2672 JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE Journal of the House FIFTY-FOURTH DAY HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TOPEKA, KS, Wednesday, March 28, 2018, 10:00 a.m. The House met pursuant to adjournment with Speaker Ryckman in the chair. The roll was called with 124 members present. Rep. Schwab was excused on excused absence by the Speaker. Excused later: Reps. Dietrich, Gallagher and Karleskint. Present later: Reps. Dietrich, Gallagher and Schwab. Prayer by Chaplain Brubaker: Father God, thank You for blessing us with yet another day. Help each of us to be good stewards of the opportunities that come our way today. As our members in this House continue with their responsibilities, help them to look at themselves, their politics, their priorities and this state’s interests with a new vision in the light of Your Spirit. Help them to be wise and patient, seeking not immediate political wins, but a productive future which will provide the stability for our great state. Please send Your Spirit upon them and imbue them with courage and leadership that will bring health and vibrancy to our state. In fulfilling their responsibilities, provide them with grace to enable them to be faithful in their duties and conscious of their obligations, In Your Name I pray, Amen. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Rep. Blex. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS There being no objection, the following remarks of Rep. Pittman are spread upon the Journal: Theater has changed since most of us went to school, especially my older colleagues. I had my day on stage, but it was nothing like the performance I went to at my local MARCH 28, 2018 2673 Leavenworth High School last fall. I went to a show called Tarzan and the stage set, the sound, the costume design by students, the use of the aisle and other aspects of the theater were amazing – Off-Broadway quality in my estimation. Today I am proud to sponsor the Educational Theatre and International Thespian Society as we celebrate “Theatre in Our Schools” day at the Capitol. Today we recognize the importance of theatre in our schools and communities and how it impacts lives. You may wonder why I am the sponsor. Well, a student from Leavenworth High School served as only one of 6 International Thespian Officers last year and I have one of the most dynamic theater program organizers in the state, Ms. Jennifer Morgan. More importantly, across the state, Kansas Thespians maintains 98 active Thespian or Junior Thespian troupes with over 2900 active Junior High and High School Thespian members. The Kansas Thespians group has become a leader for theatre in our schools across the nation, leading the way in excellence. We recognize today that Kansas Thespians Society has been recognized as a Gold Honor Chapter by The Educational Theatre Association 2017. AND perhaps more remarkable is that Kansas highs schools have garnered four of only 11 spots among all other states to perform at The International Thespian Festival this summer. Not only do we look at our particular excellence in drama, but we take the time to recognize the benefits of theater as an important part of our Kansas curriculum. Students who took four years of classes in the arts scored an average of 92 points higher on their SATs to those that took a year or less. They learn so much about the skills in our Kansas Can initiative around socializing, team work, and other life skills outside of traditional academic curriculum. With that, in honor of today's “Theatre in our Schools Day” at the Capitol, students from all around Kansas are here today. In the gallery, we have students from the following High Schools: Leavenworth, Eisenhower, Hayden, Goddard, Olathe South, Olathe North, Salina,Topeka High, Topeka West, Valley Center, and Wichita West. On the floor with me today, are the Kansas State Thespian State Officers, members of the State Steering Committee and other Thespians. Emily Martin (Olathe North), Anna Hastings (Olathe South), Audrey Burgoon (Salina), Thomas Yambo-Rios (Leavenworth), Jared Miller (Wichita West), Jayden Wills (Wichita West), Faith Lopez (Leavenworth), Analisa Chavez-Munoz (Hayden), Kat Bacon (Goddard) and Isabel Lazos (Valley Center), Amberly Nash (Goddard), Dominic Santiago (Valley Center), Caleb Rose (Valley Center), Others in attendance: Chad Nulik from Salina – Kansas Thespians Chapter Director and Jennifer Morgan Beuchat from Leavenworth – Kansas Thespian State Board Public Relations. Let's give these students here and in the gallery and across Kansas a big round of applause. REFERENCE OF BILLS AND CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS The following bills were referred to committees as indicated: Agriculture: SB 301. Taxation: SB 419, SB 449. 2674 JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE The Senate accedes to the request of the House for a conference on HB 2542 and has appointed Senators Baumgardner, Alley and Hensley as conferees on the part of the Senate. The Senate accedes to the request of the House for a conference on HB 2571 and has appointed Senators Wilborn, Baumgardner and Haley as conferees on the part of the Senate. The Senate accedes to the request of the House for a conference on HB 2579 and has appointed Senators Wilborn, Baumgardner and Haley as conferees on the part of the Senate. MOTIONS AND RESOLUTIONS OFFERED ON A PREVIOUS DAY On motion of Rep. Gallagher, HR 6055, A RESOLUTION urging the small business community in Kansas to assist in developing a model for saving for retirement that can be accessible to working Kansans, was adopted. The following remarks of Rep. Gallagher are spread upon the Journal: HR 6055 is a resolution urging the small business community in Kansas to assist in developing a model for saving for retirement that is accessible to working Kansans. This resolution was requested by AARP Kansas. The AARP Public Policy Institute has provided the following statistics regarding Kansans and their access to retirement savings plans and their preparedness for retirement. Access to an employer-based retirement plan is critical for building financial security later in life. Yet, about 42 percent of Kansas’ private sector employees – roughly 423,000 – work for an employer that does not offer a retirement plan. Significant numbers of workers at all levels of earnings and education do not have the ability to use payroll deductions to save for retirement. Small-business employees are less likely to have a retirement plan. Workers in Kansas businesses with fewer than 100 employees are much less likely to have access to a plan (64 percent without access) than workers in larger businesses (28 percent without access). And, only 20 percent of those who work for businesses with fewer than 10 employees have access to a retirement plan at work. Workers at all education levels do not have a plan. About 68 percent of workers who did not have a high school degree did not have an employer-provided retirement plan – a much higher percentage than workers with some college (45 percent) or a bachelor’s degree or higher (29 percent). Workers at all earnings levels do not have a plan. More than 338,000 Kansas employees with annual earnings of $40,000 or less did not have access to a workplace plan. These workers represent about 80 percent of the 423,000 employees without an employer-provided retirement plan. Access to a plan differs substantially by race and ethnicity. About 56 percent of Hispanic workers and about 45 percent of African Americans lacked access to an employer-provided retirement plan. Social Security is essential to retirement security, but its average retirement benefit in Kansas is only $1,281 a month. And, 47.9% of Kansans rely on Social Security for 50 percent or more of their retirement income. MARCH 28, 2018 2675 Nearly 45 percent of working-age households in the United States do not own any retirement assets, and among those who do save for retirement in Kansas, the average 401(k) balance is only about $23,000. Research shows that offering a person a way to save for retirement through their job dramatically increases their ability to save, and workers are 20 times more likely to save for retirement if they can do so automatically out of their paycheck. Access to payroll deduction retirement savings plans allows individuals to build their own economic security. Such plans help workers achieve economic security through their own efforts. Greater access could also help improve economic mobility and reduce wealth disparity. AARP Kansas’ data show that, regardless of political affiliation, 68% of those surveyed believe that the state should do more to encourage retirement savings. Half of all households are at risk of financial insecurity in retirement, causing taxpayers to shoulder the burden of ensuring that retirees have their basic needs met through social safety net programs. Kansas could save $51.7 million on public assistance programs between 2018 and 2032 if lower-income retirees save enough to increase their retirement income by $1,000 more per year. Making it easier for small businesses to offer a retirement plan to their workers and making it easier for employees to save their own money for retirement should be a high priority for policymakers. It is in the best interest of Kansas small business employees, Kansas small business owners, taxpayers and for the state of Kansas to take action to enable Kansans to prepare for their futures and allow them to be self-sufficient in retirement, rather than depend on government services. HR 6055 resolves that the Kansas House of Representatives encourage Kansans to prepare for retirement in a financially secure manner, to develop a retirement plan individually or through the workplace and to support state leaders in taking any and all measures necessary to make this an obtainable goal.