Anti-Public Employee Bills Up Tomorrow Morning
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Julia Lynn had planned to work both SB 179, the bill gutting collective bargaining under PEERA, and SB 212, the bill banning the use of payroll deduction for public employee association or union dues.
This morning, in a committee room packed with public employee representatives and teachers in red shirts, Lynn chose only to work SB 179. And after a motion was made to pass the bill out of committee, Lynn announced they would take a “pause” and wait until tomorrow to vote and work SB 212.
The committee will reconvene tomorrow morning at 8:30 in room 548-N. At that time they will consider both bills. There is some thought that they may be considering rolling both bills into one mega anti-public employee bill.
Can you think of a more patriotic way to spend a day of spring break than visiting the Capitol to hold legislators accountable? There were more than 25 teachers in the committee room this morning.
And if you can’t be at the Capitol, be sure to email the Committee.
Click here to send a message on HB 212.House Ed Hears Fingerprinting/Background Check Expansion
The House Education Committee held a hearing on SB 70, a bill that would require all teachers to be fingerprinted and go through a KBI background check upon every license renewal and all other school employees to do so every five years.
Since 2002, all new teachers have been fingerprinted and subject to a background check in order to get a license. Current law also requires teachers licensed prior to 2002 to be fingerprinted and checked upon their next license renewal. Very few teachers, if any, have not completed this requirement.
While KNEA has no objection to background checks, we believe that repeating this every five years with fingerprinting is not necessary. The KBI Rap Back program is sufficient for notice to districts of licensed employees who subsequently are convicted of a crime. This bill would simply at $50 to the cost of a license renewal every five years. Interestingly, the “innovative school districts” are required to pay the cost under the bill while all other teachers must bear the cost personally.
The bill has passed the Senate and will likely be worked in the House Education Committee tomorrow.
Still to Come
The Senate Commerce Committee will be working SB 212 and SB 179 tomorrow morning. Both bills are harmful to public employees and opposed by KNEA.
The House Education Committee will work HB 2139, repealing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented aliens, tomorrow. On Friday they will meet at 10:30 am (pre-KU basketball) to work HB 2292, the bill that would end use of the common core standards, AP tests, and the International Baccalaureate.
