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Hawver's Capitol Report E-Mail Flash Service is a Success!!! We decided to try to exceed our subscribers' expectations by creating a new service--Hawver's Capitol Report E-mail Flash Service--in 1999. We succeeded: Subscribers love it! Our goal was to supplement the newsletter with e-mail bulletins/updates--to send subscribers news that's too hot to hold. We didn't charge any extra for this service, and we made it exclusively available to our subscribers. Now, it's all the buzz around the Statehouse and around the state.
What's the talk? Hawver's Capitol Report's e-mail news flash service has generated tons of buzz among those who need Kansas political and governmental information. They say they really feel in the loop, thanks to the heads-up from HCR's e-mail bulletins. "I originally subscribed to Hawver's Capitol
Report for the overview it provides and didn't think I'd care
about the HCR Flash e-mail service. As valuable as the Report has
been, I have discovered that the HCR Flash e-mail service
is fantastic and is worth the subscription price by itself."
‘‘The e-mail bulletins allow me to know
exactly what is happening in Topeka in real time. There is
no other information outlet that can match this service.’’
(For more quotes, visit What Subscribers Say.) How does it work? You get breaking news from the Statehouse quickly in a concise and insightful manner – you’ll discover it’s like having your own reporter producing the information results you need, moments after news happens, while you still have time to contact your legislators. It's a reliable and knowledgeable service. During the legislative session, you'll usually get at least one HCR e-mail update a day--and usually more than that during the wrap-up days of the Legislature. Major actions taken by the Senate and House, plus key committee actions, are quickly reported via e-mail to HCR subscribers. During the rest of the year, you'll get HCR e-mail bulletins usually once to five times a week. E-mail news bulletins are provided as needed, giving you a first alert on results of key press conferences, administrative agencies' actions, major news involving legislators, political activities and much more. You also get on-the-road reports via e-mail from key political gatherings. What's the value? The HCR e-mails basically double the amount of information you receive from our news service--AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE AND EXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR SUBSCRIBERS. How do I sign up? If you are a Hawver's Capitol Report subscriber and haven't sent us your e-mail address yet, just e-mail your request to us--politics@hawvernews.com--and give your name, your e-mail address and the name under which your subscription is ordered. You'll immediately be put on the HCR e-mail bulletin list! If you aren't a Hawver's Capitol Report
subscriber, all you have to do is
subscribe on our Subscribe page and
we'll send you an invoice for your And now, here are a few recent HCR e-mail updates: Hawver's Capitol Report bulletin After a little sparring, the Special Committee on Redistricting Friday afternoon adopted House and Senate reapportionment maps that will be turned into bills for the Legislature to consider next month. The maps are basically Republican products with a few concessions to Democrats, but House and Senate Democrats said they will have their own maps to offer later--probably early to mid-January. The Senate Democrats are going to shoot for a map that leaves all incumbents in their own districts; the House Democrats will try to achieve the same goal. The Senate GOP map puts Sens. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, and Mark Gilstrap, D-Kansas City, in the same district, and also pits Sen. Janis Lee, D-Kensington, against Sen. Stan Clark, R-Oakley. Oh--the map also puts Sens. David Adkins, R-Leawood, and Barbara Allen, R-Overland Park, in the same district, but Allen Friday afternoon is closing on a house that puts her back in a district of her own. She moves as frequently as politically required. The House map is much as described Thursday, but in southeast Kansas changes the opponent of Rep. Bob Grant, D-Cherokee, back to Rep. Jerry Williams, D-Chanute. Thursday, the map had Grant vs. Rep. Doug Gatewood, D-Columbus. *** *** If the House map holds, between 4 and 7 pro-life Democrats could lose their seats. Mays, who is pro-life, said that's just how the numbers fell out...and opined that if pressed, he could probably figure a way to pit pro-choice Democrats against each other. *** *** So Christmas weekend papers aren't filled with it, the Kansas Supreme Court is expected to release at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 28 its decision in the first death penalty case in modern times. The state law requires a Supreme Court review of death sentences. The case is State vs. Donald Kleypas, convicted of capital murder in southeast Kansas. *** Copyright © 2001 Hawver News Company LLC. Hawver's Capitol Report bulletin Gov. Bill Graves said late Friday morning that he's going to present a FY 2003 state budget (starts July 1, 2002) that includes at least $426 million in cuts from this year's budget, and CUTS base state aid per pupil by $158 per head, from $3,870 to $3,712. Graves said he'll also recommend a revenue package that might make back $200 million of the projected $426 million in cuts. He wasn't specific, but look for "cokes and smokes" and some sin-type taxes and fee increases. He remained firm in not proposing a recision bill, saying that his agency chiefs prefer a really bad FY 2003 to a spread-out bad 2002-03. Graves said he isn't going to reach for easy targets--like securitization of the tobacco settlement--and that he doesn't want to see a cut in the state's ending balance law that requires a 7.5 percent general fund balance. He said all agencies are going to see at least a 4% to 5% cut next fiscal year. Here are the cuts that will be in Graves' Jan. 14 State of the State speech and accompanying budget: * Keep Special Education funding at the 85 percent the Legislature thought it approved, scoop up mill levy, enrollment savings that generally are rolled over to the districts--saves $37 million. * Eliminate the KDOT sales tax demand transfer--saves $147 million. * Cut K-12 base state aid per pupil--saves $91 million. * Cut higher education spending by $27 million. * SRS cuts including limiting Medicaid and General Assistance to 24 months, lowering pharmacy dispensing fees and reimbursement; cutting mental health grants by 30%, developmental disability grants by 25%, eliminating funeral assistance, hiking family co-pays for services--saves $24 million. * Close Toronto, Osawatomie, Stockton facilities and minimum-security conservation camps and community corrections--saves $7 million. * Reduce senior care act/income eligible funding by 50%--saves $4 million. * Do not fund third-year higher education coordination act--saves $45 million. * Replace state general fund spending with Senior Services Trust Fund money--saves $19 million. * Continue half-year moratorium on KPERS death and disability premiums--saves $9 million. * Also, no state pay raises or KPERS increases. Graves says he's still not leaving early to go run the truckers' association. He said his proposal will be the budget, because state law requires that the budget numbers be based on Consensus Revenue Estimating Group estimates of revenues (which have already lost $35 million in just one month). He won't say what revenues he wants increased, and believes that getting numbers out is going to give voters information to beat up their legislators with to make lawmakers more amenable to raising revenues of some sort next session. But he clearly isn't expecting the full $426 million to be restored in tax increases. That means that some hefty level of budget cuts is going to occur. *** Oddly, in an aside, Sherrer says he'll "Support the governor whenever I can..." and is behind Graves on the budget stuff, but, we've never heard him mention even in passing a qualification of his support of Graves... *** At a Statehouse press conference Friday morning, results of the statewide poll were released by slots-at-tracks lobbyist Robin Jennison. At the press conference, track owners Phil Ruffin (Wichita Greyhound and the Frontenac track) and Larry Seckington, from the Woodlands, said this is the session for the slots effort...probably the last session... The poll was conducted by Jim Yonally. They are talking slots at pari-mutuel tracks, maybe at legion and other nonprofit clubhouses if necessary, with a county-option vote where the tracks are. This is a very separate deal from Indian tribes moving their casinos to any of the existing tracks; the Indians continue as they are and the tracks set up their own casinos. That could cost $70 million at the Woodlands. Graves has never opposed slots-at-tracks, but said Friday he doesn't see it figuring into this session's budget problem. *** Copyright © 2001 Hawver News Company LLC. Hawver's Capitol Report bulletin Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, opposed a motion that would have authorized the State Finance Council to issue the $15 million in bonds for the parking project, instead saying he wanted the Legislature to re-vote on the bond issuance as a bill next session. Kerr also was master of ceremonies at the restoration ceremony. Kerr, an opponent of provisos in appropriations bills, said he agreed to it last session, but on clearer reflection, believed that the $15 million provision should have originated in a bill, not have been added during the conference committee process. Walking the $15 million bond issue through the Legislature might be difficult next session, but Kerr said he'll support it. The garage construction can be financed from other funds, and work on it will begin this year anyway, but eventually, bonds will have to be issued for it as part of the $135 million Statehouse restoration. The LCC also learned that with the loss of scores of on-ground parking slots for legislators due to the restoration, Sen. Paul Feleciano, D-Wichita, and Rep. Bill Reardon, D-Kansas City, are the immediate winners of prized on-grounds parking spaces for the upcoming session, due to their legislative seniority. On-ground legislative slots will be specifically assigned by seniority, and at least 44 legislators will have to park on the streets surrounding the Statehouse for the upcoming year or two. *** Hawver's Capitol Report bulletin He's in the GOP primary to succeed Attorney General Carla Stovall against fellow Johnson County Republican Sen. David Adkins, R-Leawood. Kline said he and Adkins differ on virtually every important issue of state governance. He said he wouldn't have sued Microsoft over antitrust issues, and would use the investigatory authority of the attorney general's office to make sure that late-term abortions conducted in Kansas met the letter of the law dealing with the so-called "mental health exception" for performing abortions on viable fetuses--which Kline doubts is being done now. He's not up to speed yet on ag issues, and his bio didn't mention his stint as legal counsel for BioCore, the controversial formerly Topeka-based medical products company that provided jobs for a handful of conservative Republicans in the early 1990s. And, Kline confirmed that until Wednesday, he hadn't decided whether to run for AG or take another run at 3rd District Congress. *** Best quote from Sawyer: "Republicans will have a tough choice to make in August when voting for attorney general. Their choices will be two Johnson County Republicans whose combined experience in a courtroom is the equivalent of watching an hour of Judge Judy on television." *** Wilson, who was deputy treasurer to State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger, has handled a lot of different jobs at the state treasury, and says he knows the operations there well. He's watching for at least two things to happen: First, for changes he has made to speed up issuance of car tags in Johnson County, where many pack a lunch to wait for what has been slow processing. A former car dealer, he knows how to speed things up, and he's watching to see how his plans work. Second, he wants to be as helpful as he can to Shallenburger, and if Shallenburger needs his assistance in his race for the GOP nomination for governor, Wilson may defer his treasurer race. He thinks January is soon enough to get into the race...which already has State Sen. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka, and Shawnee County Treasurer Rita Cline in, and former 2nd District congressional candidate Jim Van Slyke looking... *** That leaves Sen. Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, Walker Hendrix of the Citizens Utility Ratepayers Board, and Bryan Riley, Wichita, in the GOP insurance race or...close-by. Hawver's Capitol Report bulletin Shallenburger said to count on the two other candidates in the GOP nomination race--House Speaker Kent Glasscock, R-Manhattan, and Shawnee County Treasurer Rita Cline--to abandon their races. That leaves Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer, Attorney General Carla Stovall and Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, sniffing around the race. Shallenburger said he's just "a regular Joe from Cherokee County" and said he'd like to put together a committee of "real people" to study things that the state is doing now that it doesn't need to do. He said early estimates are that even with a shrinking economy, Kansas state government will have more money to spend next year than it has this year--not a reason to raise taxes. Shallenburger said he'll take credit for keeping Gov. Bill Graves honest--staying in office through January 2003 before taking the job as CEO of the American Transportation Associations. Shallenburger aide Bob Murray said Shallenburger drew a crowd of about 60 in Dodge City Monday night. *** *** "However, the real issue surrounding the job announcement is not about the perception that he is turning his back on Kansans, or that this is a direct conflict of interest," Sawyer said. Rather, he said it's unseemly that Graves has lined up a job that is likely to pay at least $400,000 a year while other Kansans are jobless. Sawyer also noted the continual rumors about ticket variations among moderate Republicans considering running for governor, adding, "The Republican Party is so desperate for a ticket because Kathleen Sebelius is far and away the best candidate of any party running for governor" and "the only candidate for governor who is talking abut issues...The four major Republican candidates are talking about conspiracies, polling numbers and fundraising." Hawver's Capitol Report bulletin The committee, recall, was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorism on the East Coast, but its title and charge were both diluted with the deletion of all mention of terrorism, and instead "security" was penciled in. Rep. Carl Krehbiel, R-Moundridge, and Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, will co-chair what is likely to become a high-visibility committee. Other House appointments are Rep. Carlos Mayans, R-Wichita, and former fireman and EMT Rep. Joe Shriver, D-Arkansas City. Other Senate appointees are Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, and Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee. Krehbiel, now a mild-mannered telecomm executive, is a retired Army officer with 20 years experience in military intelligence, training in defense and security matters, and a doctorate in international relations from the University of Southern California. Mayans is a former Army medic. The committee has been allotted five hearing days before the Legislature reconvenes to cover a broad range of security and preparedness issues that all sound a lot like response to terrorism. Topics: emergency response; security of infrastructure, power plants and water supply; licensing of drivers and transportation of hazardous materials; security of the state Capitol and office buildings; cyber security; anticipation of chemical, biological or radiological weapons attacks, and cooperation with the governor's office and the Office of Homeland Security (the Tom Ridge group out of Washington). *** |
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What's
the buzz all about?