Legislature preps to press hot buttons instead of helping Kansans | Commentary

We are quickly coming upon the next legislative session. From watching comments of legislative leaders I am concerned that we are going to go down the same road. That road is spending an inordinate amount of time on hot-button social issues rather than the things that can really make a difference for Kansans.

Having served in the Legislature but recently losing in a close election, I regret I will not be able to participate. However, I make these suggestions out of concern for the state I have lived in my entire life. These issues I list come from the comments heard from constituents during the campaign.

Some in leadership have already ruled out expanding Medicaid. Yet these same officials share bipartisan agreement that mental health issues are a major concern in Kansas. We try all sorts of things to address concerns about mental health, some helpful, some not. However, expanding Medicaid would provide health insurance for 150,000 Kansans, many of them the same ones who need these mental health services. With insurance, they may be able to receive regular therapy and afford the medication required for them to become productive members of society. That is in addition to the help many would receive for medical conditions. And this insurance would help pay for unreimbursed costs that our health care organizations are bearing. The federal government will pay 90% of this cost, and 38 states have adopted expansion. I fear that the main objection to expansion is more ideological than it is practical. Kansans should hope that the Legislature at least has a debate on this issue.

The other major concern I heard from voters was inflation. There is little that state government can do or should do to control the cost of goods and services. However, there are policies we can enact that help residents cope with inflation. The quickest and most effective way we can help is by taking the state sales tax on food to zero right now. This helps everyone, but it helps low-income people the most. The second thing we can do is to lower property taxes. Residential property taxes are the most despised tax because they have little relationship to the ability to pay. Providing property tax relief again helps everyone, but is most helpful to people of lower incomes.

The above taxes can be lowered without significantly affecting state services because we have a huge budget surplus and a $1 billion rainy day fund. This is the effect of an economy that is booming in Kansas. Revenues are coming in well over previous years and are projected to do so for some time. If there was ever a time to provide tax relief, it is now.

The only way these things are going to happen is if Kansans get involved and force legislative leadership to at least debate these policy changes. All polls show overwhelming support for these issues, and they are the quickest and most effective ways to make life better for most Kansans. I have always thought that should be the ultimate goal of the Legislature.

Let’s not spend our time harassing schools over things that are not taking place, attacking a few transgender children who are already marginalized, or trying to overthrow the primary election vote on the abortion amendment. Instead let’s do things to make Kansas a better place to live and prosper. It can happen if Kansans hold their elected officials accountable.