By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Democratic candidate for governor Laura Kelly told students at Fort Hays State University Friday night she wants to end brain drain of young people out of the state.
“We need our young, smart, talented, engaged people to stay here and keep our state moving forward,” she said.
Since Brownback cut taxes in 2012, the state has experienced an out-migration.
“When that tax cut went into place, what it did to our economy was incredible,” Kelly said. “In that period of time, we have lost more people in Kansas than any of the surrounding states by a long shot.
“Why is that? We are not funding our schools. People come to Kansas, like I did, for the schools. They want to be a part of the Kansas public school system. It was the best in the nation. We have undermined that. We have also stopped funding our roads. We didn’t expand broadband.”
She said businesses don’t want to locate or expand in a location that does not have good roads or broadband access.
“The roads that have needed to be built have not been built,” she said. “They haven’t been maintained the ones that need to, and our broadband has not been expanded, which we desperately need to.
The other thing the state did not do was expand Medicaid.
Kelly tried to dispel the myth Medicaid is being used by people who just don’t want to work.
When elderly Kansans who are nursing homes use up their savings, they turn to Medicaid for the care. People who are disabled and can’t work receive benefits from Medicaid. Those who are able-bodied and are working jobs that do not pay them enough for them to afford insurance have Medicaid.
“It is a small fraction of people who are both able-bodied and not working, and many of those have the hidden disability. That is very serious mental health challenges that make it difficult for them to hold down jobs,” Kelly said.
She continued, “We need to do it for those folks, but we also need to do it for the economy. We have experienced rural hospitals closings. It has been happening in the eastern part of the state right now, but it could be coming to a hospital near you, if we don’t do something about Medicaid expansion.”
She said other states that have expanded Medicaid have seen an increase in jobs. Expanding Medicaid in Louisiana lead to the creation of 19,000 new jobs, Kelly said. $3 billion in Kansas taxes have gone back to Washington, D.C., to be redistributed to other states as a result of Kansas failing to expand Medicaid.
Kelly noted the state has many other agencies that need attention.
“If you look at all of our systems, most of them are a mess right now,” she said. “Our foster care system is a mess. Our mental health system is a mess. Our corrections system is a mess. I can go on and on. Getting your driver’s license is a mess. Voting is a mess. Registering to vote is a mess. We will have these all in line to work to repair.”
Kelly then took questions from students.
One student asked Kelly about her Rural Prosperity Plan. She plans to create an office of Rural Prosperity that would be directly administered by the governor’s office.
“We are going to filter all policy issues and budget issues through that office, so we have people there who understand rural economics and can evaluate those policies and budget items through that lens and let us know if we are on the right track or on the wrong track,” Kelly said.
She also hopes to have staff in that office who will provide technical assistance to rural communities who are trying to grow their economies. She said she would reevaluate the state’s economic incentive programs and retarget some of those funds to evidence-based programs.
Another student asked Kelly what she would do to address environmental concerns in Kansas. Kelly said she supports renewable energy and hopes to bolster use of solar power. She also said she would move state environmental regulators from underneath the agencies they regulate to give them more autonomy.
Another student asked Kelly how she would improve mental health services.
“Even before the Brownback administration, we have been undermining our mental health services, and we are paying the price for it,” Kelly said. “She mentioned the Sedgwick County Jail is the largest provider of mental health services in your county. I would say the jail is the largest provider of mental health services in most counties. That clearly has to stop.”
Kelly said mental health services in Kansas have been underfunded and funding has been pushed back on local units of government.
She also wants to partner mental health services for schools with community mental health centers and safety net clinics, so those services to families can be available 24/7 and not just during school hours.
Kelly also said she would like to work in public and private partnerships to significantly expand early childhood education.
“In the long run, our businesses have the most to gain if we can get these kids into school ready to learn and not needing special education. It saves us a ton of money,” she said. “If we can get them past the wonder years, and they don’t have to go into the juvenile system, that saves us a ton of money. Then they can graduate and become a productive part of the workforce or continue on with higher education.”
A young women who identifies herself as a member of the LGBTQ community, asked Kelly about her stance on LGBTQ rights.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius issued an executive order that banned discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community in state affairs. Gov. Brownback rescinded that order. Kelly said she would reinstate the protections and work with the Kansas Legislature to put those protections in state statute.
She said she also opposed what she calls the adoption discrimination bill. She said she would work for legislation and in the executive branch to ensure state agencies did not discriminate against foster parents or those who wish to adopt based on LGBTQ status or religion.
Businesses get the importance of non-discrimination, she said. Businesses were ready to boycott North Carolina and conventions canceled after the state passed a bathroom bill. The state rescinded the bill.
“[Businesses] are not going to come if we are not seen as welcoming,” Kelly said.
Kelly was asked about her stance on legalization of marijuana.
She said she would support the legalization of medical marijuana, but she did not think there is support in the Kansas Legislature at this time for the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Kelly is facing Republican Kris Kobach, Independents Greg Orman and Rick Kloos, and Libertarian Jeff Caldwell in the general election.
Advance voting is ongoing and can be done at the Ellis County Administration Building, 718 Main St. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.
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