Bills to address contraception, abortion, death penalty,

sanctity of the confessional

The state’s revenue problems continue, and the way the state faces its obligations in funding social services and education could affect funding in other areas, said Mike Farmer, executive director of the conference.

A ruling by Shawnee County District Judge Terry Bullock could lead to a hefty tax increase for public school funding. He ruled on Dec. 2 that the current method of funding schools violates the state and federal constitutions, so he ordered an additional $1 billion be spent to remedy the situation. He gave the state a July 1 deadline to address the funding inequalities.

The state managed to avoid a social service meltdown last year through a creative juggling of funds. Nevertheless, people were dropped from state General Assistance.

In a Dec. 18 letter to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Farmer wrote that cost-saving measures taken by the 2003 Legislature caused 487 people to be stricken from the General Assistance rolls by New Year’s Day, with an additional 400 to be dropped in subsequent months through June.

Although the reasons vary as to why people are on General Assistance, turning them away—particularly in winter—was unacceptable, Farmer wrote.

"We are asking for your intervention to find a way to provide benefits for these 900 Kansans through the winter," he continued. "The cash benefits would be around $850,000. The medical benefits for the GA program run about $333,620 a week according to the most recent Medical Assistance Report from SRS."

The conference is concerned about some old business as well—namely, holdover bills from last year. Some are supported, and others opposed.

Two bills arising from the Kansas House and Senate respectively, HB 2371 and SB 186, would require that priests report information revealed in the confessional concerning child abuse or any suspicion of such. It seemed that these attempts to violate the confessional seal were beaten back last year, but they could be revived, said Farmer. The conference continues to oppose these bills.

Another bill opposed by the conference is HB 2185, which would mandate that all health insurance plans pay for contraception, even in those cases in which the Catholic Church is the employer. The religious exception from this mandate is very narrow. This bill is similar to laws that have been passed in other states and are currently under litigation.

Holdover bills the conference supports include:

• HB 2172: Abortion Clinic Licensing Bill. It would set minimum health and safety standards for Kansas abortion clinics. This bill was passed by the Kansas House and Senate, but vetoed by Gov. Sebelius.

• SB 158: Death Penalty Moratorium. This would prohibit all executions for two years, during which time a commission would determine if the person convicted meets the statutory requirements for capital murder.

• HB 2145: This bill would allow qualified students who graduate from Kansas high schools and have been residents for five years to be eligible for in-state tuition at any Regent’s institution, including vocational and technical schools.

• HB 2039: Allows people without documents to obtain a Kansas driver’s license through use of a federal tax identification number. This bill will benefit undocumented or illegal immigrants who live and work in the state.

The conference is also working on some important new things this session.

Several churches in Kansas have banded together to oppose the expansion of gambling in the state. The conference supports this effort and testified against gambling’s expansion before the Governor’s Committee on Gaming on Sept. 5.

During its quarterly meeting in Topeka on Feb. 12, the conference will issue a major statement on affordable housing. The church in Kansas, through church-sponsored social service agencies and religious orders, has promoted the creation of better housing for those in lower income brackets. In this statement, the bishops are expected to give a sense of the current housing situation in the state and offer ideas.

Finally, the conference plans to support efforts to pass a state constitutional amendment to define marriage as being only between men and women. This is to preemptively address concerns that attempts will be made to force the state to legalize gay marriages, as is being done in Massachusetts. This is being done even though the state currently has laws recognizing only heterosexual marriages, said Farmer.

(You can stay up to date with the latest legislative events by signing up for the Kansas Catholic Conference’s weekly e-newsletter. You can find the newsletter at the conference’s Web site: http://kansas.nasccd.org/bin/kansas/templates/splash.asp?NC=2287X)