LansingCurrent.com

The Kansas Supreme Court's decision last week puts school funding on the front burner for this year's Kansas Legislature, but it's far from the only issue facing lawmakers as the session gets under way this week.

In the 2005 Legislature that convened Monday in Topeka, lawmakers are be faced with an agenda that includes what to do with the state's capital punishment law, what kind of pay raise state employees deserve, whether to expand gambling options for Kansans, whether Kansas should change its constitution to outlaw gay marriages, and an ever-growing list of statewide and local concerns.

State Reps. Kenny Wilk, R-Lansing, and state Sen. Mark Gilstrap, D-Kansas City, are two lawmakers whose districts reach into Lansing.

Each of them talked about this year's session and what they see as key issues in 2005.

Wilk is the newly appointed chairman of the House Taxation Committee, and he expects to have his hands full. In 2004, he helped shepherd the Kansas Economic Growth Act through the Legislature. The bill is aimed at making Kansas a leader in biosciences and revitalizing struggling rural communities.

State Rep. Kenny Wilk

The bill, which Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said would bring a "much-needed" economic boost for the state, needs a few tweaks, Wilk said.

"We'll have some tune-up legislation on that," Wilk said, who added he was looking forward to hearing progress reports on the act's impact in the months to come.

As the tax committee chairman, Wilk said he'd been asked to look at the state's tax policy with an eye toward, "economic development, job creation and job growth."

Wilk also said the Legislature would need to figure out how to deal with a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that puts the state's capital punishment law in limbo.

The ruling in December said the statute was unconstitutional because of a provision about how juries weigh arguments for and against the death penalty during sentencing. The law says that if the jury finds the arguments for and against putting a person to death about equal, the decision should favor the state. That means the defendant would be sentenced to die.

The court, rather than setting aside only the portion of the law it deemed questionable, invalidated the entire statute.

"I suspect we'll take swift action on that," Wilk said.

The growing debate over health care costs also could put the Legislature to the test, Wilk said.

"In my travels in the district and across the state : health care is at the top of the list of concerns," he said. "It touches everyone's life in one way or another."

Wilk said he had no easy answers for making access to health care more affordable. But he said he thought it would take a cooperative effort that pulls together federal, state and local government officials along with private businesses and members of the medical and insurance communities to make an impact.

He said he also would work hard on legislation involving the Department of Corrections and state employees because of their direct effect on many people in Lansing.

"Those are always big issues for us," he said.

Gilstrap, who is ranking minority member on the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, said he would make a push for expanded gambling in the state. Such a move, he said, would benefit both the state and his home, Wyandotte County.

Like Wilk, Gilstrap sees health care as a blossoming issue in the 2005 Legislature. He noted Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was supporting a $50 million package to cover medical services for an additional 70,000 poor Kansans and to subsidize private health insurance plans for small businesses. To pay for the plan, Sebelius wants to raise the tax on cigarettes by 50 cents a pack.

Sen. Mark Gilstrap

Such a plan is going to be a tough sell in the Legislature, especially with some talk of a tax increase to better fund public schools, Gilstrap said.

"I don't see the Legislature raising taxes for two causes this session," he said.

Gilstrap said the session also would wrestle with issues such as allowing Kansans to carry concealed weapons - a proposal pushed through to passage last year in both the House and Senate by Rep. Candy Ruff, D-Leavenworth, only to be vetoed.

"I think we'll have a bill on conceal carry again," Gilstrap said.

He said he also suspected there would be a push to amend the Kansas Constitution to outlaw gay marriage. Some preachers want the Legislature to approve the amendment in time to place it before voters for ratification this spring when municipal elections are contested across the state.

Noting the full plate facing legislators, Gilstrap said, "I don't think we can do anything for the spring elections."