Category: Kansas Legislature

Despite concerns about CDC influence, Kansas Senate approves Janet Stanek as health secretary

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Kansas senators voted Wednesday to confirm Janet Stanek as the new leader of the state’s health department.

The decision to approve Stanek comes after the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee chose to advance the governor’s nominee without a recommendation. During the confirmation hearing earlier this month, conservative Republicans expressed concerns about how Stanek would adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules and the performance of Lee Norman, the previous Kansas Department of Health and Environment secretary.

But during debate on the floor, senators said they were pleased with Stanek’s efforts to follow up and clarify answers from the hearing. Sen. Richard Hilderbrand, R-Baxter Springs, said not only did she come across as genuine in her desires to improve relations with the Legislature, but also soothed concerns she would immediately resort to mandates.

“I do believe that she’s sincere when she talks about wanting to have open communication with the legislative body and about getting information out,” Hilderbrand said. “She has been very responsive whenever I have asked a question or asked for information, and I appreciate that because that’s not the way it’s always been.”

Stanek was appointed to her current role shortly after Norman was forced to resign in November, for what he said was a lack of adherence to a tight, scripted message the governor’s office wanted to send. Only five members, all Republicans, opposed Stanek’s nomination.

The Senate also unanimously approved the nomination of Angela Coble to the Kansas Court of Appeals. Coble, a Salina attorney, previously served as counsel to two U.S. District Court judges and most recently worked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne Birzer.

Before taking her new post, Stanek served as the director of the State Employee Health Benefits Program. She spent several decades in health care leadership positions in Pennsylvania, New York and Kansas, including 21 years at Stormont Vail Health in Topeka.

Because Stanek is not a medical doctor, she will lead the state agency as its secretary while somebody else serves as the state’s top health officer. Joan Duwve became the acting state health officer in January.

“As a skilled and qualified leader in the world of health care, secretary Stanek is well equipped to handle the changing scope public health has taken since the beginning of the pandemic,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “The state is in good hands with the thoughtfulness, collaboration, and sound judgment she brings to the agency.”

Those who opposed Stanek’s confirmation were concerned with her approach to CDC recommendations regarding masks, vaccines and COVID-19 treatments. However, Sen. Alicia Straub, an Ellinwood Republican, said her decision came down to the state’s quarantine statute, not Stanek’s qualifications.

“Our statutes allow for an unelected government official to quarantine or even seize our children from our own homes,” she said. “Until we correct Chapter 75, I would vote no, no matter who it is.”

Ultimately, Stanek expressed a desire to have working relationships with legislators regardless of how they voted. Stanek also told legislators during the confirmation hearing the agency stopped airing COVID-19 vaccine advertisements after some Republican lawmakers expressed concerns with calling the shot safe and effective.

She said she was committed to improving that line of communication and further building on her work with the department thus far.

“I have been impressed with the work of the KDHE team, particularly in leading the state’s response to the pandemic,” secretary Stanek said. “I look forward to continue to work with the entire team and our stakeholders throughout the state to build on their outstanding work as we move out of the pandemic and into the future.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/10/despite-concerns-about-cdc-influence-kansas-senate-approves-janet-stanek-as-health-secretary/.

House narrowly defeats resolution calling for U.S. constitutional convention of states

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The Kansas House failed to pass by a two-thirds majority Wednesday a measure in support of a national constitutional convention designed to clamp down on federal authority and impose term limits on Congress.

Republican lawmakers eager for passage of House Concurrent Resolution 5027, which would authorize Kansas’ participation in the convention to consider and vote on U.S. constitutional limits, didn’t receive 84 votes required for passage. The House measure went down 76-43, falling short of a supermajority by eight.

The Kansas Senate didn’t approve a comparable resolution in 2021.

Rep. Ken Collins, R-Mulberry, said he voted against the House resolution because a convention would not likely bring greater control on Congress.

“If the required number of states pass an Article V resolution it will be Congress who calls the convention and makes the rules,” he said. “There are too many unanswered questions now about how it will work and I do not want to bet our constitution to find out.”

Democratic Rep. Jason Probst, of Hutchinson, said he couldn’t in good conscience support the resolution because it would grant “unmitigated power to a dysfunctional and untrustworthy Congress to determine the scope, rules and mechanics of any proceeding.”

“Kansas will cede its sovereignty to some unknowable future body while abandoning the enduring security of our constitution,” Probst said.

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress must call the convention once two-thirds of states adopted the resolution. The Convention of States Action, which has worked to rally state support for the concept, said 17 states had completed the application process.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/house-narrowly-defeats-resolution-calling-for-u-s-constitutional-convention-of-states/

Senate panel backs educational bill of rights for Kansas parents

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — A Kansas Senate panel on Tuesday approved legislation establishing an educational bill of rights for parents of public school children.

The bill is aimed at the idea of educational transparency and ensuring parents have increased access to and oversight of their child’s curriculum and materials. Modeled after recommendations of the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C., the Kansas legislation was supported by seven people and opposed by more than 100 people who submitted testimony to the Senate Education Committee.

Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former school principal, said the provisions are needed to ensure parents who feel their complaints went unanswered during the pandemic have clearly defined rights.

“We’ve seen the outcome of parents expressing their opinions at school board meetings and being labeled as domestic terrorists,” Erickson said. “This bill is positive in that it reasserts parents’ rightful responsibilities in regard to their children, and their involvement in the school process.”

However, Democrats on the panel said the bill was redundant, as parents already have the right to access this information and questioned the intent if this right already existed.

“It feels like there’s an insinuation here that there’s no transparency at our public schools,” said Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park. “Asking the teacher, there’s so many avenues to doing that and my biggest concern is after two years of a pandemic with a lot of intense criticism of our public schools, it just doesn’t feel very supportive at these times.”

The measure now goes to the Senate floor for consideration by the full chamber.

Adam Proffitt, budget director for Gov. Laura Kelly, said during a February hearing the legislation would require school districts to absorb millions of dollars in costs associated with the formation of online portals of curriculum information and evaluation of library materials. He said the House bill had the potential to increase lawsuits involving school districts.

Beyond reaffirming parental rights to learn more about the curriculum presented to their children, Senate Bill 496 would require schools to avoid K-12 materials that promote “racially essentialist” doctrine in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Proponents said this was a direct response to concerns about critical race theory.

A similar measure in the House also creates a misdemeanor offense to deter exposure to obscene materials in schools.

“When I was teaching, I did have the occasion when I would have a child because of their religious beliefs their families didn’t want them to be involved in certain things,” said Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat and retired educator. “I guess I’m trying to understand this piece and how when it comes to a learning activity, what exactly that would mean.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/09/senate-panel-backs-educational-bill-of-rights-for-kansas-parents/.