WASHINGTON —A Kansas congresswoman has been appointed to a leadership position on the House Transportation Committee.

On Thursday, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) announced Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) will serve as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation in the 116th Congress, according to a media release.

The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues.

“In just the first few months of the new Congress, Representative Davids has made outstanding contributions to our Committee, and I am honored she agreed to take on this new role,” said DeFazio. “As Vice Chair, Representative Davids will play a key role as the Committee not only continues its work to ensure the safety of our Nation’s airspace, but also as we work to improve our critical airport infrastructure, create good-paying aviation jobs across the country, and integrate new users and technologies that will shape the future of U.S. aviation.”

We are pleased to announce that @RepDavids has been selected to serve as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation. In this position, she will play a key role in working to ensure the safety of our Nation’s airspace, improving critical airport infrastructure, and more. pic.twitter.com/8w6Gn9ugFg

— Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (@TransportDems) April 4, 2019

“I look forward to working with Rep. Davids in her role as Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee. Rep. Davids represents the hardworking women and men at the FAA Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center, a critical component of the U.S. aviation system. Her input will be invaluable as the Committee works on a forward-looking aviation and aerospace agenda to ensure aviation safety, foster innovation in U.S. airspace, improve U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace, and enhance the air travel experience for passengers,” said Larsen.

Davids also led action on the House floor Thursday.

Re-authorizing the Violence Against Women Act will help ensure that all survivors of violence and abuse can receive the support, protection, and justice they deserve.

I was honored to preside over the House Floor as we passed this historic piece of legislation. pic.twitter.com/0loDKapA1f

— Rep. Sharice Davids (@RepDavids) April 4, 2019

“Aviation is a vital part of our transportation system and economy in Kansas and across the country. I’m honored to be named vice-chair of the Aviation Subcommittee at this critical time,” said Rep. Sharice Davids. “I look forward to working on ways we can maintain the highest safety standards in the world, capitalize on new and developing technology, and find strategies to mitigate climate change.”

By JOHN HANNA 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ new Democratic governor promised on the campaign trail to end a protracted lawsuit over education funding by increasing state spending on public schools, and the Republican-led Legislature approved her proposal Thursday evening.

It may not be enough.

An attorney for the local school districts suing the state certainly doesn’t think so, and his clients have won before the Kansas Supreme Court repeatedly. Even some legislators who backed Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for an increase of roughly $90 million a year think they’ll be discussing another Supreme Court order to boost funding again next year. Others are hopeful the court will sign off, but no one is dead certain.

“Worst-case scenario, all it does is buy us another year,” said Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat who serves on a House education funding committee. “Best-case scenario is the court says, ‘That’s a good faith effort and we’ll monitor the case over the next few years.'”

The House voted 76-47 to approve a bill containing Kelly’s funding proposal, and the Senate approved it on a 31-8vote. The measure ties the new money to several education policy changes favored by GOP lawmakers, including a requirement for a new one-page online performance report on each public school.

The #ksleg took an important step today towards addressing the needs of our students, supporting our teachers and fully funding our schools. I’m proud this reasonable commonsense plan was embraced with bipartisan support today. Kansans want us to work together to move KS forward.

— Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) April 4, 2019

Kelly said the bill’s passage is “an important step” toward addressing students’ needs, supporting teachers and “fully funding our schools.” It’s also her biggest legislative victory since taking office in January after campaigning last year as a bipartisan problem-solver.

“By investing in our local schools, we can ensure that all Kansas children — no matter who they are or where they live — have the opportunity to succeed,” Kelly said in a statement after the bill cleared the Legislature.

The four school districts sued Kansas in 2010, and the state Supreme Court has issued six rulings directing lawmakers to increase the state’s spending in a little more than five years, so that aid to public schools now tops $4 billion a year. The court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases into the future wasn’t sufficient because it hadn’t accounted for inflation.

The court gave the state’s attorneys until April 15 to file a written report on lawmakers’ response. The key legal question is whether the state is spending enough money for lawmakers to meet an obligation under the Kansas Constitution to finance a suitable education for every child.

The school districts’ attorneys also must file their own assessment April 15. John Robb, one of their attorneys, said Thursday evening that the districts will argue that the state’s funding isn’t adequate after the 2019-2020 school year.

The districts argue that accounting for inflation is a straightforward math problem that requires increasingly larger amounts of money each year through the 2022-23 school year. Under their calculations, the increase for that year would be about $360 million instead of the roughly $90 million under Kelly’s proposal.

“I think the court will recognize that they didn’t reach the target,” Robb said. “We think the court is going to say, ‘The math doesn’t work.'”

Past Supreme Court rulings came with an implied threat that the justices could shut down schools if legislators did not comply. But Robb said that’s unlikely now, because the 2019-20 school year is adequately covered.

Some Republicans, particularly conservatives, question whether the state will be able to sustain even Kelly’s new spending without a future tax increase. GOP leaders also pushed a tax relief bill designed to prevent individuals and businesses from paying more in state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017, which the governor vetoed.

Most Senate Republicans lined up behind Kelly’s plan last month after the school districts suing the state initially supported it, then withdrew their endorsement and called for higher spending after the 2019-20 school year. House GOP leaders wanted to earmark much of the new money to programs for at-risk students but relented Wednesday when it became clear senators would not budge in negotiations.

Backers of the bill hope a show of bipartisan support will persuade the Supreme Court to find Kelly’s plan acceptable.

“For now, what we have before us is what I believe to be our best response for the courts,” said Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Kansas City-area Republican and the chairwoman of a school funding committee.

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