TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators were discussing a short-term education funding fix Thursday to satisfy a state Supreme Court order while also debating longer-term proposals for curbing the court’s power to force school finance changes.
…State Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, said his plan would be to fully comply with the court’s most recent order, rather than pursue constitutional changes.
TOPEKA — The House GOP’s campaign operation wants Kansans to call the state Supreme Court ahead of a special legislative session on school finance — an unusual attempt to exhort the public to lobby justices.
In a message released Wednesday, the Kansas House Republican Campaign Committee implies the Supreme Court is about to close schools. Citizens are urged to call the court and ask it “to put our kids first.”
…
Rep. John Carmichael, a lawyer and the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said whoever designed the ad needs to take a civics class. The court, he said, should not be influenced by public opinion, telephone calls or political advertising.
“It’s entirely appropriate to call elected officials to try to influence their decisions in making legislation,” Carmichael said, adding the governor also is regularly approached by citizens. “When we talk about the courts, it’s an entirely different set of rules, and that’s because the courts’ allegiance is to the law.”
Republicans urge public to call Kansas Supreme Court over school funding dispute
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Lawmakers in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will begin discussion Thursday to fix the state’s school funding formula.
Representative John Carmichael, D-Wichita, is on the House Judiciary Committee and says they will have two days of hearings, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Statehouse.
He says one of the proposals is to remove the Supreme Court’s power to enforce its orders with respect to school finance.
“I expect there’s going to be some fireworks,” said Rep. Carmichael.
The hearing is in response to a Supreme Court decision that the state school funding formula is unconstitutional and inequitable. Lawmakers will have to come up with $38M to make funding constitutional, and put more money into poor districts.
“What the Kansas Supreme Court has done is in line with what virtually every other court presented in the nation with this type of a problem has done, so I’m not at all surprised by the court’s ruling,” said Rep. Carmichael.
Last week, Gov. Brownback signed a proclamation for a Special Session that will begin on June 23; That gives lawmakers seven days to come up with a solution before the Supreme Court shuts down schools on July 1.
“Some of us are going to be vocal about this tomorrow,” said Rep. Carmichael.
http://www.wibw.com/content/news/State-Judiciary-Committees-to-begin-discussions-on-school-funding-Thursday-383212611.html
Democratic Representative John Carmichael of Wichita said it would be irresponsible of legislators to delay an education funding solution with a dispute over bathrooms.
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he was pleased to hear that Republicans “are not intending to delay compliance with the court’s order” in order to have a discussion about bathrooms.
“It would be irresponsible for us to close schools in Kansas because the Legislature is in a fight over who uses what bathroom,” Carmichael said.
http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article83548437.html
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he had been concerned Brownback might advocate that lawmakers defy the court. But he said he was gratified Brownback is encouraging the Legislature to comply with the ruling.
“I will give the governor credit for having stepped up to the plate and explaining, indeed, we need to follow the law as determined by the Supreme Court and that we need to restore an equitably funding plan for public education,” Carmichael said.
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he had been concerned that Brownback might advocate that lawmakers defy the court. But he said he was gratified Brownback is encouraging the Legislature to comply with the ruling.
“I will give the governor credit for having stepped up to the plate and explaining, indeed, we need to follow the law as determined by the Supreme Court and that we need to restore an equitably funding plan for public education,” Carmichael said.
“We also are looking at this situation in the context of the judicial retention election where the five of the seven justices of the Supreme Court are up for retention,” said Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat who sits on the House Judiciary Committee. “This is part of a continuing effort to intimidate the courts by threatening their jobs, by threatening their authority, by threatening their funding.
“And it’s very unfortunate that many of my Republican colleagues and my old law school classmate, the governor, apparently do not respect the rule of law and think the courts will succumb to these types of tactics. And I’m confident that our court will not.”
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said if Republicans don’t want the court to be able to rule on school finance, they should bring an amendment “to eliminate the requirement of a suitable education for Kansas schoolchildren.”
“If that’s really what the voters of this state and the citizens of the state believe is a good idea, then that’s what they need to bring, simply to say, ‘We don’t have to adequately fund our schools and it’s not a constitutional requirement in Kansas,’” Carmichael said. “Now, I don’t think that’s the state that any of us want to live in.”
…
Carmichael predicted the proposal would fall short of the 84 votes needed to pass in the House, pointing out that an attempt to change the way Kansas Supreme Court justices are selected fell short of the minimum votes needed earlier this year.
The proposal’s real intent is to serve as “political theater and a sideshow to try and distract voters from the real crisis in Kansas,” Carmichael said.
http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article82765242.html
“If the governor fails to call a special session, than we need to have the wheels in motion,” said Rep. John Carmichael, (D) Wichita.
…Democrats say they know the petition may not be needed but, given the time limit lawmakers are facing, add it’s better to be safe than sorry.“If the governor does in fact call the special session, than no harm, no foul, quite frankly,” said Carmichael.
http://www.kwch.com/content/news/Lawmakers-want-special-section-to-fix-school-funding-381927621.html