What will the makeup of the Kansas Legislature look like when it opens for its next session in early January next year?
That question was on the mind of members of the Legislative Committee as it met, via Zoom, Friday morning, Oct. 9. The Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors the committee.
Those who study the Legislature see a swing to a more conservative side after the recent primary elections as certain key moderate Republicans were defeated or chose not to run. However, there is a chance, as slim as it might be, that if enough Democrat challengers are elected, the overall temper of the Legislature could be somewhat moderate.
The chamber’s Legislative Committee is working on its annual Legislative Agenda which will determine the organization’s position on key issues. One issue that is to come up is the expansion of Medicaid. Hospitals and medical professionals across the state have supported this issue; supporters point out that expansion could provide services to more than 120,000 uninsured persons.
Conservative legislators and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce opposing expanded Medicaid said it could end up costing the state an excessive amount of money on the long run.
Committee members learned that the state of Kansas is slightly ahead of estimates in tax revenue received, based on September receipts.
The chamber here is hoping to sponsor a candidates’ forum for the Third District Congressional race. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, is scheduled to appear at noon Friday, Oct. 16, at the normal time for the Congressional Forum. The Republican opponent, Amanda Adkins, is scheduled to appear at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. Both forums will be via Zoom.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.
Name and office sought Senator Kevin Braun – campaign for re-election as Kansas Senator District 5
Age 52
Occupation and experience Corporate Trainer and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel
Education
Bachelor’s Degree Business Management, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa Master’s Degree in Business Law, Friends University, Wichita, Kansas
Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong
United States Army Veteran Lifetime Member, VFW Lifetime Member, American Legion Member of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church of KC, KS Member of the Knights of Columbus Lifetime Member NRA, Member KSRA Member Chamber of Commerce Member Kiwanis Club Member Eagles Club
Reasons for running
The most convincing experience qualifying anyone to be retained in an office is how they have performed to date. Since 2018 I have 100% attendance and 100% voting record. As a Majority Party member of Senate Ways and Means I am at the table for every State budget decision. I chair the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and delivered a $50,000 increase to Veteran Service Officers. I chair Regulatory Boards and Commissions, am on Subcommittees on Public Safety and delivered full funding for State Law Enforcement, Corrections and delivered Corrections pay increases and Transportation and delivered a $50 million road and bridge local match program. I am a Majority Party Member of Transportation, Education delivering a $360 million increase in K-12 funding and Ethics Elections and Local Government. Only Senate Majority Party members can carry bills and over the past two years I carried several to passage on the Senate floor including a Constitutional Amendment passing the Senate, the House and voted into law by Kansas voters. That bill saved Kansans $850,000. I also carried an amendment to allow the re-opening of the Woodlands. On that bill I earned 19 of the 21 votes required for passage but it demonstrated my commitment and ability to move Wyandotte County specific issues forward. That bill, and several others, are examples of how I actually delivered for Wyandotte County and why I am the only candidate qualified to continue to deliver for Wyandotte County upon re-election. At this point I am quite literally the only State Elected Legislative Official of all ten in Wyandotte County that can be the chairman of a Committee or actually carry a bill on the Senate floor. It has been far too long since the constituents of Wyandotte had an effective legislator representing them in the Kansas Legislature and I plan to continue to be that legislator. I will work across the aisle with the Kansas City, Mayor, Wyandotte County Unified Government Commissioners and members of the Board of Public Utilities on any and all legislation that I believe helps the constituents in my home town of Kansas City, Kansas. With my re-election Wyandotte County is finally being given a chance to be heard and have representation in the Majority Party in the Legislature in Topeka.
In addition, only a Majority Party Senator can be chairman and decide which bills move forward. I will once again hold multiple chairmanships once re-elected. In the case a Senator in the Minority Party from Leavenworth is elected it will result in no bills carried, moved forward or passed by your Senator. If Wyandotte County wants to be represented in the Kansas Senate, I am the only option.
Prior to my success drafting, carrying and passing bills as your Senator I spent 30 years in the private sector business with twenty-two of those being in healthcare. In a parallel career I served 32 years in the Kansas National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve in positions of increasing responsibility culminating in my retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in August of 2018. My service included two war zone deployments while serving in the Kansas Army National Guard. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Business Law from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas.
What are the three most important issues facing this district and how would you handle them?
As your state Senator, my top three current issues are safety, healthcare and the economy which includes business, taxes and education.
I have delivered a safer Kansas. In regard to safety, protecting Kansas families and their property is an essential responsibility of the government. I am fully committed to properly fund law enforcement and demonstrated that by full funding of state law enforcement, first responder agencies and carrying and supporting bills that enhance both. Those actions are why I am endorsed by Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Ash, our Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and several other local law enforcement and corrections officers.
I have delivered a healthier Kansas. Healthcare is an incredibly important issue in Kansas City, Kansas and I am fully committed to protect the promise of Medicare and Medicaid for the elderly, the disabled, children and pregnant woman. In addition, I was the only legislator to propose doubling the budget for our safety net clinics which includes Mercy and Truth Medical Mission in Kansas City, Kansas. My actions resulted in a $2 million increase in funding. I will not stop fighting until the budget for Kansas safety net clinics is doubled. I am also committed to drive overall healthcare costs down for every Kansan. This commitment to healthcare is why I was endorsed by former Governor and practicing physician Jeff Colyer.
I have delivered a more prosperous Kansas. The business economy, taxes and education are all components of making Kansas more prosperous. I demonstrated my commitment to prosperity by supporting the Governor in the first 30 days with a $50 million COVID relief bill and then voting for local county control to open business safely. We must support and expand small and large businesses to increase revenues and reduce the cost of individual property taxes and income taxes. I did this by voting for lower taxes and by sponsoring and voting for a property tax transparency bill. We currently have over 50,000 unfilled technical jobs in Kansas businesses and we need to fill those with Kansas workers. To support that, I drafted, carried and passed a bill that allows dual credit for high school students to complete classes at technical colleges like Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC). This is the comprehensive approach I have taken and will take moving forward to deliver Wyandotte County prosperity. These actions and positions are why I am endorsed by the Kansas Chamber, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Farm Bureau and the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA).
If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office. If you are not an incumbent, what would you change if elected? My key accomplishments are referenced in the questions above.
Have you run for elected office previously? When, results? I ran for this office in 2018 and was unanimously elected by precinct committee members from both Wyandotte and Leavenworth County.
Winners of three straight matches and a point out of first place in the Western Conference, Sporting Kansas City (9-5-2, 29 points) will ride a wave of momentum in Wednesday’s showdown with fellow MLS originals FC Dallas (5-4-6, 21 points) at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Sunday’s 2-1 defeat of Nashville SC at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, gave Sporting three regular season wins in a nine-day period for the seventh time in club history and only the second time since 2005.
The hot stretch began with an Alan Pulido-inspired 2-1 road win over the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 3 and continued with a 1-0 home defeat of Chicago Fire FC on Oct. 7 in which penalty-saving goalkeeper Tim Melia and goal-scoring center back Winston Reid were the difference makers.
The acclaimed hero on Sunday was Erik Hurtado, who bagged one of Sporting’s all-time greatest goals with a sumptuous volley in the 79th minute on an assist from Amadou Dia. The goal completed a spirited fightback that saw Sporting fall behind to Walker Zimmerman’s first-half header before Johnny Russell assisted Gerso Fernandes’ 53rd-minute equalizer.
Wednesday will now give Sporting a shot at its first four-game regular season winning streak since August 2018.
Thanks to their recent spurt, Sporting sits one point behind Western Conference co-leaders Seattle and Portland and eight points ahead of sixth-place FC Dallas.
Both teams are well-positioned to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs, as the top eight finishers in the West will punch a postseason ticket.
Aside from finishing above the playoff line, a thoroughly compelling race is developing at the top. The team that sits atop the table at the conclusion of the regular season will have homefield advantage in the playoffs through the conference final.
Sporting and Dallas have met twice previously this season at Children’s Mercy Park. The visitors emerged with four points in those two encounters, including a 1-1 stalemate on Sept. 2 and a simmering 3-2 result on Sept. 19 that produced a total of eight yellow cards and a red card to Dallas midfielder Bryan Acosta.
First-year striker Franco Jara has made a decisive mark in the series, scoring for Dallas in the 1-1 draw and notching a brace in his team’s victory last month. Sporting are 0-3-1 versus Dallas in the last four meetings dating back to 2019.
Dallas will enter the contest on a full week of rest after their weekend fixture versus Minnesota United FC was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
Veteran center back Matt Hedges has played in all but one of Dallas’ 15 games this season, but he sustained a muscle injury in a 2-0 loss at Houston on Oct. 7 and will be sidelined on Wednesday.
Second-year head coach Luchi Gonzalez has a strong cast of defenders to call upon, however, as Dallas’ 17 goals allowed are tied for the fewest in the Western Conference. Hedges’ most likely replacement is Bressan, a 27-year-old Brazilian with four starts under his belt this season.
Sporting will also be forced to cope with the absence of a key defender, as right back Graham Zusi will miss his second straight game with a foot injury. Twenty-year-old Sporting KC Academy product Jaylin Lindsey filled in for Zusi on Sunday and has started six of seven MLS appearances this year, racking up a career-high 609 minutes.
Manager Peter Vermes’ men face a quick turnaround following Wednesday’s match, as they will travel to face Chicago on Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field. This week will cap a busy period of the schedule that requires Sporting to play five times in 15 days.
