By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Incumbent Rep. Barb Wasinger handily won her bid for reelection on Tuesday to represent Hays in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Republican Barb Wasinger received 7,548 votes to her challenger, Democrat Joseph Lantz IV's 2,744 votes.
Wasinger will begin her fourth term at the statehouse this spring.
Wasinger highlighted some issues that will be important to her in the coming 2025 session.
"I know we want to work on property tax relief for the state," Rep. Barb Wasinger said, "and I really need personally to work on the cybersecurity bill because there's a sunset on it. I think it's important to keep all Kansans safe because the state has so much information that we need to protect."
Wasinger highlighted the passage of a water bill during the last session.
"We need to continue funding water and making sure we protect our water resources and make sure we continue to use them wisely," she said.
Wasinger said water conservation is best done by private interests.
"Western Kansas LEMAs [Local Enhanced Management Areas] work so well because it is private water ownership that decided they needed to be careful with what they did in their irrigation. I'm not a fan of government taking over everything," she said.
SEE RELATED STORY: Survey: 1 in 2 Kansans concerned about state's water supply
She said Republicans in the Legislature also worked last session to gain tax relief for disabled veterans and senior citizens.
"We need to make sure we keep our older generation here in Kansas and not make them want to leave and tax them out of their homes," Wasinger said.
Wasinger said education is fully funded.
"I think we are doing a good job so far," she said on the issue of education.
"I am so honored to be able to do this job," Wasinger said. "It's been an amazing experience for me, and I am glad to serve. I'm thankful they give me the opportunity to do so."