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Kansas Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee introduces three RS bills, reviews rules and previews five budgets
Summary
At a committee meeting (date not provided in transcript), senators introduced three RS committee bills — on surrendered neonatal animals, food additives in school lunches, and water project grant criteria — reviewed a rule requiring members to address conferees by title, scheduled an executive session for a Legislative Post Audit report, and previewed five agency budgets. Introductions occurred by unanimous consent; no formal votes were recorded.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources met to introduce committee bills, review internal rules, and preview several upcoming agency budgets. The transcript supplied does not include a calendar date for the session; all timing references below come from the meeting transcript.
Senator Doug Shane introduced three RS bills that the chair accepted as committee bills by unanimous consent. Shane described RS 262733 as “an act concerning animals” that would address surrendered animals and “the ability to send those animals to foster care if they're neonatal animals — so puppies and kittens,” and the chair directed that RS 262733 be introduced as a committee bill. Shane also introduced, on behalf of Senator Kenny Titus, RS 2745 regarding food additives in school lunches and RS 2538 concerning criteria for grants from the water project and technical assistance funds; the chair accepted both as committee bills with no objection.
The meeting was largely informational. The chair reviewed committee rules and highlighted rule No. 9, saying committee members are expected to address conferees and staff by title (last name) rather than by first name, and that he would enforce that practice to maintain decorum. The chair also told members the committee represents a broad cross-section of Kansas counties and, by his count, about 49 counties were represented in full or in part by committee membership.
The committee scheduled an executive session for the next day to receive a Legislative Post Audit report; the chair said that report requires executive session and should remain confidential. When asked whether the executive session would exclude the public, the chair clarified it would be limited to committee members, Legislative Post Audit staff, and any invited agency representative, with microphones off and the gallery emptied.
The chair previewed the committee’s forthcoming budget work: five agency budgets were named for upcoming work and reporting to the Ways and Means Committee — the agriculture budget; the wildlife and parks budget; the Kansas State Fair budget; the Water Office budget; and an Environment Division of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He said the committee would hear and work three of those budgets next week (to meet reporting deadlines) and two the following week.
There were no recorded roll-call votes on the matters discussed. Introductions of the three RS bills were carried by unanimous consent (“without objection”) as reflected in the transcript. The chair adjourned the meeting, reminded members that future meetings would start at 8:30 a.m., and closed the session.
What happens next: the committee will reconvene tomorrow for the scheduled executive session on the Legislative Post Audit report and will begin budget hearings next week, at which point staff and committee members may present detailed budget documents and amendments.
