By TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly says bipartisan highlights of 2024 include strengthening authority of the state’s independent advocate for children, overhaul of Kansas’ worker compensation system and advancement of a blueprint for improving classroom instruction in reading.
Kelly, a Democrat in the middle of her second term as governor, said collaboration with the Republican-led Legislature, led to progress during the year on tax relief, K-12 education funding, infrastructure investments, economic development. In 2024, Kelly signed 103 bills that earned bipartisan support in the Legislature.
“I’m sort of amazed how much we’ve been able to get done,” Kelly said in an interview with Kansas Reflector. “We made promises and we’ve actually been able to deliver on those promises.”
Kelly signed legislation in June mandating establishment in law of an independent agency dedicated to advocating for children involved with the state welfare system. The agency is charged with acting on complaints regarding health, safety and welfare of individuals under 18 years of age in custody of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, alleged to be a child in need of care or receiving services from Kansas Department of Corrections.
The law, approved 117-3 in the House and 36-3 in the Senate, required the top administrator of the agency to be appointed by the governor subject to confirmation by the Kansas Senate. The child advocate office previously existed under a state executive order signed by Kelly.
Rep. Susan Concannon, R-Beloit, said the law offered “peace of mind that we will have a future of advocacy for Kansas kids who are in the child welfare system.”
In addition, the governor said bipartisanship was critical to enactment of the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy. The bill adopted 34-3 in the Senate and 98-22 in the House created a mechanism for updating university teacher education programs to improve K-12 instruction in reading. Existing teachers and university students preparing to become educators will take part in the remodeled programs of instruction.
“This bill places Kansas at the forefront of nationwide efforts to reform reading instruction,” Kelly said.
Kelly emphasized approval of a compromise bill amending the state’s system for compensating workers injured on the job. The law negotiated by labor and business interests and unanimously passed in the House and Senate increased the cap on compensation benefits and added a cost-of-living adjustment beginning in 2027.
Under this law, employees and employers involved in a dispute would have the option of settling cases without a formal hearing. They also would exchange medical records in a timely way and restrict use of independent medical examinations.
“Experienced, level-headed professionals on both sides of this issue were able and willing to work together,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican.
During 2024, Kelly and GOP lawmakers fought on specific provisions of tax reform, abortion and transgender rights, election law changes, Medicaid expansion and legalization of medical marijuana.
The year was marked by a struggle over the Legislature’s two-thirds Republican majority. Kelly wanted to see enough Democrats elected to the House and Senate to deny GOP leadership a supermajority. The opposite occurred: Republicans deepened their bench in both chambers, making the looming 2025 legislation session more difficult for Kelly.
Meanwhile, Kelly said it took legislators from both sides of the political aisle to fully fund K-12 education for the sixth year in a row and appropriate $75 million for special education programs in 2024. The state budget dedicated $1.3 billion to the state’s higher education system.
In June, after a special session of the Legislature, the governor signed a robust tax relief bill that “responsibly cuts Kansans taxes while preserving the state’s long-term fiscal health.”
She said it would result in state tax reductions of nearly $2 billion over a five-year period. It moved Kansas to a two-tier income tax, down from three levels of taxation. It eliminated the state income tax on Social Security income and nearly doubled the state tax exemption on residential property to $75,000.
In terms of economic development, the Kelly administration reported the state attracted 266 economic development projects that equated to $3.4 billion in new business investment in 2024. The governor’s office said the initiatives created or sustained 5,100 jobs.
Kelly said the Kansas Department of Transportation repaired 1,740 miles of roads and 136 bridges in the fiscal year ending in June. In an effort to narrow the digital divide, the state invested $16.8 million in broadening access to high-speed internet services. The state budget approved by the Legislature committed $35 million annually to water infrastructure, conservation and quality programs in Kansas.
Kelly said the state added 1,200 licensed child care slots in 2024. In September, the governor said Kansas would cover the state licensing, background check and fingerprinting fees for child care providers seeking initial licensure or licensure renewal through 2025 or until funding was expended.
“I am proud of all my administration has accomplished throughout this year,” Kelly said. “By working with the Legislature, our state agencies, stakeholders and Kansans from across the state, we were able to reach new heights in 2024. I look forward to carrying this momentum into 2025.”