The legislature is in its second week and while I hoped we would have COVID in our rear-view mirror, it remains with us and continues to compound issues for our healthcare system.

Among the first bills we have sent to the Governor’s desk is HB 2477. This bill reduces regulations for healthcare workers allowing hospitals and nursing homes to use those in medical education programs and those who may be licensed in other states to help ease staffing shortages.

While the issues are much bigger than this bill, the legislature was nearly unanimous in our vote and in supporting our healthcare workers. The provisions of this measure will expire in January 2023. We will then determine whether any part of these regulatory reforms should stay in law permanently.

In a related note, several legislators and staff at the capitol have tested positive for COVID. On Thursday, I was around three whose tests came back positive. All three have been feeling fine with few if any symptoms. While I have had no symptoms, I did test on Friday and was negative. Of the several who have been tested, the positive cases have been around 10 percent.

Redistricting work based on the 2020 census data continued. The process has been underway for the last year with townhalls across the state. We are now at a point where maps are being drawn and debated.

The Senate passed their first congressional map on Friday. The House committee will continue to debate the federal and then the state maps. Under Kansas law, the attorney general is to take the state maps to the Kansas Supreme Court for a judicial review to ensure fair and equal treatment for all Kansans.

There is a link for more redistricting information: http://www.kslegresearch. org/KLRD-web/ Redistricting.html

Look for the link on our newspaper sites or send me an email, and I will send it to you. My email is: steven.johnson@house. ks.gov.

The tax committee continues to work on cutting the food sales tax with the House committee set to hear the bill this week. Their work to provide sales tax relief for fencing materials needed to rebuild after the four-county fire should get to the governor’s desk soon.

In the pension committee, I plan to introduce a bill to direct $1 billion of the current sur plus to KPERS to get the system to the 80 percent funded level. It has been decades since we were at that point. The KPERS debt has the highest interest rate of our obligations. The future interest savings from that payment would currently be $77.5 million annually. In addition to addressing the liability, this would provide a meaningful decrease in future revenue required. While the goal for any liability needs to be 100 percent funded, this would be a significant achievement.

Thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the Kansas House. Please contact me at the e-mail above or call my office at 785-296-7696 on these or other issues. Have a great week!

Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican, represents the 108th Kansas House District, which includes all of Ellsworth County.