Web posted
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Activist vows renewed push on resolution against rap
By JOHN MILBURN
Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A human rights activist is promising to continue his push for a legislative condemnation of gangsta rap lyrics.
Sonny Scroggins of Topeka says he's frustrated by the Legislature's inaction on the issue this year. He's a fan of rap but worries that some lyrics have a negative influence on young listeners.
''It's not going to go away,'' Scroggins said. ''It's just like Nero, fiddling while Rome burned, as it relates to our youth.''
Rep. Peggy Mast, an Emporia Republican, sponsored a resolution condemning gangsta rap over violent lyrics and messages that Mast and other critics believe demean women. Scroggins called her a pioneer.
The resolution said rap has ''always been associated with artistic creativity and innovation,'' adding that rappers are capable of ''becoming positive role models.'' It urges people who are offended to demonstrate and refuse to support ''those who are unjustly enriched by it.''
Before it was introduced, a recording industry spokesman expressed concern that the effort could chill free speech. But the measure never received a hearing.
Scroggins blamed House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican, for not helping push the resolution. Neufeld said the issue was left to the Federal and State Affairs Committee.
And Chairman Arlen Siegfreid, an Olathe Republican, said the committee didn't have enough time to review the measure because it was busy with immigration and abortion proposals.
''It just got lost,'' he said. ''I didn't have anything particularly against the resolution. We just didn't get to it.''
Mast said she'll work more with House leaders but said any effort to adopt a resolution depends upon building public support.
''The issue is far from dead because too many people feel strongly about that,'' she said.
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IN OLATHE: Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said eight months ago that he would not be a candidate for the post this year.
But some supporters have been urging him to run, and now Kline is refusing to rule it out.
Asked about his plans by The Kansas City Star, Kline said, ''I get people asking me to run and people asking me to move out of town all the time,'' and left it at that.
The former attorney general has until the June 10 filing deadline to decide, and could file to run as an independent before noon on Aug. 4.
Kline took over the district attorney's office in January 2007. The Johnson County Republican Party's precinct leaders elected him to complete the term of Paul Morrison, who defeated Kline in the 2006 race for attorney general.
Morrison later resigned because of a sex scandal.
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EMPLOYEE PAY: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has signed a law that makes sweeping changes in the way 41,000 state employees are compensated.
The changes made official Friday were the result of a study of the state employee compensation plan, concluding that a significant number of employees were making less than workers in other states or the private sector doing the same jobs.
''Many state employees are earning 45 percent less than similar jobs in other states,'' Sebelius said. ''This makes it hard to attract and retain quality workers to serve the people of Kansas.''
The five-year plan moves to a performance-based system, replacing a system based on seniority; brings the pay for more than 7,700 employees up to market levels; gives all employees a 2.5 percent cost-of-living increase, and provides longevity pay for those hired before July 1.
As part of the law, the state will be required to conduct an annual survey of wages and compensation to determine if Kansas is staying competitive with other states and the private sector.
Rep. Pat George, a Dodge City Republican who was chairman of a committee that drafted the law, said the package was the result of bipartisan and interagency cooperation.
''It took an extensive amount of give and take to develop a modernized structure that satisfactorily rewards employees for their efforts,'' George said.
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JOBLESS RATE: The state says its unemployment rate fell in April to 3.6 percent.
That follows seasonal trends. As the weather improves, hiring increases, particularly in construction. The jobless rate was 4.4 percent in March.
The Department of Labor also saw some good news in employment figures for April, compared to April 2007. About 9,400 more Kansans held jobs, the agency said.
That's employment growth of about 0.7 percent. The total nonfarm work force was a little less than 1.4 million in April.
Yet the agency saw some signs of the national economic slowdown.
It's true that construction employment grew from March to April. But employment in that industry in April was slightly behind where it was in April 2007.
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Associated Press correspondent John Hanna contributed to this report.
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