Representative Anthony Brown (R- Eudora) has submitted a redistricting map for the state’s federal congressional districts. The is dubbed “The I-70 District” map.

This plan is one of many proposed plans. Hearings on all of the plans may begin next week. Several plans deal with which districts should represent Douglas and Wyandotte counties. Some plans seperate them others keep them together.

It is no secret that the Republicans wish to re-arrange the current 3rd Congressional District in order to remove Democratic leaning voters from the 3rd and put them in the 1st District, which is overwhelmingly Republican voters. Successfully changing these boundaries would create a district that would be highly unlikely to elect a Democrat to the U. S. Congress from the 3rd District in the future.

The Republicans want to create a district that makes it supremely difficult to repeat the electoral victories of any future candidate like former Democratic Representative Dennis Moore. His success has shown the Republicans that they need to make these changes while they are in an overwhelming majority in the Kansas legislature. This practice is called, “Gerrymandering”.

I’ve always been proud of Kansas as a state with good roads and good jobs. New legislation in Topeka will deliver a blow to both, killing 175,000 jobs. Politicians want to cancel highway-building, and 175,000 new jobs while benefiting their corporate cronies.

I’m a Democrat; I support Education Opportunity and Responsibility. This legislation kills opportunity for 175,000 Kansan families, it ignores our responsibility to provide good infrastructure for business growth in Kansas. The Kansas economy needs jobs not tax cuts for big corporations.

Call your representative in Topeka and tell them to leave highway funding alone.

The Kansas Democratic Party welcomes Dakota Loomis as the state party’s communications director. KDP Executive Director Jason Perkey announced the addition today.

Loomis, a Lawrence native, has been working as deputy chief of staff for the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office for the last three years.

The announcement was made on the KDP web site blog.

Since Kris Kobach has joined Mitt Romney’s advisory committee he is recommending a policy of “Attrition Through Enforcement” for illegal immigrants. The plan is also referred to as “Self-deportation.”

Mr. Romney already has the most aggressive illegal immigration policy of the top three Republican candidates for President. Mr. Kobach’s advice looks to strengthen it even more.

The state’s telecommunications companies have called for rejection of the plan to raise disaster relief funds by using the Kansas Universal Service Fee (KUSF).

The fee is used by the companies to provide phone and internet service to disabled people and rural areas of the state. The plan to use the money for disaster relief would take an estimated $10 million a year from the fund.

Lobbyists from AT&T Kansas, Sprint, Verizon and Century Link attended a committee hearing to voice their collective disapproval of the plan. Although they generally support a plan to insititute a disaster relief fund, they contend that money should not come from the KUSF. It should come from general revenues.

The GOP House Republican leadership has proposed a tax cut plan that would take money away from highway projects. The state’s T-Works program is a multi-billion dollar highway projects fund. It was initiated and funded as a highway transportation bill in 2010.

Supporters of the highway project funding were in staunch opposition to the proposal to cut the funding as part of a tax cut plan. The plan looks to cut state income taxes. It would use sales tax revenue slated for T-Works in order to reduce income taxes.

The plan could reduce funding for T-Works by as much as $351 million over two years. That would severely reduce the number of highway improvement projects that the program was designed to implement.

The leadership’s plan has bi-partisan opposition. It is unclear how it will be resolved.

Governor Sam Brownback has proposed establishing a fund to be used for the state’s obligation for federal disaster relief. Currently, the state must pay 10% of the amount in federally declared disaster relief claims. Brownback’s proposal is to start the fund with $12 million. However, the some Senators are looking to increase that amount to $22 million.

The reason is that current disaster relief claims would not be covered by the $12 million. The estimated amount would add another $10 million.

Two sources of the funds discussed are taxes on insurance premiums and fees from the Kansas Universal Service Fund that are collected through  telephone bills.

The Kansas House of Representatives Elections Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday February 15, on legislation to allow current office holders to transfer campaign cash to a seperate run for another office.

Currently, House members must must dispose of left-over campaign cash through one of three options. They can send the money to a state political party, return it to donors or donate to a charity.

The bill has plenty of detractors on both sides of the isle. If it is passed by the House, there is no guarantee it will make it through the Senate.

The bill would give incumbent office holders a tremendous financial advantage over any challenger. The fairness of the proposal is a hot button issue in the deliberations.

There are four news items on the Topeka Capital-Journal web site covering legislative activities.

1) A private dinner followed by discussions on legislative issues between Governor Brownback and Republican legislators.

2)  House panel endorses citizenship bill. The House Elections Committee has endorsed the proof of citizenship requirement.

3) House Committee on Federal and State Affairs begins hearings on the “No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act”.

4) State income tax debate accelerates

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is joining Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. He will be an unpaid advisor on immigration issues.