This is part of a series featuring candidates in the Nov. 6 election.
State Representatives, 4th District (vote for one)
Lawrence Forbach 305 Dement Street Mound City 66056 Democratic
Trevor Jacobs 1927 Locust Rd Fort Scott 66701 Republican
Name: Trevor Jacobs
Age: 42
Candidate for the position of 4th District Kansas House of Representatives
Place of residence: Fort Scott Ks
Current occupation: BNSF Railway
Community involvement:
Preach on KMDO 1600 AM, KOMB 103.9 FM, Sunday mornings, for the radio broadcast Jesus Saves Ministries, preach at Linn County, Mound City Jail, Fort Scott Country Place, Fort Scott Guest Home Estates, Fort Scott Medical Lodge, and have a Bible outreach program, with Jesus Saves Ministries.
Party affiliation: Republican
1) What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it?
To stand for our God-given rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” I stand to protect our constitutional freedoms. To stand for true American and Kansas traditional values that have made this nation and state great. I stand for the life of the preborn and the protection of the elderly. I stand unashamedly for Biblical morality. I stand for our God-given right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property from government intrusion.
2) Give your views on food sales tax:
I oppose sales tax on food. I voted every time to abolish the sales tax on food. This issue had been introduced and debated multiple times, in the Kansas House Chamber and was voted down everytime by the liberal fringes of both parties. If it wasn’t for partisan politics this issue would have already been resolved.
3) Give your views on legalizing marijuana:
I oppose legalizing marijuana.
4) Give your views on health care for our state, including Medicaid:
This is a very important topic and issue and when considering the future of our healthcare system, the state has put itself in obligation to provide a safety net of healthcare to the elderly, disabled, and the poor. This program is taxpayer funded. It is extremely important to maintain the mindset that there must be serious checks and balances and a degree of accountability with the healthcare programs. Healthcare is not about the quantity of recipients on a particular plan, but of the quality of healthcare that the recipients are receiving.
5) Give views on abortion and Planned Parenthood:
I oppose the murder of children in the womb and I strongly believe it is contrary to the traditional values of the Founding Fathers and documents of this nation. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” God has formed and created every person for a purpose and a plan.
As for Planned Parenthood, I believe they do not deserve any taxpayer money…given the chance, I would vote to defund Planned Parenthood.
Registration is Open and Agenda Continues to Build
Registration is open and speakers continue to be confirmed for the seventh annual Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas. This two-day event will be Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14, at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Manhattan, Kansas.
The conference topics include:
Reservoir Management to Meet Growing Demands
Market Forces That Influence Conservation and Management Practices
Infrastructure for the Future
Water Technology Farms and Ogallala Aquifer Impacts
Kansas Water Vision Implementation
Why Does Navigation in Kansas Matter
To view the brochure for a current list of speakers and panelists visit: www.kwo.ks.gov
Some day one speakers include: Tom Kula, Executive Director of North Texas Municipal Water District; Amy Larson, President of National Water Ways Conference; Jim Macy, Director of Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality; Mark Lambert, Associate Director of Quantified Ventures.
Day two will build on the water policy, funding and vision implementation discussions from the previous day with technical presentation posters and talks. Graduate and undergraduate students will also present their research. Student proposals are due October 22 and more information can be found on the website.
“We encourage anyone to attend who has an interest in our state’s water resources. Legislators, water managers, state, federal, city and county officials as well as scientists, organizations and agricultural producers are all welcome,” said Tracy Streeter Kansas Water Office Director. “Kansas must continue to prioritize our commitment to creating a future that provides safe and reliable sources of water to households, cities, industries, producers, and the list goes on. Dedication to our water resources is critical and necessary for each and every one of us.”
Registration is available online at www.kwo.ks.gov. The deadline is November 1! Conference details, brochure, speakers, sponsors and hotel information can be found online as well.
The Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas is hosted by the KWO, K-State /Kansas Water Resource Institute. Major sponsors for the event include Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.
If accommodations are needed for persons with disabilities, please notify the KWO, (785) 296-3185, at least five working days prior to the meeting.
# # #
As the state’s water office, KWO conducts water planning, policy coordination and water marketing as well as facilitates public input throughout the state.
The agency prepares the KANSAS WATER PLAN, a plan for water resources development, management and conservation.
Candidate for the position of Kansas State Treasurer
Place of residence: Lawrence, KS
Current occupation:
Kansas State Senator, 2nd District
Small business owner – My husband, Joe Bickford, and I renovate distressed properties to create quality affordable housing
Community involvement: As a member of the Lawrence City Commission from 1979-1983 and two-term Mayor from 1981-1983, I led efforts to protect the city’s vibrant downtown, revitalize existing neighborhoods, plan for new development, and start the city’s recycling program. I have remained involved in my community and state, serving as a member of my neighborhood association, the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County and of Kansas, the Kansas Grassroots Arts Association, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, the Kansas Preservation Alliance, the University of Kansas Student Housing Association, Depot Redux, as a member of the Lawrence Advisory Board of Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc., and as the Chair of my congregation’s Endowment Committee.
Party affiliation:Kansas Democratic Party
What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it:The State Treasurer must ensure that all programs overseen by the office are managed responsibly. I do believe that it will be vital for legislators and the public to have an accurate picture of the state’s finances so we can plan appropriately to dig ourselves out of the fiscal hole created by the failed Brownback/Kobach tax experiment. Towards that end, all reports generated by the office must be made publicly available along with information about contracts and personnel expenditures made by the state. The legislature and the public need to have a good understanding of the state’s financial health and be able to address any concerns regarding inappropriate expenditures.
I am also concerned about reports indicating the state’s Learning Quest program, overseen by the State Treasurer, is among one of the poorest performings in the nation. Although the state should be encouraging families to save for post-high-school education, I would examine opportunities to restructure and rebid the program before advertising it more widely. One of my goals as Treasurer would be to increase the interest earned by its investments and its productivity for participants. I also will explore alternative opportunities to provide every child in Kansas an education savings account.
Give your views on food sales-tax:The sales tax on food is regressive, and as a Kansas State Senator, I have voted for amendments to reduce it. As Treasurer, however, I will only have an advisory role. With that in mind, I would advise the legislature to consider the impact on municipalities, alternative income possibilities such as a tax on internet sales, and an intermediate step to restore refundability to the food-tax sales rebate program to provide financial help for at-risk, low-income Kansans.
Give your views on legalizing marijuana:As a State Senator, I have supported the availability of medical marijuana for individuals whose medical conditions warrant such treatment.
Give your views on healthcare – including Medicaid:Healthful habits and healthcare are both important in maintaining and active and engaged population. As a State Senator I have voted to expand Medicaid; doing so would increase opportunities for insurance coverage, provide needed support for our hospitals, and create more jobs in healthcare. As Treasurer, I would publish information about the costs and the benefits of expanding the program in our state.
Give your views on abortion and Planned Parenthood: Federal law entitles women to direct their own healthcare in consultation with their physician. The public should be aware that no tax dollars are being used in Kansas to perform abortions. Planned Parenthood is one of many organizations that run clinics in our state to provide needed healthcare services for men and women; their services include reproductive health care for women and couples who are hoping to start a family.
This is part of a series on the candidates for the general election November 6.
United States House of Representatives, 2nd District (vote for one)
Paul Davis P.O. Box 944 Lawrence 66044 Democratic
Laura Kelly/Lynn Rogers P.O. Box 2098 Topeka 66601 Democratic
Steve Watkins 6021 SW 29th St, Ste A Box 150 Topeka 66614 Republican
Name: Kelly Standley
Age: 49
Candidate for the position of U.S. House of Representatives 2nd District Kansas
Place of residence: Saint Paul, Kansas
Current occupation: Business owner and job creator
Community involvement:
Homeless shelter where we help to clothe, feed, find jobs and give them a place to stay while doing all this.
Party affiliation: Libertarian
What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it? The biggest issue I see for Kansas is we need more jobs in the rural areas. Right now if people in the rural areas of Kansas want a job they may have to move to a larger city. We need jobs available to our residents, not that farming does not employ a large number of people but as we automate there will be a need for jobs that do not involve farming. As a Federal Representative for the people in the 2nd District, I will seek out companies looking to expand and help guide them to the right areas of Kansas that need those jobs.
2) Give your views on food sales tax:
Considering the fact that Kansans pay a higher sales tax on food than most other States I am for lowering the tax. Here is my problem with doing that though, will the stores take advantage of that and see an opportunity to raise prices on products so they can have a better bottom line? Some large retail stores advertise they are lowering prices on products but what they don’t say is that when they lower prices on select items they raise prices on other items to make up the difference. I know this to be true, I have worked large retail before and I never thought that was fair to the consumer.
3) Give your views on legalizing marijuana:
I lived in Colorado for several years and I saw the downside to legalizing it, but I can say that the downside came when they made it open for recreational use. At the same time I saw new schools being built, a larger number of law enforcement agencies having staff and supplies they needed. I saw hospitals not worrying about how patients were going to pay a bill. I would support putting this option on a national ballot for the people in each state to vote on and decide if it is what they want. The Federal Government has no place regulating this product and it should be left up to the states individually.
4) Give your views on health care for our state, including Medicaid:
Medicaid needs to be addressed and no more hospitals like Mercy in Fort Scott, Independence should have to close down because of Medicaid shortfalls. I would like to see the State of Kansas come up with a solution that works for the hospitals instead of against them. Hospitals in rural areas are very important to their communities and we have no time to play around when lives are at risk!
5) Give views on abortion and Planned Parenthood:
I’m for women having choices to do what they want with their bodies but I am also not for abortion. What I would like to see is instead of the Federal Government pushing Planned Parenthood agencies to have specific quota numbers for abortions. It would be more beneficial to see Planned Parenthood work with adoption agencies to get children adopted and not aborted.
This is part of a series featuring candidates for the Nov. 6 election.
United States House of Representatives, 2nd District (vote for one)
Paul Davis P.O. Box 944 Lawrence 66044 Democratic
Laura Kelly/Lynn Rogers P.O. Box 2098 Topeka 66601 Democratic
Steve Watkins 6021 SW 29th St, Ste A Box 150 Topeka 66614 Republican
Steve Watkins
Name: Steve Watkins
Age: 42
Candidate for the position of U.S. House of Representatives, KS-02
Place of Residence: Topeka, Kansas
Current Occupation: Engineer
Community involvement: Member, Philip Billard VFW Post 1650
Party affiliation: Republican
Policy Questions
1. What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it?
The most important and biggest issues our nation faces today are protecting Social Security and Medicare, keeping taxes low, and securing our southern border. What stands in the way of these pivotal issues for the American people is the partisan obstruction by Democrats. As a Captain in the U.S. Army, I spent years leading diverse groups of people through difficult situations. In order to work toward solutions to our most prevalent issues, we must elect leaders that are willing to work across the aisle and put aside their party labels for the betterment of the American people.
2. Give your views on a food sales tax:
While I personally oppose sales tax on food, there are currently no sales taxes on food or anything else at the federal level. Sales taxes are all levied at the state a local level, so those are the choices of state and local leaders. In Congress, I would oppose any
efforts to impose a federal sales tax. Further, while my opponent has advocated to repeal some of the recent tax cuts signed into law by President Trump. I would seek to make them permanent for hard working Kansans.
3. Give your views on legalizing marijuana:
Although I am not personally in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational use, I am also a strong believer in the 10th Amendment to the Constitution and I believe this is an ultimately a state’s rights issue. However, I am sympathetic to the push to legalize
marijuana strictly for medicinal purposes. As a Veteran myself, I have read many studies that suggest medical marijuana can help veterans struggling with PTSD, as well as to treat symptoms of serious illness and other conditions. I believe further research
should be done in this area.
4. Give your views on health care in our state, including Medicaid:
First and foremost, Congress must repeal and replace Obamacare and work together toward a patient-centered healthcare system that protects those with pre-existing conditions, reduces costs, promotes competition in the marketplace, and gives patients
more control over their health care. Obamacare did the opposite. Introducing crippling tax mandates and excessive regulations that were geared more toward an urban setting than a rural setting. This has unfairly targeted rural areas and has had a very negative
impact on our rural hospitals leading to a loss of access as was recently demonstrated here in Fort Scott. Lower quality of health care, fewer choices, and skyrocketing premiums is not “Affordable Care”. While Medicaid expansion is one possible short term
fix, the real solution to our healthcare system is building a new system that allows for more choices and more adaptability to the individual patient and the individual healthcare setting.
5. Give views on abortion and Planned Parenthood:
I am and always have been committed to protecting the sanctity of life, at all costs. By signing the National Right To Life Pledge, I vowed to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood and to never vote for pro-choice legislation in Washington. My opponent, on
the other hand, has a long record of voting against life, including votes in support of late-term abortions. Planned Parenthood, a major donor to the Democratic Party, is the largest provider of abortions in the U.S. It is unacceptable that over 500 million
taxpayer dollars is given to Planned Parenthood year after year. I have been endorsed by both Kansans for Life and the National Right to Life Committee. As your congressman, I will never vote for the pro-choice legislation.
TOPEKA—The Department of Revenue is giving Kansas corporations more time to file returns due to the late passage and complexity of the 2017 Federal Tax Reform legislation.
Corporations filing Kansas tax returns will have an additional 30 days with no penalty, making the new deadline November 15. While the extension applies to filing corporate returns, it does not correspond to the deadline for corporate tax payments, which are required to be submitted on the 15th day of the fourth month following the end of the corporation’s tax year.
“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly changed the landscape of tax law for corporations, and the extra time is designed to give corporate filers more time to ensure accuracy and compliance with the new law,” Division of Taxation Director David Clauser said.
The extension applies to 2017 corporate income tax returns filed by November 15, or within an additional month for an extended 2017 corporate income tax return for corporations that file on a fiscal year basis.
For more information, please see the notice published on the KDOR website. For questions, please call (785) 368-8222 option 5.
To see the official tax notice, please visit KSRevenue.org
This part of a series on the candidates for the November 6 election.
Secretary of State (vote for one)
Brian “BAM” McClendon1200 Oread Avenue #703 Lawrence 66044 Democratic
Scott Schwab 14953 W 140th Terr. Olathe 66062 Republican
Rob Hodgkinson 7111 W 151st St #104 Overland Park 66223 Libertarian
Jordan Photography 913-814-7740 www.jordanphotography.com
Name: Rob Hodgkinson
Age: 59
Candidate for the position of Kansas Secretary of State
Place of residence: Stilwell Kansas
Current occupation: Realtor
Community involvement: Immediate past State Chair for the Libertarian Party of Kansas
Party affiliation: Libertarian
1) What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it?
Improve transparency of the office.
Making elections accessible, accountable and secure.
I see this in three parts for elections – voter registration, voter participation and numbers of candidates. Voter registration needs to be much simpler/easier than in the past. Voter participation needs to increase candidates: I love the fact we have five candidates in the governor’s race this year – I will work to have many candidates all the way through the ballot. When we have many candidates, rather than throwing mud and being negative, we get the chance to hear about issues.
Strengthen the new regulations for audits in elections (effective 1/2019). The current wording of the audit requirements leaves a lot of wiggle room as to how they will be done.
Ending Crosscheck, this program is faulty and not used by all 50 states making its intended purpose useless
.
Lobbying to have the election commissioner of the four big counties election offices locally elected rather than being appointed by the Secretary of State.
Updating the KSSoS website, today it is not mobile friendly, the navigation is awkward, and is hard to read due to too much legal language being used rather than plain tone it should use.
I believe the KSSoS can do a similar thing to what the State Treasurer does with the 529 college savings plans to help improve voter registrations and voter turnout, that is to make public announcements about voting: Here is how you register to vote, here are the important dates, remember that there is an early voting option that can be used, etc.
2)Give your views on food sales tax:
As Secretary of State, I cannot affect this issue
3) Give your views on legalizing marijuana:
As Secretary of State, I cannot affect this issue
4) Give your views on health care for our state, including Medicaid:
As Secretary of State, I cannot affect this issue
5) Give views on abortion and Planned Parenthood:
As Secretary of State, I cannot affect this issue
6). Why should voters consider you the most qualified candidate? What in your background most prepares you to serve in this office?
I have an IT background with experience being responsible for a company’s entire IT/IS enterprise. I also have small business experience and an exterior remodeling company I was a partner/owner in; tripled in size during the recession. I have election experience from a third party “Outsider” perspective. I will not be wearing the uniform of one of the 2 big political parties We need the KSSoS office to be fair in its election dispute settlements to Kansans, not parties.
TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel is pleased to announce a significant decrease in the number of youth who have run away from their foster care placement. On August 31, 2017, there were 86 missing or runaway youth. Comparatively, on August 31, 2018, there were 63, representing a 26.7 percent decrease in the number of missing and runaway youth.
“It is exciting to see a decrease in the number of youth missing or running away from placement, as this was one of my primary focuses when I started at the agency,” Secretary Meier-Hummel said. “I am extremely proud of the work of our Missing and Runaway Youth Investigator unit. We will continue to actively look for these youth because even one child missing from placement is one too many. Ensuring their safety is of the utmost importance.”
While the number of youth who have run away from placement continues to fluctuate on a daily basis, DCF has consistently seen lower numbers, as a result of recent agency initiatives.
Since Secretary Meier-Hummel’s arrival at the agency, DCF has emphasized locating missing and runaway youth. DCF has a team of investigators dedicated to actively looking for these youth and ensuring their safety. On a regular basis, these investigators partner with contract staff and local law enforcement to locate these youth. Secretary Meier-Hummel receives a daily report on youth who are missing or have run away from placement.
Another initiative DCF has recently launched is Missing and Runaway sweeps. During these sweeps, our missing and runaway youth investigators partner with contract staff and local law enforcement to target specific locations to find youth. The agency has conducted these sweeps in Wichita and Kansas City—two of the most populated areas in the state. To date, there have been 880 recovery events.
“On a daily basis, we are working with contacts across the state to search for and locate these youth. Youth that are missing or have run away from placement are at a higher risk of becoming victims of human trafficking, among other issues and that is why the work we do is so vital. We want to help these youth and keep them safe,” Missing and Runaway Youth Investigator Kody Johnson said.
DCF has also recently partnered with the Youth Advocate Program (YAP). YAP comes alongside case managers to be advocates for families. Once in care, a youth is assigned an advocate through YAP that sticks with them regardless of where they go in the state or where they are placed. It is a trust-based relationship between the advocate and the youth. In our partnership with YAP, we will assign every youth that runs away from placement an advocate that can support them, help identify why they run and help prevent them running in the future. With this partnership, we are giving youth that run away from placement a level of safety, security and support through establishing meaningful relationships with their YAP advocate.
TOPEKA—Many Kansas drivers will have the option to renew their license online starting October 23, just one customer service improvement in a list that includes new Monday hours and faster customer processing time, the Division of Vehicles announced Thursday.
The option for some drivers to renew using the iKan mobile application comes alongside the launch of KanLicense, a software program that updates the interface used by driver’s license examiners from an outdated mainframe system to a cloud based application. The modernized software prorgam should decrease customer processing time.
“We are so pleased to jumpstart improved customer service with these new applications,” Director of Vehicles David Harper said. “The combination of these two new platforms set the stage for the long-term reinvention of the process of obtaining or renewing a license or ID across Kansas.”
Starting October 29, the new schedule for most driver’s license offices will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The addition of Monday service, plus the option for mobile renewals and faster counter service should ease pressure and wait times during the week. Opening for service on Saturdays will remain an option during peak times such as spring break.
“We are signifcantly expanding our capacity to serve our customers,” Director Harper said. “We will be open normal business hours everyone is accustomed to, but also offer 24/7 access for renewals on the iKan mobile application.”
Director Harper noted that high demand will remain as Kansans come into the office to upgrade to a Real ID credential ahead of the October 1, 2020 federal implementation date.
“We are modernizing the credential process for the long-term, but many people will still have to come in to get their Real ID before the one-time federal implementation event,” Director Harper said. “We continue to encourage our customers to make sure they have all the documents they need before getting to the office.”
Driver’s and ID holders can use a Real ID checklist at ksrevenue.org/realid to ensure they have the necessary documents.
Driver’s license offices statewide will be closed Saturday, October 20 to prepare for the launch of the KanLicense system.
This is part of a series of responses from candidates for the Nov. 6, 2018 election. There are three people on the ballot for Kansas Secretary of State:
Secretary of State (vote for one)
Brian “BAM” McClendon1200 Oread Avenue #703 Lawrence 66044 Democratic
Scott Schwab 14953 W 140th Terr. Olathe 66062 Republican
Rob Hodgkinson 7111 W 151st St #104 Overland Park 66223 Libertarian
Here are Brian McClendon’s responses:
Brian McClendon
Name: Brian “BAM” McClendon
Age: 54
Candidate for the position of Kansas Secretary of State
Place of residence: Lawrence, KS
Current occupation: Research professor, University of Kansas
Party affiliation: Democrat
Community involvement:
● Helped found non-profit KSvotes to encourage non-partisan civic
engagement in Kansas and led the team that developed an online/mobile voter registration tool for Kansas
● With Beth Ellyn McClendon, established the McClendon Engineering Scholarship at the University of Kansas
● Pro bono STEM presentations at Kansas elementary, middle and high schools, colleges, and universities; and companies and organizations
● The University of Kansas Endowment, Trustee
● Member of Portola Valley Cable Committee for 8 years. Brought
broadband to small-town cable system against all odds
● Member, Consumer Technology Association Advisory Board (CES)
● Member, National Academy of Engineering
● University of Kansas School of Engineering Advisory Board
● University of Kansas EECS Advisory Board
● National Academy of Engineering
● United Nations “Champions of the Earth Laureate” award (the UN’s top environmental prize) for “harnessing the power of technology to support conservation and green economic development,” Entrepreneurial Vision 2013
1) What is the biggest issue, if elected, and how do you plan to address it?
The focus of the Secretary of State is and should be on supporting elections and voting, business registration and support, and government transparency. Protecting our elections from foreign interference, protecting the private data of Kansas citizens, protecting the fundamental right of every eligible citizen to vote,
and increasing voter engagement are critical challenges that the Kansas Secretary of State should prioritize.
As a businessman, a former executive with Google, and an innovator, I have the skills to accomplish these goals.
My first tasks will be:
● To use my technology expertise to monitor the state’s voting systems in order to help ensure that every vote is counted and to guard against any outside interference. Additionally, I’ll continue to promote voter registration and advance ballots. Registering to vote and requesting advance ballots should be as easy for eligible voters as using Google Maps.
● The voter registration system at the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicle driver’s license bureaus needs immediate attention. There are reports that some new voter registrations through the DMV are not being recorded at the county level. As a result, voters who believed they were registered to vote are discovering they are not. This needs to be investigated and fixed.
● I will return non-partisan public service to the Secretary of State’s office. I will modernize the Secretary of State’s website by updating the technology, especially search and navigation, to make the site easier to use for all citizens and businesses. The Secretary of State’s website is the front door for Kansas businesses and the front door for citizens. I will make sure that the door is open.
● As a businessman, I’ve started companies, built companies and built teams that delivered products that met stringent requirements for security, efficiency, and ease of use. At Google, I lead a team that grew from 29 to 2000. I can make the Secretary of State’s office accessible, secure and efficient.
● As the administrator of the Crosscheck database, Kansas absorbs the cost and liability of securing data for citizens in multiple other states, but it’s riddled with problems including tens of thousands of false results creating hundreds of hours of work lost chasing down false matches. Crosscheck’s security protocols have also been widely criticized, and some personal data of Kansans has already been leaked. Viable options exist. Crosscheck must be reviewed and then fixed or replaced.
2)Give your views on food sales tax:
The Secretary of State is an administrative position, not legislative. The office has no direct engagement with or influence upon tax policy. The focus of the Secretary of State is and should be on supporting elections and voting, business registration and support, and government transparency.
That said, food sales is a regressive tax placing a disproportionate burden for financially supporting shared public services upon working and middle-class families. Over-relying on a food sales tax means the state is not fairly or effectively distributing the responsibility to fund shared public services.
3) Give your views on legalizing marijuana:
The Secretary of State is an administrative position, not legislative. The office has no direct engagement with or influence upon substance legalization or related policy. The focus of the Secretary of State is and should be on supporting elections and voting, business registration and support, and government transparency.
4) Give your views on health care for our state, including Medicaid:
The Secretary of State is an administrative position, not legislative. The office has no direct engagement with or influence upon public health policy. The focus of the Secretary of State is and should be on supporting elections and voting, business registration and support, and government transparency.
That said, Bourbon County has just experienced a hospital closure that is largely a result of conservative Kansas leaders refusing to expand Medicare/Medicaid coverage in our state. The partisan opposition to expanding those services, and the resulting negative impact upon health care access to rural and smaller communities, are clearly not working in the best interests of all Kansans.
5) Give views on abortion and Planned Parenthood:
The Secretary of State is an administrative position, not legislative. The office has no direct engagement with or influence upon women’s health policy. The focus of the Secretary of State is and should be on supporting elections and voting, business registration and support, and government transparency.
TOPEKA – To better assist job seekers with finding great employment in Kansas, the Kansas Department of Commerce and KANSASWORKS are pleased to introduce the new KANSASWORKS app, available today on both Apple and Android devices.
This free app was designed to make it easier for Kansans to find work in the state. Once installed, the app will be able to find jobs through keyword and title searches or by zip code.
“Our agency is working hard to bring new business to the state and help companies that already call Kansas home to grow and become great successes,” said Robert North, Interim Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce. “To grow a business anywhere, you need a pipeline of qualified employees to fill open positions. If we can make finding and hiring great workers easier, and at the same time help Kansans find rewarding employment, then this app will be a be a huge benefit to the state.”
Features of the app include:
Simple job search in Kansas
Search by job title, location and radius you’re willing to commute
View jobs that suite your goals
Connect with employers via KANSASWORKS.com, save jobs and share with friends
Bookmark your favorite jobs for follow up
Find a local KANSASWORK Workforce Center
“KANSASWORKS has been busy leveraging technology to assist employers and job seekers in our state, and this app is the latest effort to make it easier to help make matches between the needs of our employers with job seekers on the market,” said Mike Beene, Director of Employment Services at the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Supporting You launches, families who can offer support and guidance asked to volunteer
TOPEKA – Families of children with special needs benefit from the care and support that can only be offered by others who have shared their experience. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Special Health Services Family Advisory Council (SHS-FAC) announce a new peer-support initiative in Kansas that will enable individuals and families who have similar experiences to communicate and gain support from one another, by sharing ideas, resources and strategies to meet the needs of their children.
“The program offers participants the opportunity to express their grief, concerns, and questions, without feeling judged,” said Heather Smith, KDHE Special Health Services Director. “We know that peer support is one of the strongest measures of individual/family support.”
Implementation of the network will occur in three phases, Support Peer Recruitment, Support Peer Training, and Peer Matching. We are actively recruiting Support Peers—those who have navigated various service systems, have experience with advocating for a loved one or themselves and have learned lessons that can be shared with others. It does not take specialized training, specific experience with services or systems, or any kind of degree to be a Support Peer. It simply takes a caring individual who has a desire to help others and shares experiences with caring for a child with special health care needs.
In the next phase, Support Peers will provide training on confidentiality, communication, active listening and helping families who are dealing with loss, grief or fear. Training will take place in-person and online through November and December. The final phase, Peer Matching, will take place in early 2019, and begin matching those looking for supports with the trained Support Peers recruited.
Two existing programs are part of the initial launch, the Kansas Special Health Care Needs program and the Kansas School for the Deaf, to connect families of children served through these programs with peer supports.
Supporting You will be administered by KDHE’s Special Health Services Section, within the Bureau of Family Health. The network has been developed by the SHS-FAC, which will provide oversight to monitor consistent practices and fidelity among partnering organizations, ultimately ensuring that participating programs are meeting the needs of the families served through the network.
More information can be found on the Supporting You website at www.supportingyoukansas.org or by contacting Heather Smith, Special Health Services Director, at 785-296-4747 or [email protected].
