Kansas governor lays out priorities ahead of 2nd term

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Forward of the return of Kansas lawmakers to the state capital for the 2023 legislative session, Governor Laura Kelly is laying out a few of her priorities as she begins her second time period.

As Governor Kelly begins that second four-year run, she’ll must once more cope with the Republican supermajority management in each the Kansas Home and Senate. As she’s began laying out her key priorities for the following 4 years, the legislature would be the figuring out consider what and the way a lot she’ll have the ability to get carried out.

In per week, Kelly will make her pitch of priorities to the Kansas Legislature along with her state of the state handle. Wednesday morning, she took a part of her plan to a Wichita childcare heart, outlining plans for tax reduction. 12 Information senior reporter Shawn Loging sat down with Kelly to debate what lies forward within the upcoming session.

Kelly defined tax reduction she hopes to see carried out amongst key priorities heading into her second time period.

“I’ve been in search of any approach I presumably can to supply some tax reduction for Kansas households specifically, significantly given the inflation that we’ve all been residing by means of,” she stated.

There are three elements to the plan to “axe the taxes.” A right away elimination of the state’s meals gross sales tax charge fairly than the phased method handed final yr, a back-to-school vacation on college provides every August and growing the revenue restrict for retirees earlier than their social safety revenue is taxed from $75,000 to $100,000.

“Extra seniors get the reduction that they want as they’re making an attempt to dwell out their lives on a set revenue,” Kelly stated.

However that can solely be a small portion of what’s mentioned within the upcoming legislative session. Even with the modification vote final August, abortion might be a debated subject in Topeka. Abortion laws stays a precedence for a lot of Republicans and abortion-rights opponent teams. In Wednesday’s interview with Kelly, Loging requested her in regards to the subject and the place she stands on proposals or any adjustments to Kansas’ present abortion legal guidelines.

“I’ve been very constant, and I’ve been within the legislature and the governor’s workplace now for 18 years, I’ve been constant in that I firmly imagine that the choice, girls’s healthcare choices are between that girl, her doctor and her household,” Kelly stated. “That politicians don’t have any position to play.”

The abortion subject may very well be one by which Kelly’s veto energy might have a major say.

For a fifth time, Kelly stated she is going to introduce a plan for for Medicaid growth in Kansas. In the previous couple of years, GOP management hasn’t supported growth. Opponents of Medicaid growth embrace incoming Kansas Home Speaker Dan Hawkins who cited in an op-ed final yr that it might take away sources from essentially the most susceptible by including eligibility to individuals.

With neighboring states increasing Medicaid, Kelly stated there’s a difficulty with Kansas “bleeding [its] healthcare employees.”

“They’re leaving Kansas to go work someplace they’ll truly get reimbursed for his or her providers,” she stated.

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