def _sample_const(item, random_state):
    """
    Return a value sampled from a constant distribution (just the item).

    Parameters
    ----------
    item : any
        What to return
    random_state : mtrand.RandomState
        RandomState object used to sample from this distribution (ignored).
        This is here to match the other function specifications.

    Returns
    -------
    value : any
        item, returned.

    """
    return item
