Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author:

Kansas House now includes lobbyists’ names on the bills they request to increase transparency

Kansas House now includes lobbyists’ names on the bills they request to increase transparency

For years, pinning down the source of a bill in the Kansas Legislature could be a chore for lawmakers’ constituents. Committees sponsor almost 85% of the proposals, so finding the group or lobbyist responsible could require questioning multiple lawmakers or, in recent years, reviewing YouTube videos of meetings. But this year, the Kansas House is making it a little easier for the state’s residents to find out who wants what from its members. Besides a number and official sponsor, each bill now lists who asked for it, be it a lawmaker at someone else’s request or an individual lobbyist for a specific client. The change started in January. It’s an unusual move for any state legislature. While at least a handful of states require lobbyists to list specific bills of interest to them in reports open for public inspection, the Council of State Governments knows of no other state legislative chamber that’s actually listing lobbyists and groups on its bills — not even the Kansas Senate. KANSAS JUDGE RULES KEEPING BIOLOGICAL SEX ON IDS DOES NOT HARM TRANSGENDER PEOPLE “I’m thrilled to see it,” said Heather Ferguson, a Kansan who is director of operations for the government transparency group Common Cause. “It helps to rebuild some of the trust with the public in their elected officials and in their institutions and in the legislative process in general.” In Kansas, House Bill 2527, which would rewrite laws on how the state sets electric rates, was requested by a lobbyist for Evergy, the state’s largest electricity company. A Kansas Farm Bureau lobbyist proposed HB 2691, which would require utilities seeking to use eminent domain to obtain an entire tract of private land for transmission lines and other projects to pay the owners 50% more than fair market value. In some offices and hallways under the Kansas Statehouse’s copper dome, the response to the new practice has been less enthusiastic than Ferguson’s reaction, though lobbyists won’t publicly criticize it. Eric Stafford, who lobbies for the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, said he doesn’t care, “as long as it’s consistent.” Because the extra disclosure is spelled out in the House Rules — it’s No. 7.01 — the Kansas Senate isn’t required to follow it. In fact, Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he hadn’t really thought about the idea, “but it doesn’t scare me.” However, he also asserted that when it comes to who is behind a bill, “People tend to know that anyway.” At least seven states — Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Utah — have disclosure rules requiring lobbyists to provide information about specific measures their clients are watching, according to Common Cause. Kansas requires lobbyists to file reports on their spending six times a year, but they don’t have to list individual measures. In 2015, a California businessman who was later was a Republican nominee for governor, John Cox, proposed a ballot initiative to require the state’s elected officials to wear stickers or badges “displaying the names of their 10 highest campaign contributors” during public legislative meetings. The drive to get it on the ballot failed. Some members like the House’s greater transparency and appear willing to go even further with it. For example, Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, a Kansas City-area Democrat, responded with “bring it on” when she learned of the 2015 initiative in California, though, she said, lawmakers might end up looking like servers at TGI Fridays restaurants. “I will wear those pieces of flair all day because most of my top donors are awesome groups and even awesomer people,” she said. “I’d gladly do that.” The Kansas House actually changed its rules to require more information on its bills in 2021, but House leaders and staff said it took the Legislature’s technology staff three years to work out the details. The House Rules Committee member who pushed for the change, Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, considers it a meaningful — but small — step toward improving government transparency. Rep. Adam Thomas, a Kansas City-area Republican, said that increased transparency is good, and lawmakers can expect plenty of questions if their name is attached to a bill, whether or not an interest group also is listed. “Now we’ve got to really know what a bill does and what it means and the implications of it,” Thomas said. The change was adopted without discussion, and the rules had broad, bipartisan support. In many states, most measures are sponsored by individual lawmakers, and that was the traditional practice for the Kansas Legislature. Fifty years ago, nearly 70% of bills and resolutions in Kansas were sponsored by individual lawmakers. This year, the figure was a little more than 15%, after decades of committees sponsoring an increasing percentage of bills. Allowing such so-called “anonymous” bills was among the practices that led The Kansas City Star to declare in a 2017 series on Kansas state government that the process of passing laws in its Republican-controlled Legislature was “among the least transparent in the country.” Critics still say the public often has trouble finding out the status of bills on major issues until it is too late to stop them from passing. But David Adkins, a former Kansas legislator who is now executive director and CEO of the Council on State Governments, said lawmakers may have moved to having committees sponsoring bills because it seemed to give them the same kind of credibility as a large, bipartisan group of individual sponsors. It might have been a way to help them cull bills more easily during their annual 90-day session. And, he said, listing the group or lobbyist who requested a bill might serve the same purpose, allowing lawmakers to decide how to vote without reading the text. “At the top of the funnel, time is your worst enemy,” said Adkins, who served in the Legislature from 1993 through 2004. But Adkins also worried that the House’s practice, meant to restore trust, could lead the public to view legislating as “transactional.”

Republicans see embattled Menendez’s potential independent bid as chance to flip Senate seat

Republicans see embattled Menendez’s potential independent bid as chance to flip Senate seat

Republicans in New Jersey are welcoming embattled Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez’s potential independent re-election bid in 2024 as they look to break the party’s decadeslong hold over the state’s U.S. Senate delegation.  After much speculation over whether Menendez would run for re-election — given the various criminal charges he faces of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery, acting as a foreign agent, extortion, and honest services fraud — he revealed that he would not be filing for the Democratic Senate primary.  LATEST CENSUS DATA REVEALS TROUBLE FOR BIDEN IN CRITICAL SWING STATE Instead, Menendez proclaimed his desire to run as an independent if he is exonerated by his summer trial.  “Because of Senator Menendez’s never-ending corruption scandal, enabled by New Jersey Democrats, Republicans have the best chance in 50 years to take back this US Senate seat,” hotel entrepreneur Curtis Bashaw, who is running for the Republican nomination for Senate in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital in a statement.  The other frontrunner for the GOP’s nod, Christine Serrano Glassner, the mayor of the Mendham borough, said in a press release after Menendez’s news, “I welcome ‘Gold Bar Bob’s’ announcement about the Senate race in New Jersey.” HOUSE DEMS URGE BIDEN TO TARGET ISRAEL MILITARY AID OVER GAZA HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS “As I’ve said from the beginning, Menendez should have to face the voters and the people of New Jersey should have the opportunity to repudiate him — and the corruption and cronyism of the Democratic Party as a whole – at the ballot box,” she said. Serrano Glassner has billed herself as the only “America-first” candidate in the GOP primary race.  According to her statement, she is “the best person to take advantage of this opportunity.”  New Jersey Republican Party Chairman Bob Hugin added in an interview with Fox News Digital that “conventional normal analysis” would suggest “this is a good time for Republicans.” However, he warned that Republicans still need to select the best candidate and that candidate has to avoid any missteps.  Further, Hugin explained that “history will not be the indicator necessarily what the future results are going to be,” pointing to a “realignment of the parties.” Hugin was the last Republican Senate challenger to Menendez in 2018, when the senator had recently seen a different set of corruption charges against him dropped. The senator staved off Hugin’s challenge, defeating him by roughly 350,000 votes, 54% to 42.8%.  Menendez’s alleged criminal behavior, partnered with the Democrats no longer retaining the advantage of running an incumbent candidate, has cast a spotlight on New Jersey as a potentially competitive race in 2024. The Cook Political Report lists the contest as “Likely Democrat,” which means it has the ability to become an “engaged” race.  The Democratic nomination appears poised to go to Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J. The other high-profile candidate for the Democratic nomination, Tammy Murphy — wife of Gov. Phil Murphy — ended her campaign on Sunday.  WHITE HOUSE BLASTS HOUSE GOP BUDGET, SAYS BIDEN WON’T LET THEM ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ Reacting to Menendez’s announcement, Kim wrote on X, “I will win in November even if I have to beat Menendez and a Republican simultaneously.” “The balance of the Senate is on the line, and we need the strongest candidate possible to keep this seat blue and the Senate in Democratic control,” he continued.  “It’s an opportunity for Republicans on the assumption that a Bob Menendez presence as an independent will peel off some ostensibly Democratic voters who are loyal to Menendez,” New Jersey Republican pollster Adam Geller told Fox News Digital. Geller is currently working as a pollster for Bashaw’s campaign.  He explained that Menendez might choose to run and he “would do that to punish the Democrats who insisted that he step down. And who he feels, perhaps turned on him or betrayed him.”  Geller said it represents “an incredible opportunity for Republicans because suddenly you don’t need 50% plus one. You can win with a plurality. You can win with less than 50% when three candidates are on the list.” While some Republicans have welcomed Menendez’s participation, Hugin is not confident the incumbent will actually mount a third-party bid. He suggested that the Democratic senator was not serious about running, but was rather challenging the party to promise a pardon if he is convicted. “It’s simply that this is his attempt to tell them, ‘If you don’t want to screw this up, if I get convicted, you’re going to give me a pardon,’” he explained.  FLORIDA GOV RON DESANTIS SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL BILL TO BAN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN UNDER 14 The Republican chairman suggested GOP candidates for the nomination “should be challenging President Biden to say you promise that you will not give a pardon at any time to Senator Menendez,” adding that it’s a “negotiating game.” The White House did not provide comment when contacted by Fox News Digital regarding the potential of a pardon for Menendez.  “I really doubt Menendez would get much support as an independent,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Menendez was previously successful when facing legal challenges because of the Democratic Party’s support. “But without the party label, I just don’t think he’d get enough support to make the math work for a Republican statewide,” said Kondik. However, Bashaw telegraphed confidence to Fox News Digital even in the case that Menendez sits out of the race. “It’s Senator Menendez’s prerogative to run for re-election as an independent,” he explained, adding he believes New Jersey voters “are ready to make a change from the corruption and machine politics that have defined New Jersey Democrat politics for far too long.” Menendez’s campaign did not provide comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. The Republican and Democratic Senate primaries will take place on June 4. 

Trump tells Israel to ‘finish up’ Gaza offensive because nation is ‘losing a lot of support’

Trump tells Israel to ‘finish up’ Gaza offensive because nation is ‘losing a lot of support’

Former President Donald Trump is urging Israeli authorities to “finish up” their offensive into the Gaza region, saying that the world is turning against their campaign. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president in 2024, sat down for an interview with Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom about the ongoing military invasion — and warned that the world was growing tired of the conflict. “You have to finish up your war. You have to finish it up. You’ve got to get it done,” he told the newspaper.  HOUSE DEMS URGE BIDEN TO TARGET ISRAEL MILITARY AID OVER GAZA HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS He continued, “We’ve got to get to peace. You can’t have this going on, and I will say Israel has to be very careful because you are losing a lot of the world. You are losing a lot of support.” Israel has been waging an offensive in the Gaza region since the days following the Oct. 7 massacre — the massive terrorist attack launched by Hamas that killed over 1,200 Israelis citizens. Meanwhile, relations between President Biden’s administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continue to fray. ISRAEL LAUDS CONGRESS’ BLOW TO UN AGENCY WITH ALLEGED HAMAS TIES AS INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE Netanyahu has vowed that an invasion into the city of Rafah is imminent, with or without U.S. approval. “That’s a terrible portrait. It’s a very bad picture for the world,” Trump told the newspaper about Israel’s ground offensive. “I think Israel wanted to show that it’s tough, but sometimes you shouldn’t be doing that.” Palestinian casualties in the conflict following Oct. 7 have passed 30,000, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health. Trump was also sharply critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict during the interview, claiming Hamas would not have committed the Oct. 7 massacre if he had been in office. “He can’t talk. He’s a very dumb person. He’s a dumb person. His foreign policy throughout 50 years has been horrible,” he told Israel Hayom. “If you look at people that were in other administrations with him, they saw him as a weak, ineffective president, they [Hamas] would have never done that attack if I were there.” Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

RFK Jr running mate announcement may boost his presidential ballot access bid

RFK Jr running mate announcement may boost his presidential ballot access bid

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be under the bright lights of the national campaign spotlight on Tuesday, as the Democrat turned independent presidential candidate is scheduled to announce his running mate. The highly touted move will grab tons of media attention for Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty. However, it will also likely boost Kennedy in his goal to get on the presidential ballot in all 50 states, as he needs a running mate to qualify in numerous states. HOW ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.’S RUNNING MATE PICK CAN BOOST HIS CAMPAIGN With a little over seven months to go until the presidential election, Utah is the only state where Kennedy’s name is confirmed. His campaign says he has secured enough signatures to land on the ballot in New Hampshire and Hawaii. The campaign tells Fox News they plan announcements each week going forward regarding their ballot access efforts. While Kennedy is confident he will reach his ballot access goal, attaining it is a costly and time-consuming venture for any candidate not tied to a major political party. WHO IS ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. AND WHY IS HE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT? However, another move could quickly land Kennedy on the ballot from coast to coast.  Kennedy, who is polling in the low double-digits in potential 2024 showdowns with President Biden, former President Trump and other third-party or independent contenders, has held occasional talks since last summer with leaders of the Libertarian Party, to possibly run on their ticket in November. “The Kennedy campaign is keeping all its options open,” campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear reiterated to Fox News in a statement. That is the same line that Kennedy told reporters when he raised eyebrows by speaking at the Libertarian Party of California’s annual convention in late February. His appearance helped the state party draw a record-breaking crowd. The Libertarian Party, which in the last couple of presidential elections has secured ballot access in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, will choose its presidential ticket when its unbound delegates gather for their annual convention this year in late May in Washington, D.C. Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle has held a handful of conversations with Kennedy about obtaining the party’s nomination. Their most recent discussion came at the California convention in late February. McArdle emphasized to Fox News that for candidates seeking the Libertarian Party presidential nomination, “it’s important to show up to state conventions” to seek delegate support.  While Kennedy has not appeared in person at any other Libertarian gatherings, his campaign did have a table earlier this month at the New York convention. Kennedy appeals to many Libertarians, in part due to his repeated criticism of vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Kennedy’s policy differences with the Libertarians, including his strong support for Israel in its war in Gaza with Hamas, could be major sticking points for delegates attending the national convention later this spring.  There are plenty of Libertarians opposed to allowing on their ballot a candidate who is not 100% in-line with their anti-war and non-interventionist positions. While Kennedy is grabbing plenty of media attention, there are more than a dozen announced candidates already vying for the Libertarian Party nomination. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.