Legislative Update
The Kansas House has passed the Health Care Freedom Amendment (HCR 5007). Thank you to those of you who contacted your representative through our action alert – we appreciate your effort to show support of this measure. HCR 5007 preserves the freedom of Kansans to make health care insurance decisions without being subjected to government mandates. And contrary to what some opponents are saying, the Health Care Freedom Amendment would not deny any Kansan from participating in a given plan. Rather, it secures the fundamental right of Kansans to make their own health decision. (Click here or scroll to the bottom of the page to upload the final vote.)

Coming up next, the House Judiciary Committee will conduct a hearing on House Concurrent Resolution 5006, regarding separation of powers, at 3:30 p.m. Monday in Room 346-S (Old Supreme Court Room) of the Statehouse. The proposed Constitutional Amendment would amend Section 24 of Article 2 of the Kansas Constitution to read as follows:

Appropriations: No money shall be drawn from the treasury except in pursuance of a specific appropriation made by law. The executive and judicial branches shall have no authority to direct the legislative branch to make any appropriation of money or to redirect or limit in any fashion an appropriation already made by law except as the legislative branch may provide by law or as may be required by the Constitution of the United States.

If passed the proposed amendment would go before the people of Kansas for approval. At its heart, this is a separation of powers issue designed to prevent one branch of government overstepping its authority.

Wichita Area Chapter Meeting
The Wichita Area Chapter of AFP-Kansas will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14 at the Alford Branch of the Wichita Public Library (3447 S. Meridian). We will be watching the new Fox News documentary Politicians’ Top 10 Promises Gone Wrong with John Stossel. Following the 40-minute program, we’ll have a group discussion. For more information about this meeting, contact Wichita-area AFP volunteer coordinator John Todd, 316-312-7335; or AFP field director Susan Estes, 316-681-4415.

Linn County Grassroots Training
Save the date! The Linn County Chapter of Americans for Prosperity-Kansas is hosting a grassroots training session in Mound City on Saturday, March 19. We will review the AFP Grassroots Handbook. Please join us at 1 p.m. March 19 at the Bunker Hill Community Building (6th and Main, Mound City) to learn more about grassroots activism and get your own copy of our activist manual. For more information, contact AFP-Kansas field director Jim Mullins or Linn County Chapter Leader Mary Wilson.

Kansas Tea Parties Joint Meeting
Several Kansas Tea Party groups will be taking part in a joint meeting in Hutchinson next month. The Patriot Freedom Alliance of Hutchinson is sponsoring the meeting at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 1 at the Hutchinson Ramada Hotel (1400 Lorraine). The meeting organizers invite you to come meet other tea partiers from across the state as well as conservative Kansas representatives. For more information, contact rhondaelliott@cox.net or jinny.walz@sbcglobal.net.