Debt collectors and scams

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt released a statement regarding a new scam. According to his statement, a company called, "National Credit Solutions [is] purporting to be a debt collection agency. Most of the consumers who have been contacted have been contacted either by mail or by telephone. National Credit Solutions says it is contacting the consumers to collect a late fee owed by the consumer to Hollywood Video. The organization tells the consumer that the late fee was never paid and that Hollywood Video has turned the account over to National Credit Solutions for collection, and increasing the amount due. The organization then tells the consumer that the amount must be paid immediately or it will be reported on the consumer's credit report. National Credit Solutions often will also attempt to bargain with the consumer to get them to pay on the spot, accepting less than the amount to ensure payment." If you have been contacted, please do not send money, do not let anyone pressure you into sending money, and use the resources in this post:

See Attorney General Derek Schmidt's full statement at:
http://www.ksag.org/page/attorney-general-schmidt-warns-consumers-about-new-scam

The Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) guide for steps you can take if you have been scammed:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

Kansas law KSA 50-623 et seq. regards Kansas consumer protection

Kansas law KSA 50-634 regards remedies and debt collectors

Where to file a consumer protection complaint with the Attorney General:

http://www.ksag.org/page/file-a-complaint

Where to file a complaint at the FTC:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Consumer Protection video from the FTC:

Celebrating Kansas in 2011

Although the official day is January 29, 2011, Kansans will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood throughout 2011. Below is a sampling of sites and articles offering events, dates and places where you can participate in this grass roots fête of everything Kansas:

Kansas 150 Calendar of Events
http://ks150.kansas.gov/Pages/Calendar.aspx
(Kansas 150 website)

News About the Kansas Sesquicentennial
http://ks150.kansas.gov/Pages/news.aspx
(Kansas 150 website)

Kansas 150 Celebrations
http://www.travelks.com/s/index.cfm?AID=583
(Kansas Travel and Tourism Division)

Kansas Day at the Kansas Historical Society
http://www.kshs.org/portal_kansas_day

Kansas 150 Commemoration
http://ks150.kansas.gov/Pages/default.aspx
(Kansas 150 Advisory Committee)

Kansas Day Presentation: John Carlin
http://www.washburn.edu/reference/cks/flyer2011legal.pdf
(January 28, 2011, sponsored by the Center for Kansas Studies at Washburn University)

150 Things I Love About Kansas
http://www.kshs.org/p/150-things-i-love-about-kansas/15782
(Kansas Museum of History Exhibit, Jan 28-Dec 31, 2011)

Kansas Arts Calendar
http://kansasartscommission.org/calendar/
(Kansas Arts Commission)

Kansas Humanities Council 2011 Calendar
http://kansashumanities.org/site/calendar.html?Name=Value

"150 Years of Statehood"
http://www.kansas.com/2010/12/26/1647772/array0xc041d28.html
(Wichita Eagle)

"Kansas 150th anniversary events"
http://www.kansas.com/2011/01/16/1676492_kansas-150th-anniversary-events.html
(Wichita Eagle)

"Kansas Day 2011"
http://kansas150slk.blogspot.com/2010/12/kansas-day-2011.html
(Kansas 150 SLK, State Library of Kansas)

Article contact: Bill Sowers
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Legislators are back in session

On January 10, the 2011 Legislature returned to Topeka to represent you in the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas State Senate. As required by the Kansas Constitution, Governor Sam Brownback presented his State of the State speech in which he laid out his goals for the state and the current status of state functions to the legislature.

Previous Governors' State of the State addresses and other messages can be found online at:
http://www.kslib.info/messages/index.html

Section of the Kansas Constitution requiring the Governor to deliver a message to the legislature:
http://www.kslib.info/constitution/art1.html

The Governor is also required to present a budget plan for the state:
http://budget.ks.gov/gbr.htm

The following are recommendations to communicate with your elected officials:

Find your legislators' contact information at:
http://www.kslegislature.org/

Find out who your state legislators are by entering your address at:
http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/

Click on either House or Senate and then on the member's name. This will bring up a picture and the contact information for your legislator-
OR you can call the Legislative Hotline, a service of the State Library, to leave a message for your legislator at 1-800-432-3924.

Talk to your legislators about what concerns you:
1. When emailing or writing a letter to your legislator, address him or her as Honorable Representative or Honorable Senator
2. Be sure to include how your concern affects people in your area
3. Offer background information to support your argument
4. Offer to testify to your argument

Find out more about your legislators:
Directories:
http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/legis.pdf
Histories of elected officials:
http://www.kssos.org/forms/communication/history.pdf
Legislators Past and Present:
http://www.kslib.info/legislators/index.html

Call the Legislative Hotline with any questions regarding Kansas government, the status of bills going through session, bill numbers for certain policy issues, legislative history assistance, or how to contact your legislator: 1-800-432-3924.

Bullying

Bullying has come into the national spotlight within the past year due to some tragic cases primarily involving young adults. At the state level there are several organizations and agencies which offer information and resources for schools, parents, children and adults on signs of bullying and how to deal with it. Below are some links to resources with an emphasis on Kansas information.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Kansas Bullying Prevention
Kansas State Department of Education
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.ksde.org/bullyingprevention
(Links, Instate resources and organizations, Kansas Safe Schools Hotline, etc)

Bullying Prevention
(Kansas Safe Schools Resource Center)
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3896

Kansas Bullying Prevention Program
http://www.stopbullyingkansas.org/

Definitions and Characteristics of Bullying
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3913

Sample Bullying Prevention Program
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3902

Sample Bullying Prevention Policies
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3904

Cyberbullying
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3900
(Kansas State Dept of Education)

Cyber Bullying
http://www.netsafekansas.com/content/page/id/190
(Net Safe Kansas)

Cyberbullying
http://libguides.pittstate.edu/cyberbullying
(Resources provided by Axe Library, Pittsburg State University)

Kansas Children's Service League
https://www.kcsl.org/BullyingPrevention.aspx

Kansas Suicide & Crisis Hotline
http://suicidehotlines.com/kansas.html

Stop Bullying Now
http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/default.aspx
(U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA))

Bully Police USA
http://www.bullypolice.org/

BullyingInfo.org
http://www.BullyingInfo.org

Safe & Civil Schools
http://www.safeandcivilschools.com/

National Crime Prevention Council
http://www.ncpc.org/search?SearchableText=bullying
(Search results for "bullying")

WORKPLACE BULLYING

Workplace Bullying Institute
http://www.workplacebullying.org/targets.html
(Online brochures offered by the Institute)

Workplace Bullying
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_bullying
(Wikipedia)

Workplace Mobbing
http://workplace-mobbing.com/

Workplace Bullying: What Everyone Needs to Know
http://www.wfse.org/info/Bullying.pdf
(Washington State publication with good, general information)

PUBLICATIONS

U.S Department of Education
http://www.edpubs.gov/ProductCatalog.aspx?KeyWordSearch=&TypeofSearch=exact&searchterm=bullying

Bullies Booklist for Teens
http://www.grpl.org/wiki/index.php/Bullies_Booklist_for_Teens
(Grand Rapids Public Library)

Bullying: A Fiction and Nonfiction Resource Guide
http://info.infosoup.org/lists/bullying.asp
(InfoSoup)

ATLAS ONLINE CATALOG
(Holdings at the State Library of Kansas, Washburn University, Kansas State Historical Society, Kansas Supreme Court libraries)
--BULLYING
--CYBERBULLYING

Article contact: Bill Sowers
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