Capitol Beats, Week 2: 'This is the mosh pit of politics'
Check this spot on Sundays for a few quick hits about what’s driving the debate in the Legislature.
Say what?
“This is the mosh pit of politics.”
Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, describing the Kansas Senate during a debate on the chamber’s rules
“I haven’t been able to locate data to show that direct correlation.”
Acting Revenue Secretary Sam Williams, responding to a lawmaker’s question about whether he has data to show that a tax exemption for business owners has spurred job growth as Gov. Sam Brownback promised
9,400
That’s the number of private sector jobs Kansas lost between December 2015 and December 2016.
Trending
The biggest news at the Statehouse is the uncertainty surrounding KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services notified the state Tuesday that it had rejected its request to extend authorization for the program through 2018.
The decision comes four days after federal investigators found the state out of compliance with multiple federal Medicaid requirements, determining that the state had risked the health and safety of KanCare enrollees by failing to provide thorough oversight. State officials must submit a corrective plan by Feb. 17.
News ahead
The House Transportation Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on a bill that would require any school bus purchased by a Kansas school district to come equipped with seat belts. The bill would also require that anyone riding on the bus wear his or her seat belt. And it would require the state Board of Education to develop a bus safety program covering the proper use of seat belts.
Bryan Lowry
For more legislative news, go to www.kansas.com/politics and follow @BryanLowry3 on Twitter.
This story was originally published January 21, 2017 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Capitol Beats, Week 2: 'This is the mosh pit of politics'."