BY NICOLE ASBURY
In Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s State of the State address late Tuesday evening, she promised to get kids back in the classroom as soon as possible and vowed to get every Kansas resident the coronavirus vaccine.
Typically, State of the State addresses are delivered in front of the entire Kansas Legislature. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kelly chose to pre-record the speech to “lay out a clear agenda that meets the moment we’re living in” to every Kansan.
The Democratic governor initially set off the last year vowing to expand Medicaid in coordination with former Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, but as those plans were beginning to unfold, the state had to declare a state of emergency, as the coronavirus pandemic began to sweep into nursing homes and infecting Kansans.
As of Tuesday night, 84,555 Kansas residents received the vaccine, according to the governor’s speech.
“After months of struggle and sacrifice, the end to this national nightmare is in sight,” Kelly said.
Phase 2 of the vaccine distribution plan is expected to start by the end of the month, Kelly said. Individuals who are 65 and older will receive the vaccine during this phase. Teachers, child care providers, grocery store employees and other essential workers will also receive the vaccine during Phase 2.
“Again, this depends on how quickly the federal government gets the vaccine to Kansas,” Kelly said. “But until then, it's imperative that everyone continue to do your part in slowing the spread of the virus — wear a mask, physically distance and avoid mass gatherings.”
Kelly also promised to return to pushing for Medicaid expansion. Under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, states can choose to expand Medicaid to provide more eligibility for low-income families for health care. Kelly estimated expansion would provide health care to cover “another 165,000 Kansans.”
She also promised students would be back in the classroom as soon as possible. Many school districts, such as Eudora, have taken a modified in-person model to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms. Kelly promised to maintain financial support for public schools as vaccines begin to roll out to the public.
“The tough, pragmatic budget choices we have made to this point have given us flexibility to protect our core services — like education, infrastructure, and economic development tools — from COVID-related cuts, and have been an historically potent tool we have to recruit businesses to Kansas,” Kelly said.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, delivered the Republican response in a pre-recorded video in the state Senate chambers. Rather than directly responding to Kelly’s speech, Masterson laid out the visions and goals Kansas GOP lawmakers have for the 2021 legislative session.
Masterson commended Kansans for persisting throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He promised GOP lawmakers would continue to push for policies that protected Kansans’ “constitutional liberties.”
“We trust Kansans to know what is best for themselves and their families,” Masterson said.
Masterson continued to push for a business climate that doesn’t enable state lawmakers to determine which business is or isn’t essential, but rather leaves it up to individual business owners to decide on reopening.
“You will always make the best decisions for your family — not the government,” Masterson said.
Republican lawmakers are also anticipating pushing for the passage of the abortion constitutional amendment. If they do so, it would enforce there is no state constitutional right to an abortion, giving lawmakers the ability to pass laws that regulate abortion access, according to the proposed amendment.
Kelly ended her speech by calling for bipartisanship among Democratic and Republican state lawmakers, particularly after insurrectionists surged the U.S. Capitol just days into 2021.
“We're being tested like never before,” Kelly said. "This year, working together isn't simply something I want — it's something we owe to the people of Kansas.”
Reach reporter Nicole Asbury at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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