Rep. Jim Ward: Democrats ready to find common-sense solutions

As we look to a new year, I want to share my thoughts about what came out of the Kansas Legislature last year that benefits all of us. I am optimistic that with your support we can build on these successes as we go forward into the new year.

Last year a bi-partisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together to put the brakes on the very destructive Brownback/Colyer tax “experiment” and began to move Kansas back in the right direction. It is a tribute to what is possible when people of good faith work together.

The keystone to that change — the event that made everything else possible — was the override of a Gov. Brownback veto. This override was critical to our prosperity. In that vote, Democrats and Republicans stood together and said enough is enough. Since that repeal, wealthy corporations are paying more of their fair share. We have seen state revenues climb and that will help us push back the strangulation of essential services the tax experiment created. The vote also brought fiscal sanity back to the Kansas budget as witnessed by the fact that the state’s credit rating (downgraded three times under Brownback) was immediately upgraded following the veto override.

This one event opened the doors to other long overdue reform. Teachers received a pay raise for the first time in seven years and state employees a raise for the first time since 2008. We invested $293 million in new montey into Kansas schools and increased funding to the state’s mental health safety net. We restored the childcare credit and home mortgage deduction. We created stronger oversight to what has become a troubled foster care system and kept firearms out of hospitals.

These are real, measurable achievements. They impact our daily lives.

This year is another incredible opportunity for our state. House Democrats are ready to partner with anyone willing to join us in forging common-sense solutions to the challenges facing our state. We reject the too-frequent position of those who insist that it is their way or the highway. They are holding our state back.

The most pressing issue facing the 2018 Legislature is funding our schools fairly and sufficiently. The Kansas Supreme Court spoke in October, saying that not enough is being done for our children’s schools under the Constitution. It has given the Legislature an April 30 deadline to submit a new funding plan and will rule on that plan before June 30. Work on this should begin immediately.

Strengthening the Kansas economy and maintaining fiscal responsibility is a top priority for House Democrats. We must ensure that our citizens are given the opportunities they deserve and the core services they require. Additionally, we must work toward more job creation, job training, tax fairness, and building that strong economy that benefits all Kansans, not just wealthy corporations.

This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 3:59 AM with the headline "Rep. Jim Ward: Democrats ready to find common-sense solutions."