Latest news with #SenateCommitteeonGovernmentEfficiency
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas efficiency panel wades through public input, creates plan to tackle transparency, access
Sen. Cindy Holscher, left, and Sen. Doug Shane considered submissions from the public as part of Tuesday's Senate Committee on Government Efficiency meeting. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate Committee on Government Efficiency dug through hundreds of online submissions Tuesday and set an agenda for the coming months tackling issues from transparency to auditing. The meeting agenda, released Monday, said committee members would discuss suggestions received through the COGE portal, where Kansans were encouraged to share ideas to make the government more efficient. Erickson said 3,254 submissions were made to date, with topics ranging from specific ideas about government efficiency to people who were venting frustrations. There also were a few recipes, she said. She has read all the submissions and with the help of committee staff had winnowed the number for consideration to 349 'COGE-like submissions,' Erickson said. The committee agreed that submissions that might not fit the COGE mission could be passed along to state agencies or others who could address the issues. 'How are we going to carve this bird today? That's the $64,000 question. There are submissions that deal with local and federal,' Erickson said. 'Our focus is not to deal with those one-offs that I would call more constituent services, someone who has a specific issue. But are there patterns?' Setting aside those that didn't fall into the COGE focus left the committee with 349 submissions to consider. Erickson stressed that all committee members have access to the 3,000-plus submissions received and could add topics at any time. 'Identify tangible ideas,' she said. 'We want to look for things that are possibilities to take up during our next legislative session. You can start to see some themes, some natural groupings.' To get an idea of the time involved and how to best work through the emails, the committee took about 30 minutes to look through 40 pages of submissions and then began discussions of what issues might be appropriate for COGE to consider. Eventually, they considered all 349 submissions. The result? The committee will discuss the following broad topics in order of importance: Transparency and ease of access Agency workflow and interagency cooperation Impact of third-party vendors, professional organizations and other non-government entities Auditing process/auditing environment State budgeting and expenditure practices Cost and access of medical care Procurement As the committee reached agreement on overall categories to explore, members also looked at what would put teeth into what they're doing. 'We've got to identify it, and we've got to rectify it,' Erickson said. She also said she'd like to consider how to incentivize state agencies to become more efficient. Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield, said the committee needs to consider how to enforce its work. 'If we don't put some type of penalty in there — and usually the agencies or the other groups don't respond unless It's taking care of their money — if you penalize them in some way for not doing their job, then they will correct it,' he said. 'But if you don't, they're not going to correct need some teeth, and that teeth usually goes with what we only have up here and that's the only thing we have, is a budget process of money.' Erickson agreed that accountability will be a factor in the committee's work. 'What would that look like as we identify efficiencies or waste? What was the term someone used, identify and rectify? I like that,' she said. 'What does that rectify part look like to me? That's the accountability, the teeth that we're talking about.' Sen. Doug Shane, a Louisburg Republican, said accountability could look like training. 'We tie in whatever the legislative expectations are, as far as monitoring for waste and bloat or what have you, and come up with some very clear legislative guidelines, statutory guidelines that if they aren't followed, that maybe the quote, unquote punishment is we're going to be trained on efficient and ethical spending of taxpayer funds,' he said. The committee agreed it would start in June by digging into the top two priorities with three agencies: the Kansas Department for Children and Families; the Kansas judicial branch, including include local sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies; and the Kansas Department of Labor. Sen. Mike Thompson, a Johnson County Republican, said he wants the agencies to bring ideas on creating efficiencies. 'I don't want the agency to come and tell us why they can't do something,' he said. 'I want them to come with ideas, and I think that needs to be our big focus.'
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Let Kansans live free': Leaked emails to efficiency portal call for abortion rights, school funding
Kansas Reflector obtained leaked copies of suggestions that were sent to the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency. They urge lawmakers to maintain abortion rights, reject school vouchers, expand Medicaid, stop harming trans kids, and legalize marijuana. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — A 'defeated' single mother seeking health coverage, a disabled Navy veteran who wants to move to Kansas but can't afford the taxes and a former state internal auditor fed up with corruption and bureaucracy were among the suggestions submitted to Kansas' GOP-led Senate Committee on Government Efficiency. The majority of submissions to the committee's public suggestion portal, which debuted Jan. 31 and was the subject of public records requests, included complaints that do not align with the policy priorities of the majority party. Instead, top suggestions included maintaining abortion rights, leaving school vouchers out of public education funding, critiques of leadership, expanding the state's Medicaid program, focusing on substantial policy issues instead of legislation targeted at trans kids, and more than 60 references to legalizing marijuana. Kansas Reflector obtained leaked copies of the more than 1,500 submissions sent to officials between Feb. 3 and March 28 containing specific public input from across the state alongside sarcastic replies, spam and suggestions in jest. A significant portion of those submissions showed a sense of disillusionment with Kansas politics, politicians and government. A few submissions contained personal stories of inefficiencies in state government. Even fewer included complaints or opinions in line with Republican policy. Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican and chair of the efficiency committee, has promised that the committee will meet outside of the legislative session to review the submissions. Republican leadership created the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, or COGE, earlier this year in response to the similar federal effort from billionaire Elon Musk called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The committee sponsored 11 bills this session, many of which targeted public assistance programs, public employees or spending cuts. Little, if any, of the committee's work this year aligned with what Kansans suggested. Suggestions could be submitted in one of two ways: via email or a standardized form in a public portal that includes the submitter's first and last name, an age range and their county, city and zip code. The form notes that submissions are public records. Kansas Reflector did not independently verify the names provided with submissions. Kansas Reflector submitted a request for the public records to Erickson in February. Erickson said she would deliver them to journalists on April 9, even though she delivered them to a legislator on March 17 in response to his formal records request. Under the Kansas Open Records Act, public records are required to be provided as soon as possible. One suggestion from Ben Carmichael, a Wichita resident in his 30s, detailed concerns that the Legislature has morphed into a 'full-time machine, expanding its power and influence without corresponding checks in accountability, transparency, or fiscal restraint.' He pointed to continued meetings among legislators outside of the session and the consolidation of power within the Legislative Coordinating Council, which is made up of the governor and legislative leadership. The line is blurred, he said, between 'part-time service and full-time rule.' 'Instead of trusting Kansans to govern their own lives and communities, the state has taken on a paternalistic posture, eroding both personal freedom and local governance,' Carmichael wrote. 'This is not only inefficient government — it is unjust government.' Carmichael added that in times of national division and economic uncertainty, Kansans don't need more laws, rules or interference. 'They need a Legislature that knows its limits and remembers its mandate: to serve, not to rule,' Carmichael wrote. 'Shrink the footprint of government. Restore the citizen Legislature. Let Kansans live free.' Around 300 submissions included mention of abortion. Most begged legislators to leave the issue alone, as voters made their opinions clear in the August 2022 primary, during which a constitutional amendment to eliminate abortion rights failed by a 59-41 margin. Bethany Quesnell, a 30-something in Wamego, said elected officials could be most effective if they listened to the stories of the constituents in their districts. 'Don't just stop listening after one person who matches your personal beliefs, either,' Quesnell wrote. And if an issue has been voted on in recent years, Quesnell suggested officials refrain from bringing that issue up again. 'Abortion is a great example,' Quesnell said. 'Kansans made their opinions known and we don't want to hear about it anymore.' Submitters characterized the Legislature's continued focus on abortion regulation as a waste of time and money. 'The amount of times transgender healthcare and abortion have come up in this legislature is downright wasteful,' said Kat Stucky, a Cheney resident in her 30s. More than 130 suggestions told lawmakers to stop legislating trans issues. Stucky, and several other commenters, said trans people make up a tiny fraction of Kansas' population but have received a significant amount of focus, particularly this legislative session. Pamela Sturm, a septuagenarian from Kansas City, Kansas, said the state could save money if the Legislature focused on issues guided by voter's actions. 'The legislature has decided that attacking transgender kids is a more legitimate target for their attention than dealing with real issues for Kansans, just as they've decided to deny Kansas residents legitimate access to cannabis and that it's okay for rural hospitals to close because they refuse to honor the will of the people by expanding Medicaid in our state,' Sturm wrote. A 'very frustrated and defeated' single mother of three, Ashlie Bruner, wrote to legislators in February detailing a recent denial of health care coverage under the state's Medicaid program. Bruner is caught in what is known as the Medicaid gap. Her employer doesn't offer health insurance. She said she earns $1,200 a month while the state Medicaid income cap for a household of four is $880 a month. 'This has left me in a position where I can not afford health insurance or do not qualify for lower rates or state insurance as my income is either too high or too low,' she said. 'The system is flawed.' Average rental prices, bills and necessities make up a majority of Bruner's spending, and, as a single parent, she said she struggles to pay those costs. 'I know I'm not the only person with this problem,' she said. 'And it leaves the question of what am I supposed to do?' Bruner begged legislators for a solution because she cannot seek medical care without paying out of pocket, leaving her 'suffering through illnesses or medical conditions unable to afford the help I need.' The vast majority of the roughly 180 submissions that mentioned Medicaid supported expansion or opposed further cuts to the program. Kansas is one of 10 states that hasn't expanded Medicaid. Roger Smith, a Wichita resident in his 70s, suggested the Legislature ensure Medicaid fraud isn't taking place by reviewing and confirming that Medicaid participants are appropriately using allocated funds. 'Let us all be responsible for supplying the resources needed to those that truly need it,' Smith said. 'Being a good steward at all levels is very important for everyone's survival.' Suggestions on education were varied. Legislators in recent years have attempted to impose influence on education typically reserved for the Kansas State Board of Education. The Legislature controls funding for public schools and has the ability to create voucher programs. Sandra Kirby, a 40-something from Pittsburg, asked legislators to oppose any legislation that would eliminate the Kansas State Department of Education. Kirby said taxpayers shouldn't support any religious institution or school. 'If a person wanted to send their kids to a private or religious school- so be it,' Kirby wrote, 'but leave the rest of Kansans alone.' Kirby added: 'NO VOUCHERS.' Ryan Patton, a Hutchinson resident in his 40s, said the Kansas education system costs taxpayers around $18,000 annually per student, which is true according to KSDE data. Homeschooling produces better results, he said. 'The Kansas education system is far beyond repair and needs to be dismantled,' Patton wrote. 'There is extreme amounts of waste of these funds that never reach the teachers let alone the children.' Rick Ruppe, who did not include an age or location in his email to the committee, applauded the Legislature's proposal to shift the Kansas Supreme Court judicial selection process to a popular vote instead of the current nomination and appointment system. It's long overdue, he said. State education funding, Ruppe said, is one area that has been part of a series of 'bad outcomes in decisions being made by the court, which have been politically and ideologically slanted towards liberal and progressive viewpoints.' The Kansas Supreme Court has repeatedly determined the Legislature is not adequately funding education. Ruppe characterized the wording of the Kansas State Constitution that has been used to determine funding requirements as vague. 'This has led to this issue becoming a political football, with the punting of a real solution, much like kicking a can down the road, with no clear criteria for what 'sufficient or adequate' funding is,' he said. He added that the court also erred in ruling the state constitution includes implicit rights that allow legal abortions. Nearly 60 submissions included criticism of the Kansas Attorney General's performance. Many claimed Kris Kobach's 'frivolous lawsuits' have cost Kansas taxpayers millions, and others called for him to be fired. Amy Warfield, a Hays resident in her 30s, said 'a more efficient Kansas state government would better seek to reign in vanity lawsuits' from Kobach, which include banning abortion drug mifepristone, blocking immigrants without citizenship from being counted in the Census, and limiting Title IX protections for youths. 'In fact, the list of confrontations and lawsuits is so long and such a tangled web, it's difficult to parse through what is even in the best interest of the people of this state and its funds, or just ideological check boxes,' Warfield said. Brice Cronn, a Colby resident in his 40s, suggested the Legislature refrain from passing any legislation having to do with Kobach. 'Millions in litigation costs are unacceptable,' Cronn wrote. 'This culture war stuff makes you popular with a certain voting block, but it is a nonsensical money pit that doesn't do anything to improve the wellbeing of Kansans,' he said. Kari Nilson, an Andover resident in her 40s, said the best way to cut government spending would be to 'get Kris Kobach to quit filing lawsuits that the people of Kansas don't want to be part of.' Roberta Hill, who identified herself as a disabled Navy veteran, began her email by giving credit to the state of Kansas for taking care of its veterans. 'I as a 100% disabled female veteran would move to Kansas, yet I financially could not afford to own a home,' Hill said. In her current state, which she did not disclose, she doesn't have to pay property taxes on the home she owns. 'I don't abuse my taxes exempt status,' she said. 'I believe in paying taxes on a lot of things. If Kansas allowed veterans to own homes and not pay property taxes. You would have them in your state paying taxes on other things. Helping the economy of Kansas!' Bills aimed at providing tax relief for veterans did not progress this session. A handful of submissions requested greater transparency from Kansas government. Jadie Chauncey, a Junction City resident, submitted a list of three issues, each with a clear proposal aimed at making Kansas government more open, fair and accessible. The three suggestions included eliminating 'gut and go' bills, which allow legislators to entirely overhaul the content of a bill with unrelated legislation. 'This process confuses voters and allows bills to pass without proper review,' Chauncey said. The second item suggested the Legislature make it easier for Kansans to submit testimony and establish a mandatory 72-hour notice before testimony submission deadlines. Chauncey called the current system 'confusing and outdated.' 'Some committees give very short notice for hearings, change their rules often, and require paper copies of testimony,' Chauncey said. 'This makes it hard for people who live far from Topeka or have jobs during the day to participate.' Lastly, Chauncey noticed special interest groups tend to get more time than citizens and suggested ensuring all speakers at hearings get equal time to testify. Mark Ummel, a Burlingame resident in his 60s, said he performed internal audits and investigations for 15 years at one of the state's largest agencies. He retired not because he was ready but because he 'became fed up with various senior leaders at the agency who would use their position of power to hire their personal friends for high paying jobs without advertising publicly, review audits only to hide the malfeasance or illegal activity and position their personal needs above what is best for the agency.' State government operations could become more efficient, Ummel said, with improved audit practices that evaluate internal processes, wasteful spending and potential fraud. 'If the legislative process can be described as 'making sausage,' ' he said, 'the inner workings inside the agencies could be describe(d) as the 'slaughterhouse.' '
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas Senate Democrat breaks from party to add tax credit to fetal child support bill
Sen. Patrick Schmidt at a March 12, 2025, meeting of the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, or COGE. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Republican legislation to establish child support payments for pregnancy-related costs — and, in turn, establish 'fetal personhood' — revealed tension among legislators as one Democratic senator inserted a bipartisan tax credit provision. Senate Democrats agreed that House Bill 2062, which requires courts to consider fetuses when determining child support judgments, risked providing legal precedent for treating fetuses as people. But with an amendment that expands eligibility for tax credits for families, Sen. Patrick Schmidt, D-Topeka, said he took an opportunity to make 'lemonade out of lemons,' while his Democratic colleagues disagreed. Most Republicans, initially hesitant, were in favor of Schmidt's amendment Tuesday and approved it in a preliminary vote. On the Senate floor Wednesday, before legislators took final action on the bill, Schmidt said he had 'the most pro-choice legislator' in the delegation. He ultimately voted against the bill along with the rest of the nine-member Democratic caucus. While fielding flack from Democrats and abortion rights advocates, Schmidt told Kansas Reflector he expects his amendment will either kill the bill because of it's added nuance or give families tax credits, both of which he considers a win, especially for his constituents in central Topeka. The amendment created a child tax credit for all pregnant parents, not just those involved in child support judgments. Parents would be allowed to claim 'an unborn child' on their tax returns, and a taxpayer identification number would be assigned to a fetus. 'It's a bad bill, with or without an amendment,' Schmidt said. Melissa Stiehler, a spokesperson with Loud Light Civic Action, said Schmidt made 'serious mistakes' in declining to consult fellow Democrats, advocates and policy experts before proposing the amendment. 'It is pretty disappointing to hear Senator Schmidt declare himself the most 'pro-choice lawmaker' while simultaneously adding the most anti-abortion language I've ever seen a democratic lawmaker intentionally amend into a bill,' she wrote in a statement. Stiehler called the amendment 'bad economic policy,' claiming Schmidt's proposal was a regressive flat tax. She said it was 'bad constitutional policy' because it added a new subject to the bill. She said he utilized 'bad political strategy' in trying to alter the bill without consulting experienced lawmakers and playing into anti-abortion efforts. 'He just gave it to them without a fight and now with bipartisan support,' she said. Schmidt stuck by his strategy. If Democrats want to stop legislation they disagree with, they have to try something new, said Schmidt, who is serving his first year in the Legislature. 'The same tactics are not going to work in perpetuity,' he said. 'They haven't been working.' Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, in an explanation of her 'no' vote Wednesday, said the bill was disguised as a child support bill but was 'far more insidious.' 'This bill grants legal recognition to a fetus as a separate person, even providing a state tax ID number, which would have sweeping consequences beyond financial support,' Sykes said. Instead of helping women, the bill makes reproductive rights vulnerable to attack, she said. The bill passed the Senate in a 30-9 vote, with all Democrats voting against it. It passed the House in February in an 85-34 vote, but House and Senate negotiators would have to work out differences in their versions of the bill before sending it to the governor. Anti-abortion organizations were the architects and primary proponents of the legislation during the bill's hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee's chair, Sen. Kellie Warren, R-Leawood, said Tuesday on the Senate floor that the bill wouldn't change anything about how paternity is assessed or who is required to pay child support. 'It just adds it to the list of the other nine factors that a court shall consider when considering an order of child support,' Warren said. Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, proposed an amendment to remove large portions of the bill's text. Expanding child support obligations establishes 'legal personhood' for fetuses, she said. 'That move is a foundational step to restricting access to forms of reproductive health care,' Holscher said. Her amendment failed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House bill eliminating DEI funding in Missouri debated by Senate committee
State Rep. Ben Baker is a Republican from Neosho (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). The Senate Committee on Government Efficiency heard a bill Monday that would ban state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Sponsored by state Rep. Ben Baker, a Republican from Neosho, the bill would also bar state departments from mandating a DEI program in contracts with private organizations. 'The bottom line is we as a state should not be allowing propaganda to creep into the workplace that pushes preferential and unfair treatment of our state workers,' Baker said. Last month, Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order that forbids funding for DEI programs within state departments under the purview of the governor. Baker's bill prohibits the use of any state funding for DEI. Following the signing of Kehoe's executive order, a letter was sent to state employees explaining the executive order. In the letter, the governor clarified that the order would not affect several key organizations like the Minority-Owned and the Women-Owned Business programs, which provide opportunities for companies that are majority controlled by either women or minority individuals to bid on state contracts. Another carve out listed in the governor's letter was the Model Employer Initiative which seeks to increase the participation of disabled Missourians in the workforce. The letter also makes it clear that recognition of Black History Month, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day are not prohibited in the order. Baker said that his bill would have the same carveouts as the governor's bill and that this would be further clarified in the language of his bill. He argued during the hearing that no money should be allocated towards DEI programs. According to the bill's fiscal note, no state department would see increased or decreased revenue as a result of this bill. Baker said that there has been growing support for the removal of DEI, citing executive orders from both Kehoe and President Donald Trump. He also said the governor is in support of passing his bill. Baker also noted increased research opposed to DEI programs, citing a study conducted by the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, a think tank based in Canada. This claim was challenged by Sen. Patty Lewis, a Kansas City Democrat. 'It's not just the research,' Baker said. 'There's also anecdotal stories where I have met people in our state government agencies that have had major issues with what is being done with DEI.' Sharon Jones, a representative from the NAACP, spoke against the bill. Jones claimed that the language of the bill was too broad and could affect seemingly innocuous training sessions. 'This is a sledgehammer trying to aim at a very, very specific issue,' Jones said. Mary Byrne, a policy expert with The Heartland Institute and co-founder of the Missouri Coalition Against Common Core, spoke in favor of the bill. Byrne claimed that aspects of DEI programs have their roots in Marxism. 'The ideas of these matrixes are aligned to the tenants of critical race theory,' Byrne said, 'a theory promoting race conflict as a proxy for Marxist economic class conflict to foster social revolution.' This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.
