Kansas Rep. Melissa Rooker joined KCUR reporter Sam Zeff for the inaugural episode of Statehouse Blend to talk about her experience in the Kansas Legislature and her decision to move back to Kansas from Los Angeles.
Melissa Rooker, a Republican from Fairway, started her first term representing the 25th district in 2013. During that year, Rooker sponsored HB2252, a bill that removed the statute of limitations for prosecutions of rape and aggravated criminal sodomy.
This legislative session she is serving on the House Standing Committees on Children and Seniors, Education, and Vision 2020. Rooker told Zeff she is passionate about education and the future of Kansas' children, and was felt that Brownback's comments about the affects of K-12 education spending on the budget is blaming the state's most vulnerable students.
"We've heard blame put in all kinds of different directions, but to put it on our children, I was shocked by that," said Rooker.
Besides education, Rooker thinks the dynamic legislative work in the Vision 2020 committee is often overlooked because it doesn't create a large amount of bills. Rooker said the Vision 2020 committee, which is dedicated to commissioning studies and investigating the future of Kansas, is the only committee in the statehouse holding hearings on Medicaid expansion.
"The health committees are chaired by people who so far have not been willing to schedule hearings. The insurance committee is chaired by someone who so far hasn't been willing to schedule a hearing. So my committee is trying to come up with that Kansas based plan to expand Medicaid," says Rooker.
Rooker grew up in Fairway, Kan., and prides herself on receiving a Kansas education. She earned a B.F.A. from the University of Kansas, then moved to Los Angeles with her husband to work at Clint Eastwood's Malpaso Productions. After the birth of her first child Rooker made the decision to raise her kids back in her home state of Kansas. Rooker served as the president of the Indian Hills PTA and other PTA organizations before joining the legislature.
