4A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY OF HAIRY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007
》KANSAS LEGISLATURE
SLAB submits textbook bill
Legislation would remove tax from all required books
BY JOE HUNT
Students who hope to spend less on textbooks may be in luck. Textbooks and other required media may become tax free.
The Student Legislative Awareness Board submitted a bill on Wednesday to the Kansas Legislature proposing that any textbook required by a public or private college or university be exempt from sales tax, Ian Staples, Student Senate legislative director, said that this was an easy way for students to reduce the cost of education without harming universities.
"As opposed to lowering the rate of tuition and directly affecting the budget of the University, we can just do this," Staples said.
According to a July 2005 report by the Government Accountability
Office, textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of annual inflation in the last 20 years, averaging out to a 7 percent increase per year.
Tom Retonde, manager of
jayhawk Bookstore, 1420 Crescent
Rd., said the bill was a good idea.
"I think anytime you can get a tax break on anything, it's a good situation," Retonde said. "It would be great for students."
Retonde said it would be easy to program jayhawk Bookstores computers to not charge tax on text books, "as long as we had a student ID to verify purchase," she said.
Tim Norris, director of KU Bookstores, agreed that it would be easy to implement changes in the computer system. Departments and professors at the University don't pay sales tax on educational merchandise and that students
shouldn't have to either, he said.
"I spent almost $300 on three books this semester." Towns said.
"I don't know where those taxes are going, but it'll be nice not to deal with them."
For students, it's about saving on booklets. Anna Towns, Hays sophomore, said she spent a lot more than she would have liked.
"I remember growing up in Michigan, books and magazines were not sales taxed." Norris said. "It was about the free spread of information"
As of now, there is no date set for voting on the bill.
Kansan staff writer Joe Hunt can be contacted at Jhunt@kansan. com.
Edited by Joe Caponio
Bill would ban discrimination
》 SEXUAL ORIENTATION LEGISLATION
BY TYLER HARBERT
A new bill proposed in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in Kansas.
Jason Pryor, Columbus senior and Queers and Allies director, said he was excited at the possibility.
"It would be one more step closer to equality," he said.
Though he said he hadn't personally been discriminated against, Pryor said he could face problems if he decided to make a long-term commitment with a partner.
"Like with anything else, it takes time to gain acceptance and equality," he said.
A similar bill was introduced in 2003 but died during the last legislative session because of a similar Kansas marriage amendment that was introduced at the same time,
said Thomas Witt, state chair for the Kansas Equality Coalition.
Witt and his coalition authored the new bill and introduced it at the statehouse about two weeks ago. He hoped the revised version of the bill would have more success.
"I think it's going to be a little different this time around; he said.
Though every major city in Kansas has an Equality Coalition chapter, Witt said Lawrence was the only area that has a citywide ban against discrimination. He said similar statutes in Shawnee and Topeka only protected state employees.
Witt said the bill was significant because it attempted to provide equal rights for all Kansans.
"People get fired for being gay; people get kicked out of houses for being gay." Witt said.
Stephanie Bottoms, Omaha.
Neb., senior and communications director for Queers and Allies, said she hadn't been discriminated against in housing or employment, but said she sometimes got dirty looks and comments.
Bottoms said she wasn't familiar with the proposed bill but was doubtful about sexual orientation measures getting passed in the Midwest. She said any areas where similar laws were introduced helped the LGBT community.
"I feel like it's too early in passing, but not in getting our voice out there and telling people this is a concern of ours and we want to be treated as equals." Bottoms said.
Kansan staff writer Tyler Harbert can be contacted at tharbert@ kansan.com.
Edited by Darla Slipke
How else would you know I'm a KU fan?
D'Angelo, who declined to identify the worker. "She's frightened for her job and she's frightened about community backlash about these allegations."
Rape victim jailed from old warrant
CRIME
BY PHIL DAVIS ASSOCIATED PRESS
TAMPA, Fla. — A woman who told police she had been raped was jailed after officers found an old warrant accusing her of failing to pay restitution for a 2003 theft arrest.
The employee, who has worked for a tail health care contractor for about six months, was placed on administrative leave, DAngela said.
While she was behind bars, according to Vic Moore, the college student's attorney, a jail worker refused to give her a second dose of the morning-after contraceptive pill because of the worker's religious convictions.
The 21-year-old college student was released Monday only after her attorney reported her plight to the local media,
"Shocked. Stunned. Outraged I don't have words to describe it," Moore said "She is not a victim of any one person. She is a victim of the
system. There's just got to be some humanity involved when it's a victim of rape"
Moore said it was too soon to say if his client would sue. Her first priority was making sure detectives find her attacker.
Tampa Police Chief Steve Hogue said the arrest led to a new policy that tells officers not to arrest a crime victim who has suffered injury or mental trauma whenever "reasonably possible." The agency also apologized to the student.
Jennifer Dritt, executive director of the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, wanted more explanation from the jail, saying the woman's arrest "makes people think law enforcement doesn't have a victim-centered approach."
"Obviously, any policy that allow a sexual battery victim to spend night in jail is a flawed policy," polic spokeswoman Laure McElroy said.
Tampa attorney Jennifer D Angelo, who represents the jail worker, said Tuesday that her client is prohibited from giving inmates any medication without specific orders. The worker insists she never discussed religion with the woman who reported being raped.
"She was mortified at what was being reported in the press," said
The sheriff's office, which runs the jail, said in a statement Tuesday that it is investigating the complaint and declined to comment further.
Winter workout
Erik Daily/THE LA CROSSE TRIBUNF
John Thompson practices his hockey skills at the outdoor skating rink Tuesday at Copeland Park in La Crosse, WI. With a high temperature of only 14 degrees, Thompson said it was much easier to play hockey than jog.
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