The 2023 Kansas Legislative Session opens Jan. 9. House members and statewide officers will be sworn in, with many new representatives formally beginning their state legislative careers. Many sitting and newly elected lawmakers have been busy meeting constituents and visiting about policy issues ahead of the official session kick-off.
During the summer and fall, Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.’s Government Relations staff and member cooperative leaders met with policymakers one-on-one and in regional meetings. Establishing relationships with lawmakers is a key component of cooperative efforts aimed at ensuring Kansas’ laws and regulations are crafted so cooperatives maintain their ability to deliver reliable, affordable electricity for consumer-members.
KEC, as the statewide association for electric cooperatives operating in Kansas, provides a unified voice at the statehouse on matters important to electric cooperatives. In true cooperative fashion, the members guide the organization’s direction on policy matters.
Two years ago, KEC engaged in a strategic public policy development process. The months-long initiative included focus groups, committee discussion and opportunities for local board members to provide input on the key considerations that should drive KEC’s policy positions. Through those efforts, the members advanced an Advocacy Framework that not only guides positions on legislative issues, but applies to other regulatory and judicial matters that may come before KEC. The framework also serves as a tool for prioritizing issues so that staffing, financial resources and political capital are maximized in our overall lobbying efforts.
During our regional legislative meetings this fall, our Co-ops Vote events, lawmakers were briefed on the framework and the key points co-ops consider when taking a position on legislation. As we walked through the framework’s analysis points with them, it provided deeper insight into the considerations cooperative members think are important. Rather than simply say we support this, we don’t like that, we could share why we took the position and how we arrived at that position. By sharing the process and not just the position, we illustrate for lawmakers how thoughtful and deliberate cooperatives are in setting policy priorities.
There will be hundreds of individual bills and resolutions introduced in the Kansas legislature during the upcoming biennial term. KEC will evaluate them to identify those that could impact electric cooperatives. As we advocate on behalf of electric cooperatives and their consumer-members, you can be confident that the policy tenants guiding KEC are driven by grassroots cooperative leaders from across Kansas.
The Advocacy Framework analyzes public policy issues through five member-identified components. As we evaluate a particular piece of state legislation, we ask the following key questions and recognize examples of considerations that can fall within those major topic areas:
How does the bill affect electric co-op structure or operations?
- Will the legislation require changes in staffing, how we carry out day-to-day activities or require additional activities?
How does the bill affect electric co-op governance?
- Will the legislation limit the member-elected board’s ability to govern the co-op?
- Does the legislation exert additional state regulation over co-ops?
What are the cost impacts on consumer-members and the co-op?
- Will the legislation increase the financial burden of regulation?
- Will the bill increase the overall cost of doing business in Kansas?
- Does the legislation force cost shifts among electric consumer-member classes?
How broad is the impact/how many co-ops affected?
- Does the legislation impact one, a few or all co-ops?
- Does the bill affect distribution co-ops differently than generation and transmission co-ops?
What is the effect on rural communities?
- Does the legislation have a positive or negative impact on rural economies?
- Does the bill make it easier or more difficult to keep or attract rural residents?