“On behalf of the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council, we would like to congratulate you on your endorsement from the Building Trades. We feel your values and continuous support make you a strong voice for labor as Kansas Senator. We commend you on your dedication and commitment to our community and look forward to working with you on issues facing the future of Kansas.
“We can’t thank you enough for always fighting for working men and women in Kansas!”
“Kansas Agri Business Council (KABC) is the political action committee of the Kansas Grain & Feed Association (KGFA) and the Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA), and in partnership with the Kansas Cooperative Council (KCC).
“KABC’s goal is to support candidates that will promote the general welfare of the agribusiness industry in Kansas.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2019
TOPEKA – Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley today announced he has pre-filed a bill to expand Medicaid.
“This is a critical bill that would allow Kansas to finally expand Medicaid and help hospitals, providers, and as many as 150,000 uninsured Kansans. All of this, unlike Senator Denning’s bill, can be accomplished without a tax increase,” said Hensley. “This bill is very similar to the one passed by the House in 2019.”
The bill is Senate Bill 246. It includes the provisions of 2019 House Bill 2066 with the following changes: (1) The monthly fee is up to $25, rather than a fixed $25; (2) KDHE may grant a hardship exemption from the monthly fee; and (3) the “lockout” language is removed.
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The following Op-Ed is attributed to Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley:
House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins and Attorney General Derek Schmidt are defending reckless Brownback/Colyer policies that have done nothing but rip apart Kansas families. All the while Governor Kelly’s administration is working to keep families together and help Kansans find jobs.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is completely underwritten by federal funding and is available to Kansans when they can’t always rely on a steady full-time job that pays a living wage. It allows parents – especially single mothers – to take care of their children while they seek employment. In fact, a clear majority of families worked before and after receiving benefits.
The so-called HOPE Act, which passed in 2015 without a single Democratic vote, is one of the most mean-spirited laws ever to pass the Kansas Legislature. It made changes to work requirements for pregnant women and new mothers and penalized them for noncompliance, limited access to childcare, significantly reduced the lifetime limits for cash assistance, and eliminated eligibility for survivors of domestic violence.
Restricting these benefits makes it more difficult for families to keep food on the table and to deal with unexpected life events. Sadly, Kansas children are paying the price of this cruel law. Since its passage, many more children are without food assistance and are being abused and neglected. As a result, foster care cases have increased at an alarming rate.
In short, unlike Governor Kelly and her administration, Hawkins and Schmidt have callous disregard for the well-being of Kansans and their families. They’re more consumed with playing political games and carrying on the devastating legacy of Sam Brownback and Jeff Colyer.
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The following letter was received by Senator Anthony Hensley on April 3, 2019 from KPERS Chairman Kelly Arnold and Executive Director Alan Conroy:
