In State of the State, Gov. Laura Kelly hones in on rural Kansas issues

Gov. Laura Kelly emphasized her political priorities for the upcoming session during her annual State of the State speech on Wednesday

Kelly framed her ideas for expanding Medicaid, rejecting school vouchers, programs for child care, water conservation and her proposed tax cuts through the lens of supporting rural areas of the state.

"Kansas is, at its heart, a small-town kind of state. One million people — a third of our population — live in communities with fewer than 40 people per square mile. The people who work in our state’s most important industry don’t wear suits; they wear boots and jeans," Kelly said.

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Kelly repeatedly emphasized the Medicaid expansions impact on financially distressed rural hospitals since announcing her latest plan last month in Holton. She said 59 of Kansas's 102 rural hospitals are in financial jeopardy and could lose service or close entirely.

She highlighted rural city councils and law enforcement officials support of Medicaid expansion. She said her latest plan is written with the opposition's concerns in mind. The plan has work requirements with some exemptions and is revenue neutral.

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Kelly sharply criticized leadership in the House and Senate for not bringing Medicaid Expansion to the floor for a vote. She also said there's more to be done to support rural health care.

"They say that Medicaid Expansion is not a silver bullet for our rural hospitals. You know what? I agree. Of course it’s not going to solve every challenge facing rural health care. But it’s a critical part of the solution. We can’t solve the problem without it," Kelly said.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, criticized the governor's plan in the official Republican response. He said Medicaid expansion would expand the government to give free medical care to able-bodied adults.

“Republicans also favor lasting solutions that work for our vulnerable populations, things like higher medical reimbursement rates, support for community mental health centers, eliminating the intellectual and developmentally disabled waiting lists and increasing access to care,” Hawkins said. “These steps actually provide better care without growing the welfare state.”

Kansas governor vows to fully fund education

Kelly said she plans to continue fully funding schools, including increased funding for special education. She also laid clear lines on legislation she'll oppose if brought forward, namely school vouchers that divert public per-pupil funding to private or charter schools.

"If you represent a rural area and you’re out there pushing for vouchers, you’ll be hearing from parents back home – wondering why you’ve turned your back on their schools, and why you’ve prioritized private schools hundreds of miles away," Kelly said.

Hawkins said Republicans don't have the votes to override a veto by the governor on school choice, but claimed they led efforts to fund schools and encourage education innovation. Republican leadership did criticize her, however, for not supporting school choice.

“That we do not have any any parental choice in education is ludicrous on its face. And by the way, rich people have choices in education right now. You can go to any private school you want. We're talking about getting dollars to those that don't have a choice.,” Senate President Ty Masterson told reporters after the governor's speech.

Kelly calls for single agency to oversee child care certifications

Kelly touted the creation of 6,800 open child care slots throughout the state between May 2022 and August 2023. But, she said bureaucratic red tape hampers the ability of providers to set up shop and that she will propose a single agency to oversee child care certifications.

Despite new openings, Kansas still is shorthanded in child care. Child Care Aware of Kansas estimates that there is enough demand for 84,000 more openings in the state.

"That’s bad for our children, stressful for our parents, and, at a time when every business is desperate for workers, it slows down our economy," Kelly said.

Hawkins agrees that there's too much red tape for child care facilities, but argued the creation of a centralized agency does just that.

“She proposed creating a big new state agency to put government smack dab in the middle of childcare after vetoing a reform bill just last year that would have cut government red tape and given parents more childcare options,” Hawkins said.

Governor pushes tax cut ideas

Kelly announced her tax plan on Monday, which she says would send over $1 billion back to taxpayers over three years. The proposal includes property tax exemptions, eliminates taxes on social security income, increases the standard deduction on state taxes, ends sales tax on food earlier than its current 2025 deadline and creates a back-to-school state sales tax holiday.

The proposal is supported by a handful of Republican legislators. Those legislators could be key to stopping a veto override if the Republicans preferred tax cut, a single-rate tax on all incomes, passes both chambers.

"We must get that money back into Kansans’ pockets – and we will – in a fiscally responsible and targeted way. In a way that doesn’t threaten progress on all the other issues Kansans care about – our schools, our roads, foster care, and public safety," Kelly said. "And unfortunately, that’s exactly what one proposal – the flat tax – would do."

Hawkins argued that single-rate taxes are the simplest and most effective way to get money back into Kansans pockets. He also pointed to Republican’s proposed tax cuts last session, which Kelly vetoed because it was bundled with a single-rate tax.

“Last session, Kansas Republicans led the effort to put more dollars back in the hands of Kansas families by immediately axing the food sales taxes to zero, lowering income taxes across the board and holding down property taxes,” Hawkins said. “Kansas families deserve relief from inflation in the form of tax cuts, not a bigger government.”

Masterson expanded on this, saying that more than half of the governor's tax plan are ideas originally proposed by Republicans.

Kelly says water crisis needs to be addressed

Western Kansas is facing a water shortage that threatens the existence of several communities. Kelly said she is going to fund the State Water Plan for the third year in a row, and add to the already $35 million the state has invested to deal with water issues.

"It will also include more funding for rural towns to update their water systems. It will provide resources for the new Kansas Water Institute at K-State, to leverage expertise and develop innovative solutions to water challenges. And, it will provide additional resources to help farmers and ranchers implement water-saving practices," Kelly said.

In a press conference after the Governor's speech, Senate President Ty Masterson said he doesn't think he and Kelly are very far apart on water issues.

Kelly ender her speech by quoting Ted Lasso, and asking people to forget about past division to focus on tasks at hand.

"I encourage you to remember the words of that great Kansan, Ted Lasso, who said: 'You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. So be a goldfish,'" Kelly said. "Let’s, all of us, be goldfish and not let the divisions of the past prevent us from doing right by Kansans for their future."

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: In State of State, Gov. Laura Kelly hones in on rural Kansas issues