WHEREAS, The Steering Committee to Reinvent Kansas Govern- ment has provided the legislature with a thorough and excellent briefing on its study report ``Environmental Water Permitting'' through the study team appointed by the Steering Committee; and
WHEREAS, The study team was comprised of both members of the public receiving environmental water permits and agency heads respon- sible for the issuance of environmental water permits; and
WHEREAS, The study team solicited additional input from the public receiving environmental water permits through both mail and telephone surveys; and
WHEREAS, The resulting study report ``Environmental Water Per- mitting'' contains 18 ``quick hit'' initiatives and 24 long range initiatives requiring a long term commitment to improving the manner in which the residents of the State of Kansas are served by water permitting agencies; and
WHEREAS, There has been a long standing perception among the legislature and the residents of the State of Kansas that improvements in environmental water permitting are necessary for the public to receive an acceptable level of service by the water permitting agencies: Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas, the House of Rep- resentatives concurring therein: That the legislature expresses its ap- preciation to the Environmental Water Permitting Study Team for its effort to develop a comprehensive plan for improving the manner in which environmental water permits are issued and renewed; and
Be it further resolved: That the legislature endorses the concepts for improvement in environmental water permitting contained in the study report; and
Be it further resolved: That the legislature endorses the transition of the Water Permitting Study Team into the Water Permitting Implemen- tation Team to coordinate and track the implementation of the recom- mended initiatives; and
Be it further resolved: That the legislature endorses the concept of utilizing electronically transmitted documents in the water permitting process to improve process efficiency and decrease processing time; and
Be it further resolved: That the legislature requests the state agencies which are authorized to manage the environmental water permitting process, in conjunction with the Water Permitting Implementation Team, to create a ``Water Permit Database'' to be shared by the state agencies; and
Be it further resolved: That the legislature requests the Water Per- mitting Implementation Team, in conjunction with the state agencies, to form a ``Water Database Policy Board'' to develop uniform policies re- lating to the Water Permit Database; and
Be it further resolved: That the legislature requests the Water Per- mitting Implementation Team, in conjunction with the state agencies, to submit to the legislature any bills, resolutions or requests for appropria- tions designed to implement the various segments of the study report as submitted by the Steering Committee to Reinvent Kansas Government. [j82]House January 29, 1996 [j82]Senate March 21, 1996