Kansas

Here’s why Kansas House speaker won’t allow a vote on Laura Kelly Medicaid expansion bill

Published

2 years ago

January 17, 2024

Here’s why Kansas House speaker won’t allow a vote on Laura Kelly Medicaid expansion bill

Medicaid expansion legislation has now been introduced in the Kansas Legislature, but it is unlikely to receive a floor vote in the House or Senate, let alone a committee hearing.

House Minority Leader Vic Miller, D-Topeka, introduced a Medicaid expansion bill Wednesday in the House Appropriations Committee.

House Appropriations Chair Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, said he believed the bill should be introduced in the House Health and Human Services Committee but held a vote on introducing it in appropriations. The committee ultimately voted to allow the introduction of the bill in a 9-8 vote.

Also on Wednesday, Sen. Pat Pettey, D-Kansas City, introduced a Medicaid expansion bill in the Senate Ways and Means Committee without objection.

By introducing the bills in budget committees instead of health committees, the bills are now exempt from session deadlines. But Gov. Laura Kelly wants the bills acted upon much sooner.

“The legislature should listen to the over 70% of Kansans who support Medicaid Expansion and give this bill a hearing by Kansas Day,” Kelly said in a statement.

GOP leadership won’t put Medicaid expansion up for a vote

Kelly, a Democrat, has claimed that there are enough supporters of Medicaid expansion that it would pass if Republican leadership allowed it to get a vote.

“I believe that if the issue were put to a vote today, the majority of you in this chamber would support it,” she told legislators in her State of the State address last week. “Yet there are some who are so adamantly opposed to expansion that they won’t even give you the opportunity to debate and to vote.”

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, told reporters after the speech that he won’t allow a vote on Medicaid expansion.

“I know my votes,” Hawkins said. “I know the votes in the House, and I can tell you there is not enough votes to pass. People say, ‘Well, put it out for a vote.’ I never put anything up for a vote unless it’s going to pass. You don’t ever see us put stuff out there just to watch it die. We put things up that’s going to pass, and I can tell you right now there are not 63 votes for Medicaid expansion.”

He said he won’t put it up for a vote to prove the point because “we’re not in the business of proving a point.”

While the governor’s State of the State speech frequently elicited applause from Democrats, the clapping was often far more tepid on the Republican side of the aisle. That was especially the case with Medicaid expansion, which got a standing ovation from Democrats but nearly zero applause from Republicans.

Kelly’s Wednesday news release about the introduction of Medicaid expansion legislation did have supporting statements from five Republicans: Sens. Brenda Dietrich, of Topeka; Carolyn McGinn, of Sedgwick; and John Doll, of Garden City; and Reps. Susan Concannon, of Beloit; and David Younger, of Ulysses.

Democrats, Republicans disagree over benefits of Medicaid expansion

Kelly has argued that expanding Medicaid will provide access to health care for thousands of Kansans who have jobs, but their employer doesn’t provide health insurance and they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, which can result in them having no coverage.

“Health care coverage for 150,000 Kansans,” Kelly said. “Cost-savings for most everyone. We protect our rural hospitals. And Kansas taxpayers pay nothing extra? That’s a deal just about anyone would take.”

While the governor has cited polls showing strong public support for expanding Medicaid, Masterson said the response depends on how the question is asked.

“If you had read me the question in whatever that Fort Hays (State University) poll was, I think I might have answered yes,” he said. “You skewed the question. You go out and ask the question the right way, it is not a majority of Kansans.”

“The problem is 90% of the people out there don’t even know what Medicaid expansion does,” Hawkins said. “They think it’s helping the elderly; they think it’s helping the disabled. It doesn’t. Those populations are already taken care of.”

Hawkins said there should instead be an increase in the Medicaid reimbursement rate, more funding for “safety net clinics” and addressing the intellectual and developmental disability waiver waiting list.

“There’s a lot of things that we want to do,” Hawkins said. “But Medicaid expansion is the governor’s deal. It’s not our deal. It’s just not.”

But Hawkins said GOP leadership isn’t introducing any bills on those issues. Masterson said those topics are generally addressed in the budget.

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Kansas

Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City

Published

18 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With less than two months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in cities across the country, KC2026 announced the lineup of artists expected to perform at the Kansas City FIFA Fan Festival.

From the Chainsmokers to Flo Rida to Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, fans can expect to see dozens of performances from top acts over the course of the 18-day event.

Here are some headline dates scheduled during the “world’s biggest football party,” according to KC2026:

The Chainsmokers — June 13
Flo Rida — June 19
Cimafunk — June 20
Gabby Barret — July 3
The All-American Rejects — July 11
Tech N9ne — June 12 and July 11

Several other performers will take to the stage outside of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The list of artists can be found in the poster image provided below:

According to KC2026, all acts and dates are subject to change, and tickets to the event are already available on the KC2026 Fan Fest website.

General admission is free and open to the public; however, the organization is offering other packages to upgrade the experience. Here’s everything you need to know:

General Admission — Free
- On a first-come, first-served basis
Premium Garden Pass — $55
- Includes all the benefits of general admission, access to expedited entry lanes, exclusive standing-room viewing in the Premium Viewing Area, premium restrooms, a dedicated bar area and access to premium food options.
Legacy Lounge Pass — $225
- The Legacy Lounge Pass includes all the benefits of the Premium Garden Pass with access to an air-conditioned lounge, a two-tiered viewing structure, all-inclusive food options, a premium beverage package,  climate-controlled restrooms, unique photo opportunities with iconic Kansas City sports memorabilia and access into the Premium Viewing Area.

The FIFA Fan Festival will serve a maximum of 25,000 people daily and include KC match days, USMNT match days and the Fourth of July.

Fans can expect the stage at the event to be twice the size of Chappell Roan’s massive October 2025 concert, when she performed two sold-out shows on the lawn of the World War I Museum and Memorial to approximately 30,000 fans each night.

Over the course of the tournament, the festival will have themed days to get fans in the World Cup spirit. For a list of those themed events, click here.

For more information about the tournament, tune into Kansas City’s World Cup headquarters, FOX4 News, for the latest announcements before and during the historic summer event.

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Kansas

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election

Published

1 day ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is sending a strong message to lawmakers, who she believes are making unrealistic promises to voters about property tax relief.

As the election season approaches, all 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives are up for re-election. Property taxes continue to be a major issue for home and business owners in the state, and it’s an issue that many Kansas lawmakers focus their campaign on. This year, Kelly is warning lawmakers against this.

“Legislators are out there promising the moon to people when it comes to property taxes,” Kelly said. “The fact of the matter is that the state has very little control over property taxes.”

Currently, the state levies 20 mills of property tax to help support Kansas schools. All other property tax in the state is being imposed and collected by local governments. Kelly is hoping that lawmakers make that clear to voters while they run their campaigns.

“I hope on this campaign trail that candidates are honest about what they can really do, which is work with their local elected officials to come up with a resolution,” Kelly said.

Lawmakers attempted to pass legislation during the 2026 legislative session. The Kansas Senate favored a plan that would’ve placed a 3% cap on annual property value increases. The House of Representatives proposed a “rolling averages” plan, which would calculate a home’s taxable value based on the average of its market value over a set number of years.

Ultimately, neither of those plans went through. However, lawmakers did manage to pass HB 2043, a protest petition bill. It allows voters to push back on property tax increases if they go above 3%.

It now sits on Kelly’s desk waiting for her decision. She can either sign the bill or veto it. Kelly did not comment on where she stands on the bill today.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash

Published

2 days ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash

RILEY COUNTY—A man involved in a fatal southwest Kansas crash was arrested Tuesday in Riley County.

According to the Riley County Police Department activity reported, just before 5p.m. Tuesday 21-year-old Nicholas Ellis Biddle of Wichita, was arrested in the 1000 block of S. Seth Child Road on a Seward County District Court warrant for involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, maximum speed limits and failure to yield at a stop or yield sign.

In June of 2024,the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Chevy Silverado driven by Biddle was southbound on Road T at U.S. 160 in Seward County.

The driver failed to yield and struck a westbound 2017 Nissan Rogue driven by Jamee E. Perez, 42, Hugoton. After impact both vehicles rolled an unknown number of times before coming and came to rest in the ditch.

EMS transported Biddle and Perez to Southwest Medical in Liberal where Perez was pronounced deceased. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

According to the Riley County Police Department, Biddle met the requirement of a $50,000 bond and is no longer confined in the Riley County Jail.

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