March 13, 2023
Statehouse Happenings This Week:
Cheers to another great week in the legislature! This week brought advocates to Topeka to join Zack Pistora on conversations about community resiliency.
Our final pre-WEALTH event will be Wed/Thur of this week with Rabbi Moti Rieber on the hot topic of the session: WATER!
Last week both the Senate and the House heard ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) bills. The Senate version is extreme and would cost the state KPERS system more than $3 billion dollars. The House version is more carefully tailored and would not impose any mandates on businesses nor restrict their independent decision-making.
Ratepayers got a win last week after HB 2225 passed out of committee, the result of Evergy agreeing to concessions on the transmission delivery charge bill that will net annual savings for ratepayers.
HB 2446, the bill that bans the ban of plastic bags has a hearing on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Federal and State Affairs.
A broader preemption bill, HB 2447, was also introduced last week and has a hearing on Monday at 1:30 that says no municipality could ban any legal product, which could prevent a city from banning fireworks, for instance. The erosion of local control remains a big concern, especially as broad preemption bills impose restrictions on community leaders ability to ensure resilient standards in a rapidly changing world.
Also this week is a hearing in House Utilities on SB 49, the wind lighting mitigation bill. A carefully crafted outcome to address the blinking lights on wind turbines, we support this bill moving forward in its current form. Notably, it passed the Senate 39-1.
Bills We’re Watching
(Click to view a spreadsheet of the bills we’re tracking during this Legislative Session)
View the committee hearings and recordings on the Statehouse Live & Archive page.
Registration is open for WEALTH 2023 a series of informational events and advocacy opportunities supporting our state’s Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transport, and Health – WEALTH. Check out the timeline below, and register today!
| Kansas Rural Center Policy Watch |
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CEP is a 2023 co-sponsor of the Kansas Rural Center’s Policy Watch weekly e-updates. KRC monitors the state legislature for decisions affecting a diversified agriculture, the environment, our natural resource base, rural communities, and our local and regional food systems. The weekly e-updates also provide information about upcoming hearings, so constituents can contact legislators or attend. Read and subscribe to their latest policy watch issues on their website.
