Kansas City Star. December 29, 2022.
Editorial: Kansas Legislature, listen to the people on Medicaid expansion, marijuana and more
The Kansas Legislature will face a long list of to-do items when it convenes for the 2023 session on Jan. 9: tax policy, Medicaid expansion, marijuana, education spending.
It also confronts a list of don’t-do items, such as further abortion restrictions.
Because Kansas voters wisely returned Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to office for another four-year term, opportunities for compromise and progress exist in the weeks ahead. We urge lawmakers to abandon confrontation and political theater in 2023 and work to make Kansas better.
TAX CUTS ON FOOD, NOT CORPORATIONS
In the 2022 session, the Legislature voted to begin phasing out the state sales tax on food, beginning January 1, 2023. Political gamesmanship was at play: Republicans didn’t want Kelly taking credit for the reduction.
There is no good reason now to delay full elimination of the state food sales tax, which will drop to 4% from 6.5% in 2023 (it drops to 2% in 2024 and zero in 2025.) The food sales tax is a particular burden on the poor, especially in a time of high inflation. It’s the quickest, easiest way for the state to put money into the pockets of its residents.
For the record, we think Kelly waited far too long to pursue a state sales tax reduction on food. Had legislators passed the tax break three or four years ago, Kansans would have had hundreds of extra dollars to spend. (Don’t be fooled by the proposed food sales tax cut in 2019: That GOP bill was crammed with corporate tax cuts that were unwise and unnecessary.)
Other tax reform proposals include a cut in state taxes on Social Security benefits and property tax relief. Those ideas, and others, deserve a hearing, as long as the state’s projected budget surplus can be reasonably maintained.
EXPAND MEDICAID TO HELP RURAL HOSPITALS
Republicans continue to resist the commonsense step of expanding Medicaid in the state. How many Kansans have suffered needlessly, or died, because they lacked access to health insurance and health care?
How many rural hospitals have closed because they’ve forgone the income Medicaid patients can provide? Too many.
According to some estimates, 45,000 Kansans have no practical access to health insurance without expanded Medicaid. It’s appalling that lawmakers would ignore their plight or refuse the federal dollars now going to other states. It is past time to enact Medicaid expansion in Kansas.
LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Kansas remains an outlier among states by denying its residents access to pain-relieving medical marijuana. Lawmakers should rectify that mistake in 2023.
Some lawmakers make a moral case against therapeutic pot. How? Kansas has endorsed gambling, for heaven’s sake. We support that effort — perhaps in 2023, with tweaks in the law. But no state that enables gambling can make a moral argument against medical marijuana.
Legalizing medicinal cannabis should be a top priority in Topeka in 2023, and there are signs some Republicans are prepared to move forward. That’s good news.
FUND SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR SCHOOLS
Kansas should fully fund the costs of special education in the state’s school districts. Currently, the state pays about 71% of those costs, according to estimates, instead of the 92% promised in state law.
The funding gap is more than $160 million. It’s covered by general revenue to school districts, which means less money available for other important school functions. Kansas should meet its commitment to students who need extra help.
While we’re at it, lawmakers should avoid any effort to undermine public education through private school tuition vouchers, credits, or other funding mechanisms. We have never objected to schooling options for parents, but taxpayers should not be required to subsidize those choices.
WATER CRISIS, SPORTS GAMBLING
Kelly has said water policy will be a significant issue in 2023. The Legislature should spend serious time understanding climate change and its effect on water supplies. It can’t ignore the crisis.
Lawmakers may also want to revisit the state’s sports gambling architecture. It’s clear gambling won’t provide enough funds to lure the Chiefs to Wyandotte County, and that money should be spent somewhere else.
DITCH THE CULTURE WARS
Legislators should avoid divisive debates on new abortion regulations in Kansas. Voters spoke loud and clear on the subject in August.
We also think lawmakers should avoid needless arguments over transgender youth athletes, school curricula, gun regulations and election reform. Legislators should keep a close eye on incoming Attorney General Kris Kobach, whose capacity for mischief and personal ambition are limitless.
The 2022 election is over. It’s time for the Legislature, and Gov. Kelly, to engage in the real work of governing. We hope they do so.
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