Prepared by Brandon Anderson, SPEEA Legislative Director
TOPEKA – Education and state funding for private schools took up much of the time during the final hours of the regular session in Topeka before it wrapped up on-time on April 9.
State lawmakers will return for a short time in early May for a “veto session” to address bills that were vetoed by the governor and to dispatch the final state budget. The veto session is scheduled for the week of May 2.
Here is how SPEEA’s 2021 legislative priorities fared.
University engineering initiative extension signed into law
HB 2101 was passed by the Kansas legislature and signed into law on April 16. HB 2101 extends the transfer of $10.5 million of lottery revenues to the Kan-Grow engineering fund – a program that invests in expanding in-state engineering degrees.
The law continues the state goal to generate 1,365 graduates per year to meet Kansas’ engineering workforce needs. SPEEA members supported these efforts and are happy to see this bill signed into law.
Tax credit for aerospace related degrees fails in committee
If passed, HB 2328 would have instituted a state income tax credit to employers who provide tuition assistance to their employees in the aerospace and aviation-related field. It would have also established a tax credit for individual employees with degrees who are working in Kansas’ aerospace sector.
SPEEA strongly supported this bill but after a public hearing in the Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee, HB 2328 failed to move forward before the cutoff deadline. During the interim, SPEEA will continue to work with Kansas lawmakers to create a path forward for the bill in the 2022 session.
For more details on SPEEA’s legislative efforts, email Brandon Anderson, SPEEA legislative director, at brandona@speea.org.
Legislative Flier - pdf |
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington Legislature is holding meetings and events remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this year’s unique session, it is critical SPEEA members and families continue to participate during the legislative session.
Participating remotely:
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- Engage – Join SPEEA in union member “calls to action,” hosted events, and remote campaigns.
- Learn – The whole legislative process, from start to finish, is explained here.
- Watch – Go to TVW.org for broadcasts of debates, votes, committee meetings, and other events in the House and Senate.
- Research – Look up legislation by lawmaker or topic, visit the bill information site.
- Testify – Holding a remote session does not mean SPEEA members do not have a voice. The legislature has a new system to submit remote testimony on any bill.
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Contact brandona@speea.org if you are interested in participating in written or public testimony on a bill before the legislature.
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