Latest news with #SenateBill262
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill aims at eminent domain reform
Mar. 21—TOPEKA — A bill has targeted eminent domain laws in Kansas as a Barton County landowner awaits a decision on a taking affecting construction of Grain Belt Express's electric transmission line. Senate Bill 262, authored and introduced by the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Feb. 11, was referred to the Committee on Judiciary on Feb. 14. Sen. Tory Marie Blew (R-Great Bend) is the vice-chair of the Affairs Committee. Sen. Blew was in Topeka Thursday attending a long session on the Senate Floor; after a recess Friday the Senate resumes on Monday at 10 a.m. She explained that her Affairs committee is exempt from certain procedural deadlines. "Anyone can introduce a bill in any committee, but Fed and State is an exempt committee so the bill never 'dies,'" she said. A hearing on the bill has yet to be scheduled. The bill in similar form was introduced in the House as HB 2187 by Kansas Rep. Brett Fairchild (R-St. John) on Jan. 31 and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary. About SB 262 Senate Bill 262 is an extensive revision of K.S.A. 26-501, 502 and 507, which have been on the books since 1963 with some definitions revised in 2007. As introduced on Feb. 11, 2025, the bill seeks to eliminate the legislature's authority to seize private property for economic development purposes and to narrow the definition of "public use" in eminent domain cases. One of the key provisions of Senate Bill 262 mandates that any agency intending to acquire private property must provide a good faith offer of compensation to the property owner at least 30 days before filing an eminent domain petition. This offer must be the minimum compensation amount and cannot be reduced or revoked once made. The bill also prohibits the taking of private property for the purpose of transferring it to a private entity, reinforcing the notion that eminent domain should only be used for public benefit. This change addresses growing concerns among property owners and advocates who argue that previous laws allowed for excessive government overreach in property acquisition. Additionally, of a good faith offer exceeds the appraiser's award, the greater amount may be subject to appeal only by the property owner. Debate surrounding Senate Bill 262 has been notable, with proponents arguing that it protects property rights and ensures fair compensation for landowners. Critics, however, express concerns that the bill may hinder necessary economic development projects by making it more difficult for agencies to acquire land for public infrastructure or community improvements. A landowner's support Tammy Hammond, founder, owner and CEO of Rosewood Services in Barton County, this week submitted written testimony to Sen. Kellie Warren, chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary to be offered at a future hearing in consideration of the bill. Currently, Hammond is awaiting the decision of a court-appointed panel of appraisers charged with determination of the contested value of approximately 30 acres of Rosewood Ranch being sought as easement property for Invenergy's Grain Belt Express. GBE plans to construct a 780-mile, 5,000-volt direct current transmission line through Kansas, which includes locating and building several support towers averaging 150 feet in height on four tracts of Rosewood property. After filing a petition invoking eminent domain, GBE and Hammond participated in a condemnation hearing held March 7 and Barton County Courthouse. Along with hearing testimony from witnesses on both sides, the panelists adjourned the hearing to view the Ranch where staked-out locations indicated where the towers were planned to be placed. In her testimony, Hammond noted that she was "encouraged to see that the current senate bill addresses fair compensation, especially since Invenergy has not compensated landowners adequately. In my own case, the easement agreement is not even written correctly and does not properly describe the prior use of the land for which compensation is being sought. "I want to make sure that any legislation that is passed cannot simply be circumvented by corporate interest that run counter to the welfare of Kansans. It's crucial that lawmakers understand the future threats to our land, given strategies on the part of private developers to take property for new projects with the encouragement of state and federal governmental agencies."
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
As ‘match day' nears, med schools, lawmakers want to expand residencies to keep doctors in Nevada
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — On Friday, March 21 — just a week away — more than 40,000 medical students around the country will find out where they will be serving their residencies. About 300 of those graduates are from UNLV, UNR and Touro University, but there aren't enough residencies in the state to keep them here. Natalie Osborn, a fourth-year student at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine who is working toward a career as a pediatrician, wants to stay in Nevada. A Coronado High School graduate who went to UNLV, Osborn isn't alone, but opportunities in Nevada are limited on match day. 'Instead of hoping that our students come back to practice in Nevada, I would love to see more opportunities for students to train where their roots are so we can give back to the community that grew us,' Osborn said Thursday, one of several medical students on hand to testify in support of legislation that would allocate $9 million over the next two years toward grants under the Graduate Medical Education Advisory Council, which was created in 2023. Fellowships and residencies are expensive training programs, but they are a key part of keeping doctors in Nevada. Mark Kahn, dean at UNLV's Kirk Kerkorian Medical School said there is a significant shortage right now. 2024: Las Vegas medical students 'matched' with residency programs More details came from Jeffrey Murawsky, chief medical officer for HCA's Far West Division, which includes Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Sunrise Children's Hospital, MountainView Hospital and Southern Hills Hospital. 'As was mentioned, we are at the bottom of the physician ranking. It would take 1,589 new doctors with none of us retiring to get to just average for access. The best way to close this gap, as Dean Kahn mentioned, is to grow our own,' Murawsky said. Senate Bill 262 (SB262) has wide support among Democrats with 10 primary sponsors led by Sen. Julie Pazina. Another 25 lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly have signed on as co-sponsors. Kahn told senators on the Health and Human Services Committee that increasing the number of doctors comes with a choice: import more or grow your own. And residencies have proven to be an effective way to keep medical students from leaving. Kahn said about 40% of Nevada's med school graduates practice here, and about 60% of residents remain rather than leaving for another state. 'But if you do both, it goes to about 80%,' Kahn said. Jacob Lamay, a UNR medical student, said, 'The reality is that without a surgery residency program here, my path and the paths of many aspiring surgeons like me, will lead us out of state. This summer and fall I will be traveling to different states to showcase my skills as a fourth-year medical student to hospitals that train doctors in my surgical field of choice. I hope that they choose me when I apply for residency this September but I would have preferred to stay here in Nevada if this were possible.' Kelsie Little, a gold miner's daughter from Elko and now a fourth-year medical student at Touro, is another example. 'Hopefully, matching next week. Nevada is my number one.' Without a residency here, the opportunities are out of state. 'I would like to be a physician for the community that served me, but I may not have the chance to,' she said. SB262 realigns the committee that would supervise the grants, moving it under the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Not much has happened since it was created two years ago, but lawmakers think that will change under DHHS. Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean at Touro University Nevada, believes that the program will need to grow significantly. 'We need to talk about $50 million,' he said. But for now, he acknowledged, 'With little, we can do a lot. With nothing, we can do nothing.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
