Kansas legislature to debate tax exemption programs
(Editor's Note: This is the last in a series of three stories about issues being considered in the present edition.)
By RICHARD PAXSON Kansan Staff Reporter
Taxes are a perennial issue in the Kansas Legislature. During the 1975 legislative session, proposals to increase the personal income tax exemption and to expand the homestead property tax relief program will be at the center of the annual tax deliberations.
Democrats in the Senate already have introduced a bill that would increase the personal exemption on state income taxes from $600 to $750. A similar bill has also been submitted by House Democrats.
Another bill that would increase the personal exemption was introduced Thursday by State Rep. Kenneth Francisco, D-Wichita. The bill would increase the exemption to $1,000.
Gov. Robert F. Bennett and the Republican majority in the legislature oppose the increase. The House has approved a tax increase.
recently as Tuesday at a reception for newspaper, radio and television executives.
"The cut,would be far more cosmetic than substantial." Bennett told the newsman.
He said the reduction would cost the state $9.5 million in lost revenues next year and would reduce the state's surplus treasury funds by about $38 million by 1980.
The unstable condition of the national economy and the always uncertain future of the Kansas agricultural economy were reasons Bennett gave in his speech that he did not support his diplature for his opposition to any tax reduction.
Democrats counter Bennett's arguments by pointing to the state's $184 million projected surplus at the end of this fiscal year. They say the condition means that a good reason to provide some sort of tax relief.
The legislature has postponed any action on an increase in the personal income tax exemption since the federal government began a three-step process of passing the federal income tax exemption in 1969.
The federal government increased the exemption to $600 in 1976, to $675 in 1977 and the press to $680 in 1978.
Two bills providing income tax relief weren't acted on by the 1974 legislature. A House bill that would have increased the personal income tax exemption to $750 and lowered the income tax rate from $13.25 per person was less than $7,000 was reported unfavorably by the House Assessment and Taxation Committee.
A Senate bill that would have refunded any tax paid less than $10, refunded $10 to all taxpayers who pay between $10 and $25 and refunded eight per cent of all taxes above $125 was reported unfavorably by the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee.
The exemption increase bill introduced by Senate Democrats during this session is currently being studied by that committee. A favorable recommendation on the proposal is more likely this year,
The committee's chairman this year is State Sen
Norman Gaar, R-Westwood, one of the few Republicans who is publicly supporting some form of tax relief. Gaar said he would prefer a smaller share of the budget to the Democrats' bill, but he is expected support it.
Republicans and Democrats agree that they want to expand the homestead property tax relief program. The program has already been expanded twice since its enactment in 1970.
The original 1970 law was an outgrowth of a rule "circuit-breaker" proposal made by term Democratic Gov. Robert Docking in one of his early election campaigns. The plan was highly controversial when first introduced but has gained considerable popularity.
The law provides that property owners 65 years old and older with incomes of less than $3,700 could collect a maximum of $330 in refunds or credit on their income taxes for the property taxes they pay. About 15,000 persons made claims during the law's first year. They received an average of $60 a claim.
The program grew so that by last year, an estimated 59,000 claims received an average refund of $146. These claims cost the state $8 million.
Lt. Gov. Shelby Smith said before the legislative session began that the homestead relief plan should be expanded even further. He proposed that the maximum income level be increased to $10,000 and the maximum refinance increased to $800. Smith was the president of the Homestead Property Tax Relief Bill in 1969.
Smith estimated that the legislature would have to appropriate $10 million to finance the more expensive project.
State Sen. John Vernillm, R-Independence, has proposed a bill that would increase the income limit to $15,000 and remove the age limits, thus making it easier to obtain eligible if he meets the income requirements.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
The estimated cost of this version is $30 million, more than Gov. Robert B. Bennett and legislative leaders expect.
KANSAN
Assistant Athletic Director Marlan Washington nervously swaddles fluffy tail to a central cell roll vote in the Student Senate. The vote is one of 120 to decide the next season's head coach.
Waitina it out
Financial exigency is described in the report as the financial crisis in which the University would be forced to release funds in order to support its position as an institution of high quality.
However, a section of the document about preferential reinstatement of previously released faculty members appeared to have been removed from the listing affecting with present Affirmative Action
bill that will cut women's athletic funds and probably will lower prices for football and basketball tickets.
Exigency compromise sought
Services today for professor
By Staff Photographer DON PIERCE
Funeral services for Austin Ledwid, a faculty member of the School of Fine Arts for more than 20 years, will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15, 2018, at Baylor University, Bury, Herman D. Hepperson will officiate.
He was an associate professor of woodwind and percussion instruments, music history and music theory. He joined the faculty in 1953 and was chairman of the department of wind and percussion until 1971.
He was born in Wickfield, Mass, on July 3, 1909. He studied at Yale University, the New England Conservatory, Harvard University and Boston University.
By BETTY HAEGELIN Kansan Staff Reporter
Mr. Leedwitt, 65, died Wednesday at an extended hospital following an extended illness.
The exigency report, which sets up policies and procedures to be followed if the University were forced to declare a state of emergency, was approved by SenEx Wednesday.
A compromise solution for reconciling a section of the financial exigency report with Affirmative Action guidelines will be forthcoming, Vicki Hamer, acting director of the Office of Affirmative Action, said Thursday.
Mr. Ledwid was nationally known as a professional bassoonist and studied under the directors of the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony.
He is survived by his wife, Beatrice Frances Ledwid. Contributions may be made in his name to the KU Endowment Association for music scholarships.
guidelines. The section provides that released faculty members be informed of new faculty positions before those positions are openly advertised. This practice would be contrary to present Affirmative Action advertising of new position openings.
Vol. 85-No. 81 Friday, January 31, 1975
"Actually the principles in both documents are aimed at protecting similar rights as far as faculty members are concerned," Gold said. "I believe that when we find there are far fewer problems than have been anticipated."
Hamer said she and Gold planned to meet and work on a reasonable compromise agreement.
"I do think that the University has an obligation to persons removed under financial exigency, but I see that such attempts at reinstatement that are proposed could conflict with Affirmative Action," Hamer said.
compromise solution would deal with changing some wording in the Affirmative Action guidelines or in the exigency report, and that will require a different situation which deserved further study.
She said she didn't know whether such a
Joel Gold, chairman of the SenEx subcommittee which drafted the document, said the exigency report might appear to be creating some friction with Affirmative Action. The committee said the two documents were actually concerned with the same faculty interests.
Establishment of an equitable work load policy for faculty members was called for Thursday night at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Association of University Professors.
Work policy wanted
The University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
Some members of the SenEx subcommittee saw no conflict between the two reports. Arno Knapper, professor of business, said he saw no real problem with the program, but keeping previously released faculty members because of financial exigency.
"I preferably would like to get the compromise formed without having to change Affirmative Action guidelines, but I think it will just have to work this out," she said.
memores don't want the legislature to know what they're doing. Cooper said.
It would dispel the feeling that faculty
The work of the professors isn't familiar to most laymen, said Francis Ingemann, professor of linguistics. She said that it was easy to count classroom hours and student conference hours but that other time was needed for developing activities usually went unnoticed.
Mike Davis, University general counsel, said the Affirmative Action guidelines could be modified by SenEx and the change application process. He said he thought it would be inappropriate for him to comment further on the situation at this time because he would probably have to give his recommendations to the employer if either report were to be changed.
The statement is a response to Gov. Robert F. Bennett's recent budget proposal in which he said that faculty members would be expected to accept increased teaching loads if they were to get salary increases.
In a statement drafted by Kenneth O. Cogger, associate professor of business, the committee said it would endorse steps that could be taken by the University of Kansas, the Kansas Board of Regents, the Kansas Board of Business and investigate faculty work loads and support the establishment of equitable work load policies" at KU.
Cogger said that if an investigation revealed poor teaching or lack of teaching by a professor, then the association would issue a notice to the professor if action were taken against him.
Del Shankel, executive vice chancellor,
said he hadn't seen the final copy of the
report, but said he thought any problems
could be worked out.
Game fees to be less
Cogger said the proposals in the statement would squelch rumors that suggested most faculty members had light teaching loads.
By MARK ZELIGMAN Kansan Staff Reporter
Student ticket prices for football and basketball will probably be less next year as the result of a bill passed Thursday night by the Student Senate.
By a roll call vote of 53-9 with four abstensions, the Senate passed an appropriations bill allocating student activity fees to certain campus groups. One part of the bill increased activity fee support to the men's athletic program in the form of a ticket subsidy program and decreased its allocation to the men's athletic program.
The ticket subsidy was increased from
$3,690 to $4,189 for allocation
was cut from $6,360 to $7,419.
According to a study made last November by John Beisner, student body president, he reduced from $15 for football and $13 for basketball and if the senate's subsidy were increased.
Athletic Director Chyde Walker had
admission tickets or price tickets for the
substitute were increased
★★
Funding bill approved by Senate
Students enrolled in less than six hours will give $2 from their activity fee to the KUAC, which is 80 cents more than last year.
By passing the bill, the Senate redistributed a fulltime student's activity fee support. The University of Kansas from each student, a 50-cent increase from last year. The ticket subsidy will get $4.15 of that amount. The women's athletic program, which wasn't guaranteed aamount last year, will get $1.35 of the $5.50.
By JOHN JOHNSTON Kansan Staff Reporter
In asking for the bill to be passed, Beisser said that Gov. Robert F. Bennett's recommence increase funding to sports teams in duly furnished Student Senate's decrease in women's sports funding. Bennett is recommending a more than last year's allocation of $83.975.
The Student Senate approved a bill last night that will guarantee fixed funding support from student activity fees for several University programs in fiscal year 1976.
Also included in the bill was a substantial cut in funding of the Senate itself. The operating funds of the Senate will be cut from $12,022, excluding fees from the summer session.
The budgeting proposals as submitted by the Senate's Finance and Auditing Committee provide guaranteed support from the Treasury in cases it has not received such funding in the past.
Even with the decrease in Senate funding,
The budget also set specific funding for the University Daily Kansas, $1.35; university theatre, 80 cents; and the concert Series, 75 cents. The funding of the intramural program will receive 65 cents from the activity fees, and its total allocation will increase from $13,733 to $23,024.
Beisner said, women's sports would get at a higher rate of the state's larger, funder increases.
The resolution, which came from the Academic Affairs Committee, urged a change allowing that, when a student takes a course again for which he has already received a grade, only the new grade would be issued. In practice, though the old grade would still appear on his record. Current university policy includes both grades in the G.P.A.
In other action the Senate passed a resolution giving its endorsement to a bill to be presented to the University Senate concerning changes in grading policy.
The activity fee charged to part-time
employees increased from $1.28 to $2
under the legal cap.
thing, a member of the com-
See STUDENT page 5
these groups are: KU bands, which will receive 15 cents from each student's fees; forensics, 24 cents; the ticket subsidy of a varsity basketball, $1.15; and women's sports, $1.35.
Marian Washington, assistant athletic director, said she had two main objections to Beiser's reasoning and, therefore, was against the bill.
Lewis Gregory, chairman of the committee, said it was important that these groups be given specific line item allocations, so they could plan on specified funding and not be subject to the whims of a newly elected Senate.
Cark David, executive secretary of the Senate, said that more than half of the Kansas legislators have said they would approve Bennett's recommendation.
"Secondly, what is at issue here is how the Student Senate will allocate its money. It's not a problem to them."
"First of all, as for the state increase, this in-
form has himself said. So he said. Said."
Beisner said the approval of the bill satisfied two goals. Ticket prices can be lowered, he said, and the women's program should become a cause of the state's recommended allocation.
See Tickets page 3
Dedicated master By Staff Photographer GEORGE MILLENNER III
Despite Thursday's nonstop rain, Ray Cyr, 115 Connecticut, paraded down Jayhawk Boulevard in hope of giving away his dog *Tespa*. Cyr, who lives in a small apartment, was given a kidney transplant.