The 2007 Legislative Session just ended. Thank goodness. And hold on to your wallets!

166 drunken sailors would have done better than Governor Sebelius and her Legislature! In an unprecedented spending outburst, your folks in the Capitol spent $500 million more than you even paid in this year. At least the sailors would have crashed out long before blowing that amount!

In my eleven years in the Legislature, 2007 certainly qualifies as the most expensive Session in state history. Not only did the Legislature continue to bow to the Court’s demands for K-12 public schools, they also handed the Regents more than $300 million in new cash for the next five years – and most of it not even in this budget.

With no spending enhancements the next two years, it is estimated that Sebelius will spend $1.1 BILLION more than she collects in taxes over three years. What does that mean? The current surplus – the largest in state history – will be eliminated and replaced with a negative balance of nearly $300 million.

Many of these same spenders – including Sebelius – were bemoaning the budget impact of the minuscule tax cuts we passed last month. What was unaffordable as money back in your pocket is now multiplied by eight times in Topeka’s pockets. That, my friends, is the definition of a big spender!

English as Official Language

Although the budget result was a disaster, at least the Legislature finally agreed with my efforts for the last decade – to make English the Official Language of Kansas! After introducing the first bill to do this more than 11 years ago, it is satisfying to finally get it done. HB 2140 is currently on the desk of Governor Sebelius. Let’s hope she has sense enough to sign it.

Meanwhile, other governmental or quasi-governmental entities continue to divide our country by catering to those here who refuse to learn English. The U.S. Post Office in Dodge City recently announced their bilingual efforts. (See http://dodgeglobe.com/stories/042407/loc_20070424003.shtml.) Of note in the article is the demand for money orders – to send cash back to Mexico.

English still is the language of opportunity. Let’s hope the multi-cultural effort does not succeed in their effort to continue to divide our country by language – or race – or class.

No Voter Integrity

No Voter Integrity bills this year.

As you know, our voting laws are weak. Our laws are too weak when it comes to protecting the integrity of the election process. And as Chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, I dedicated a lot of time and effort to enhancing and promoting the integrity our elections in Kansas.

In our personal and business lives, we require photo identification for a multitude of purposes. From the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes, to workplace security, and cashing a check or boarding an aircraft, society requires photo identification for the transaction. We should implement a reasonable, similar photo identification safeguards to protect something as important as our election system.

However, after days of hearing and debates on the issue of election integrity, a coalition of Democrats and more than a few liberal Republicans were able to stop any related bills from passing the Legislature. For some reason, these legislators (and the Governor) are not interested in stopping or limiting voter fraud and making absolutely certain that illegals are not voting in our elections. Hmm….wonder why?

Rest assured though, we are very near passage of my common-sense Voter Identification bill. Hopefully, we can make quick progress on it when we return for the 2008 Session. In the mean time, I would encourage you to share with me any evidence of voter fraud across the state of Kansas.

Alexa’s Law

This past year, a young, beautiful 8th grade girl who was nearly full-term with a baby was murdered in Wichita. And you might remember a couple of years ago in California, Scott Peterson killed his wife when she was nearly full-term in her pregnancy. He was charged with two murders.

But here in Kansas it's different. Though Chelsea Brooks was nearly full-term in her pregnancy when she and her baby were killed, the perpetrator was charged with only one murder. Under current Kansas law, the baby is not considered a person worthy of protection – unlike in California and other states.

With this travesty in mind, many legislators set forth this Session to provide the necessary justice for Alexa and for her family. After much opposition from the pro-abortion force, including an unlikely claim from a key Senator who refused to admit his unborn babies were even human, we passed Alexa’s Law and sent it to the Governor. This would make it a crime to harm or kill an unborn child – just like an act to its mother.

Yesterday, I was privileged to join in a press conference with the Brooks’ family encouraging the Governor to sign this bill – which includes numerous other tough-on-crime provisions. Instead of worrying so much about protecting abortion, I encourage the Governor to think of justice for Alexa. Even though a baby is unborn, she should have justice on her side.

Protecting Big Campaign Contributors

One thing about Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Paul Morrison one has to admire -- they do keep their word to their principal campaign financiers.

Sebelius more than delivered on her campaign pledge to the billionaire Phil Ruffin by permitting his mammoth, profitable casino business in Kansas. Her lobbying for this legislation and signature into law will help Ruffin earn millions more every year to buy ever more influence over Kansas government. (It will also allow him to purchase more Clinton neck-ties. He paid $26,000 for one tie earlier this year!)

And Paul Morrison kept his word to George Tiller, the world-infamous late-term abortionist based in Wichita. For years, thousands of mothers from all over the U.S. and the world have flown into Wichita to obtain late-term abortions – some just days before birth. As you may recall, during his campaign for Attorney General, Morrison promised not to prosecute Tiller for crimes of which two judges have found probable cause.

It is shocking that any candidate for leading law enforcer in this state would pledge to absolve his largest campaign supporter from criminal prosecution. It did happen though – after Tiller spent an estimated $300,000 or more to elect Morrison.

Special interests remain alive and well in Topeka.

The Only Perfect Man

Near the conclusion of Session, our Senate Chaplain Fred Hollomon reminded that we can not please everyone – so just do the right thing.

Heavenly Father,

One of the first things we discovered after we got here, if we had not already learned it, is that regardless of what we do, some people, maybe a lot of people, are going to be upset.

Some will say we did too much,
Others say “Not enough.”
Some will say we’re soft on crime,
Others say, “Too tough.”

Some will say we spent too much,
Some will say, “Not so.”
“They spent too little on some things,
Although they had the dough.”

Some will say we quit too soon,
But from others we will hear
How much it costs taxpayers
The extra days we’re here.

Just help us, Lord, to buckle down
And do the best we can.
After all they crucified
The only perfect Man.

And I pray in His Name, AMEN.