Where are the hearings?
That’s my question as the Kansas Statehouse barrels into its final three weeks. Gov. Laura Kelly and advocates rallied for Medicaid expansion on Wednesday. Forget whether lawmakers want to approve the policy or not. They haven’t even held a single hearing about it this session. Kansas Reflector has run repeated stories and columns about the sorry state of Kansas sex abuse law. No hearings have been held. Other vital legislation, such as Sen. Ethan Corson’s proposal to raise our paltry minimum wage, has likewise gone undiscussed.
Not all bills become law or even get a vote on the House and Senate floor. I understand that. I would wager that most Kansans understand that.
But why would committees be so reluctant to talk about obviously good ideas that would help the state and its people? Perhaps they’re afraid that if they do, they might have to actually take action.
Of the loopy quotes to emanate from the Kansas Legislature this session, one of the loopiest came from Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, on Tuesday.
“Our public schools are a monopoly,” she said, according to Kansas Reflector reporter Rachel Mipro. “It’s the only monopoly in our economy today, if you think about it. You can go anywhere you want and purchase any type of medical care, you can choose where you get your hair cut, you can choose to go to higher ed anywhere, but the K-12, you don’t.”
Williams’ comments are, to put it mildly, deluded. Calling public schools a...
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