There are some high-profile issues that Kansas lawmakers will address in the upcoming legislative session, including filling a budget hole. But there are always other issues that rise to the surface and attract attention when lawmakers are in Topeka.
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says he’ll be pushing anti-poverty legislation in the coming session, and he also expects work on long-term water policy.
“As I look out 50 years, I think this is one of the key issues need to wrestle with in the state, particularly in the western part of the state,” says Brownback.
The incoming leader of the Democratic caucus in the the Kansas House, Tom Burroughs, says he expects talk of expanding Medicaid and possibly increasing the state’s minimum wage.
“We’ve passed a tremendous amount of policy that benefits business," Burroughs said. "It’s time that we give consideration to the working Kansans and working families.”
Legislators will kick off the 2015 session on Jan. 12.
