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Wednesday, 05 May 2010 |
KOSE Executive Director Jane Carter Remarks on the Failed House Budget Bill
It's Time for Real Solutions for the Budget!
"When the House rejected the bad budget bill yesterday by a 74-45 vote margin it demonstrated that only bi-partisan compromise and real solutions can and will prevail. We are pleased that a clear majority in the House have decided that we can no longer rely on cuts to solve our budget shortfall. But instead, they are working across the isle to build a consensus budget that will contain revenue enhancements.
State employees and KOSE members know all too well the effects of the past cuts that have severely understaffed our prisons, state hospitals, and drastically shorted the services all Kansans depend on. This budget also tried to pit state employee funding against funding for crime victim assistance programs and that was unfair! There are some Legislators who voted for this bill that should have realized how they were voting against the largest job providers in their districts. They should have realized the negative effects of eliminating FTEs and overtime from our correctional facilities and state hospitals. Going forward, we can only hope that they will return to work on a budget that protects state facilities and workers in their districts.
Now the House and Senate must build consensus for a budget that will provide additional revenue to prevent further cuts to our state employees and our services. We have seen what happens when a budget is proposed that contains all cuts and no revenue - it is widely rejected. We now call upon this Legislature to put forward a budget that respects state employees and the valuable services we provide."
KANSAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Bad Budget Bill
Motion-Recommend for Passage
YEAS - 45 NAYS - 74 PRESENT - 1 NOT VOTED - 5 FAILED
YEAS , 45
Aurand, Huebert, Merrick, Schwab, Drown, Z, Johnson, Morrison, Seiwert, Brunk, Kelley, Myers, Shultz, Carlson, Kerschen, O'Brien, Siegfreid, Craft, Kiegerl, 0' Neal, Suellentrop, Crum, King, Olson, Tafanelli, DeGraaf, Kinzer, Patton, Whitham, Faber, Kleeb, Peck, Wolf,B., Goico, Hayzlett, Holmes, C., Holmes, M., Knox, Landwehr, Mast, McLeland, Powell, Prescott, Rhoades, Schroeder, Yoder
NAYS - 74
Ballard, Furtada, Loganbill, Schwartz, Barnes, Garcia, Lukert, Slattery, Benlon, Gatewood,D., Mah, Sloan, Bethell, Gatewood,S., Maloney, Spalding, Bonier, George, McCray-Miller, Svaty, D., Bowers, Gordon, Meier, Swanson, Brockens, Doyle, Menghini, Swenson, Brown, T., Grange, Morley, Talia, Burgess, Grant, Neighbor, Tietze, Burroughs, Henderson, Otto, Trimmer, Colloton, Henry, Palmer, Vickrey, Crow, Hermanson, Pauls, ward, Davis, Hill, Phelps, Wetta, Dilimore, Hineman, Pottorff, Williams, Donohoe, Horst, Proehl, Winn, Feuerborn, Jack, Quigley, Wolf,K., Finney, Flaharty, Frownfelter, Kuether, Lane, Light, Rardin, Roth, Ruiz, Worley
PRESENT - 1 Neufeld
NOT VOTED - 5 Carlin, Fund, Hawk, Long, Peterson
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Action Alert: Support KPERs Funding! |
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Saturday, 24 April 2010 |
Action Alert: Support Funding for KPERs NOW!
Please contact your Legislators and urge them to support HB 2180 and SB 401 to provide additional funding to KPERs. The two bills are essentially the same; one is from the House and the other is from the Senate. KOSE supports these bills 100% as these pieces of legislation will shore up future liabilities with our retirement.
These bills will provide for the construction of the Wichita Greyhound Park which will generate 5,000 new jobs and $40 million in additional revenue for the state in its first year of operation. Every year after, the revenue will start up at $50 million per year.
The revenue raised will go towards paying down the unfunded liabilities that currently plague KPERs. As you already know, the projected unfunded liabilities for KPERs have some Legislators looking to force us onto 401(k) plans or to increase our contribution. Some proposals include increasing our contributions up to 8% percent of our salaries! We can't let that happen!
HB 2801 and SB 401 are the right ways to fix our current problems with KPERs and we need to see that they pass! These two bills have become a high priority for KOSE and our members.
Call Your Representatives NOW and tell them to support HB 2180 and call your Senators NOW and tell them to support SB 401!
Call 1-800-432-3924 or follow this link to find your Representative and their contact information: http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-legisportal/index.do
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Thursday, 22 April 2010 |
KOSE Executive Director Jane Carter Responds to House Appropriations Discussion to Cut State Services
More Cuts will Devastate State Services and Threaten our Communities!
"Once again the House Appropriations Committee is presenting nothing more than a slash and burn approach to governing. Today the House Appropriations subcommittees met and started slashing Kansas services that are already teetering on the brink. The discussion is all cuts and no revenue. This is a dangerous path to take after we have already suffered the consequences of carving a billion dollars from the budget just last year.
This year alone, we face an $89 million revenue shortfall and in the real world, beyond the halls of the State House, that makes for a harsh reality when it comes to state services and state employees. Furthermore, any proposal to eliminate all unfilled FTEs not only jeopardizes our federal funding but will halt the ability of our agencies to fully recover from the economic recession. Additionally, such a measure will put patients, at-risk children, Corrections Officers and the public in further danger.
We simply cannot settle for any more antiquated measures that do nothing to solve the real crisis - the coming collapse of our state services!
KOSE is a proud member of the Kansans for Quality Communities coalition and we have tried steadily to articulate and forecast to our Legislators the coming collapse to our state education, infrastructure, and safety net should we pursue a slash and burn mentality.
If this legislature does nothing, the next round of cuts will choke off the hopeful signs of economic recovery and damage the long term prospects for future prosperity. They must be open to revenue enhancements. We must agree to no more special tax exemptions and bring these exemptions under control. In this dire crisis, now is the time for all Kansas citizens to join the fight to protect our vital services. We must do this now for the future generations of Kansans before it's too late."
Please follow this link to read the Topeka Capital Journals' report on today's discussion: http://cjonline.com/news/state_government/2010-04-22/yoder_envisions_budget_surplus
Please follow this link to view any further KOSE press releases on the House Appropriations Budget: http://www.koseunion.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=70&Itemid=71
Please follow this link to view the House Appropriations proposed budget released last month: http://www.koseunion.org/storage/kose/documents/house.gop.budget.pdf
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An open letter to members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriations Committee |
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Tuesday, 20 April 2010 |
Our organizations have come together under the umbrella of Kansans for Quality Communities. We serve every community in Kansas and our constituents touch every Kansas family. We educate Kansas children, we care for our neighbors with disabilities and mental health issues; we ensure that our seniors can stay in their homes.
We represent the spirit of a Kansas that pulls together for one another. We stand for safe, healthy and vibrant communities, with strong economies and sound infrastructures and for social assistance for citizens who need a little help for a chance to succeed.
The scenario before us today is not pretty.
The series of budget cuts enacted during and after the 2009 legislative session have been devastating. Since the conclusion of the 2009 session, waiting lists for Kansans with disabilities eligible for services have grown, the demands on the education system have increased dramatically, and road projects have been put on hold.
To put a real face on it...
While the war of words continues, 65 Kansas citizens with disabilities who were eligible for services but languishing on waiting lists have died.
• Medicaid cuts have resulted in 13,000 pregnant Kansas women losing dental services and in depressed wages for critical care workers like certified nursing assistants.
• As we debate, schools are cutting extracurricular activities, library services and counselors, and preparing non¬renewal notices for hundreds of teachers and education support professionals.
• Social workers are forced to increase their workloads by 80 percent possibly putting children from at-risk homes in harm's way.
• Corrections Officers continue to protect us from convicted criminals as their facilities suffer mass overcrowding and their safety is threatened even further.
• Seventy-five percent of Community Mental Health Centers have eliminated programs, closed local offices, and have begun rationing of mental health services to 90,000 Kansans at a time when 90 percent of the Centers are experiencing increased demand for services.
• Courthouse doors have shut on all Kansans as state courts close for four budget-related furlough days, delaying justice and making it even more difficult for cases to resolve quickly.
• 5,600 seniors have lost access to oral health care, support services and assistive technology - services that keep them living in their homes.
• The number of children entering SRS custody, which had been reduced by 14 percent, is once again increasing.
This is not "trimming the fat"; this is cutting the bone, amputating a limb.
If this Legislature does nothing, the next round of cuts will choke off the hopeful signs of economic recovery, and damage the long-term prospects for future prosperity.
The members of Kansans for Quality Communities believe that cuts have gone far enough - in truth, cuts have gone too far in their negative impact on the quality and quantity of services on which Kansans depend.
If we do not act to stop the decline in which we find ourselves, Kansas communities will be unable to deal with a long term decline in our children's educational opportunity, in early childhood and prevention services, in our infrastructure, and in providing care for our most vulnerable citizens.
The 2010 Legislature must take action and we call on all Kansas legislators to act as good stewards of our communities. The Legislature must consider both the immediate crisis as well as the implications for 2012 and beyond.
We must agree to no more tax cuts. When one is in a hole, one is advised to stop digging. So the Legislature must stop digging the revenue hole.
The Legislature must take action on recommendations to bring exemptions under control. The rapid expansion of exemptions offers the best example of a tax policy that does not work under set rules and regulation.
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Read more...
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Market Adjustments Failed by Voice Vote |
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Monday, 19 April 2010 |
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Today in the Omnibus Ways and Means Committee, the state employee market adjustments were on the table to be placed back into the Senate's version of the budget. The motion to reinstate our market adjustments failed on a voice vote. Although it was not a recorded vote, members of the Committee who voiced a vote against funding market adjustments include Sen. Pat Apple who represents Osawatomie State Hospital and Sen. Ty Masterson who represents El Dorado Correctional Facility. |
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Wednesday, 31 March 2010 |
KOSE Executive Director Jane Carter Responds to Senate President Morris, Governor Budget Statements
“State employees and KOSE members commend the Senate President Steve Morris and Governor Mark Parkinson for building consensus for raising revenues in order to shore up our current budget shortfall. Senate President Morris is correct in recognizing that we cannot afford any more devastating cuts. It is also encouraging to see a bipartisan agreement on the need for real solutions to fix this budget crisis. This budget, state employees, and the services we provide should not be made into a partisan issue.
Governor Parkinson was right to declare, ‘there is a clear majority for no more cuts and for raising revenue.’ As state employees, we know first hand there is simply no room for more cuts. That is why we support the consensus building of Governor Mark Parkinson and that is why we once again reject the draconian House Appropriations budget which would cut more services and furlough many state employees.
In a recent poll by Public Opinion Strategies, 77% of Kansans supported state employees and the services we provide. When asked by telephone if they support certain budget remedies only 36% of Kansans said they supported furloughing state employees.
There can be no mistake that the vast majority of Kansans support raising revenues over cutting state services and state employees. As President Morris said, ‘We’ve made as deep of cuts as we can in the current budget.’ For Kansas to continue down the road of further cuts, further delays of services, and further hardships would be purely immoral and unjust. The citizens of Kansas have demonstrated that they want nothing less than a functioning state government to meet their needs and they deserve nothing less.”
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New Poll Finds 77% of Kansans Support State Employees |
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 |
Brothers and Sisters,
According to the poll conducted March 17-18 by Public Opinion Strategies 77% of Kansans support state employees. When asked by telephone if they support certain budget remedies only 36% said they supported furloughing state employees.
It is good to know that the majority of fellow Kansans support state employees and the services we provide on behalf of the State. They understand now is not the time to furlough state employees and hinder the valuable services we provide every day.
The furloughs being proposed will result in a five percent pay cut! Make no mistake, we are struggling to make ends meet and our family budgets should not have to face a five percent cut.
I urge all state employees, their families, neighbors, and friends to call their Legislators NOW and tell them that the vast majority of Kansans support state workers!
In solidarity,
Jane Carter, Executive Director
Call 1-800-432-3924 or follow this link to find your Legislator and their contact information here!
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Thursday, 18 March 2010 |
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KOSE Executive Director Jane Carter Responds to House Budget Proposal
“Today the House has proposed to balance this year’s budget by cutting state employee’s salaries up to five percent by issuing furloughs and closing the State at 3 pm on Fridays for a year. They also are proposing to underfund their obligation to KPERs which is ironic especially since they held more than one interim hearing on how KPERs was supposedly bankrupt. We feel these are the wrong priorities for the budget. This will significantly hurt those individuals who were left in the dust by this recession. Cutting the social services we provide now would be disastrous because this is when down-on-their luck Kansans need a helping hand the most.
There are 11, 000 state employees represented by KOSE who go to work every day to make a difference for the people of Kansas. Some risk their lives for our safety, some provide support for Kansas’ most vulnerable, and some just make sure our State meets the needs of all its citizens.
Grace Decker is a social worker in Wichita and she watches out for Kansans that have been abused and neglected while making sure that they find care and comfort and are no longer in harms way.
Ray McNeal is a senior equipment operator at KDOT in Chanute and he puts his life in jeopardy ever day to flag accidents on the highways so they can stay open for fellow travelers.
Mario Stewart from Kansas City SRS processes assistance for Kansas’ most vulnerable such as the elderly, single mothers, and the unemployed.
Kelly Donnelly works for SRS in Topeka and she answers the phone when someone is abused or neglected. She is the person who listens to the heartbreaking stories of child abuse and neglect day in and day out.
Sherry Martin is a senior equipment operator at KDOT from Garden City and she works hard to maintain safe highways and bridges for Kansas drivers.
Michelle Walters is a Human Service Specialist in Topeka and she’s a watchdog for Kansas taxpayers making sure that those on assistance don’t get overpaid or defraud the system.
These are just a few of the hardworking state employees that make Kansas run every day. They all have families and personal stories of hope and hardship. None of these individuals deserve to be cut any further. Many are already underpaid for the work they do and simply cannot afford to lose an additional 5 percent of their salary.
It seems as though our Legislators can sometimes see these individuals as expenses and budget items rather than real people with important duties and obligations to the state of Kansas. Furthermore, they have never sat with an abused child or senior, or had to assist an unemployed Kansan, or had to drive a plow into a blizzard to clear the roads or flag dangerous accidents on the highways.
So before any budget actions are made that affect these individuals and their families I urge the House to meet these selfless individuals and to seek out their input on how to balance this budget because these are public servants, not expenses or budget items. This budget crisis can and must be solved by revenue increases, not by cutting state workers and services any further. ” ###
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Thursday, 18 March 2010 |
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Call Your Representatives NOW to Save Your Paychecks! In an effort to balance the State Budget House Appropriations Chair Kevin Yoder just proposed to cut your salaries by 5 percent! He wants to allow state employees to end their work week at 3 pm on Fridays! As state employees we know what this will do to our pocket books and our families budgets! Call Your Representatives NOW and tell them that state employees cannot afford a 5 percent pay cut! Talking points: 1.) Be courteous and polite. 2.) Explain how a 5 percent pay cut would affect you and your family directly. 3.) Remind your Representative that you provide a valuable service for the state and that do not appreciate baring the brunt of the proposed budget cuts. Follow this link to find your Representative and their contact information: http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-house/index.do Do not call from your worksites or use State emails for this Alert |
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Tuesday, 16 March 2010 |
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Tomorrow State Employees to Make Their Voices Heard at the State House
We Take Care of the Most Vulnerable, Protect the Citizens of Kansas, and Provide Critical Services. We Do the Work That Matters!
More than 250 members of the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE) will be marching on the State House to make our voices heard and to share our concerns with Legislators. In the midst of this current budget crisis we are more vigilant than ever to protect our jobs, paychecks, and pensions. As state employees, our jobs, wages, and retirement are directly linked to what happens at the State House.
We understand this crisis calls for shared sacrifice from all aspects of state government. However, we are not about to sacrifice our very livelihoods and the wellbeing of our families to balance this budget. We know where the real waste in government is and if we were better protected from reprisal we would bring it out into the open. That is why we support the Whistleblower Protection Act. It’s time to cut government waste, not jobs!
We know very well that Kansas is near the bottom for wages because we have to make ends meet every day. In 2007, research found that 1 in every 3 state employees were more than 25% below market. After several years without any raises, the Legislature made a promise to state workers to bring our salaries up to a comparable rate and they approved 5 years of market adjustments. We are going to ask our Legislators to keep their promises.
State employees and KOSE members have earned a decent retirement for the years we put into public service and we don’t want to see our retirement gambled with 401(k)s. We also do not think it’s fair for us to pay for the losses of KPERs. With our low wages, we cannot afford to pay up to 8% of our salaries to reform the system.
As state employees, we work across the state of Kansas in every county and every district. We are Social Workers, Psychologists, Mental Health Techs, Administrative Assistants, Correctional Officers, KDOT Workers, Janitors, and Investigators. Our jobs keep Kansas moving and now it’s our time to be heard.
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