| Downturn’s ripples reach governments at the grass roots |
When wary consumers hoard their money, they don’t pay as much sales tax. And if you’re laid off, you don’t pay income tax. “I think we’re in a five- to 10-year economic downturn,” said Kansas Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican who led a push last spring to trim $35 million from the budget because of economic worries. “None of us were doing this in the ’30s, so we don’t know how bad it could get. But I don’t think this is a short-term problem.” |
| Kansas City Star Editorial Board Endorses David Wysong |
| Voters have clear choices in many of the races. The Star editorial board’s recommendations for contested seats include, "District 7 - Republican David Wysong, the incumbent from Mission Hills, should return to Topeka and lead the charge for a statewide smoking ban. He is the founder of a capital management firm. His Democratic challenger, Susan Myers, shows potential, but Wysong is a good senator." |
| Senators attempt to address state's budget concerns |
A black cloud on the state's fiscal horizon pushed senators to take a drastic measure early this morning to strip out virtually all new spending in the wrap-up budget bill.After four hours of debate on the budget that included numerous amendments, Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, offered an amendment that removed all state general fund spending except that directed toward Medicaid caseloads and K-12 appropriations. "Even if I get beat in November, I would say to myself I did the right thing for the state of Kansas," Wysong said. |
| Budget cuts on the way in Kansas |
| Budget cuts are in the offing amid lagging revenue and fears of a weakening economy. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius Friday told state agencies to look for 1 to 2 percent budget cuts. No cuts are proposed yet; Sebelius has the final say. “We just have to be very prudent,” said Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican. “We’re in a very bad downward cycle. It’s an international recession.” |
| Wysongs give challenge grant to JCCC program |
| A Mission Hills couple is donating a challenge grant that will give Johnson County Community College’s hospitality management program a hearty serving of financial support. Kansas Sen. David Wysong has announced a $750,000 challenge gift to help raise $1.5 million in support of the JCCC program. David and his wife, Kathy, have agreed to match donation gifts dollar for dollar through the Wysong Family Foundation... |
| Kansas needs statewide smoking ban |
| Congratulations to Mission for passing a ban on smoking and to Prairie Village, which is expected to pass a ban next week. Almost every city in Johnson County has passed an ordinance to protect its work force. I have attempted to get a statewide smoking ban passed for the last two years. Through the research I have assembled, I have learned that it takes, on average, three to four years to get such a law through a state legislative process. (Read David's full guest editorial...) |
| Kansas eyes are upon us |
| If you are ho-hum about local politics, you should be riveted over the next several months. That’s when Johnson County voters will be knee-deep into one of the most intense local primary and general elections in recent memory. In fact, the stakes are so high, the entire political world of Kansas will be watching, because as we go, probably so goes the state Senate. With the exception of State Sen. David Wysong’s seat, which is in the northeast part of the county and is a safe seat for moderates, all other state Senate seats are up for grabs and could turn the tide in the way Johnson County is represented and the way the entire Kansas state Senate majority is comprised. |
| Legislative Session Proves Pivotal for Kansas Children and Their Families |
| The Legislature adjourned earlier this month after making a significant commitment to initiatives that will benefit Kansas children and their families. "This Legislature has made a pivotal investment in our next generation," said Shannon Cotsoradis, executive vice president and COO of Kansas Action for Children. "The action taken this Session will result in more Kansas children having access to health, education and economic opportunities. Communities across the state will benefit from these investments in our future." (Read the full newsletter...) |
| JoCo research initiative: Seminal moment or Bermuda tax triangle? |
| Ray Merrick: Triangle backed by good ol' boys Annabeth Surbaugh: Triangle gets her vote In a bold and unusual move, Johnson County commissioners agreed to ask voters to consider financing a research triangle that could propel the county into a top-tier center for higher education. Even though the triangle will be of "utmost importance to Johnson County and the state," Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican, said there's no money available to the state to make it work without Johnson County playing the critical role. (Full story...) |
| Healthy Choice - Initiatives focus on nutritional education |
| On May 8, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius attended the dedication of the Edible Schoolyard at JCCC’s Hiersteiner Child Development Center. The garden is part of the Wysong Initiatives to support the JCCC hospitality management program. State Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, said he supports education and looked for a way to support the college. “I told them I was interested in a couple of projects in the school. I looked to do something in the school about obesity and nutrition, helping the international culinary team and any facility upgrades,” he said. “From that we put together a major report which was called the Wysong Initiatives.” |
| Children help dedicate ‘edible schoolyard’ garden at JCCC |
| At the Hiersteiner Child Development center, students weren’t just planting squash and blueberry bushes — they were planting seeds of knowledge about healthy eating. The edible schoolyard is just the first of five initiatives set out by the school’s hospitality management program as part of the Wysong Challenge. Wysong and his wife, Kathy, announced earlier this year that they would donate a $750,000 challenge gift to help raise $1.5 million in support of the school’s culinary and hospitality management programs. |
| Winners and losers of the Kansas legislative session |
| Sen. David Wysong (UP): The Mission Hills Republican won a battle to slash spending in the session’s last budget bill and championed a (so far unsuccessful) statewide smoking ban. (Full Story...) |
| Coal plant bill OK’d by Kansas Senate |
The Senate on Tuesday night voted 24-10 to approve an economic development package that would strip a regulator of the discretion he used last year to reject, because of concerns about climate change, Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s project for Holcomb. One power plant opponent, David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican, vented his frustration on the Senate floor. “I resent having to be here today, voting on this for the eighth time,” he said. |
| Kansas budget takes big hit with $130 million revenue loss |
| So many needs. So little state money. And the pot got even smaller Wednesday. Kansas budget experts predicted a decline of almost $130 million in state tax revenue, a product of the nation’s difficult economy. With the nation facing a tough economy in the months ahead, lawmakers are worried about the 2010 budget, said Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican. “We just can’t afford more spending right now,” he said. |
| Third of incumbents file for re-election |
| One-third of the Legislature’s members have filed for re-election so far this year. Many incumbents procrastinate, but others filed for re-election a year ago. Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican, was the first, filing on Feb. 20, 2007. |
| 'Some pollution is OK' - Johnson County senators, excpet Wysong, support coal-fired power plants |
| The fate of two $3.6 million coal-fired power plants in western Kansas remains unknown, but most state senators from Johnson County support the plants. Of Johnson County’s seven senators, David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, cast the sole vote against SB 327. Wysong said constituents in his district told him they opposed the bill. “My district is concerned about global warming and we listened to them,” he said. |
| Senate committee adopts state smoking ban bill |
The battle over a statewide smoking ban caught fire Monday with adoption by a Senate committee of a controversial bill that would prohibit people from lighting up in restaurants, bars and most other indoor spaces. Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican and chief sponsor of the measure, said the issue of public smoking would be a theme of this year's legislative campaigns if Senate Bill 660 stalled out. |
| Revenue Estimates ‘Crucial’ For Legislature |
| Lingering in committee are several bills that would aid older Kansans on fixed incomes, but many would either increase state spending or reduce revenue. And those have hit a brick wall. “No new spending” has become the new mantra. “An air of fiscal responsibility has settled over the Legislature,” said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, an Independence Republican. Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican, put it more bluntly: “I said all along that we’re going to have a recession. … I believe we’ll be taking money away rather than spending it before the session is over.” |
| Statewide smoking ban bill introduced |
| The Senate Judiciary Committee, at the request of several senators, agreed to introduce legislation calling for the ban, setting punishments for violators and mandating a county-by-county vote in November to determine if a county will participate. "The bottom line is that people will get a chance to vote," said Sen. Roger Reitz, R-Manhattan, and sponsor of the bill. Sens. David Wysong, R-Leawood, Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, and Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka, are the other chief sponsors of the measure. (Full story...) |
| Scholarship Established for Women Student-Athletes Who Study Journalism |
| Kansas Sen. David Wysong and his wife, Kathy, of Mission Hills have established a $100,000 endowed scholarship with KU Endowment through their Wysong Family Foundation. The first scholarship will be awarded in fall 2008. Wysong earned his bachelor's degree in journalism at KU in 1972. The couple have longstanding and close ties with KU's athletics department. (Full story...) |
| Ban on public smoking backed |
A statewide ban on smoking in public places has the support of five state senators who work in the health care field. A similar proposal died in committee last legislative session, but the idea got a boost when the Kansas Health Policy Authority in November included it in its recommendations for health reform. "I always have said this is an issue that would take several years to pass," said Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, who first proposed a statewide smoking ban last year. |
| Power Plant Forum Scheduled |
Sen. Wysong has coordinated and is co-sponsoring an information forum with other legislators on the Sunflower coal powered power plant issue. The forum will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 24 at the Shawnee Mission South High School Auditorium. Speakers will include a spokesman from the Plant, an official from Southwest Kansas, Kansas Department of Health & Environment, and the Sierra Club. The public is invited. |
| Senator Wysong to Speak at Event |
Kansas State Senator David Wysong will be the featured speaker at press conference on October 11th at Marks, Nelson, Vohland & Campbell, LLC, 7701 College Blvd., Suite 150. This press conference, hosted by the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence organization, is part a series to celebrate Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and will announce new funding for domestic and sexual violence advocacy programs statewide. |
| Kansas panel rejects call for statewide smoking ban |
| Lawmakers again took a pass on recommending a statewide public smoking ban, though no one expects the issue to go away anytime soon. A panel given the task of reviewing state smoking regulation voted not to endorse calls for a statewide ban, saying it's an issue best left to local government. (Full story) |
| Senator Wysong on Board of Directors for Kansas, Inc. |
| Senator David Wysong has been appointed to the Board of Directors for Kansas, Inc. - an organization dedicated to identifying oppoturnities and promoting economic development efforts in the State of Kansas. |
| Statewide smoking ban has support |
Results from a poll of Kansas voters released Thursday show broad support for a statewide smoking ban in workplaces and other public settings. The survey also found a majority of respondents willing to back a higher state tobacco tax. (Full story) |
| Sebelius indicates disapproval of KUMC affiliation proviso |
The Legislature added a measure to its final budget that would require Kansas University Medical Center to reach an agreement with KU Hospital before it could form a research alliance with the hospital’s rival, St. Luke’s in Kansas City, Missouri. “This is one of the biggest mistakes this Legislature will ever make,” said state Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills. (Full story...) |
| Study confirms that 80% of all Kansans Want Clean Air |
State Senator David Wysong (R – Mission Hills, District 7) was pleased with the findings announced by the Sunflower Foundation at their June 28th press conference. “In an age when elections are decided and legislation is passed by just a handful of votes, I’m encouraged to read that an over-whelming majority of Kansans – 83% – recognize second-hand smoke as a health hazard.” (Read the Press Release) |
| Senators oppose hospital directive |
| A bipartisan group of seven senators Friday urged Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to veto a measure requiring outside approval of any affiliation between The University of Kansas Medical Center and St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. The St. Luke's system operates 11 hospitals, and the KU medical center includes its medical school. Some legislators worry the deal will siphon doctors out of Kansas and hurt The University of Kansas Hospital... (Full story) |
| Gaming bill to bring work, play |
| Pittsburg State students should see their part-time job prospects improve significantly in the next few years, after the Kansas Legislature approved expanded casino gaming last week. With the anticipated reopening of the Camptown Greyhound Park in Frontenac and the opening of a casino in either Crawford or Cherokee County, the entire area will see economic benefits of the bill... (Full story) |
| Task force far from repair bill consensus |
From higher taxes to higher student fees, a task force studying how to pay for a huge repair bill at state universities produced a lot of ideas but little consensus. “We’re not even close,” said Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, as the task force finished its business Thursday... |
| Full Senate approves concealed carry without amendments |
| The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 418, the concealed carry of firearms bill and sent it on to the full Senate. A floor amendment by Senator David Wysong (R-Mission Hills) to prohibit firearms in churches failed. Another Wysong motion to prohibit firearms in public libraries also failed. (More information...) |
| Wysongs help chair SafeHome Capital Campaign |
| Senator David Wysong & Kathy Wysong joined with Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson & Stacy Parkinson, and Attorney General Paul Morrison & Joyce Morrison to help raise $6.2 million for SafeHome - the only organization in Johnson County that provides shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic violence. |
| Lawmakers grapple with university repairs |
| Lawmakers on Thursday wrestled with the issue of paying for hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs at public universities, hoping to get a plan together next week. “We have nearly a $1.5 billion deferred maintenance problem. This problem is never going to go away,” said state Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills... |