Newsletter April 2025
Friends:
I hope you find this newsletter helpful and informative. We’ve reached our April break in the legislature, and we’ve been busy voting on important legislation during the past several weeks. I always appreciate the emails and phone calls that I receive from people in our district, and I’m always eager to know what bills and issues are important to you, my constituents. Therefore, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I’m always willing to correspond with people in our district. As a State Representative, I believe that I represent every single person in our district, not simply those who voted for me.
IT’S AN HONOR TO BE YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
PROMOTING A CULTURE OF LIFE
I voted in favor of HB 2062, which would require child support to be paid, starting at the conception of the child, and which would allow a personal exemption of $2,320 for every unborn child, beginning in 2025. I’m strongly pro-life, have pledged to vote in favor of all pro-life legislation, and was proud to vote in favor of this bill. I believe this bill promotes a culture of life by defining unborn babies as human beings who have worth and value. The bill passed the Kansas House of Representatives 87-38 and the Kansas Senate 31-9.
SUPPORTING VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS
The chief of the Larned Fire department contacted me and asked me to try to get additional money for equipment for volunteer firefighters across the state of Kansas. I was happy to work with him to get additional funding for the equipment they need. I introduced an amendment to the budget adding $500,000 for equipment for volunteer firefighters. This is a grant program that’s operated through the State Fire Marshall’s office. I offset the cost of the amendment by cutting $500,000 elsewhere in the budget. My amendment passed and was included in the final budget.
PROHIBITING CHINA FROM BUYING UP OUR LAND
I voted in favor of House Sub for SB 9, which would prohibit countries that are hostile to the United States from buying agricultural land. These countries include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. This bill doesn’t apply retroactively and doesn’t force individuals and companies associated with these companies to sell the land that they own. That may be disappointing to some people, but I still believe that this bill is at least a step in the right direction. The bill passed the Kansas House 98-24 and the Kansas Senate 38-1.
PROMOTING WELFARE REFORM
I voted in favor of SB 79, which would prohibit individuals who are on food stamps from buying candy and soda through the food stamp program. I believe that this is common sense and will limit the food stamp program to food and beverages that people actually need. Recipients of food stamps will still be able to buy candy and soda with their own money, they just wouldn’t be able to use taxpayer money to buy these products. I’m not normally in favor of having the government dictate what people may eat or drink. However, I believe that welfare programs should be limited in scope and shouldn’t go any further than absolutely necessary. This bill would ensure that taxpayer money is only being spent on nutritious food, likely resulting in better health for people on food stamps, and ultimately reducing healthcare costs. This bill passed the Kansas House 65-58 and passed the Kansas Senate 29-11.
CAPPING HOME APPRAISALS
I also supported HCR 5011, a constitutional amendment limiting home appraisal increases to 4% per year. In certain situations, this limit wouldn’t apply, such as when improvements have been made to the home or when it changes ownership. Some of our neighbors have told me that the appraisal on their homes went up by as much as 30% in a single year. County appraisers respond that if the fair market value of a home goes up rapidly like that, they are legally obligated to increase its appraised value over time so that it maintains par with its fair market value. To me, it’s about fairness and protecting homeowners from large, unanticipated increases in their appraisals and taxes. This amendment would have no effect on county budgets but would make the process fairer for homeowners by implementing increases via a more gradual process. I proudly supported this constitutional amendment. Unfortunately, it failed 37-88 in the House of Representatives.
SUPPORTING HEALTH FREEDOM
I voted in favor of SB 29, a health freedom bill that eliminates the authority of a local health officer or the Secretary of Health & Environment to order a sheriff or other law enforcement officer to enforce compliance with any order regarding evaluation, treatment, isolation, or quarantine for an infectious or contagious disease. Law enforcement officers testified in favor of this bill, stating that they don’t want to be required to enforce these orders, as they did during COVID, which they viewed as going too far in infringing on Kansans’ civil liberties. The bill provides due process for individuals under health orders, allowing them to have a hearing within 72 hours. I supported this commonsense bill which enhances individual liberty and reduces the power of government. It passed the Kansas House of Representatives 88-36 and Kansas Senate 31-9.
DIRECTLY ELECTING SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
I voted in favor of SCR 1611, abolishing the Supreme Court Nominating Commission, which is dominated by unelected lawyers, and provides for the direct election of Kansas Supreme Court justices. Currently, when there is a vacancy on the court, the Supreme Court Nominating Commission reviews applications and conducts public interviews of nominees. The Commission then narrows the nominee pool to three names that it sends to the Governor, from which he or she must choose. That nominee isn’t even subject to Senate confirmation. Often, the Commission doesn’t even provide a Republican Governor with an originalist justice nominee from which to choose. This has resulted in the Kansas Supreme Court becoming one of the most liberal state Supreme Courts in the entire nation, resulting in its decisions being regularly overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Allowing the people of Kansas to vote on Supreme Court justices will provide a better chance of moving away from liberal domination of our current court and make it more reflective of the values of Kansans. The amendment passed 84-40 in the Kansas House and 27-13 in the Kansas Senate.
CUTTING STATE PROPERTY TAXES
I voted in favor of SB 35, which eliminates the state property tax of 1.5 mills set aside to fund the construction of state buildings. Currently, there are 21.5 mills of property taxes at the state level. 20 mills pass through the state and go directly to public schools. 1.5 mills fund state building construction. This bill shifts such funding to the state general fund. I believe this bill is simply a small step in the right direction, and much more should be done. The bill passed the Kansas House of Representatives 96-26 and the Kansas Senate 40-0.
BARRING NON-CITIZENS FROM VOTING
I voted for HCR 5004, which clarifies that only a person who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to vote in Kansas. Currently, our state constitution says that citizens can vote, but it doesn’t explicitly specify that non-citizens can’t vote. Therefore, this amendment simply clarifies the language of our current state constitution. The amendment passed 90-28 in the House and 37-3 in the Senate.