BY CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Candidates for the Kansas House 110th and 111th districts discussed higher education funding and the Sternberg Museum, among other topics, at a forum Tuesday night at Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
You can rewatch the forum below.
A grassroots fundraising campaign has raised more than $279,000 as of Wednesday, and the Schmidt Foundation has announced a matching gift of up to $1 million to the museum.
Democratic candidate for the 110th District Mark Schaukowitch said, “The primary obligation of any legislature is to provide appropriations for education. These cuts were completely unacceptable and unnecessary. If we weren't trying to slash taxes for the top people in our state, including the Kochs, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place.”
He said he thought the Legislature needs to restore funding to all of the state’s universities.
“More importantly, we need to be coming up with an immediate plan to prevent Sternberg from losing all of its exhibits and the archive of material that they've developed over many, many decades,” he said. “This is critical to learning, especially for young people.”
Republican candidate for the 110th District and incumbent Ken Rahjes said he chaired the education committee when it froze tuition and put money back in the universities’ pockets.
“The cuts that we made, every agency, every institution had that cut. It's a matter of priorities,” he said.
He highlighted investments at FHSU, including the social work program, an addition to Stroup Hall and air conditioning at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
“I will put my record up against the strong stand that I have for higher education any day in my time in the legislature. That will not stop,” Rahjes said.
Democratic candidate for the 111th District Melanie McMillan said, “Well, I've spent my entire adult life in education. I started out in Oklahoma, where I was originally from, and I know that budget cuts hurt. There's money out there. We can find it. We just have to do the right thing to get that money.”
Republican candidate for the 111th District and incumbent Barb Wasinger said she has worked to steward the state budget wisely and will continue to advocate for Fort Hays State University.
She also cited investments in the social work and nursing programs.
“I found out about the Sternberg the same time everyone else did. I've been in the Legislature eight years and never once have I been told that there is a problem with the Sternberg,” she said. “It's very hard to create an answer for something within a week and a half, and when you know how long it takes for the Legislature to get through things.”
She added, “I have worked very hard to answer any questions and do anything I could for Fort Hays, and always will. That's what's important, and I will do that.”
Property taxes
On property taxes, both incumbents discussed past legislative attempts to amend the tax code.
Wasinger said some failed attempts included repealing the property tax lid, instituting a rolling tax average and a hard cap.
“It's very hard for us to tell local communities what they can and can't do because if you think of smaller counties, they expand their property tax in order to keep their counties running,” she said. “So we have to give them options instead of taking away their ability to raise funds for their constituents.
“It's a battle that we've been having for quite some time trying to find the best balance for rural communities to survive.”
Rahjes said there are no simple solutions to the property tax issue.
“Maybe right now, because of the state of the economy, maybe those programs aren't the Cadillac version,” he said. “They're the Chevy version. No disparaging Chevy, but maybe you don't have all the bells and whistles, and we try to work through these things to get them done.”
Schaukowitch said he thought the state should reinstate ad valorem relief funding.
This was state money that went to the cities and counties so they could maintain or lower property taxes.
The state stopped funding the program in 2005 and eliminated the program in 2025.
“The second thing that we should be doing is revisiting the property tax formulas and what is exempt, what is not exempt. But the real thing that I think would really help everybody is creating a new revenue stream. I'm proposing a sovereign wealth fund for local communities,” he said.
A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that pools money generated by a government to invest in global financial and real assets like stocks, bonds, real estate and infrastructure.
McMillan said the Kansas property tax code is a mess.
“Commercial and industrial property taxes are taxed at 25%. I want to know why some big corporations get a 10-year tax exemption,” she said. … “We could be using that.”
She added, “Now, recently, they have … taken personal property taxes off of watercraft, off-road vehicles and small personal trailers, but that still isn't helping anyone who owns a home or owns a car.”
Health care
The candidates were asked what they would do to help retain hospitals and medical services in rural Kansas.
Schaukowtich said he thought the state needs to expand Medicaid.
“Second, we need to be talking with insurance companies and regulating them appropriately. The No. 1 problem that we have is that we can perform the exact same procedures out here, but we will not be compensated by the insurance companies the same way they'll compensate someone in Topeka, Johnson County or Wichita.”
He also said the state needs to be working with local communities to develop a health care workforce.
“It's really hard to recruit doctors and nurses right now without Medicaid expansion when they can get paid more in our surrounding states. That's why one of our No. 1 exports is doctors and nurses.”
He said the 110th district also lacks dentists, forcing patients to be seen in ERs for gum infections.
Rahjes and Wasinger both said the hospitals that have closed in Kansas were for-profit.
“I work tirelessly in conversation with our hospitals and with Blue Cross Blue Shield, making sure that they have fair compensation,” Rahjes said. “... the same procedure that's provided in Johnson County is paid a third here in our district. That is absolutely uncalled for.
“We've tried over the last couple of years and gotten more reimbursements back to our critical access hospitals. I'm continuing to fight that. Part of that is the feds.”
McMillan said access and affordability remain issues in health care. She also said she supported expanding Medicaid.
“We all know that there are 150,000 uninsured people right now in Kansas, and 51% of the uninsured cite high cost as the reason they remain uncovered. I am personally without health insurance because I cannot afford it,” she said.
She also highlighted the need for mental health services in rural areas.
McMillian added, “When I'm in office, I will ban for-profit health insurance companies from practicing in this state, and I'm going to include dental and vision with that.”
Wasinger said she thought local rural hospitals should be emergency centers, but patients should be transferred to larger hospitals for long-term stays.
“We also passed the PBM reform, which is the Kansas Consumer Protection and Accountability Act, which provides for regulation of pharmacy benefit managers. This is a big win for independent pharmacies, employers with health plans, and for consumers,” Wasinger said.
Energy
The candidates were asked their perspective on energy policy in the state.
Wasinger said she thought the state needs to be more supportive of the oil and gas community.
“We have solar. We have wind energy in Kansas, and I know the biggest problem is the battery power to hang on to if they can't use it through the energy grid,” she said.
McMillan said, “[One] of the biggest energy issues in Kansas is the rising electric costs and grid reliability. … We have a 96% projected increase in energy usage over the next decade, according to the research that I found. I think we need to make solar easy and available for households.”
Rahjes said he supported oil and gas.
“I am known as the drill-baby-drill guy,” he said. “You know why? Because the 110th district is the No. 1 oil-producing [area] in Kansas.”
He added, “We have more solar coming in, but it was said earlier that our energy needs continue to rise. Population may not be, but our energy needs continue.
“We need to make sure we have responsible energy. The question we have is: We look at solar and wind and other things. If it wasn't for the federal government subsidy, would we have them?”
Schuakowitch said he supported alternative energy opportunities, including wind and solar.
“The state of Kansas is one of the few states that does not have a strategic energy plan as required by the U.S. Department of Energy,” Schaukowitch said. “As a result, we lost out on billions of investment during the pandemic era that was provided by the Biden administration, and as a result of that, we've lost out on millions of good jobs that could have been provided for this district.”
LGBTQ rights
The candidates were asked what they would do to protect and promote LGBTQ rights in Kansas.
Schaukowitch said, “I have a lot of friends that are LGBTQ. I have a family that's LGBTQ. Their rights are the same as anyone else's rights, and their rights should all be guaranteed.
“I think it's absurd that we're talking about bathrooms or banning people from sports for this reason or that reason. All it's doing is singling a small group of people out.”
He said some of these decisions should be left up to local school boards. In 2024, 11 students were affected by the ban on transgender athletes in girls' sports, he said.
“I don't know why that's a state-level issue, and I don't know why parents' rights have to be violated in how to seek medical treatment for them,” he said. “It makes no sense to me.”
He added, “There should be a realm of privacy, and if we need to pass a privacy amendment in order to make that happen, then that's exactly what we should do.”
Rahjes said, “I mean, if somebody's treated unfairly, they shouldn't. It shouldn't happen. Does it happen? It's unfortunate if it does. I typically get along, I believe, with everybody.”
However, Rahjes voted to support both the bill that required people to use bathrooms that matched their sex at birth and the bill that banned transgender athletes in women’s sports.
McMillan said the first thing she would do if elected would be to work to repeal the bathroom bill.
“I have a very good friend who has a son who I had to call after that law was passed and say you cannot come and visit me in Kansas right now,” she said. “This is a human rights issue. We should all be able to be who we want to be and love who we want to love as long as we're all consenting adults. Kansas is a free state. We need to keep it that way.”
Wasinger said she thought it was important to protect individual rights. She said she supported both the sports and bathroom laws.
“I want to protect young women and young girls from having to compete against men when you know that's not fair.
“I want to make sure that they're protected in their private spaces. I don't think that's cruel or mean. There are plenty of unisex bathrooms and family bathrooms for anyone who doesn't want to use a public bathroom.”
Closing statements
Wasinger said in her closing statement she wishes to continue to serve her constituents.
“A good example of that is during COVID. I never asked anybody what party they were. I just helped anyone who called me, anyone, and that's what I try to do. …
“I'm grateful to serve you, and [being a] public servant means a lot to me. That's more important than the term legislator. I believe that's the most important title that I can reach for,” she said.
McMillan said, “I am new to politics. I am not new to service work. I ask that you give me the next two years to be your voice in Topeka, and I promise they'll be better than the last two.”
Rahjes said, “I don't forget that the decisions made in Topeka affect real people, the farm and ranch families, small communities, schools, local governments, and future generations.
“We must continue to work to provide property tax relief, protect our water resources, support agriculture, strengthen rural schools, create opportunities for young folks to stay right here and build a future at home,” he said.
“We may not always agree on every issue, but believe me, we all believe in good government, and it starts with listening and treating people with respect and working together to find practical solutions.”
Schaukowitch said, “I am willing and ready to do the hard work for the people of this district. I am the grassroots candidate who does not take any money from any corporate PACs. The only donors I'm beholden to are the voters of this district. …
“I'm ready to fight for our hospitals, our museums and our schools. I'm fighting right now for up-to-date senior living, affordable housing and lower property taxes with realistic solutions that are not reliant on being rubber-stamped by party leadership, and I'm fighting for a vision of the future of rural Kansas, not just the present.”
Advance voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, and goes through Monday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
This forum was made possible by the Hays Election Forum Committee members, including: the Chamber in Hays, FHSU Student Government Association, FHSU Department of Communication Studies, Law & Political Science, FHSU Student & Belonging, FHSU Docking Institute of Public Affairs, Tebo Librar, and FHSU American Democracy Project.
Midwest Energy and Eagle Media were sponsors.