Dec. 26, 2013
(Syndicated to Kansas newspapers Dec. 23, 2013)
We folk who inhabit the Statehouse even when there’s not much going on are wondering what we’ll see in the post-Christmas holiday hallways of the newly refurbished State Capitol.
We’re figuring that lobbyists—who are Statehouse regulars—already are aware that they didn’t get the gift they’ve been wanting: The privilege of scooching past the security gates to save time when they whistle into the building to do their lobbying duties. They’ll stand in line like nearly everyone else to get their packages and brief cases inspected and walk through the metal detectors to go about their business.
The Legislative Coordinating Council, which manages about everything that goes on in the Statehouse, didn’t last week go for a proposal for some special ID tag for registered lobbyists so they don’t have to stand behind the visiting third-grade class as its members are put through the security check or the delegates from the American Association of Retired Persons as they are checked.