Angry over a now-abandoned plan to reorganize the state’s Wildlife and Parks Department, Republican state Sen. Virgil Peck is advocating a bill that would require legislative oversight if the agency tries restructuring again.
The bill was heard Wednesday morning in the Senate agriculture committee, which Peck chairs. He expressed concerns about complaints he received after a proposed reorganization went public, mostly notably in a post on a House member’s Facebook page.
“We’re looking at a unique situation with the conduct of the current secretary…” Peck told the committee during a hearing Wednesday.
“Sometimes we have to take drastic measures to get the attention of government entities to protect our constituents who work for the agency or who would visit our parks, our public hunting lands, etc.,” he said.
“We have a unique situation that I don’t know that has ever arisen. Potentially, it has,” he said. “In my 18 sessions, I have not seen such a problem arise.”
“This is a piece of legislation designed to make certain that the out-of-control secretary is reined in,” Peck said.
Secretary Christopher Kennedy on Feb. 13 called off the reorganization to consolidate the department’s law enforcement duties from three divisions into one.
“I heard your feedback, I made it clear that there will be no reorganization under my watch, and no individuals would be decertified,” Kennedy told the committee Wednesday.
“While I believe there are ways to further improve the services we provide to the public, now is not the time for structural change,” he said.
As a result, Kennedy said there was no need for the bill.
“If it were to become law, I would be prohibited from reclassifying any employee position within the department to fulfill my basic duties of operating the agency and providing services to our constituents,” he said.
“I need the ability to manage personnel and fill gaps as they become apparent.”
A memo posted on the House member’s Facebook page showed that that park managers and assistant managers would be decertified as law enforcement officers with their responsibilities focused on park operations and maintenance.
The memo also said that all public lands staff with law enforcement responsibilities would be decertified with their duties focused on public lands operations and maintenance.
Kennedy told the committee that the proposed reorganization was intended improve the department’s ability to provide consistent law enforcement services, ultimately improving officer and public safety.
“At no point did I ever intend to terminate any employee,” he said.
“However, consolidation would have necessitated decertification of certain employees who currently spend most of the time doing non-law enforcement duties,” he said.
“Without certification, these employees would have been able to focus their efforts on our core responsibilities, such as habitat and park management work,” he said.
The bill would require the wildlife secretary to submit any reorganization plan to the agriculture committees in the House and Senate.
The bill would bar the secretary from implementing any reorganization unless it was approved by the Legislature.
The bill would sunset July 1, 2027, meaning that it would basically cover the rest of Kennedy’s time leading the agency.
“It comes down to a matter of trust,” Peck said. “I do not trust that there would not be changes made after we’re out of town.”
Kennedy was nominated to the position by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is leaving office after two terms and his future after she departs is unclear.
Peck opposed Kennedy’s nomination as wildlife secretary last year because the secretary previously worked as the assistant to the director of inclusion and diversity at the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“I didn’t support him for secretary, but that’s history,” Peck said in an interview after the hearing.
“Had it not been for this massive reorganization and all of the contacts that I’ve received – phone calls, emails, snail mail letters and other legislators who have been in the agency – so many people have contacted me saying, ‘You’ve got to put a stop to this.'”
During a hearing on Wednesday, Peck noted that there had been some trepidation about Kennedy’s nomination last year when it was approved by the Senate on a 23-12 vote.
After last year’s confirmation, Peck said there were persisting complaints about the secretary.
“I’m going to guess all of us heard from many constituents, Wildlife and Parks employees, former employees, former commissioners, and they all expressed a deep concern and frustration by a clear lack of willingness by the secretary to listen to ideas from those who have been a part of the agency for a long time,” Peck said.
“And I realize leaders lead, and sometimes their leading is not popular, but you’re not a leader if no one is following you,” he said.
Republican state Sen. Ron Ryckman of Meade said he believed Kennedy’s promise not to pursue another reorganization.
Kennedy “heard the frustrations that many, many people heard, and he said he’s not going to go forward,” Ryckman said.
“I understand that you do not trust. You made it very clear, and I trust him at his word.”
Peck said he believed that Kennedy agreed to retreat from the reorganization only because he knew that the Legislature was angry.
“The announcement from the secretary only came after request of this legislation being introduced. The handwriting was on the wall,” he said.
“The secretary could see, ‘Oh, the legislature is getting serious, I better back down.’ That is my reading,” Peck said.
Ryckman said Peck was making his point.
“That again proves what he said here. He heard the feedback. He saw the handwriting on the wall. He said, ‘I’m not going to go forward,'” Ryckman said.
Kennedy said he consulted with the wildlife commission before moving forward.
“I discussed it personally with every one of my commissioners before we even embarked on it,” he said.
“We not only discussed it with with our commissioners, but we also convened internal groups to help advise me on how we should move forward with our reorganization.”
Kennedy said he wouldn’t have moved forward without support from the commission.
“They not only gave me their support, they also gave me a variety of tactics that they’d like me to follow in order to help ease this transition period, which has been difficult.
“But I think culture change in itself, especially when we’re talking about an agency like the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, is hard.
“I think it would be hard in any agency, no matter what the title of that agency is,” he said.
Republican state Sen. Torie Marie Blew of Great Bend asked Kennedy what would stop him from moving forward with a reorganization after the Legislature adjourns for the year.
“We recognize that the environment is not ready,” Kennedy said.
“My objective at this point is to ensure that the next administration has the information that they need so that they can make that those decisions in the future,” he said
“I don’t think there’s enough time to really embark on a full-fledged reorganization after the results of what we’ve seen so far with this, with this first attempt,” he said.
