(The Sentinel) – As the Kansas Legislature reconvenes, Republican leaders unveil their 2023 agenda, offering “A Better Way: Our Commitment to Kansas”
The eight-point plan ranges from a simpler tax code, more parental control of education, and free-market health care solutions to expanding job opportunities, making Kansans safer and protecting constitutional rights.
Incoming House Speaker Dan Hawkins says the GOP agenda rose from the grassroots:
“We asked people all over the state what’s important to them, and this is what they told us. We’re committed to those concerns – taxes and the economy, law and order, education, health care and individual liberties. A Better Way is our commitment to Kansans that we’re listening and we have a path forward.”
On the wide-ranging agenda:
For taxpayers:
- A balanced budget that cuts wasteful spending, pays down debt and increases the state “rainy day fund”
- Make the state tax code flatter and simpler to help families and businesses.
- Reduce the tax burden on both retirees and families
For health care:
- End costly mandates that drive up costs
- Free-market solutions to high costs by promoting Health Savings Accounts
For students:
- Expand educational opportunities beyond economic status or zip code
- Pass Fairness in Women’s Sports, and Parents’ Bill of Rights
- Focus on academic achievement, not radical ideology
For the economy:
- Support and protect the fossil fuel industry
- Enact reforms to lower energy rates
- Prohibit state investment in entities owned or operated by hostile foreign governments
For jobseekers:
- Make college more affordable, promote technical education
- Support apprenticeship-to-licensure training and lower the cost of licensing fees.
- Tighten eligibility for unemployment benefits
Preserving the safety net:
- Enforce eligibility requirements for government assistance
- Reject expansion of welfare to able-bodied adults until waiver waiting lists are eliminated
- Protect children in the foster care system and invest in alternatives
Law-and-order:
- Protect Kansas families and businesses from cyber-attacks and intellectual property theft by China
- Strengthen laws that protect Kansans from violent and repeat offenders
- Support Kansas Highway Patrol troopers and ensure the KHP is fully staffed and competently managed
Constitutional rights:
- Safeguard elections
- Respect and promote constitutional rights of all Kansans
- Support a culture of life in Kansas and reduce abortions through support for crisis pregnancy centers and preserving protections
Senate President Ty Masterson summarizes the “Better Way”:
“Republicans are committed to a policy agenda that puts Kansans first by protecting our communities, honoring the value of work and ensuring our children have a bright future. While the governor’s party desires to expand government and impede freedom, our commitment to Kansans is truly a better way by expanding freedom and making Kansas a land of opportunity for all.”
