By SOPHIA TULP, Kansas News Service

Kansas received a passing grade for its highways  when the state’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers released its latest “infrastructure report card.”

However, the engineers also warned that sweeping cuts to Kansas Department of Transportation funding are still causing roadways to suffer.

Kansas earned a C on the report card, which ranks the quality of state infrastructure in nine categories, such as bridges, roads, energy and drinking water. This is up from a C- in 2013, the last time the Kansas ASCE chapter released a report card. And while some areas, such as levees and bridges, increased in quality roads went down.

Over several years, lawmakers have diverted more than $2 billion from KDOT to fill deep holes in the Kansas budget. The cuts dipped into funds for T-WORKS — a 10-year, $8 billion program for projects to preserve and update highway infrastructure across the state.

The state has been addressing its backlog of projects. As of now, 23 highway projects costing $600 million are still delayed, down from as many as 50 in 2017. This comes as the Kansas legislature recently approved the creation of a highway task force that will examine the impact of the cuts, among other things.

When cuts were proposed in 2016, then-Gov. Sam Brownback and KDOT Secretary Richard Carlson said the state’s history of investing in its highway system would keep at bay the effects of a few years of reduced maintenance. But both the report card and stakeholders say otherwise.

Michael White, executive director of the Kansas Contractors Association, said that not investing in regular maintenance will end up costing more in the long run, as invisible damage beneath the surface builds up. He says that damage is happening now.

One road that some Kansans point to as particularly dangerous is Highway 177 that runs through the Flint Hills from El Dorado to Manhattan. The narrow highway has been the scene of multiple rollover accidents, and was supposed to get a safety upgrade under T-WORKS. But, the funding cuts landed this project on the list of those suspended.

Outside of roads, the report also indicated that some dams in Kansas are especially at risk to be dangerous. Just under 500 of the state’s 6,400 dams were classified as a potential high or significant hazard, meaning if they failed it could cause “significant loss of life and property.”

“I would caution folks not to get too overly excited about the report because there’s still a lot of work to be done with roads,” White said. “When you don’t maintain the surface like you need to because of lack of funding … ultimately (you’re) spending more dollars to replace roads that you wouldn’t have if you’d just preserved it.”

He added that the state needs about $400 million for annual maintenance to preserve the system, but current funding is still falling short of that mark, even though the legislature has restored some funding. The 2019 fiscal year’s budget contains $59 million more than last year’s, which only allocated $44 million toward annual maintenance.

Sheryl Gallagher, president of Kansas’ ASCE, says the state’s highways were once among the best in the nation. Now, she says, roadways are an area of “particular concern” in Kansas. She urged lawmakers to find a way to channel funds back into T-WORKS to follow through on projects.

Laurie Arellano, director of communications for KDOT, pointed to the funding increase and the task force as a path forward for improving the roads. She said the funds will help KDOT move beyond preservation and toward modernization and expansion projects.

Each state’s ASCE chapter releases report cards, which are then compiled into an overall grade for the nation at the end of the year. Missouri’s report card was released in April, giving the state a C-minus grade overall grade and a D-plus for roads specifically.

Sophia Tulp is a KCUR news intern in conjunction with The Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_tulp.

WASHINGTON, D.C.–This weekend, Congressman Marshall went to El Paso, Texas with a bipartisan group of members to assess the current situation at the border. During his visit, he met with representatives from Customs and Border Protection and visited an HHS Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) shelter in Tornillo, Texas.

“I went on this trip with more questions than answers. I quickly realized on my visit that there’s not a perfect fix,” Rep. Marshall said.

According to DHS’ statistics, arrests at the border are up to more than 50,000 individuals a month. The number of family units entering the country illegally has quadrupled from last year, while unaccompanied children crossing the border has tripled.

“For as long as people continue to break our laws and enter the country illegally, there will be massive stress on any system we create,” Rep. Marshall said. “While we try to show compassion to everyone, keeping our border secure is a top priority.  Without border security, no immigration plan will work effectively.”

Congressman Marshall was startled to learn that there are 12,000 children currently in the care of HHS. Contrary to the impression given by national news, less than 20 percent of those children were separated from their families at the border.  83 percent of the children illegally crossed the border alone.

“First and foremost, my main goal was to make sure that these children were in good health and have access to all of the resources they need,” Dr. Marshall said. “Despite the mainstream media’s reports, the UAC facility in Tornillo is taking great care of these children giving them medical attention as well as the diet and cleanliness they need during this time.”   

Roughly 7 percent of the kids held in the facility Dr. Marshall toured were separated from their family. According to HHS 94 percent of these children crossed the border alone, with a coyote, drug smuggler or were a victim of human trafficking.

“The situation at the border is serious. But we must also acknowledge our border patrol agents and their hard work,” Congressman Marshall said.“They’ve given their own personal items, food, stuffed animal etc. to care for these children.”

This week the House will vote on H.R. 6136, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act.

This legislation would: 

•    Require DHS to maintain the care and custody of alien families that illegally cross the border together throughout their proceedings

•    Has a legislative fix for DACA recipients

•    Provides advanced appropriations of $25 billion for border security funding

———

TORNILLO, TX (AP) — Hundreds of immigrant children detained at a facility at the U.S.-Mexico border were getting good food and medical care and appeared to be in good spirits, U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall said Saturday after touring the center he described as a “camp.”

Today I’m in Texas to assess the current situation at the border. I’ll be meeting with reps from Customs & Border Protection & visiting an Unaccompanied Alien Children facility in Tornillo. I’m coming with a lot questions & concerns. I want to see this first hand & find solutions

— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) June 23, 2018

But the Kansas Republican said he remains concerned about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers for processing immigrants attempting to cross border illegally and that his trip to the El Paso area confirmed his belief that Congress needs to pass legislation mixing compassion for immigrants with greater border security.

The center Marshall visited as part of a bipartisan congressional group has tent-like shelters housing 400 young immigrants near the Tornillo port of entry. Most of the young immigrants there are teenage boys, and Marshall said 26 were separated from their parents during a recent crackdown on illegal border crossings, as opposed to attempting to cross unaccompanied.

“The kids looked in great health. They looked in great spirits. I did not see one sick kid,” he said during a cellphone interview after the visit. “They all had smiles on their faces. They were warm. They were receptive to me. I played soccer with them for 10 minutes.”

The Tornillo port is located about 40 miles southeast of El Paso in an area that’s mostly desert, and Marshall said the temperature Saturday hit 108 degrees. The tent-like structures have air conditioning. Marshall described the facility as a camp and said he was impressed by it and its staff.

Marshall represents the sprawling 1st Congressional District of western and central Kansas. While the district is heavily Republican and strongly supported President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, some business and agriculture leaders worry about tougher immigration policies making it harder to fill thousands of agricultural jobs. Marshall wants to couple border-security measures with changes in visas for guest agricultural workers.

“Nothing gets better without border security,” he said, adding that he plans to work on legislation to “tighten up” federal laws that prevent U.S. border security officers from immediately turning back Central American immigrants seeking to enter the U.S. illegally.

Marshall is the second Kansas congressman to visit the border. GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder, who represents the 3rd District in the Kansas City area, spent two days in early June in the Rio Grande Valley after becoming chairman of a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security.

TOPEKA – The application fee for a Kansas concealed carry license will be reduced effective July 1, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Under the terms of the budget for state fiscal year 2019 passed earlier this year by the Kansas Legislature, the application fee will be lowered from $132.50 to $112. The reduced rate applies to applications received by sheriff’s offices between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. Applicants should submit their applications with one check for $79.50 payable to the Office of the Attorney General and one check for $32.50 payable to the sheriff of the applicant’s county of residence.

The cost for license renewals remains unchanged at $25.

An updated application form reflecting the new fee structure is available here.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Hundreds have rallied in Kansas City against separating immigrant parents from their children.

The Sunday rally at the County Club Plaza was one of many around the country. Mayor Sly James joined the rally, calling on the crowd to seize the issue as Kansas City’s cause, against immorality and inhumanity, in defense of “liberty and justice . . . for all.”

Some in the crowd waved signs reading, “Free the children.”

Forty-two-year-old Fabiola Cruz stepped forward when the call went out for testimonies. The Kansas Citian from Tijuana, Mexico, said she called on friends, texting for them to join her, but they feared retribution against themselves, or members of their families. She says the situation is “hurting our families.”