August 2024 Newsletter
Kansas Action for Children | August 30, 2024
The Legislature May Not Be in Session, but KAC Is Still Advocating!
We hope your summer allowed for some rest, relaxation, and adventure before what’s sure to be a busy fall! The KAC team is already prepping for the next legislative session that begins in January. With all 165 lawmakers up for election this year, a new makeup of lawmakers provides new opportunities to advocate for the issues we all care about.
Thinking back to last session’s successes, advocates cannot afford to take their foot off the gas pedal now. We hope you’ll join us through the opportunities below and by contacting your lawmaker and sharing your unique perspectives.
Interim Committees
The Legislature may be adjourned for the year, but during the summer and fall, several committees meet during this time.
This year, KAC staff will monitor a number of these meetings and testify when appropriate:
- Education Funding Task Force
- Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations
- Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight
- Legislative Budget Committee
- Legislative Coordinating Council
- Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight
- Special Committee on Available and Affordable Housing
- Special Committee on Budget Process and Development
- Special Committee on Sedation Dentistry
- State Finance Council
You can find the meeting schedule here.
Recently, the Special Committee on Budget Process and Development met for the first of two meetings to determine if updates are needed to the budget process and timeline.
And on Monday, we testified during the KanCare Oversight committee meeting, drawing attention to the Legislature still needing to permanently fix the CHIP eligibility issue we’ve been advocating for, as well as improving Medicaid reimbursement rates. We will also testify at the October KanCare Oversight meeting, where we will ask the Committee to include the CHIP eligibility fix in their recommendations to the 2025 Legislature.
We’ll keep you up to date as more interim meetings are held.
2024 Faith and Public Policy Forum Series
Kansas Interfaith Action is hosting a series of conversations about issues that many Kansans care about! Running from September 12 - October 21, this series will focus on public education, housing and homelessness, civil rights, climate and clean energy, Medicaid expansion, and more. Some of the KAC team will be on a few of the panels – exact locations to be determined but will be announced on the KIFA website when finalized! Check out (and share) the Facebook event page here. We hope to see you there!
Medicaid Expansion Bingo Night in Emporia on Sept. 5
The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas will host another bingo night next week – this time in Emporia. If you’re in the area, join others in the community for a fun hour of (free!) bingo and discussion about Medicaid expansion. RSVP here to save your seat or view other events they have scheduled!
FY 2025 Revenue Collections Off to Slower Start
The state has brought in about 1% less this fiscal year so far than estimators predicted back in April. But with the large tax bill passed back in June during the Special Session, FY 2025 revenues are bound to be negatively impacted. We’ll be watching if it’s enough for the 2025 Legislature to need to course correct. Read more of our July analysis here.
2024 Kansas KIDS COUNT Data Book
This year’s Kansas KIDS COUNT Data Book is in the works! As we continue the project, the KAC team is excited for new analyses, contextualizing key data, and the policy solutions that could be implemented to create a better future for Kansas kids. This resource will be available on our website in October. In the meantime, you can find more information about our KIDS COUNT project here.
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