State Rep. Fred Gardner, Garnett, said he weighed in where he could this recently completed legislative session and otherwise let others have the spotlight.
A semi-retired veterinarian, Gardner, 72, is in the last year of his second term representing the 9th district. He has filed for re-election.
For the most part, Gardner, a Republican, sided with his party’s leadership and voted accordingly. But that’s not to say he did so blindly.
Legislation to ban cell phones and personal electronic devices in schools, for instance, made him uncomfortable.
“I voted for it. But I wish I didn’t have to vote for it. It’s one of those things where you grind your teeth and vote,” he said Monday afternoon.
Instead, he would have preferred individual school districts to make the decision on their own.
“All the evidence is very clear that the schools that have done this have seen a marked and measurable improvement in learning and a decrease in social and discipline problems,” he said. “Students are able to concentrate on their schoolwork without communication devices distracting them.
“I wish each individual schools could have done this on their own, but they were struggling to get this accomplished and asked for our help.”
The law affects all accredited schools, both public and private. The bill passed overwhelmingly in both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly on March 19. The law goes into effect on Sept. 1.
Property tax
After voting twice against a bill that limits annual spending increases by local governments, which depend largely on property taxes, Gardner supported the successful measure Friday night, the last day of the session, which adjourned at 2 a.m. Saturday.
Gardner said the legislation, which initially had been vetoed by Gov. Kelly, was then “cobbled in with something else.”
The measure, House Bill 2043, allows citizens to block cities and counties from increasing their annual spending by more than 3% or the rate of inflation, whichever is smaller. Ten percent of local voters who participated in the most recent election for secretary of state — when turnout is highest — are needed to sign a petition to block a spending increase.
Gardner said he supported the revised measure because it excludes schools and new construction from the spending lid, “but I don’t like the protest petition part. But if it proves to be a problem, it can be repealed.”
Gardner also said he thought it unlikely that enough citizens in the communities of his district would meet the 10 percent threshold to block a city or county’s proposed budgets.
“I think [officials] are a little panicked about this.”
