KU Legislative Update

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February 29, 2008

Legislature reaches half-time of the session

The Kansas Legislature has officially reached "half-time" of the 2008 session, with countless hours spent reviewing and debating hundreds of individuals bills and amendments. By and large, the session has been consumed with the debate over energy needs and specifically the proposed coal-fired power plants near Holcomb.

Also consuming lawmakers' attention was the news that the federal economic stimulus package would wipe out more than $80 million in anticipated Kansas tax receipts. That one-time economic shortfall had a chilling effect on state budget discussions. Suddenly the conversation changed from key investments to avoiding budget cuts.

Education, however, remains a top funding priority for state legislators and we remain optimistic that we will be treated fairly among budget priorities. Concerned about tuition costs, lawmakers are often reminded that maintaining adequate state support is a vital ingredient in maintaining access to higher education for our state's students.

Here's a quick snapshot of key issues for KU in this session:

• School of Pharmacy Expansion. As the state's only pharmacy school, KU has an important responsibility in training the pharmacy workforce to meet our state's health needs. Currently, enrollment is at its maximum capacity of 105 students. Another 300 or so students apply each year, but there is no capacity for them at KU. We are asking the legislature for authority to expand our School of Pharmacy, with a new satellite campus in Wichita and added capacity in Lawrence. If approved, our graduating class could nearly double when fully implemented. You can help by contacting your legislators and urging them to support our School of Pharmacy expansion project. Visit kslegislature.org to find your legislators.
• Cancer Center at KU Med Center. The efforts to build a world-class cancer research and treatment center for our state continue to make major advances. Several years ago, the Kansas Legislature joined KU in making an ongoing financial investment of $5 million toward our cancer initiative. We are again asking the legislature for this appropriation.
• Deferred Maintenance. KU and the other Regents institutions face daunting challenges in maintaining the important structures on our campuses. Each year the growth of the backlog of maintenance projects outpaces the resources available to tackle them. Last year the Kansas Legislature took an important first step in directing more resources for deferred maintenance. This has enabled KU to start work on the most pressing infrastructure repairs, but it was not a large enough package to substantially reduce the backlog. Additional money has been recommended in the governor's budget for deferred maintenance and we are hopeful this can be appropriated. We must responsibly protect and preserve the important buildings and structures that make up our colleges and universities.
• Efficiencies and cost savings. Each year KU strives to identify ways in which efficiencies can be achieved and limited resources be put to a better use. Often, outdated state laws or regulations need to be "tweaked" to let the university operate more efficiently. This year is no exception and a variety of minor statutory adjustments are being sought from state lawmakers to let KU gain important efficiencies.

We have hosted a number of well-attended events for Kansas legislators and other policymakers in the first two months of this year. Nearly two dozen legislators joined Chancellor Hemenway and other university leaders in touring the Life Span Institute, seeing first-hand the kinds of important research and services we provide to the state. All aspects of human development are studied at this impressive research center at KU. We've also been delighted to host legislative friends at a variety of other events, including lectures at the Dole Institute of Politics, the KU Medical Center and yes, even a few basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse.

On March 10th, we're taking KU to the Capitol and we'd love to have you join us. We're going to have displays throughout the statehouse from 8:30 to 1:30 p.m. and lots of Rock Chalk enthusiasm from students, faculty and KU leaders. We'd love to have you join us! It would be a great day to remind your legislative friends that their work is important to the state and we appreciate what they do our KU!