2008 Senate Bill 453 (Establish rural policy commission)

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• Introduced in the Senate on January 22, 2008, to create a new state agency called the Kansas Commission on Rural Policy, whose role would be facilitating, promoting, financing and performing rural development projects. The bill would authorize hiring staff for the commission and permit it to award financial grants to projects around the state, but does not say how it would be funded.
  • Referred to the Senate Commerce Committee on January 23, 2008.
    • Reported in the Senate on February 26, 2008, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details based on extensive testimony, but keeps the main substance of the bill as previously described. The substitute bill adds more detail to the new Commission's mission and also would create a Division of Rural Development within the Department of Commerce. The Commission would recommend rural economic development policies based on fostering leadership, retaining youth, and promoting and financing rural entrepreneurship. It would work cooperatively with the new Division in the Commerce Department. No estimate of the cost of this bill has been published.
• Passed in the Senate (40 to 0) on February 28, 2008, to create a new state agency called the Kansas Commission on Rural Policy and a new branch of the Kansas Department of Commerce called the Division of Rural Development. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on February 29, 2008.
  • Referred to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee on March 4, 2008.
    • Reported in the House on March 25, 2008, to recommend the bill for passage as amended. Committee amendments changed the proposed new Commission into a solely advisory entity, deleted its proposed authority to award development project grants, and deleted the proposed Rural Development Division within the Department of Commerce .
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Deena Horst on March 27, 2008, to insert definitions that increase the size of cities and counties affected by the Rural Housing Incentive Act in current law. The amendment passed in the House by voice vote on March 27, 2008.
• Passed in the House (93 to 30) on March 28, 2008, to create a new state advisory panel called the Kansas Commission on Rural Policy . [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the Senate on March 28, 2008.
  • Motion by Sen. Karin Brownlee on March 28, 2008, to not approve the House version of the bill, but to send the bill to a conference committee to negotiate the two chambers' differences. The motion passed in the Senate by voice vote on March 28, 2008.
• Received in the House on April 3, 2008.
  • Motion by Rep. Jason Watkins on April 3, 2008, to adopt a compromise version of the bill reported by a House-Senate conference committee. The report recommends creating a new state advisory panel called the Kansas Commission on Rural Policy, with help to the new Commission provided by the Department of Commerce rather than the quasi-public research group Kansas, Inc. The conference committee report also stripped out provisions relating to the Rural Housing Incentive Act and inserted provisions detailing how tax-favored donations to certain regional development foundations may be spent. The motion failed in the House by voice vote on April 3, 2008.
• Motion by Rep. John Grange on April 30, 2008, to adopt a second compromise version of the bill reported by a House-Senate conference committee. This second conference committee report is identical to the failed first report except that it re-inserts provisions relating to the Rural Housing Incentive Act that increase the size of cities and counties to which that act applies.
• The motion passed in the House (88 to 37) on April 30, 2008, to adopt the second conference committee report, creating a new state advisory panel called the Kansas Commission on Rural Policy. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Motion by Sen. Karin Brownlee on May 3, 2008, to adopt the conference committee report that was approved earlier by the House .
• The motion passed in the Senate (38 to 0) on May 3, 2008, approving the conference committee report, creating a new state advisory panel called the Kansas Commission on Rural Policy, and thereby forwarding the bill to the governor for her consideration. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Signed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on May 18, 2008.

Comments

Introduced in the Senate on January 22, 2008. Passed in the Senate (40 to 0) on February 28, 2008. New Comment