The pace in Topeka and especially the Capitol, has moved into high gear. In my six Senate committees, we dealt with many issues, heard numerous testimonies, and even passed a few bills on to the full Senate for later action. Not all bills make it out of committee, nor do all bills get a hearing on the Senate floor.

The authority of committee chairman and Senate leadership can hold up action for extended periods of time. That isn't the case now, however, since bills are still going through the initial hearing process. Nineteen bills have made it to the Senate docket and could be heard over the next few weeks.

To follow bills as they are introduced, go to kslegislature.org/li and click on the "Bills & Laws" link. You also are welcome to testify before a committee on any issue important to you (a written copy of your testimony is required at least 24 hours prior to the committee hearing).

Kansas First proposal

In a Statehouse news conference Friday, Gov. Sam Brownback directed the Kansas Department of Transportation to take action on a T-Works initiative introduced by Democratic legislators last month as part of our job-creating package, Kansas Jobs First.

The Accelerated T-Works Act will speed up some late 2012 and 2013 projects, by putting those projects up for bid (in February) that already had the engineering work completed. The T-Works program is slated to spend about $440 million in 2012 and $237 million in 2013 on various road projects throughout Kansas.

Even though the Kansas economy is recovering, more than 51,000 Kansas workers remain unemployed. By accelerating the bidding process on dozens of transportation projects throughout the state, we can create jobs earlier than expected and save money by taking advantage of low material prices.

A full list of Kansas Jobs First proposals can be found at www.kansasfirst.net.

Education plan

Members of our Senate Education Committee were formally presented the governor's education plan last week by Landon Fulmer. The Brownback education plan would overhaul the state's current finance formula and set base state aid per pupil at $4,492 -- regardless of a district's needs. That means weightings for at-risk and bilingual students, and for transportation needs in rural areas, all would be eliminated.

The details are still sketchy and will come under much more scrutiny as the testimony for and against are heard in our education committees in both the Senate and House.

The plan would also uncap the local property tax and allow all school districts to increase their budgets. This has been pushed by wealthier school districts for some time, while smaller and less wealthy districts have opposed this action The discrepancy in how much property tax can be collected in rural districts compared to some wealthier urban districts is significant. As dollars from state funding continue to dry up, more responsibility will come back to our local property owners under the new plan. I am carefully watching this because of the number of rural schools we have in the 36th District. I check with the Kansas Association of School Boards and other sources for their calculated projections. I also listen carefully to our superintendents and school boards to get the local impact. Their bottom-line information will be needed for this debate and they know they can contact me directly.

Commerce award

The Kansas Department of Commerce has announced Bison is one of 19 Kansas communities that will share $7.7 million in federal grants through the Community Development Block Grant program. Bison will receive $413,805 to make improvements to the wastewater treatment facility.

Veteran job database

Soldiers and veterans looking for employment opportunities now have access to more than 2,500 employers from across the country, thanks to a website developed by the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces. More than 10,000 soldiers, their families and veterans currently participate in the program, which has more than 500,000 job posts. To access more information, visit www.employerpartnership.org.

One other opportunity developed for Veterans is called Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans. I have attended this impressive nine-day program. It is connected to seven major universities. I invite veterans with any disabilities to go on the site and apply, www.whitman.syr.edu/ebv. If you click on the bottom right video, you will see the documentary of what we did at the Florida State University EBV.

Other legislation

There are many other issues to share with you, but I will only highlight a few more. I have introduced a bill to name the Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 183 interchange "CW2 Bryan J. Nichols Fallen Veterans Memorial Interchange." I was able to get all 39 other senators to co-sponsor this bill. We still will need to raise about $20,000 to have KDOT put up and maintain the signs. That process has already started. Donations can be sent in Bryan's name to: Midwest Community Bank, PO Box 9, Palco, KS 67657.

I am co-sponsoring a resolution with Sen. Marshall to cite the Higley Cabin, located in Smith County, as the birthplace of our Kansas state song: "Home on the Range." I will make sure the senators sing that celebrated song on the day of the resolution, Feb. 20. We hope to have District Rotary Gov. Keith Hooper, El Dean Holthus, Gary Hawk and former 36th District Sen. Janis Lee join us as guests.

Finally, I will sponsor a resolution recognizing the great achievements of Fort Hays State University for inclusion in U.S. News & World Report's first national rankings for online education. FHSU was among the leaders in most of the categories. Its undergraduate programs ranked No. 2 nationally and three of its graduate programs received rankings of distinction. Congratulations to FHSU. We are all proud.

The pace here is sometimes remarkable with committees, sessions and visits from constituents and interested parties, groups -- and, of course, lobbyists. If you come to an event in Topeka, please let us know so we can make contact. My office is easily accessible near the east visitor's door of the Capitol. I welcome your comments and insight into the many serious issues we face such as: school finance, tax restructuring, Medicaid privatization, the budget, redistricting and many others.

Please feel free to contact me by email or phone as we wrestle with this aggressive agenda.

Allen Schmidt, D-Hays, is state senator for the 36th District. allen.schmidt@senate.ks.gov