The legislative session officially began on Monday, January 10 with the inauguration of Governor Sam Brownback, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, and State Treasurer Ron Estes. Along with 35 new legislators, this year’s inauguration represents a fresh start for Kansas, a genuine opportunity to move forward on legislation which will make a positive impact on the lives of Kansans.
To set the tone for the new session, Governor Brownback gave his first “State of the State” address on Wednesday evening, an exciting and historical event in which he laid out his vision for his first year in office and beyond. Several of his statements resonated with conservative principles.
“Kansas will emerge stronger economically through hard work, practical ingenuity and removing government impediments to both rural and urban private-sector growth.”
It is significant that the Governor emphasized economic growth comes from the private sector and not through government spending.
Governor Brownback received two standing ovations. One was when he spoke about education in reference to the Montoy court decision, “Let the Legislature resolve school finance… not the courts, so we can send more money to the classroom, not the courtroom.”
In the 2005 session, most Kansas Legislators battled the unconstitutional mandate of how much to spend on education by the Kansas Supreme Court. However, because of executive veto power, a two-thirds vote was required by each House. We failed by one vote. It is inspiring that we now have a governor in the executive branch who wants to abide by and honor the words in our Kansas Constitution.
Several times, Gov. Brownback’s stated, “The days of ever expanding government are over.” These were welcome words after years of excess spending by our state government. The budget proposed by the governor the following day reinforced this commitment (but could have done more), and he expressed his dedication to ‘delivering core services in innovative and more efficient ways.’
The second standing ovation came when Gov. Brownback stated, “This is our calling: to help those in their time of need, including and especially those who are the most vulnerable. I call on the legislature to bring to my desk legislation that protects the unborn, establishing a culture of life in Kansas.”
There have recently been many years in Kansas when the most vulnerable were not considered to the extent they should have been, including the vetoes of several common-sense pro-life bills dealing with late-term abortion, which would have protected both the unborn and the mother. Only legislators who were strong abortion advocates would vote against these measures, yet because of the vetoes, it took two-thirds vote by each House to get any bills passed into law. Several times the Kansas Legislature fell short by one or two votes. The standing ovation was a sign of celebration that these harsh days are over.
This is the only time in Kansas history we have had a Governor firmly committed to these critical principles, and I look forward to working with Governor Brownback on legislation to achieve these aims.
One of the items Governor Brownback addressed that I most agree with is his call on the legislature to define what the term “suitable education” means under the Kansas Constitution. If we are ever going to get a long term handle on our education funding system, we must first define exactly what it is we are funding. Make no mistake, this will be a debate on which there will be many opinions, but is a debate we need to have.
The truth is that without structural reform to both our education system and KPERS, we will never be able to bring spending down to a responsible level. The path we have been on as a state is simply unsustainable.
The first week of the session also brought other good news – Attorney General Schmidt announced he would be joining a federal lawsuit to challenge ObamaCare, and Secretary of State Kris Kobach announced he would be pursuing Voter ID legislation, which has been long sought after in Kansas – even passed by the legislature – but never able to be implemented due to the veto pen. In 2011, that has changed, and we can look forward to efforts to make Kansas a model in protecting against voter fraud and ensuring the integrity of our election system.
There are also a number of other issues I believe will be addressed this session, from judicial selection reform to an attempt to give significant tax relief. As the weeks go along, I look forward to communicating with you about each of these issues, including the specific areas I plan on working on: renewing efforts to pass the Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment; protecting citizens from violent offenders; establishing right of conscience legislation for medical professionals; reforming Medicaid; and other legislative measures that will help to protect your liberty.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any comments or concerns. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
In honor of your liberty,
Mary Pilcher Cook
