a similar process. At this point, the
second house could pass the bill
as presented, advancing it to the
governor or return it to the house
of origin to see if lawmakers agreed
with the amendments lawmakers
made. If lawmakers approve of
the changes, the bill is sent to the
governor. However, if lawmakers do
not agree with the amendments,
they can request a conference
committee. For the bill to advance
to the governor at this stage, both
houses must adopt the conference
committee report, which could
include amendments. Once the bill
reaches the governor’s desk, it can
become law either with or without
his signature or be vetoed. If struck
down, the Legislature can override
the veto by a two-thirds vote in each
chamber. If accomplished, the bill
becomes law and is filed with the
Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.
Creating legislation can be
challenging with tight timelines and
last-minute changes, Hulcher
says. “A lot of times, we’re
developing legislation with quick
turnaround or giving testimony on a
bill, and having to submit it the day
before. A lot can happen without
too much notice.”
Dan explains that it’s a 90-day
legislative session, and a bill has
to meet certain thresholds and
deadlines before it dies for that
particular session.
“A bill needs to progress in a timely
fashion, or you’re done” Dan says.
Grassroots Efforts
While Will, Dave and Dan represent
the KAIA, it’s the members, they
said, who truly make a difference
“Once a bill is introduced into
committee, we work with the
committee chairman and try to
advocate for passage,” Will
explains. Then, once it gets to the
floor, we work with all legislators.
Hopefully, our members will also
get involved in the process. It’s
been proven in the past that our
members have been very effective
when they get involved.”
Mike Lesser of Peoples
Insurance Group testifies
in support of HB2487
18
KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | January - February 2018 |
between lawmakers supporting or
opposing legislation.
“Sometimes I don’t think our
members understand how
influential they are, and how
very important they can be to the
process,” Will encourages. “By
having our members involved, it
really helps with us being able to
do our jobs more effectively.”
The KAIA reaches out to members
when it is important to influence
legislators, and the response has
always been very effective.
“We don’t just pull the trigger
whenever.” Dave explains. “We
try to use our political capital and
our members’ influence wisely.
At the end of the day, we work for
our members.”