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Jay Emler
Jay Scott Emler (b. May 25, 1949, in Denver, Colorado) was the chair of the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) from 2014 to 2019. Governor Sam Brownback (R) appointed Emler to the KCC in January 2014 to replace resigned commission Chair Mark Sievers. His appointment was unanimously confirmed by the Kansas State Senate on January 16 and he was sworn in to office the following day.[1]
At the time of his appointment to the KCC, Emler was serving as a Republican member of the Kansas State Senate, representing District 35 from 2001 to January 2014. He served as Senate majority leader from 2010 until January 2014, when Emler resigned his seat in the legislature to assume his new role on the commission.[2][3]
Biography
Emler previously worked as a municipal judge in Lindsborg, Kansas.
Political career
Kansas Corporation Commission (2014-2019)
Emler was appointed to the commission by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) in January 2014 for an abbreviated term ending in March 2015. He was confirmed by the state Senate and officially succeeded Commissioner Mark Sievers on January 17, 2014. Sievers announced his resignation on December 9, 2013. Emler was reappointed to the KCC in May 2015 for a full, four-year term.[4][5][6]
Kansas State Senate (2001-2014)
Emler was a Republican member of the Kansas State Senate, representing District 35 from 2001 to January 2014, and was Majority Leader from 2010 until his resignation in January 2014 to begin his appointment to serve on the state corporation commission.[2]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Emler served on the following committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Federal and State Affairs, Vice chair |
| • Commerce |
| • Utilities |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Emler served on these committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Commerce |
| • Confirmation Oversight, Chair |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Kansas Security, Vice chair |
| • Legislative Coordinating Council |
| • Organization, Calendar and Rules, Vice chair |
| • Pensions, Investments and Benefits |
| • State Building Construction |
| • Utilities |
| • Ways and Means |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Emler served on these committees:
| Kansas committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Ways and Means, Chair |
| • Kansas Security, Chair |
| • Commerce |
| • Pensions, Investments and Benefits |
| • State Building Construction |
| • Utilities |
Issues
Sponsored legislation
Recent legislation sponsored by Sen. Emler includes:[7]
- An amendment to require the Senate's consent of Supreme Court justice appointments[8]
- An amendment to create a budget stabilization fund[9]
See also: Jay Emler, legislative actions on State Surge
Debt negotiations
Emler was one of the members of a bipartisan group organized by the National Conference of Legislatures called the Task Force on Federal Deficit Reduction (TFFDR). Consisting of 23 state lawmakers from 17 states,[10] the group went to Capitol Hill on September 21, 2011 to urge the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to cut the nation's debt but not impose severe budget cuts on the states.
TFFDR urged the Committee to consider new revenue as a possibility, instead of just focusing on budget cuts as House Speaker John Boehner had proposed. The group specifically proposed passage of the "Main Street Fairness Act," which would allow states to tax online retailers.[11]
Elections
2015
Emler was reappointed by Gov. Brownback to the Kansas Corporation Commission in May 2015. His first full term runs through March 2019.[4]
2014
Emler was first appointed to the Kansas Corporation Commission by Gov. Sam Brownback in January 2014 to complete the term of former KCC Chair Mark Sievers, ending in March 2015.[2][3] Sievers' resigned on the heels of a challenging year in the leadership post. Despite the well-publicized issues at the agency, Sievers cited the desire to spend more time with his wife and family as his reason for stepping down.[12][13] Emler's appointment received unanimous approval by the Kansas State Senate on January 16, 2014, and he officially took over Sievers' seat one day later.
2012
- See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2012
Emler won re-election in the 2012 election for Kansas State Senate District 35. Emler defeated Jesse Bryant in the August 7 Republican primary and defeated Jesse Bryant (L) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Jay Emler Incumbent |
76.7% | 21,063 | |
| Libertarian | Jesse Bryant | 23.3% | 6,381 | |
| Total Votes | 27,444 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jay Scott Emler Incumbent |
73.3% | 6,435 |
| Jesse Bryant | 26.7% | 2,346 |
| Total Votes | 8,781 | |
2008
On November 4, 2008, Emler was re-elected to the 35th District Seat in the Kansas State Senate, defeating Cynthia K. Nelson (D).[16] Emler raised $89,376 for his campaign, while Nelson raised $3,685.[17]
| Kansas State Senate, District 35 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jay Emler (R)
|
20,997 | 75.1% | ||
| Cynthia K. Nelson (D) | 6,935 | 24.8% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
When he served on the KCC, Emler and his wife, Lorraine, had two children.[18]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Jay Emler Kansas Corporation Commission. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Kansas Corporation Commission
- Jay Emler's website
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000
Footnotes
- ↑ McPherson Sentinel, "Emler resigns his Senate seat," January 17, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Great Bend Tribune, "Governor Brownback appoints Elmer to Kansas Corporation Commission, "January 8, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Wichita Eagle, "Governor appoints GOP Sen. Jay Emler to KCC," January 8, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 NewsOK, "Ex-Kansas lawmaker gets another term on utility commission," May 21, 2015
- ↑ The Witchita Eagle via Kansas.com, "Mark Sievers, Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman, resigns," December 10, 2013
- ↑ The Topedka Capital-Journal, "Sievers steps down as KCC chairman," December 9, 2013
- ↑ Legislation
- ↑ Bill 1612
- ↑ Bill 1614
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Task Force on Federal Deficit Reduction," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Stateline, "State legislators want revenue on table in debt talks," September 22, 2011
- ↑ The Witchita Eagle via Kansas.com, "Mark Sievers, Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman, resigns," December 10, 2013
- ↑ The Topedka Capital-Journal, "Sievers steps down as KCC chairman," December 9, 2013
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 31, 2014
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "2008 General Election - Official Vote Totals," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Kansas 2008 - General Election Results," accessed March 29, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed June 2, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark Sievers |
Kansas Corporation Commission 2014–2019 |
Succeeded by Susan Duffy |
| Preceded by Don Steffes |
Kansas State Senate District 35 2001–January 2014 |
Succeeded by NA |
| |||||||||||||||||
