Dear Friends,

First of all, let me apologize for not being in communication as much as normal during the past several months. The reason involves family health-related issues, including the passing of my mother in September as well as providing on-going care for my father. I appreciate all the prayers so many of you offered for my family. Now that the election has passed and as I prepare for the legislative session in January, I wanted to reflect on the election results and my view on the incredible opportunity that lies ahead.

November’s election results brought exciting victories for Republicans across the nation, including right here in Kansas . The election of Sam Brownback, Jeff Colyer, Kris Kobach, Derek Schmidt and Ron Estes in a sweep of statewide offices, all four Congressional seats, in addition to the gain of 16 seats in the Kansas House, is a historic sweep for Republicans that is worthy of celebration. I was most pleased with the results right here in the Shawnee-Lenexa area – Reps. Anthony Brown (District 38) and Owen Donohoe (Dist. 39) were re-elected and conservative Republicans Kelly Meigs (Dist. 17), John Rubin (Dist. 18), and Brett Hildabrand (Dist. 23) captured seats that were previously held by liberal representatives. I congratulate all and believe they will make fantastic representatives!

While these impressive victories are indeed cause for celebration, we must remember that with victory comes great responsibility – because for the first time during my time in the Kansas Legislature, and in truth, for the first time in Kansas history, we have the opportunity at achieving significant progress on a host of policy objectives that we have long ran on but never quite had the numbers to enact. Now, with Republicans holding ¾ of each house and the Governorship, and we must take this historic mandate and turn it into decisive action on behalf of Kansans. In short, we must lead!

In January, when a new legislature is sworn in and Governor Brownback is inaugurated, we must remember the principles that we ran on – ideas such as limited government, state sovereignty, fiscal responsibility, the right to life, and individual liberty. Kansans expect us to turn the campaign talk into direct action in Topeka , and we must honor their votes by tirelessly working to ensure those principles are reflected in our laws as well as the budget.

In the State Senate, while there were only two special elections, January will bring still bring several new faces, some of which are unknown at this point. Senator Barnett resigned (and was replaced in November in a special election) and Senators Huelskamp, Colyer, and Schmidt were all elected to higher office, and their replacements are being chosen currently – including Rep. Ray Merrick for Jeff Colyer here in Johnson County .

I look forward to working with the new Senators. It is my sincere hope that we can advance legislation that:

• Protects state sovereignty and individual liberty by enacting the Kansas Health Care Freedom Amendment.
• Enact a state budget that reigns in excessive spending and restores fiscal discipline.
• Review laws and state government agencies that are unnecessary and/or duplicative.
• Lower the tax burden on families and business, making Kansas economically competitive and on a path to prosperity.
• Further protects life in Kansas in all its stages.