The average age of a house in SE Kansas is 74 years-old.
A shortage of quality housing stock is a big barrier to growth and economic development in our district. The legislature should be doing all they can to help communities across Kansas with incentives to build housing.
The best way to grow the local economy is to invest in businesses that are rooted in the community. Rural Kansas is a great place to start a business, and the legislature can help with incentives to build on what we already have, and to help the next generation of business owners get started.
I support a progressive income tax structure that treats workers fairly and ensures that all Kansans pay their fair share. I support an end to tax loopholes and exemptions that favor the wealthiest Kansans and corporations while leaving working Kansans to bear the burden of funding state services.
Kansas had the money to cut the grocery tax to 0 on July 1st, but the Republican-controlled legislature voted against it, so Governor Kelly wouldn’t get that “win” in an election year. Remember who is unnecessarily costing you money when you are in the checkout line.
Agriculture is the backbone of this state, and we need to give our small farmers and food producers a leg up. As farming has gotten big, many small farmers have gotten out. We need to help family farms of all sizes who want to diversify for the next generation.
Kansas is the 8th sunniest state, and is 2nd in wind potential. We are in the middle of the country, and we have a skilled workforce trained for aerospace manufacturing and fossil fuels. The consumer market is ready. I support the transition to what’s next, but not without also making sure that workers are supported, and landowner’s rights are respected.
Covid 19 worsened the child care crisis that already existed in rural Kansas. Humboldt’s example of 100 kids on the waiting list for a local daycare is not uncommon. We need more support for both families and daycare workers so parents don’t have to drop out of the workforce.
The legislature should advocate for paid family and sick leave, as well as a higher minimum wage.
Kansas can do better to support our citizens who are caring for a disabled or elderly family member, and we must do all we can to shorten the waitlists for services.
We must provide adequate funding, staffing, and oversight to ensure that children receive the care and attention they need, are placed in safe environments, and continue to be supported alongside their families after reintegrating into their home.
World-class public schools require more than adequate funding; they require a commitment to excellence and to meeting the needs of a 21st century workforce. I believe in a quality education for all, so we must fully fund special education and early childhood education programs, and as an advocate for rural Kansas, I do not support public money going to private schools.
We need to support teachers and all school employees so we can slow the burnout before the staffing shortage in our schools becomes a crisis. I support the right to due process for teachers, and that specific curriculum decisions should continue to be made by the locally elected Boards of Education, not by lobbyists or by members of the legislature.
A quality post-secondary education should be within financial reach of every student in Kansas. As a former community college student, I support technical and community colleges.
The GOP members of the legislature need to understand that outside their bubble of lobbyists, further restrictions on abortion are not what the majority of Kansans want. Voters especially don’t want the government passing restrictions that don’t make any exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. Unfortunately, this isn’t the last step in the plan to push this agenda on the people of Kansas, which is another reason why breaking the supermajority in the legislature, and getting back to bi-partisan governing, is so important.
It’s been 14 years and the legislature’s inaction has left over $5 billion dollars on the table, we’ve lost 7 rural hospitals, and we’ve left 150,000 Kansans, including veterans, in the coverage gap. Medicaid expansion is popular outside of the capitol building, and has the bipartisan support of voters. Let’s. Get. It. Passed.
37 states already have medical cannabis. Legalization is popular, brings in needed tax revenue, and has support from both farmers and veterans organizations.
Small town budgets get hit hard by rural America’s mental health crisis. The legislature needs to talk to all the stakeholders in this issue, including those personally affected by mental health issues, local law enforcement, schools, and rural hospitals and clinics. Cycling through the system cannot be the best solution we can come up with.