Page 47 – State Affairs

Meet 4 incoming lawmakers set to walk into the Statehouse unopposed

Posted on August 24, 2024August 23, 2024 by Brett Stover

While most candidates will face contested races this November, 13 newcomers are already assured of a seat at the Statehouse next session.

State Affairs last week reached out to nine future lawmakers who won contested primaries. Now, get to know four incoming representatives who will walk into office without a primary or general election opponent.

Chip VanHouden — House District 26

Replacing: Rep. Adam Thomas, R-Olathe

Occupation: Biomedical device representative

Elected office held: Spring Hill City Council member

VanHouden, who answered State Affairs’ questions by email, said he’s always had great respect for former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, particularly his advocacy for the 1982 Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act and support for the Americans With Disabilities Act.

When making decisions, VanHouden said, he would first research possible solutions before turning to subject matter experts “who can provide unbiased facts.”

During his first legislative session in 2025, VanHouden said he has three top priorities: property tax relief, improving U.S. Route 169 and encouraging economic growth in south Johnson County.

Allen Reavis — House District 63

Replacing: Rep. John Eplee, R-Atchison

Occupation: Dentist

Elected office held: Atchison County and City of Atchison commissioner

After 13 years in city government and the last two as a county commissioner, Reavis is making his way to Topeka.

He hopes to fill at least one of the roles of his predecessor, Eplee, as a member of the House Committee on Health and Human Services. As a doctor, Reavis believes he can add his expertise in medical matters to the Legislature.

Beyond his own practice, Reavis has also been active in leadership with the Kansas and American Dental associations.

Reavis said he’d seek advice from local leaders and experts when making tough decisions, such as reaching out to superintendents about school-related issues.

Although he didn’t vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 — he described his upbringing as coming from a family of “blue-dog Democrats” — Reavis considers the former president a political role model, along with Dole.

Brad Barrett — House District 76

Replacing: Rep. Eric Smith, R-Burlington

Occupation: Special investigator

Elected office held: None

Barrett began his career as a part-time sheriff’s deputy while in college and became a full-time deputy after graduation.

For the past three years, he’s been a special investigator with the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, where he’s worked on human trafficking and child exploitation cases. Last year, Attorney General Kris Kobach appointed Barrett to the Human Trafficking Advisory Board.

With his background, Barrett wants to focus on human trafficking-related issues in the Legislature. He pointed to issues with current statutes, saying that the Kansas Offender Registration Act has loopholes and that current sentences are too light on people convicted of possessing child exploitation material.

Additional priorities for Barrett are solving water issues, protecting farmers and addressing other rural concerns.

Barrett said he looks up to his predecessor, Smith, and former Speaker Pro Tem Peggy Mast. He also mentioned Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, who represents the area where Barrett grew up.

Lon Pishny — House District 122

Replacing: Rep. Bill Clifford, R-Garden City

Occupation: Retired

Elected office held: Finney County commissioner

Pishny, a former financial counselor, doesn’t like the word “retired.” Since selling his practice, he has dedicated himself to public service full time, he said.

Pishny said he doesn’t have any particular priorities or policy areas he wants to concentrate on next year. Instead, his highest priority as a first-term lawmaker will be to listen to his constituents and the people of southwest and western Kansas.

“I am focused on trying to make decisions that will have the least adverse effect on people in their daily lives,” Pishny said.

Minimizing unintended consequences is crucial, he said, including being mindful of the harm that could come from new laws, rules and regulations.

Historically, he’s always admired Reagan’s principles. Locally, he looks up to his predecessor, Clifford, who is “very strong ethically and morally.”

When faced with a difficult decision, he’d turn to biblical principles, which Pishny said guides every one of his decisions.

“There’s some things with regard to biblical principles you can negotiate and some things that are nonnegotiable,” he said.

Brett Stover is a Statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @BrettStoverKS.

How NC is prepping to celebrate the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary

Posted on August 24, 2024August 24, 2024 by Matthew Sasser

The year 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

While the nation will celebrate its founding ideals of freedom and equality, North Carolina will be just as important in acting as an incubator for those revolutionary aims.

The second meeting of the semiquincentennial committee, held Thursday at the General Assembly, continued to collect and curate content and information for the upcoming celebrations.

“We look at this as a unifying thing for our state and our country,” Sen. W. Ted Alexander, R-Cleveland, said. “We all share a common heritage and we want to celebrate that.”

Packets of information pertinent to the 1976 bicentennial were shared with the committee.

“It gave a really good background of the sort of rationale, the philosophy of the times back then,” Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, said, noting 10 years of planning went into that year’s event.

Blackwell said former Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama have been named honorary national co-chairs of America 250, the official nonpartisan entity charged by Congress with planning the semiquincentennial.

The North Carolina committee has sent letters to publications throughout the state to spread the word about the upcoming celebration. Also, the committee has reached out to the North Carolina Symphony about a potential partnership performance.

“We want everyone to be involved with our semiquincentennial,” Blackwell said.

North Carolina’s state archivist, Sarah Koonts, outlined what the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is doing to prepare for the anniversary. The department is recognized by the national commission as the official planning committee of North Carolina, but states are welcome to organize to suit their local needs.

A goal is to have semiquincentennial events in all 100 counties of North Carolina. The thematic framework shows how North Carolina is a place where revolutionary ideas, civic responsibility and overcoming challenges are explored.

So far, 25 county-recognized committees have received $10,000 each in grants for exhibits, markers, events, local research or historic tours thematically related to the anniversary. Fifty grants for nonprofits or local governments have been awarded totaling $880,0000.

Koonts said a second round of grant applications will open next week and remain available through Nov. 1. Each county in the state that has adopted a resolution of a commemoration committee is eligible for the $10,000 county grant.

Education plays a major role in the planning process.

The 2024 Freedom Fellowship is the first cohort of teachers across the state that have been steeped in the history of North Carolina and the ideas of freedom from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Those teachers have created America 250 projects in their classrooms that will serve as guideposts for future groups of fellows.

“We looked around at the children’s books and went, ‘Aw, there wasn’t much here about North Carolina — we can fix that,” Koonts said.

“Within Our Power: The Story of the Edenton Ladies’ Tea Party” by Sally Walker is the first of four North Carolina children’s books now available for preorder.

Jason Luker, operations manager at the Charlotte Museum of History, said it will do a restoration of and host a series of lectures around the Alexander Rock House — the last standing home of one of the framers of North Carolina’s first Constitution and Bill of Rights — and two exhibits for the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.

Clarence Henderson, one of the participants of the Greensboro Woolworth sit-ins to protest segregation, said how important it is that these events spread allegiance to the nation across the state.

“There’s been so many misconceptions, so much misinformation, history trying to be rewritten,” Henderson said. “This country is being destroyed from within because people don’t understand what this country represents.”

Henderson, the former chairman of the North Carolina Martin Luther King Jr. Commission and president emeritus of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of North Carolina, said he could not overemphasize how important it is that these events convey how America offers a great opportunity to all.

“You and others created history,” Sen. Alexander said to Henderson. “I hope that we are able to somehow capture that story [for the semiquincentennial].”

The committee’s next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 19.

For questions or comments, or to pass along story ideas, please write to Matthew Sasser at [email protected] or contact the NC Insider at [email protected] or @StateAffairsNC

Conservative news site asks for fast track to unseal Gallegos’ divorce records

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The Arizona Court of Appeals agreed to consider the case for unsealing the divorce records of Ruben and Kate Gallego on an expedited basis. After The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news site, filed to unseal the divorce docket in Yavapai County Superior Court, a judge partially granted the site’s request to render the prospective U.S. Senator and the Phoenix Mayor’s divorce records accessible and allowed for some, but not all, of the redactions requested by the Gallegos. The two appealed and requested a stay on the order to make the records public, which the Arizona Court of Appeals granted. The Washington Free Beacon then made a motion to expedite the briefing and hearing schedule given the coming 2024 election, but again met opposition from the Gallegos, who claimed the publication could have filed as early as Gallego’s Senate campaign announcement in January 2023 and arguing “nothing factually or legally new has occurred.” In an order, the Appellate Court granted the request to expedite the case in part and ordered the parties to submit briefings on whether the Court of Appeals has jurisdiction and the merits of the case. An opening brief from the Gallegos is due September 13, and a response from The Washington Free Beach is due September 20.

Treasurer’s Office accused of providing ‘legal cover’ in Prescott Rodeo lawsuit

Posted on August 23, 2024August 26, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The headline to this story has been revised. The original headline erroneously implied hat the Treasurer’s Office gave money to the Prescott rodeo.

New evidence revealing an attempt to create “legal cover” by the Treasurer’s Office in the fight over whether a $15.3 million appropriation to the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo in the FY2024 violates the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause prompted a judge to vacate a hearing on the merits Monday and instead hear argument on whether to allow the additional emails into record. In a motion to supplement the record, Nicholas Ansel, attorney for plaintiffs Howard Mechanic and Ralph Hess, claimed the Treasurer’s Office developed a request for information process as “legal cover” in response to the lawsuit, as revealed by internal emails from that office provided to the plaintiffs by a third party. Jeffrey Kros, assistant deputy treasurer, submitted a declaration attesting that the Treasurer’s Office intended to comply with the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause by issuing requests for information to recipients of budget allocations similar to the rodeo’s. In declarations, Kros claimed the Treasurer’s Office issued said-RFI’s in August. But emails between the Treasurer’s Office and the International Dark Sky Discovery Center, another benefactor of lawmakers individual allocations in the FY2024 budget, showed Kros had submitted a request for a lump sum payment from the Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting to the discovery center in July, months before issuing the claimed RFI. In another email chain, Mark Swenson, a deputy treasurer at the time, emailed Kros and Jackie Harding, deputy state treasurer, and wrote, “The law requires us to distribute. How we distribute is a different thing. I do think Snell may advise we do a mini RFI or RFP for the two distributions to be safe … Notwithstanding what the Legislature thinks or past practice of ADOA.” Kros responded, “I just want to have as much legal cover as possible.” According to Ansel, Kros “confirmed ASTO ‘simply distributes state funds to the respective entities as directed by legislative appropriation,’ and agreed that he was uncomfortable with the idea of ‘administering” the use of funds’ as [ASTO] was just tasked with distributing.’” Ansel told the court the new evidence “flatly contradicts many of the statements in Mr. Kros’s Declaration and undermines the factual bases of the State’s and PFD’s defense.” The treasurer’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Ansel said the judge will weigh the admissibility of the evidence on Monday and noted plans to work with opposing counsel to authenticate the emails given they were provided by a third party via a records request to the treasurer’s office. But Ansel believes the emails should be admitted and considered by the court given the fact they are public record. He said the evidence plays into their argument that the treasurer’s office is only tasked with distributing the money, and the RFI and grant process goes beyond its authority. He said the treasurer’s office “can’t, on its own, find a solution to the gift clause.” The parties are due for argument on the matter at 10 a.m. August 26.

Debate between congressional contenders Gallego and Lake set

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Lake and Gallego are set to go head to head on Oct. 9 as part of the Arizona Clean Elections debate slate. Lake agreed to the debate Thursday, a week after Gallego had committed to the debate himself. “I look forward to participating in the Clean Elections Debate on October 9th, in keeping with Arizona tradition. I believe Arizonans deserve to hear firsthand about the choice in this election between a Marine combat veteran with a lifetime of service and someone who is only in this race for herself,” Gallego said in a statement on August 16. The original deadline to RSVP was August 16, but because Clean Elections was still working on its moderator selection, the deadline was extended to August 23. Neither campaign requested an extension. But Lake’s delayed agreement to the debate prompted some eyebrow raises, given Lake’s own lambasting of Hobbs in 2022 for refusing to debate. In a statement provided to our reporter, Lake said, “After 3 months of Gallego dodging my debate challenge, I’m glad that we finally have our first debate scheduled. I look forward to debating Ruben as many times as possible — anywhere and anytime.” The debate is scheduled for Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. and is expected to be moderated by veteran journalists Steve Goldstein and Nohelani Graf.

Trump allies in Arizona attend rally for former president

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Arizona’s MAGA lawmakers and candidates will stump for Trump in Glendale today at a rally that organizers say will be “unlike any other.” Attendees can expect two hours of speeches from local Republicans, including state lawmakers Heap and Hoffman, U.S. Reps. Crane, Biggs and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb before they hear from the former president. Candidates Lake and Hamadeh are also scheduled to speak. The Trump campaign has teased surprises and a “special guest” that many speculated will be Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dropped out of the presidential race Friday morning and endorsed Trump. Kennedy qualified for the ballot in Arizona last week but is now removing his name to avoid being a “spoiler” in the battleground state. Trump’s rally comes exactly two weeks after Harris and Walz held a campaign rally at the same stadium in Glendale.

Kennedy remains on Indiana ballot despite suspending campaign

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Tom Davies

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will remain on Indiana’s presidential ballot despite his announcement Friday that he has suspended his independent campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.

Candidates faced a July 15 deadline to remove their names from the Indiana ballot — and a noon Friday deadline passed without any voters filing a challenge to Kennedy making the ballot by meeting the state’s petition signature requirement, according to the State Election Division.

Kennedy’s name will be on the Indiana ballot along with those of Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, Republican former President Donald Trump and Libertarian Chase Oliver.

Indiana election officials last month certified that Kennedy qualified for the state ballot after his campaign submitted more than 46,000 certified signatures from registered voters.

State lawmakers: Atlanta, give detention center to Fulton to fix problem-plagued jail

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Tammy Joyner

Atlanta city officials need to give the Atlanta Detention Center to Fulton County to ease overcrowding in the county’s violence-prone jail, a bipartisan panel of state lawmakers said in its final report, released Friday.

“A big part of the solution is that the City of Atlanta needs to turn over the Atlanta Detention Center to Fulton County in its entirety,” Sen. John Albers, a member of the Fulton County Jail Subcommittee, told State Affairs. “Fulton County taxpayers paid for that. It was a jail. Then Atlanta decided they wanted to get out of the jail business, and basically, all those inmates ended up in the Fulton County Jail. They are part of the cause of the overcrowding. So they [Atlanta officials] need to now do the right thing.”

Albers is chair of the Senate Committee on Public Safety, which created the Fulton jail subcommittee.

The 35-year-old Rice Street jail complex in downtown Atlanta has drawn national attention, local outcry and a federal probe due to overcrowding, drugs and violence. Built to house 1,125 inmates, its capacity has often exceeded 3,000.

The subcommittee was created in October to investigate conditions at the crisis-prone Fulton jail complex where over 10 inmates have died in the past year.

Rep. Marvin Robinson dies at 67

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Bryan Richardson

Rep. Marvin Robinson, D-Kansas City, died Thursday at age 67.

His sister, DeLisa Fowler, confirmed his death, but not the cause, just after midnight Friday in a Facebook post.

“It is with great sadness that I share the news of my Brother Marvin S. Robinson II’s passing,” the post read, “but I am also filled with joy knowing that he has entered the realm of the ancestors, where he will be embraced by our mommy and all those who have gone before us. May his memory inspire us to live with love and purpose. Marvin S. Robinson II….. Rest well, we got it from here!!”

Gov. Laura Kelly made a statement on X about Robinson’s death.

“Representative Robinson showed a commitment to public service throughout his time in the Navy and the Kansas Legislature,” she said. “My thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.”

During his tenure, Robinson, who recently lost a primary election, was known for breaking with the Democratic Party to vote with Republicans on a variety of party-line issues.

But in his community for many years prior to that, he was known for his dedication to preserving the Quindaro Ruins, an Underground Railroad site, as a historic site.

Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner reflected on Robinson’s passion for the area in a Facebook post.

“Representative Robinson will be remembered by many for his strong support for the preservation and national recognition of the Quindaro Ruins in Kansas City, Kansas,” he said. “Representative Robinson will definitely be missed by all those that loved him and valued his tireless work. His community activism and commitment to Northeast Kansas City, Kansas will continue to be both valued and appreciated.”

Fellow lawmakers and Statehouse regulars posted on social media about Robinson’s death.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita (on Facebook): “It is with great sadness that we share our colleague, Rep. Marvin Robinson II passed away yesterday. Marvin was a beloved member of the House of Representatives and served his district with grace and integrity. He also served our nation as a member of the U.S. Navy. We are deeply saddened by this great loss. Please join me in prayer for his family, friends, and colleagues. Rest in peace, friend.”

Rep. Nick Hoheisel, R-Wichita (on X): “Rep. Marvin Robinson dedicated his life to service—whether to his country, his state, or his community, he always answered the call. It was an honor to serve with him and to learn his story. … Rest easy, my friend.”

Michael Austin, Americans for Prosperity-Kansas legislative director (on X): “He was my friend, and he’s gone.”

Stacey Knoell, Kansas African American Affairs Commission executive director (on Facebook): “I have heard of the passing of Rep. Marvin Robinson. It saddens me as we share Wyandotte County roots. My mother was his middle school music teacher. My thoughts are with his family and I know there is a hole in the community with his passing.”

Bryan Richardson is the managing editor at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @RichInNews.

Statehouse Briefs: Kansas Chamber PAC endorses 117 GOP candidates in general election

Posted on August 23, 2024August 23, 2024 by Bryan Richardson

The Kansas Chamber Political Action Committee is backing 117 “pro-jobs” candidates — all Republicans — for the Kansas Legislature. The group comprises 31 Senate candidates and 86 House candidates.

“Kansans feel the crunch from staggering costs of inflation, interest rates, and economic uncertainty. Strong business conditions for our state are more important than ever,” Christie Kriegshauser, chamber vice president of political affairs, said in a news release. “Kansas Chamber PAC endorsed candidates are dedicated to keeping Kansas competitive so companies have more capital to invest in operations, employees, and communities.”

The committee didn’t weigh in on nine Senate races and 39 House races. Most of those races involve Republican candidates facing popular Democratic incumbents or Democrats in uncontested races.

The only current Republican lawmakers the PAC didn’t back are Reps. Samantha Poetter Parshall, Paola; Bill Rhiley, Wellington; and Mark Schreiber, Emporia, as well as Rep. Michael Murphy, Sylvia, who is running for a Senate seat.

Rhiley is the only one of the four without an opponent.

The PAC also didn’t step into two House races involving legislative newcomers on both sides: Republican Megan Steele, Manhattan, and Democrat Linda Morse, Manhattan, in District 51, and Democrat Alexis Simmons, Topeka, and Republican Michael Mathewson, Topeka, in District 58.

The PAC said in the release that it based endorsements on a variety of factors, including candidate surveys, in-person interviews and scorecards based on voting record on policies and issues important to the Kansas business community.

Kelly appoints 28 to state boards

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced 10 appointments and 18 reappointments to various state boards.

Kansas Board of Healing Arts

Stephanie Kuhlmann, Wichita

Kansas Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Wichita
Chrishayla Adams, Topeka (reappointment)
Marquetta Atkins, Wichita (reappointment)
Carole Cadue-Blackwood, Lawrence (reappointment)
Traci Dotson, Lawrence (reappointment)
Bruce Johnson, Concordia (reappointment)
Angela McHardie, Tecumseh (reappointment)
Beryl New, Topeka (reappointment)
Melody Pappan, Winfield (reappointment)
Peggy Pratt, Norton (reappointment)
Tyler Williams, Wichita (reappointment)

Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission

Derek Ramos, Garden City

Board of Barbering

Ronnell Jones, Kansas City

State Board of Mortuary Arts

Craig Boomhower, Dighton (reappointment)
Amy Elliot, Overland Park (reappointment)
Robert Steil, Lawrence (reappointment)
Phillip Ziegler, Dodge City (reappointment)

Board of Accountancy

Steve Herron, Topeka
Marshal Hull, Augusta

KANSASWORKS State Board

Page Bachman, Topeka

Kansas Sentencing Commission

Judge Benjamin Sexton, chairperson

988 Coordinating Council

Matt Fletcher, Topeka
Andrew Brown, Topeka (reappointment)
Monica Kurz, Shawnee (reappointment)

911 Coordinating Council

Alyssa Boss, Abilene
Krista Amaro, Ford (reappointment)
Brandon Beck, Emporia (reappointment)

Bryan Richardson is the managing editor at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @RichInNews.