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Policy
Statement #00.01
Approved 10.29.99,
Revised 01.03
Transportation
Funding
(revised)
KSPE
supports the Comprehensive Transportation Program passed by the 1999 Legislature
and urges its full implementation. The preceding Comprehensive Highway Program
passed by the 1987 Legislature proved to be a tremendous economic development
boost for the Kansas economy as documented by research reports from both Kansas
State University and Kansas University economists. The effect of CTP on the
current troubled state economy is vitally needed. Greater reliance on user fees
as opposed to State General Fund transfers should be implemented to avoid the
competition with other State obligations and the fluctuation of funding
available for the necessary long range commitment for stable project
development.
Policy
Statement #00.02
Approved 10.29.99, Revised 01.03
Competitive
Salaries for Government Engineers Policy Statement #2 (revised)
KSPE
supports adequate funding of competitive salaries for state and local government
engineers. Growing disparities between private and public engineering salaries
are depleting the ranks of experience engineers in important state and local
government positions. Failure to provide adequate, competitive salaries will
adversely impact the state's ability to deliver the Comprehensive Transportation
Program, environmental programs, water resources programs, and other state
agency programs and negatively impact the ability of engineers in various
agencies to protect the public health, safety and welfare of Kansas' residents.
Policy
Statement #00.03
Approved 10.29.99
Importance
of Engineering Classifications
in State Agencies
KSPE
supports the continued employment of licensed Professional Engineers in the
Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
and other pertinent state agencies. KSPE opposes the further elimination of
Professional Engineer licensure requirements for state technical and scientific
positions where such requirements are important to the protection of the health,
safety and welfare of Kansas' residents.
Policy
Statement #00.04
Approved 10.29.99
Funding
of County Engineers
KSPE
supports enforcement of K.S.A. 68-501 requiring the employment of a licensed
Professional Engineer as -County Engineer appointed by the Board of County
Commissioners and approved by the Secretary of Transportation for each Kansas
County. KSPE further recommends the creation of a state-funded incentive program
thru the Secretary of Transportation for counties to employ a licensed
Professional Engineer as their County Engineer. Such incentive should give fiih
financial benefit to counties that employ a full-time employee as their own
county engineer as well as a prorated amount for counties that participate in
formation of a district that shares the services of a district county engineer,
who is a licensed Professional Engineer. A smaller prorated incentive should be
available for counties where a full-time licensed Professional Engineer employee
can not be justified and a licensed Professional Engineer employee of a
consulting engineer firm is contracted to perform limited county engineering
duties.
Policy
Statement #00.05
Approved 10.29.99
Sales
Tax on Professional Services
KSPE
opposes the imposition of state or local sales taxes on the delivery of
professional services by engineering, architecture and/or design fees. The
majority of such taxes would ultimately fall on public taxpayers, thereby
reducing the essential professional services that may be purchased by state and
local governments.
Policy
Statement #00.06
Approved 01.03
Engineering
Education
The
engineering profession has become a major drive of the Kansas economy.
Engineers
create value added jobs in the manufacturing, utilities and service sectors of
the Kansas economy, and build and maintain the state's vital
infrastructure. Essential to these continuing contributions are the
Colleges of Engineering at our state's Regents Institutions. Maintaining
high quality teaching and research staff at these institutions is vital to our
economic prosperity.
Adequate funding of our Regents Institutions is needed to
ensure Kansas' schools can hire and retain the high quality engineering college
faculty and staff needed to grow the state's economy and maintain
essential public services.
Policy
Statement #00.07
Approved 01.03
Primary
Seat Belt Law
It
is an indisputable fact that use of automobile seat belts reduces fatalities and
injuries during accidents. Increased use of automobile seat belts will further
reduce fatalities and injuries of Kansas' drivers. Enforcement of Kansas' seat
belt laws is hampered when the requirement is considered a secondary offense.
KSPE supports enactment of legislation that would make seat belt use a primary
offense.
Policy
Statement #00.15
Approved 01.21.00
Energy
Conservation
The
Kansas Society of Professional Engineers supports the following:
1)
For older buildings still in use, many of which are owned by Kansas City,
County, and State governments, determine if retrofitting techniques such as
energy efficient lighting can provide sufficient energy savings to economically
justify an energy conservation project be undertaken.
2)
Continued funding of university and private research to further improve the
efficiencies of manufacturing processes, natural gas and electric
heating/cooling systems, appliances and lighting.
3)
Encourage Kansas government officials to take advantage of incentives and grants
for energy related projects in the 1992 National Energy Policy Act.
4)
Promote renewable sources of energy where economically justified.
5)
Provide for short and long term emergency planning in the state to address
future energy shortages and price increases that would impact the state's
economy.
Policy
Statement #00.16
Approved 01.21.00
Chief
Engineer Division of Water Resources
The
KSPE recommends that the position of Chief Engineer of the Division of Water
Resources remain a classified position within the State Personnel System. A
licensed professional engineer with extensive water resources experience should
fill the position. The Chief Engineer should be empowered to provide
independent, scientific based, engineering judgements regarding the allocation
of the State's water resources based on the application of water appropriations
law. The KSPE also supports the continued, adequate funding and staffing of the
Division with licensed professional engineers and appropriate technical support
staff.
Policy
Statement #00.17
Approved 01.21.00
Nutrient
Enrichment
Natural
conditions of the native soils of Kansas and the nature of our lakes and streams
make control of all taste and odor conditions caused by algal production
unfeasible because there is enough native phosphorous (P) (which limits algal
growth in Kansas waters) present in our surface waters to produce nuisance
conditions. However, the use of best management practices to reduce how much P
added to surface waters should be used to reduce additional contributions of P
to surface water. Nutrient criteria for water quality standards (WQS) should be
based on available professionally accepted peer reviewed scientific
information.
Policy
Statement #00.18
Approved 01.21.00
Kansas
Solid Waste Management Plan
The
Kansas Society of Professional Engineers supports the following:
1)
A comprehensive program review of the Kansas Solid Waste Management Plan when
major events such as changes in state and federal laws occur.
2)
Continued focus of the Kansas Solid Waste Management Plan to provide updated
technical information for use by local solid waste officials to reevaluate their
County or Regional Solid Waste Plan.
3)
The Kansas Solid Waste Plan's continued promotion of recycling, reuse, waste
reduction and alternative waste management methods through the plan's grant
administration program.
Policy
Statement 900.19
Approved 01.21.00
Kansas
Water Resources Department
The
KSPE supports the formation of a Kansas Water Resources Department as a cabinet
level agency. This would provide for the combination of all existing state water
programs into a single agency, which would provide for the coordination and
implementation of statewide water policies and regulations. The Kansas Water
Resources Department would act independently to implement Kansas water law to
ensure the continued availability of the resource, provide for the determination
of designated uses, determine equitable allocation among users, and protect the
quality of the State's groundwater and surface water resources.
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