Location: Kansas legislature, the House
Time: House and Senate convene at 10:00 a.m.
Bills/ Legislative Action:
- Sine die is traditionally a ceremonial occasion, but official business can still be transacted on this day.
- As the media has widely reported, House Speaker Melvin Neufeld has announced that there will be no attempt to override the Governor’s third veto of legislation allowing Sunflower Electric to construct a proposed 1400 MW of coal-fired generation, and restricting the role of the KDHE Secretary to protect Kansans’ health and environment.
Summary: There was no motion to override the third coal bill or its trailer. There was a motion to suspend the rules to consider a motion to concur on the extension of tax credits for the wind turbine manufacturer who is considering Kansas, and it was shot down, 49-47. CEP will check the recorded vote tomorrow.
Notes: This entry will be updated during the day, so please hit your refresh button occasionally to see if there is any new news. Also, if the entry gets long enough I will hide it behind a cut, and a “read more of the entry” link will appear for you to click.
****************************
Deja vu all over again. Here we are once more, waiting for the gavel crack- prayer- pledge- business- recess- adjournment cycle to start. It could go really quick, really slow, or somewhere in between. Like usual.
Also, remember the Murphy’s law that dogs observers of the Kansas legislature – if you decide to go sit in the House, it will be the Senate that does something interesting. And vice versa.
Outside the doors of the House, the rumor mill is still going – more so in terms of the upcoming elections, though, rather than questions about what might happen today. In that respect, the energy (ha) of the discussion has indeed shifted.
What are the rumors about sine die? Here’s one I can repeat – it sounded like some legislators were possibly considering some last day business involving not coal plants, but wind turbines.
As many of you know, there seems to be a chance that a major wind turbine manufacturer is considering Kansas as a possible location. There are tax credits involved – these credits are already authorized and remain in effect through 2009. The 2009 legislature could act to extend the credits further (their extension was actually part of the third vetoed coal bill, which was packaged as an economic development initiative). (Procedurally, though, how would that work?)
At any rate. There was some discussion that maybe on sine die, the legislators who show up could go ahead and do the extension then.
Check back in around 10:00!
****************************
FYI, while we are waiting – I think that tomorrow, May 30, is also the day that the KCC will release its order regarding the energy efficiency docket (.pdf). The issues under consideration are how to carry out cost-benefit analyses and program evaluations for energy efficiency initiatives, should regulated utilities seek rate recovery for these programs. (This proceeds a second docket later this summer on decoupling.)
If you go to the KCC website, go to the dockets section, and search for 08-GIMX-442-GIV, you will be able to pull up all the pleadings, testimony, etc.
The docket is interesting because if you note the list of participants, it includes many of the usual voices in Kansas energy discussions that you probably came to know during the legislative session. Just speaking in a different forum, and on a very progressive set of energy issues.
********************************
9:47 a.m. – Down on the floor of the House it looks calm, collegial, and not crowded (30 or less so far). Dress code is everything from a natty pale grey summer suit with white shoes, to t-shirt and shorts. Some reps have their kids here. Up here in the gallery, Sierra Club lobbyist Tom Thompson is telling me fishing stories. We have members of the public here too, just hanging out and watching.
Well, more are trickling in. Chatter level going up. Plenty of socializing across party lines.
10:00 gavel crack. we come to order. Speaker orders us all to pay attention more or less. pray and pledge.
Tom asks me how many are here. I say 60 or so. He says “as long as there’s not 84.”
They share their memories of Rep. Ted Powers, who passed away due to a stroke very recently. They also remember that he was a crack shot with a rubber band. His widow, Betty May, speaks.
Tom says there are over 80 here. But not the right votes.
10:10 Far more capitol staff and public in the gallery than lobbyists. But a few lobbyists.
