Mr. Speaker, Madam President, Legislators, Cabinet Members, Justices, honored guests…Kansans all.
Welcome.
Welcome back to our annual ritual.
First, please join me in recognizing the First Lady of Kansas, my wife Mary.
And welcome also to Ruth Colyer, wife of Lt. Governor, Jeff Colyer.
There is someone who has been a part of this ritual for a long time – and that is Associated Press reporter John Hanna, who is covering his 30th consecutive State of the State address.
That’s a great milestone, John, exceeded only by Martin Hawver who is covering his 40th address.
Here, we celebrate freedom.
Here, we practice self-government.
Here, the people rule.
And here we crown no royalty…except in baseball.
Well, soccer too, and football and basketball hopefully.
And as our region’s latest champions showed us, with the right fundamentals and teamwork, we can accomplish anything in time.
It was precisely five years ago tonight when I first addressed this body on the State of our State.
And just look at what has happened in those five years:
More than 388,000 low income Kansans now pay zero income taxes.
KPERS is out of the bankruptcy zone. Our funded liability percentage is up by 13% since 2012.
K-12 spending is at an all-time high. Up by more than $300 Million.
More than half the people who were on welfare are now off it and more importantly, they are getting out of poverty.
We have embraced innovation and modernization in our Medicaid system, providing more services and better outcomes for 20,000 more Kansans than before.
More than 96,000 Kansas children have participated in innovative reading programs.
Over 3,000 high school students have participated in the Jobs for America’s Graduate Program and graduated at a rate of 93%.
Participation in technical education has tripled since we began the program.
We are graduating 2,100 more engineers from our state universities.
We have controlled spending, reformed tax policy, and reduced burdensome regulations.
We have consolidated agencies, eliminated wasteful programs, and overhauled workers compensation.
We lifted the Major League Soccer Cup Trophy with Sporting KC.
And we have seen the Wichita State Shockers join basketball’s “big dance” every year since 2012.
Working together, we’ve created an economic environment that has seen Kansas gain more than 78,000 private sector jobs and achieve its lowest unemployment rate in fourteen years.
Working together, we’ve created an economic environment where hard-working Kansans have seen their wages increase more than 10%.
Kansans are finding good jobs, right here in our state.
Working together, we’ve created an economic environment where new filings for businesses increased by 15%.
Working together last year, we created a stable regulatory environment that will see nine new wind farms come on line this year, at an investment of nearly $3 billion.
Kansas is once again a national leader in wind energy development.
Mr. Speaker, Madam President, it is for these reasons – and many more- that I can report to you that the State of our State is STRONG.
Kansas is strong. And Kansas is GROWING.
It’s often said that Kansas feeds the world.
And we will continue to provide for our fellow Americans and support the global economy
By providing food:
Wheat, beef, and now dairy.
By providing energy:
Oil and gas, ethanol, and renewable.
By providing air travel:
From our manufacturers in Wichita and suppliers across South Central Kansas.
By providing recreation:
The National Water Trail, the Flint Hills Nature Trail, NASCAR and world class hunting and fishing.
Wildcat football.
Jayhawk Basketball.
And finally, by providing a business climate where the Financial Services Industry can grow and prosper under the leadership of the industry executives and Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer.
One of the biggest challenges we face in much of Kansas is the future of our water.
One of my passions as Governor is to prepare the state to be in a better position for the future. To do that we’ve got to prepare today and in some cases we have to sacrifice some now so our kids and grandkids have better options.
The work we have accomplished to preserve and extend water resources in Kansas in the last three years has been significant.
The first Local Enhanced Management Area has been in operation for three years in 99 square miles of Northwest Kansas. They have reduced their water use by roughly 20 percent, and maintained their net income. That should extend the useful life of the Ogallala in that area by 25 years.
That is solid progress but more needs to happen.
We are, right now, dredging John Redmond Reservoir, the first federal reservoir to be dredged in the nation.
Whether it’s dredging projects or reducing our demands on the Ogallala, it’s going to take time and some sacrifice.
We are going to continue implementing action items in the Long Term Vision for Kansas Water.
With most natural resources, we aren’t just taking them to use for today. We are borrowing them from the future.
Perhaps no one individual has done more to protect our water than the recipient of the first Water Legacy Award.
Wayne Bossert was the long-time director of Groundwater Management District #4. Now retired, he led the organization at the time it formed the state’s first LEMA in Thomas and Sheridan County, to help preserve the aquifer.
Wayne–thank you for your vision to protect this vital resource for the future.
Speaking of the future. I’d like to talk about our investment in our children.
By far the biggest item funded by state government is education. That is as it should be.
But education in the 21st century can no longer be based on 19th century models.
Parents and educators across the state have sought innovative options, from alternative teacher certification and merit pay to scholarships backed by tax credits.
We must have an educational system that has a range of options in which our students can learn and prosper and grow.
Education is not done by money or buildings. It is done by teachers.
Teaching isn’t a job or a vocation. It’s a calling. I know. I have taught. Two of my children teach.
Former students are prized people to teachers. The bond of teacher and student never breaks.
Teachers need money to care for their needs. That’s why Kansans invest in education: so good teachers are able to do their calling and teach.
Yet today, of the more than $4 billion the state puts into education funding, not nearly enough goes toward instruction.
That’s highly inefficient, if not immoral, denying Kansans from putting their education dollars were they want it…behind a good teacher.
I call on the legislature to design a new education funding system that puts more of our money into instruction. That provides bonuses for exceptional teachers and recognizes their true value to our future and the souls of our students.
To keep Kansas strong we must also keep it safe.
In December, the Kansas Highway Patrol graduated its 55th class of troopers. It was the largest class in recent years.
I saw fathers pin badges on sons. I saw families stand proudly with their wife, husband, father, son or daughter as they received their badges. But I was most moved by the sight of twin brothers – one becoming a trooper and the other pinning on his badge.
Jonathan Blank became a KHP trooper that day, after serving as a U.S. Marine with two tours of duty in Iraq. He received his badge from his brother, Linden Blank also a U.S. Marine who served – and was gravely injured – in Afghanistan.
Please join me in recognizing these two outstanding young men from Augusta Kansas, who put the welfare of others before their own safety. Jonathan and Linden – thank you.
Elected officials have a responsibility to protect our citizens from all threats, foreign and domestic.
In this, the President has refused to lead.
He has prioritized his agenda and the feelings of the radical Islamic terrorists over the safety of Americans. He is unwilling to take simple actions to improve our security.
Therefore, we must act.
It is my responsibility, as Governor of this great state to do what we can to protect the citizens of Kansas.
And we must act to maintain the security of our state.
Last summer, in response to the attack on recruiting facilities in Tennessee, I ordered Adjutant General Tafanelli to complete a comprehensive security assessment of all Kansas National Guard facilities.
Included in his report was a plan to arm and train additional personnel and make security enhancements to our National Guard facilities. My budget proposal includes funding to support these activities.
I call on legislators from both sides of the aisle to strongly support this request and send a clear message to our troops that we stand with them.
In November, in response to the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris I directed all state agencies to immediately cease the placement of refugees from countries where potential terrorists can arise, due to our inability to verify their background. More than thirty other Governors across the nation joined in this call.
Governors, both Republican and Democrat, continue to question the federal government’s ability to properly screen people claiming to be refugees. Governors must have the information they need to protect the people they serve.
Instead of simply pausing his resettlement plan and working with the governors to address their legitimate security concerns, President Obama has chosen to pursue a path that puts Americans at risk.
Mr. President, this will not work.
We must – and will – act to protect the citizens of Kansas.
Last year we also learned that President Obama has resurrected his plan to close the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and transfer terrorists to the United States.
His own Secretary of Defense knows it is not a good idea.
His own Attorney General knows it would be illegal.
The President does not care.
Therefore, we must be prepared to act. And we are.
Every member of the Kansas Congressional Delegation, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, and I each stand at the ready to thwart every action the President takes to transfer terrorists to Kansas.
Kansas was founded by people of strength. People who understood the value of hard work, of friendship, of faith.
The strength of Kansas lies in the hearts and minds of our people. Here the people rule. All of our people.
James Madison, writing in the Federalist Papers, warned of the dangers of placing too much power in the noble elites that could control our judicial process. This warning rings true today.
Kansas is the only state in the country where the selection of Supreme Court justices is controlled by a handful of lawyers.
Kansas, however, is grounded in the principal of representative democracy.
The current selection method used for the Supreme Court removes the people of Kansas from the process of selecting judges.
It places the process in the hands of those lawyers who regularly appear in front of the judges they select.
Well, enough is enough.
The Legislature should put before Kansas voters a proposed Constitutional amendment for a more democratic selection process for our Supreme Court justices.
We must have faith in the people. Here the people rule.
Since 1999, when the property tax lid was lifted, Kansans have seen those tax rates increased by 24 percent, and property tax revenue increase by 92%.
Understandably, people do not like this.
Your property taxes should not grow faster than your paycheck.
They carry heavy burdens on all Kansans, especially those living on fixed incomes.
Last year, you acted to place a lid on property taxes. That was a positive step.
The ability to raise taxes at the local level should not be made without consent and input from local citizens.
Voters should have the ability to make their voices heard with an up or down vote on any proposal that raises property taxes in excess of inflation.
I would welcome legislation that strengthens the property tax lid by closing the existing loopholes and puts it in place sooner.
Here, the people rule. Here, the people have a voice.
Kansans value self-sufficiency and independence.
But some Kansans are still struggling. And we have an obligation to help them.
We implemented common-sense requirements for those on welfare with the goal of providing economic opportunity instead of government dependency.
We said, if you have no disabilities and no children at home, you should work or train for work at least 20 hours per week.
The results are in. The reforms have worked.
Our caseloads are 70% lower today than they were before we made the change.
The work participation rate among enrollees nearly tripled.
The amount of time able-bodied adults spend on food stamps has been cut in half.
And those leaving welfare are better off!
Before work requirements, 93% of able-bodied adults on welfare were in poverty. Most were in severe poverty and not working at all.
But within a year of leaving welfare, their incomes had more than doubled – an increase of 127% on average.
The number of enrollees who have risen out of poverty tripled.
These are real people. These are our friends and families and neighbors. We’ve seen what happens when they get off welfare and have hope of a better life.
In Franklin County, a man had been trapped on welfare since early 2009. He had been on food stamps for four and a half years, with no end in sight.
He wasn’t working and had no earned income. But that all changed when the work requirement went into effect.
He began working. And after a year, he was earning $45,000 a year.
We have even seen the marriage rate go up as the numbers of men and women who are out of poverty and working has gone up.
We’re moving people out of poverty, out of dependency, and into self-sufficiency. We’re giving them the hope of a better life.
Our work to help struggling Kansans must continue.
That includes supporting access to quality health care.
When we took office in 2011, I asked Lt. Governor Dr. Jeff Colyer to modernize and transform the State’s Medicaid program. Previous administrations had cut reimbursement rates and reduced services, yet costs were still out of control.
Today, we have higher reimbursement rates for providers, more services for clients and, most importantly, we have better, measurable health outcomes for Kansans who participate in KanCare.
We have also saved nearly $1 Billion over the projected cost estimates for the old Medicaid program. We have proven that a Kansas solution is better than one from Washington, DC.
KanCare is working. ObamaCare is failing.
I grew up in a town with a population of 268. I do understand rural hospitals are often the lifeblood of their community.
ObamaCare has increased healthcare costs in Kansas and especially hurt rural healthcare.
It was ObamaCare that cut Medicare reimbursements to rural hospitals.
It was ObamaCare that caused the problem. We should not expand ObamaCare to solve the problem.
Tonight, I am asking Lt. Governor Colyer to assemble a working group to address the problems of health care delivery in rural Kansas and to present a proposal to me by this time next year.
As a fifth generation rural Kansan and a physician, I can think of no one better suited to take on this vital task than Dr. Colyer.
I believe this working group should have frontline stakeholders involved, including a rural hospital administrator and a rural physician at the same table as top policy makers.
We will welcome input from diverse organizations, but let’s be realistic. Congress recently voted to defund expansion. We cannot rely on yet another ObamaCare false promise
We can and should find a Kansas solution that will improve rural healthcare access and outcomes.
Ensuring the health and safety of Kansans means protecting all Kansans at every stage of life.
We must keep working to protect our most innocent Kansans, the unborn. We have become the shining city on the hill and the champions for life.
As Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote: “Every nation that carries in its bosom great and unredressed injustice has in it the elements of this last convulsion.”
Kansas was founded on the principal that every life has dignity, that every life has beauty, that every life has value.
Every year since I became Governor we have enacted pro-life legislation.
We have come a long way, but there is still work to be done.
In 2011, I signed legislation stopping most taxpayer funding from going to Planned Parenthood. The time has come to finish the job.
Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of baby body parts is antithetical to our belief in human dignity.
Today, I am directing Secretary Susan Mosier to ensure that not a single dollar of taxpayer money goes to Planned Parenthood through our Medicaid program. I welcome legislation that would enshrine this directive in state law.
As we begin this year’s legislative session, I leave you with this timeless question:
The Ancients asked of God, “Who is man that you are mindful of him?” They saw an Earth so big and awe inspiring. A sky so vast. Stars without number. They felt small and insignificant.
Modern man suffers no such humility.
We deem ourselves masters of our own destiny. The Earth our ship to guide and life a voyage where we choose the destinations.
So who is right?
We conquer one problem but new ones arise in increasing number. We are perplexed when things don’t go as we think they should.
Maybe our forefathers were closer to right than we thought. What if God is bigger than we can think and we actually are smaller than we can believe?
Wouldn’t that give us the proper awe of a sunset and thankfulness for our lives and blessings?
With that in mind, I invite each of us to be thankful and enjoy the chance to serve our fellow citizens in such a wonderful role. To also think more highly of others than we do of ourselves — even if they are of a different political persuasion.
I’ll seek to do this. I also invite each of us to contemplate and consider the reasons we are here. In this job. At this time. In this place.
Questions to which our ancestors would quickly and humbly reply, “To love God and one another.”
God bless you all.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest on President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address. All times EST:   Watch it LIVE here

10 p.m.

Reaction to President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address underscores how polarized Washington is.

Democrats on Tuesday cheered loudly when the president mentioned fixing a broken immigration system, protecting kids from gun violence and raising the minimum wage. Republicans remained in their seats, some even avoiding any applause.

When Obama praised the armed forces, all stood and cheered. Everyone rose when the president said there is “red tape that needs to be cut” and pressed for money to try to cure cancer.

A few in the GOP booed when Obama said the talk of America’s economic decline and the country’s enemies getting stronger is “political hot air.”

Some issues were more complicated. When Obama asked Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, only about a dozen Democrats stood and clapped.

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10 p.m.

President Barack Obama is telling legislators that it’s time to recognize the Cold War is over and lift the trade embargo with Cuba.

Obama says in his State of the Union address that 50 years of isolating Cuba failed to promote democracy.

He says lifting the embargo would help consolidate U.S. leadership and credibility in the hemisphere.

Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in December 2014 that they would work toward normalization of relations.

That move has led to the reopening of embassies in each other’s capitals.

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9:55 p.m.

President Barack Obama says the U.S. doesn’t need over-the-top claims about the Islamic State group to show the U.S. is serious about defeating it.

Obama is dismissing the idea that IS threatens America’s existence in his State of the Union address. Obama says that’s the story IS wants to tell and the message it uses in propaganda to recruit. He says references to World War III just play into the extremist group’s hands.

Obama is also criticizing those who say IS represents Islam. He says that’s a lie and says rhetoric like that pushes away allies the U.S. needs to win the fight. He’s alluding to Republican politicians who have demanded Obama declare war on “radical Islamic extremists.”

The president says IS is made up of killers, fanatics and twisted souls. He’s repeating his declaration that the U.S. will hunt them down and destroy them.

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9:50 p.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is criticizing President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address — while it is being delivered.

Ryan says in a statement released by his office that after 30 minutes, Obama’s speech “isn’t going so well.” Ryan says “lofty platitudes and nostalgic rhetoric may make for nice soundbites, but they don’t explain how to” solve problems, such as defeating the Islamic State terrorist group, fixing social safety net programs or getting the economy back on track.

Ryan says Obama’s speech “isn’t a real path forward to restore a confident America,” adding, “We can do so much better.”

Ryan says the Republican-led Congress has boosted funding for the military, overhauled the No Child Left Behind education law and lifted a 40-year ban on crude oil exports.

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9:45 p.m.

President Barack Obama is making good on his promise not to announce a litany of new proposals in his last State of the Union address.

Obama and White House officials said ahead of the speech that he was planning a “nontraditional” speech that would offer a broad, long-term view of the nation. They said he would skip the traditional list of ambitious plans for the coming year and calls for new legislation. Those calls would likely hit a dead end in Congress as Obama’s presidency begins to wind down.

Obama is using his speech to repeat his previous calls for legislation on immigration, minimum wage, pay equity and guns, as well as a new war powers resolution.

His only new announcement is that he’s tasking Vice President Joe Biden with a mission to accelerate research on cancer. But Biden had already announced last year that he planned to pursue a “moonshot” to cure cancer.

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9:35 p.m.

President Barack Obama is making an overture to new House Speaker Paul Ryan by highlighting the Republican’s interest in fighting poverty.

Obama, in his State of the Union address, says he’d welcome “a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers without kids.”

The president notes, however, that there are plenty of other areas where it’s more difficult to find agreement between Republicans and Democrats.

He says those include what role the government should play in making sure the system works for ordinary Americans, not just the rich.

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9:25 p.m.

President Barack Obama is opening his State of the Union address with a few jokes about the race to pick his successor.

Obama got cheers when he promised to keep his address short — because some of the legislators are antsy to get back to Iowa.

That’s where the first caucuses of the presidential campaign take place in just a few weeks.

Obama ad-libbed that he’s been to Iowa, and he’s happy to share some advice.

Obama tells the legislators, “I’ll be shaking hands afterward if you want some tips.”

His audience included Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Marco Rubio of Florida, both presidential hopefuls.

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9:22 p.m.

President Barack Obama says those who try to dispute the science of climate change will end up “pretty lonely.”

Obama is touting his efforts to fight global warming in his final State of the Union address. He says those doubting global warming are welcome to “have at it.” He says they’ll be on the opposite side of the military, most businesses, a majority of Americans and almost all scientists.

The president is adding that 200 nations around the world agree climate change is a problem that must be solved. He’s alluding to the global climate pact the U.S. and other nations reached in Paris in December.

The president says investing in climate solutions is also a chance for U.S. businesses to produce “the energy of the future.” He’s pointing to wind and solar technology.

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9:20 p.m.

President Barack Obama says if Congress is serious about winning the war against the Islamic State group, it should pass a new war powers resolution for the fight.

Obama says in his final State of the Union address that with or without Congress, IS will learn that when you come after Americans, the U.S. comes after you. He says it may take time but the U.S. has long memories and unlimited reach.

He says both al-Qaida and IS represent a “direct threat” to Americans. But Obama says the U.S. can’t try to take over or rebuild every country in crisis. He says that’s a recipe for quagmire and American deaths.

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9:15 p.m.

President Barack Obama points to the capture of a Libyan militant accused in the 2012 attacks that killed four Americans in Benghazi as evidence of U.S. resolve against terrorists.

The president holds out the imprisonment of Ahmed Abu Khattala as a sign of the U.S. commitment to see that justice is done.

It’s the first time the president has made reference to the Benghazi attacks in a State of the Union address.

The attacks have become a flashpoint in the U.S. presidential campaign and remain under investigation by a special House committee.

Obama, in his speech text, says terrorists should know that “when you come after Americans, we go after you.”

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9:13 p.m.

There are two White House hopefuls attending President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.

Florida’s Rubio was backslapping with GOP colleagues like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, chatting with Arizona Sen. John McCain and hugging Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont shook hands as he entered the House chamber and then joined Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed to hear the speech.

Two other GOP candidates — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — skipped the speech.

___

9:10 p.m.

President Barack Obama is taking a few jabs at the Republican presidential field in his final State of the Union address.

Obama says the world is looking to the U.S. to address threats in the Middle East and elsewhere. He says the U.S. response must be more than calls “to carpet bomb civilians.” Obama says that works as a sound bite on television, but doesn’t pass the test on the world stage.

The remarks are aimed at Republican candidates, including Ted Cruz, who has said he’d carpet bomb the Islamic State group. Donald Trump has used similarly bombastic language to describe how he’d attack IS.

Obama is also criticizing those who say the U.S. is getting weaker or that its economy is declining. He says that’s just “political hot air.”

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9:05 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden says he’ll spend his final year in the White House working to double the rate of progress toward a cancer cure.

President Barack Obama is tasking Biden with the mission in his State of the Union address. Biden says the goal is to make a decade’s worth of advances in five years.

Biden says in a blog post that he’ll work to do two things: increase public and private resources to fight cancer, and break down barriers to collaboration and information-sharing by researchers. He says the federal government will use funding incentives and increased coordination to accelerate research. He wants more sharing of medical and research data.

Biden says it’s personal. His 46-year-old son died last year from brain cancer. Biden announced months later that he wouldn’t run for president but would launch a “moonshot” to cure cancer. This is the first time he’s laying out how he’ll pursue that goal.

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8:55 p.m.

The White House has released a transcript of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on the Medium website a little before he begins speaking.

He acknowledges that expectations for congressional action on his agenda in this election season are low.

But he’s still identifying some areas where there’s the potential for Democrats and Republicans to work together.

He singled out criminal justice reform and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse.

Says Obama, “We just might surprise the cynics again.”

___

8:50 p.m.

Chief Justice John Roberts and President Barack Obama’s two Supreme Court choices — Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor — are among the six justices attending Obama’s State of the Union speech.

Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy also are there. Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas aren’t attending.

Also on hand are participants in high-profile Supreme Court cases. Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in last term’s same-sex marriage case, is a guest of Michelle Obama.

Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was attending the speech on the invitation of Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. She refused to license same-sex marriages, becoming one of the court ruling’s most prominent opponents.

Representatives of the Little Sisters of the Poor, guests of Speaker Paul Ryan, are challenging the birth-control mandate in Obama’s health care law.

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8:30 p.m.

The White House says Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has been selected as the “designated survivor” who will skip President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

The vice president and the president’s Cabinet traditionally attend the president’s speech, along with congressional leaders who are in the presidential line of succession. One Cabinet member is selected each year to not attend the speech in case a catastrophic event incapacitates the president and other attendees.

The White House doesn’t disclose where the designated survivor is located during the address.

___

7 p.m.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says the nation should resist the temptation to “follow the siren call of the angriest voices” during anxious times.

The daughter of Indian immigrants is delivering the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

The GOP has released excerpts of Haley’s response in which she criticizes the Democratic president’s record on health care and national security. But more telling is her veiled swipe at those in the GOP, such as presidential candidate Donald Trump, who have called for deporting the 11 million immigrants living here illegally and barring Muslims from entering the United States.

Haley calls herself a “proud daughter of Indian immigrants” and says individuals willing to work hard and follow the law shouldn’t feel unwelcome.

___

6:30 p.m.

President Barack Obama aims to use his State of the Union address to sound a call for fixing the nation’s broken politics.

The president says in excerpts released early that the nation can achieve the secure and prosperous future it wants — “but it will only happen if we work together” and “fix our politics.”

He adds that the United States needs to have “rational, constructive debates.”

Obama will be delivering his last State of the Union speech as the country’s focus increasingly shifts toward the 2016 presidential race, where the political debate has been particularly sharp thus far.

Obama says “a better politics” doesn’t mean agreeing on everything, but it does require basic bonds of trust between citizens.

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6 p.m.

President Barack Obama says he’ll use his last State of the Union address to make sure Americans understand he plans to “leave it all on the field.”

Obama is previewing his speech in a live video appearance on Facebook. He’s speaking from his desk in the Oval Office as he finalizes the text of the speech.

Obama says he wants Americans to understand the proposals he thinks are necessary to ensure opportunity and security for the U.S. He says it’s important at a time when major changes are taking place around the world.

Obama is calling on all Americans to get involved and pay attention. He says the U.S. has big choices ahead. But the president says if the U.S. makes the right choices, he’s confident there’s a bright future ahead.

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6 p.m.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus were laying claim to aisle seats in the House chamber hours before President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address.

Many members of the 46-member caucus were seen grabbing spots hours early near the center aisle used by the president, Cabinet members and other dignitaries to enter and depart the chamber. Caucus chairman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina says members consider it “an extraordinary honor to be eyewitness” to the first black president’s seventh and last State of the Union speech.

Texas Rep. Al Green says he was the first lawmaker to arrive in the chamber, entering at 6:30 a.m. to grab a choice piece of aisle real estate.

He says he “would have spent the night if necessary.”

Aisle seating brings with it not only a chance for a handshake, an autograph and a quick conversation, but also TV exposure for an address that’s viewed by millions nationwide.

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5:30 p.m.

The mystery over who invited Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who spent five days in jail for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, to the State of the Union address has been solved.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio says his “staff heard from the Family Research Council that Ms. Davis and her family hoped to attend the State of the Union address and so I offered a ticket.”

Every lawmaker gets one guest ticket to the president’s annual speech, though congressional leaders get extras.

First lady Michelle Obama invited Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the case in which the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage across the nation.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, Davis cited “God’s authority” and refused to issue marriage licenses, despite a series of federal court orders.

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5 p.m.

President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address is getting some buzz on Facebook.

The social networking site says 15 million people discussed Obama and his address in the week leading up to the speech. They liked, posted, shared or commented 54 million times as of Tuesday morning.

Facebook says guns were the most talked-about topic in relation to Obama’s speech. Islam and Muslims took second place, followed by the Islamic State group. Criminal justice and terrorism were the fourth and fifth most discussed topics on Facebook.

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4:30 p.m.

Twitter is using the occasion of President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address to tote up some of his most-tweeted lines from previous addresses.

His greatest hits include 2009’s “We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.”

His 2011 highlight was “Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love.”

From 2014, there was, “It’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a ‘Mad Men’ episode.”

And he scored in 2015 with: “I have no more campaigns to run. I know because I’ve won both of them.”

The Twitter team calculated most popular lines by looking at both tweets-per-minute and most retweeted lines.

Last year, there were 2.6 million tweets sent about the State of the Union, including 52,000 tweets-per-minute for the president’s most popular line.

The “Mad Men” line in 2014 generated 33,000 tweets-per-minute.

BOURBON COUNTY- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just before 2p.m. on Tuesday in Bourbon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Chevy Impala driven by Heather Nicole Allen, 31, Osawatomie, was westbound on Kansas 31 at Wagon Road.

The vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign, entered the intersection at Wagon Road and was hit by 2000 International semi.

Both vehicles came to rest southwest of the intersection in a field.

Allen was transported to Freeman Hospital.

The semi driver Devon Andrew Meyer, 27, Neosho, MO., was not injured.

Allen was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

COLUMBUS – (January 12, 2016) – A Cherokee County man was sentenced yesterday to ten years in prison for manufacturing methamphetamine, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

Albert Edward Taylor, III, 54, was sentenced to 120 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections and 36 months post release supervision by Judge Oliver Kent Lynch in Cherokee County District Court. Taylor was found guilty of the crime in September 2015. The crime occurred in January 2014.

The charge stemmed from an investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Assistant Attorney General Lyndzie Carter of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.

 

ROSE HILL, Kan. (AP) — A southeast Kansas man has died in an accident at his workplace.

Rose Hill police say 24-year-old Robert Haigler of Udall died Tuesday morning at Viking Blast & Wash Systems.

Police say Haigler was operating a lathe when the part he was working on bent and hit him in the head. He died instantly.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A consulting firm has outlined dozens of proposals for Kansas legislators that it says could save the state more than $2 billion over the next six years.

The proposals Tuesday from Kansas City-based Alvarez & Marsal include overhauling health insurance for state workers and bringing local public school employees into a single, statewide health plan.

The state would offer only high-deductible health insurance plans for its workers.

The firm’s 105 proposals include increasing taxes paid by workers’ compensation insurance companies and leasing small plots of state-owned land for cell phone towers.

Alvarez & Marsal says its proposals would save $302 million alone during the fiscal year beginning in July when the state has a projected $190 million budget deficit.

The Legislature hired the firm last year to identify potential efficiencies.

PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who escaped from prison and then shot at law enforcement officers who were chasing him has been sentenced to 128 years in prison.

Scott Gilbert was sentenced for 10 felonies resulting from his escape from the Lansing Correctional Facility in May 2013 and a subsequent police chase through Platte and Clinton counties in Missouri. During the chase, Gilbert fired several shots, hitting four different vehicles. He and an inmate who escaped with him barricaded themselves in an unoccupied rural house before surrendering.

Before his escape, Gilbert was convicted of 52 felony offenses in Kansas. Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd says Gilbert had the longest rap sheet of anyone he ever prosecuted.

The other inmate’s case is scheduled for a jury trial in June 2016.

BY MEGAN HART

A special legislative committee formed to study the state’s foster care system encouraged agencies to consider family structure in placing a child, but declined to support an audit of the Kansas Department for Children and Families and its two foster care contractors during a Monday meeting.

Some legislators have called for study of the state’s foster care system after a boy was beaten to death while placed with his father and a baby died when her foster parents accidentally left her in a hot car while they smoked marijuana.

Abuse allegations against Topeka city councilman Jonathan Schumm, who has 12 foster or adopted children in addition to five biological children, added fuel to the discussion. A lesbian couple alleged the state placed a baby they had fostered with the Schumms out of bias toward their sexual orientation.

The committee, made up of three senators and four representatives, met for less than an hour Monday afternoon. During that time, it supported motions on family structure and a request that the Legislature form another committee on foster care, but set aside discussions on supporting an audit and including trauma to a child in foster care decisions.

Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a Republican from Shawnee, said family structure should be a “high priority” when foster care contractors determine the child’s best interest in a foster home placement.

“If there are two like families, they’re alike in everything else but there’s evidence one family structure would be better for that child, that should be considered,” she said.

Pilcher-Cook declined after the meeting to specify if she was concerned about same-sex couples, single-parent homes or other factors.

“I think ‘family structure’ speaks for itself,” she said.

Sen. Laura Kelly, a Democrat from Topeka, said the motion struck her as a “blatant attempt to discriminate against same-sex couples.” Pilcher-Cook countered that if a child had a parent who was in a same-sex relationship, the child’s caseworker might determine it was in the child’s best interest to be placed in a family with the same structure.

Rep. Annie Tietze, a Democrat from Topeka, also argued that the wording was too vague and said the state doesn’t have enough foster homes to meet children’s needs.

“It would be a mistake for this committee to take any action that would discourage people from being foster parents,” she said.

Committee Chairman Sen. Forrest Knox, a Republican from Altoona, suggested the committee amend the motion to emphasize that contractors consider evidence from peer-reviewed academic studies. It passed with five votes, with Tietze in opposition and Kelly abstaining.

The committee also voted unanimously to ask House and Senate leadership to form a foster care oversight committee — similar to one created to oversee the three contractors administering KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program — or some other form of standing committee.

Knox noted that legislators already had asked leadership to form a joint committee to take a deeper look into the foster care system.

“We need to do something more than just our one-day or one-hour committee (meetings),” he said.

Kelly made a motion to encourage the Legislative Post Audit Committee to approve an audit of DCF and the foster care contractors. Pilcher-Cook said the committee didn’t have enough information to vote, and Kelly withdrew the motion after the committee had discussed it for several minutes.

Megan Hart is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach her on Twitter @meganhartMC

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police are asking the public for help finding a driver in a deadly hit-and-ran crash.

Police Lt. Godd Ojile says the 65-year-old victim was hit by a vehicle Monday night as he was crossing a street. After a woman found the man in the street, he was taken to a Wichita hospital, where he died.

The victim was pushing a shopping cart that contained personal belongings and liquor when he was hit. His name is being withheld until relatives are notified.

Ojile says investigators have little information about what happened and are asking for possible witnesses to come forward.

SALINE COUNTY – Two Kansas men were injured after a pair of accidents on Monday morning in Saline County,

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office reported a pickup driven by Scott Herbel, 45, Solomon, was traveling on Interstate 70 just after 6:30 a.m. near the Niles Road exit.

Herbel lost control of the pickup on the icy road and it rolled.

Herbel was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center with a head injury, according to Sheriff’s Captain Roger Soldan.

Just after 7 a.m., a pickup driven by Rogelio Luera, 25, McPherson, was northbound on Interstate 135 near the Falun exit.

Luera lost control of the vehicle on the ice. It slid through the median and hit a southbound tanker truck driven by Cale Swartz, 40, Solomon.

Luera was transported to Salina Regional Health Center for complaints of head pain, according to the Sheriff.

Swartz was not injured.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman who tried to flush nearly $4,000 in drug money down a toilet was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a news release that 26-year-old Marisela Rameriz was sentenced Monday for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Rameriz admitted she helped arrange for 16 mounts of methamphetamine to be transported from California to Kansas. When she was arrested, she tried to flush $3,880 in cash down a cell block toilet.

One of her co-defendants, Jorge Rodriguez-Maciel, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Another is scheduled for sentencing Friday and the third is awaiting trial.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today announced that his online petition opposing President Obama’s intention to close Guantanamo Bay by executive order has reached more than 11,000 signatures. That number continues to climb as Obama pushes his plan to release known terrorists onto the U.S. mainland.

“The president is ignoring the law and the will of the American people by threatening to use an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay,” said Roberts. “I’m pleased we have had so many Americans take action to show their opposition to this dictatorial action by the president. I hope President Obama will listen to the American people, especially the thousands of Kansans that have signed this petition, who have very real fears about this security risk being forced into their communities.”

“Unfortunately, the president has proven he will again go around Congress and act alone to fulfill his campaign promises, but I will use every legislative tool at my disposal to ensure that the American people are heard and stop the president from moving a single detainee to the U.S.”

Roberts has said the president is ignoring his duty to protect our national security and that Congress has passed a law explicitly prohibiting the president from closing Guantanamo Bay. He said “allowing GITMO terrorists to step foot in the U.S. is in direct violation of that duty and commitment to the American people. We should not stand for this president, or any future president, to threaten our national security by executive order.”

The petition remains open to signatures. Those interested in stopping President Obama from closing Guantanamo Bay by Executive Order and bringing terrorists to Kansas or anywhere else in the United States may sign the petition at: https://roberts.senate.gov/take-action-gitmo/

The petition, launched in November, will be shared with the White House to ensure the frustrations of those who believe relocating terrorists to the mainland is a threat to national security are heard.

Senator Roberts recorded a PSA encouraging Kansans to sign the petition. To download the 60 second PSA click here. For longer audio click here.

Roberts has been an outspoken opponent against closing the United States’ current detainment facilities due to the high security risks and economic costs.  Roberts has actively fought the Obama Administration’s efforts to transfer Guantanamo detainees to the mainland, particularly to Ft. Leavenworth. Roberts placed a hold on the administration’s nominee for Secretary of the Army in September. In 2009, he fought the administration, including placing legislative holds on nominees, which successfully prevented its plan to consider housing detainees at Ft. Leavenworth.

In November, Roberts, along with Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), hosted a press conference on this issue. To view footage of that press conference, click here. Senator Roberts also took his concerns to the Senate floor. For those remarks, click here.

HUTCHINSON – A Kansas man arrested after a domestic incident and nearly six-hour standoff with Hutchinson Police on Christmas Eve was back in court on Monday.

Charles Mendenhall III, 34, Hutchinson, was arrested Sunday in another domestic case.

He faces new charges of two counts of aggravated burglary, battery-domestic violence, violation of a protection from abuse order, battery of a law enforcement officer, felony interference with an officer, criminal restraint and criminal damage-domestic violence.

Just after 2 a.m. on Sunday Mendenhall allegedly broke a window to enter a home at 707 Pierce and then attacked a woman resident.

She tried to leave the home and he pulled her back inside and pinned her to the floor, according to police.

He also struggled with police to the point he had to be tased and was finally taken into custody.

Mendenhall is already facing a charge of kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal threat and two counts of aggravated endangerment of a child for the incident on Christmas Eve at that same residence.

He’s jailed on a $100,000 bond and a status hearing on the new charges has been scheduled for Jan. 19. The earlier case is scheduled as a part of a waiver-status docket on Jan. 27.