First week of the session

Greetings! Welcome to the first “Moser Minute”, designed to give you a quick peek inside the happenings of the Capitol.

Week One: The House is doing everything it can to minimize the spread of Covid 19 during our daily interactions. Social distancing, regular sanitizing of surfaces and hands (there is sanitizer everywhere!), wearing of masks and making testing widely available are all happening. Legislators have the option to meet with committees virtually through WebEx, another safety protocol. While there are system hiccups, the IT team is doing an amazing job helping everyone get where they need to be with computers, and getting virtual meetings going in the hearings. Please follow the entire legislative session on the Legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org and by clicking on the audio/ video tab in the upper right corner. We need to stay healthy so we can do the work we were sent to Topeka to accomplish. My hat is off to the entire maintenance crew for keeping the Capitol spotless and sanitized! Also, the office assistants and all who provide us with information through out the week are to be commended. I have heard many comments from veteran legislators and Capitol staff how different this session is, but to me, it’s all new!

The House Federal & State Affairs committee, to which I have been appointed, heard testimony Friday, January 15th, on the Value Them Both Amendment to the Kansas Constitution. A well-constructed document, the Amendment will protect mothers and babies from the trauma of abortion. Testimony was emotional and heartfelt. I pledge my effort to see that this amendment passes for a vote of the people of Kansas. We must give Kansans an opportunity to address unregulated abortion in our state, a circumstance created by the Kansas Supreme Court’s decision in April 2019.

Senator Bowers has introduced the Highway Renaming bill. It should pass without issue and be over to the House side in a few weeks. Currently, emphasis is being placed on the Value Them Both Amendment, increasing property tax transparency (that bill is in the Senate now), the unemployment system, and reforming our state’s emergency management act to keep local control in times of disaster. The current act is set to expire on January 26th, and we need to keep that measure updated for the good of all Kansans.

I represent you. Please reach out to me about an issue near and dear to your heart. I have fielded several emails asking me to support Value Them Both, which I will do with my “YES” on the House floor when that time comes. I have also been contacted about Convention of States and am looking forward to that conversation. The Legislative hotline is 1-800-432-3942 open 8-5 weekdays. I can be reached at lisa. moser@house.ks.gov ; my Capitol office phone number is 785.296.7637; and my home phone number 785.456.3876. Please leave a message if I don’t answer. Thanks to all for your support and interest in the legislative process.