want to thank you for this opportunity and I consider representing you a great honor.Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your neighbors in District 116.In Service, Rep. Kyle Hoffman Close Forgot password? Please put in your email: Send me my password! Close message Login This blog post All blog posts Subscribe to this blog post’s comments through… RSS Feed Subscribe via email Subscribe Subscribe to this blog’s comments through… RSS Feed Subscribe via email Subscribe Follow the discussion Comments (2) Logging you in… Close Login to IntenseDebate Or create an account Username or Email: Password: Forgot login? Cancel Login Close WordPress.com Username or Email: Password: Lost your password? Cancel Login Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout Logged in as Admin Options Disable comments for this page Save Settings Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity Loading comments… You are about to flag this comment as being inappropriate. Please explain why you are flagging this comment in the text box below and submit your report. The blog admin will be notified. Thank you for your input. +1 Vote up Vote down Girlie · 392 weeks ago Wow, another Republican MAN telling me what to do with my reproductive organs. Report Reply 0 replies · active 392 weeks ago +3 Vote up Vote down Jim · 392 weeks ago I do not like politicians telling anyone what to do with their bodies. His beliefs may not be what the majority of his constituants want and he better listen to us or he will be out on his behind just like McCreary was. Keep corporate farming out of Kansas. Report Reply 0 replies · active 392 weeks ago Post a new comment Enter text right here! Comment as a Guest, or login: Login to IntenseDebate Login to WordPress.com Login to Twitter Go back Tweet this comment Connected as (Logout) Email (optional) Not displayed publicly. Name Email Website (optional) Displayed next to your comments. Not displayed publicly. If you have a website, link to it here. Posting anonymously. Tweet this comment Submit Comment Subscribe to None Replies All new comments Comments by IntenseDebate Enter text right here! Reply as a Guest, or login: Login to IntenseDebate Login to WordPress.com Login to Twitter Go back Tweet this comment Connected as (Logout) Email (optional) Not displayed publicly. Name Email Website (optional) Displayed next to your comments. Not displayed publicly. If you have a website, link to it here. Posting anonymously. Tweet this comment Cancel Submit Comment Subscribe to None Replies All new comments