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** Friday File
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** Friday File in Spanish Coming Soon
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The Friday File will have a translated-to-Spanish version soon. The Constant Contact platform is rumored to be working on an instant translation button and we will include this option as soon as it's available. In the meantime, this document may be translated via GoogleTranslator.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The Friday File tendrá una versión traducida al español pronto. Se rumorea que la plataforma Constant Contact está trabajando en un botón de traducción instantánea e incluiremos esta opción tan pronto como esté disponible. Mientras tanto, este documento puede traducirse a través de GoogleTranslator.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Veto Session in Topeka

Breakdown

The Kansas Legislature Veto Session presented some good news, a few surprises, and some disappointments too.

The short story is this: losers this session were taxpayers, gun safety and voters among others and the winners were life, kids, females, minors on overnight school trips and parents. As promised last week, here is the rest of the story.

Chris Croft, Kansas House of Representatives Majority Leader, wraps it up nicely for us. A big thank you to him from KSGOP for his service and for allowing us to reprint his weekly emailed legislative summary, Croft’s Comments.

Last week the legislature returned to Topeka to finish the 2023 legislative session with the primary focus on overriding vetoes and finalizing the budget. Monday and Tuesday started off the week with the House and Senate budget committees meeting to discuss this year’s omnibus budget. Legislators were focused on finishing up committee work and overriding the governor’s vetoes on Wednesday and Thursday. By Friday, we were passing any remaining bills before officially adjourning for the year.

Prior to this week, the House and Senate had overridden the governor’s veto on Women’s Sports. On Monday, the governor provided us with her final round of vetoes. Throughout this week, the House overrode eight bill vetoes and four budget line-item vetoes, while the Senate didn’t accomplish the same override success on one bill (HB2325) and one budget line-item override (HB 2184, Sec 138(f)). In total, the legislature overrode 10 of the governor’s vetoes this week, making it 11 for the session.

The bills that were overridden include:



HB 2313 – Born Alive Act - provides legal protections for infants who are born alive regardless of the delivery intent and ensures those babies receive medical care.

House: Yea: 87 Nay: 37

Senate: Yea: 31 Nay: 9

HB 2264 – Requiring notification to patients that the effects of a medication abortion may be reversible.

House: Yea: 84 Nay: 40

Senate: Yea: 29 Nay: 11

HB 2138 – Overnight School Accommodations Protection- Protecting our students while away at school district-sponsored events by ensuring that only students of the same biological sex stay together.

House:Yea: 85 Nay: 39

Senate:Yea: 30 Nay: 9

HB 2094 – Requiring work registrants ages 50 - 59, without dependents, to complete an employment and training program to receive food assistance. The bill also requires the DCF Secretary to conduct reviews of cooperation with child support services and make some other technical changes relating to periods of ineligibility for child care support services.

House: Yea: 84 Nay: 40

Senate:Yea: 28 Nay: 12

HB 2350 – Human Smuggling- Addressing the issue of human smuggling by creating crimes for human smuggling and aggravated human smuggling.

House:Yea: 85 Nay: 39

Senate:Yea: 30 Nay: 9

SB 180 – Women’s Bill of Rights - establishes the women’s bill of rights, ensuring privacy, safety and dignity. The bill also defines a biological woman.

House:Yea: 84 Nay: 40

Senate:Yea: 28 Nay: 12

SB 228 – Biological Sex Separation in County Jails- Protecting female inmates from being housed with biological males.

House: Yea: 87 Nay: 37

Senate:Yea: 31 Nay: 9

Budget Line Item Vetos:

HB 2194, Sec 39(e) - Attorney General Tabasco Settlement Fund - this section establishes the fund to support exemptions for donations to pregnancy centers under the Treasurer.

House: 85-40

Senate: 29-11

HB 2194, A portion of Sec. 42(a): State Treasurer Alternatives to Abortion Fund The Kansas budget line item dealing with the State Treasurer Alternatives to Abortion Fund is a responsible allocation of funds that supports women who choose to carry their pregnancies to term by providing them with access to critical resources and services. The fund helps promote a culture of life and empowers women to make fully informed decisions about their reproductive healthcare.

House: 85-40

Senate: 29-11

HB 2194, Sec. 143: Grant transparency database

House: 84-40

Senate: 28-11

As mentioned earlier, the legislature did have some unfinished business to attempt to address. Here are the items that were worked:

SB 174 - Creating a crime to interfere with healthcare workers - passed House 113 - 9; passed Senate 31 - 7; on way to the governor

Substitute for SB 131 - Authorizes temporary practice authority for out of state providers during certain sporting events, enacting the no patient left alone provisions to allow in-person visitation to patients and authorizes pharmacy technicians to administer certain vaccines - passed House 118 - 4; passed Senate 38 - 2

HB 2060 - Makes eligible driver training at community colleges for scholarships. It also, provides for more medical scholarships - passed House 83 - 39; passed Senate 32 - 3

HB 2002 - Creates exemptions for Aging and Disability Service centers and for Kansas Suicide Prevention Center, and updates several other tax statutes - passed House 122 - 0; passed Senate 37 - 0;

HB 2021 - Focuses primarily on making adjustments within the Juvenile Justice as it relates to foster care and mental health - passed House 119 - 1; passed Senate 22 - 16

HB 2010 - Creates law regarding jailhouse witness testimony; make technical updates; amend the definition of criminal discharge of a firearm; create special sentencing rules related to the use of firearms; and amend law concerning eligibility for certain offenders for the non-prison sanction of placement in a certified drug abuse treatment - passed House 120 - 0; passed Senate 38 - 2

HR 6026 - Amendment to the gaming compact between the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the State of Kansas; passed House 93 - 27;

House Sub for SB 113 - K-12 Budget - passed House 83 - 37; passed Senate 23 - 16

HB 2285 - Health bill related to rules and regulations as it pertains to pandemics; passed House 63 - 56; passed Senate 22 - 18

SB 106 - Statutory clean up bill as it relates to the budget - passed House 120 - 0; passed Senate 39 - 1

SB 25 - Omnibus budget - passed House 91 - 29; passed Senate 29 - 10.

All these items are subject to a governor's approval/veto. If that happens, the item or bill is dead until we return to session in 2024 or if we have a special session.


** Local Office Candidates Wanted
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The KSGOP has been busy working with Republican County Party officials across Kansas recruiting candidates for local school governing boards and city council seats.

We have many candidates from across Kansas already recruited and signed up to run for local office.

If you or someone you know would like to explore the possibility of running for office, contact your county Republican office or the KSGOP!

The filing deadline for local office is June 1, 2023.

Let's have a private conversation and assess if running for office is right for you.

Guest Commentary

“High Plains Daily Leader” Publisher, Earl Watt, Shares Thoughts

This message was shared with the Seward County Republican Party last Saturday by Earl Watt, Publisher of the Liberal, KS-based High Plains Leader & Times newspaper. A sincere thank you to Earl Watt for giving his permission to reprint this in the KSGOP Friday File.

As a party, we have allowed revisionists to steal our message of equality and unity. History shows the Republican Party led the effort for emancipation, women’s suffrage and civil rights. Today, our opposition has attempted to erase their historic shame by claiming Republican victories as their own. It is my hope to remind Kansas Republicans of our treasured history, from battling the Democratic slaveholders in the 1800s to the Democratic segregationists who tried to separate Kansas schools by race in the 1950s. It was Kansas Republican and President Dwight D. Eisenhower who sent federal troops to allow students of color to enter a university in a Democratic-led state. Kansas Republicans, it’s time to tell our story and reclaim our rightful place in history.

Seward County Republicans,

This county never voted for FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Clinton, Obama or Biden. A majority of Seward County has not voted for a Democratic governor, senator or president in more than 100 years.

But Seward County Democrats are making up ground.

We can no longer expect the status quo to remain without adjusting our approach.

We have to develop a better early voting strategy and a coordinated effort to ensure Republican turnout.

We have a unique opportunity to enhance our outreach with the recent election of 2 GOP women to the Seward County Commission.

But we have allowed Democrats to win nonpartisan races.

We have to be more involved in candidate development and recruitment.

We have allowed the opposition to define Republicans as racist, and anti democratic.

Republicans defended minorities from discrimination and fought to end slavery. Republicans wrote and passed the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. The 13th ended slavery, the 14th Amendment made former slaves citizens and provided the equal protection of the laws. And the 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote.

Women were granted the right to vote with the 19th Amendment and supported by 84 percent of Republicans in the Senate and only 40 percent of Democrats.

Four attempts before that, Democrats killed the amendment.

The 1968 Civil Rights Act was supported by 80 percent of Republicans but only 61 percent of Democrats in the House.

These statistics are easy to find, but they have been twisted by irresponsible educators, complicit media, and in a large part because we have allowed it to happen.

Republicans believe in the individual, as MLK said, that we judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

But what have we done? Do we attend MLK marches? Or do we leave that to the Democrats?

We need to increase our exposure in this community. We need to be making our case through our actions and our affiliations and not cede the next generation of voters to the Democrats.

We need to show how individual liberty outweighs governmental handouts.

We need to reach out to our entrepreneurial Hispanic business owners and remind them of the importance of keeping their taxes low so they can invest in themselves.

Family values are strong in the Hispanic community, and those values are Republican values.

We need to tell our story.

It’s no longer enough to believe our voters will simply go to the polls. We have to be more aggressive ,on turning out the vote.

We need to gather email addresses, phone numbers and work advance voting. We need to schedule voting events.

Derek Schmidt won Seward County 1,686-1,077. He should have won by 2,000 votes in Seward County, not 600, and he would have if we would have turned out OUR vote.

Also, Kelly was elected for the second time with under 50 percent. We should be advocating for a change like Georgia that requires 50 percent. That would stop the syphoning off of the Republican vote. Schmidt lost by 19,000 votes, but a conservative and libertarian received 29,000 votes. We should be pushing for a runoff for the top two if no one receives 50 percent.

We need to establish a social media presence where we can advocate for Republican causes, and we can share a positive message about our candidates and our policies.

We need to contact the MLK Committee and see how we can support their effort of advocating for the end of racism by supporting the promise that all people — being children of God — are created equal.

We should be involved in the registering of voters rather than abdicating that role to the Liberal Area Coalition of Families which is usually manned by registered Democrats.

We need to work on establishing a Young Republicans organization.

We should think of ourselves more like a civic organization, like Kiwanis, Rotary or the Lions Club. The public should see us as a positive force for good in this community by implementing the policies to lift up the individual, limit the government and empower free enterprise.

We need to be visible in the community, perhaps a scholarship for a patriotic essay, a table at the Chamber Banquet, and booths at the fair and other get-togethers throughout the year, not just before an election.

This will take work, but we are currently getting outworked by those who believe big government and socialist solutions are the answer to our challenges.

We need to establish some committees to address these areas, and we need to grow this organization.

We can’t wait for answers from Topeka or Washington. Seward County Republicans need to assert our advantage here. We need to be a force for positive change in our schools, in our local units of government and in our neighborhoods. We need to reclaim our spot as the true advocates for racial opportunities by removing the shackles of government from all people, by nurturing positive relationships with law enforcement and all members of our community.

We’ve always believed that. Always.

We originated the concept of freedom, whether that oppressor was a slaveholder or a government designed to pick winners and losers.

Republicans have been fighting for racial equality since 1854.

We are the original liberals, meaning classical liberalism which is a political tradition that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with emphasis on individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech. Those claiming to be liberals today are socialists, not liberals. But they use the term to mask their true goals. Either we take back our position as that of a free people and a limited government, or we will only have ourselves to blame when socialism takes root in Kansas soil.

My fellow Kansans, who are we going to be?

Like what you read here?

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** Republican National Committee (RNC) Spring Training Meeting
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I attended the 2023 RNC Spring Training Meeting in Oklahoma City last week along with Kansas National Committeeman Mark Kahrs. Kim Borchers, Kansas National Comitteewoman, did not attend. At the conference I was introduced to Ronna McDaniel by Mark Kahrs. She was gracious and professional.

The RNC body is made up of 168 Members (Chairman, National Committeman and Committeewoman from each of the 50 states plus the six territories = 168) and each Member has one equal vote to cast on any decision.

The conference objective was primarily to bring the newly elected members of the RNC up to speed with the happenings at the RNC that impact or affect state parties.

One important topic presented was the Presidential Delegate selection process which is complicated but very important. Your KSGOP leadership team is working hard to execute this process with precision.

Moving the state of Kansas to a “winner takes all” Presidential Preference Primary has created the interest I desired from folks across America. While Kansas is a relatively low population state, this change has elevated our profile such that national news outlets and candidates are taking notice.

One side note of interest is I found the majority of new Chairs who were in OKC (not all chairs were there) are Republican Patriot Conservatives like me... and we are a group of men and women of varying professional and ethnic backgrounds, but we all see eye to eye. This new leadership group is dynamic, driven, and destined for great things soon!

I look forward to future RNC meetings and the next meeting will be in Milwaukee, WI in late August. This meeting will include the first Presidential Debate hosted by the RNC and FOXNews.


** Kansas Presidential Primary Date Set for March 19, 2024
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Kansans will participate in a Presidential Primary on March 19, 2024. The KSGOP was supportive of this legislation, and KSGOP Chairman Mike Brown would like to thank Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins, Kansas House Majority Leader Chris Croft, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Kansas Senate Majority Leader Larry Alley, Kansas State Senator Caryn Tyson, and Kansas Republican Second Congressional District Chairman Eric Rucker among others for their leadership on this incredible effort and outcome.

Because Kansas Republicans will no longer be putting on a labor-intensive party-driven caucus, Republicans across Kansas will now focus on campaigning and electing Republicans.

“The Kansas Republican Party looks forward to a much higher participation rate in the primary process. We welcome and encourage Presidential candidates to visit Kansas voters right here in the heartland to earn their votes,” said KSGOP Chairman Brown. “This puts Kansas back in the national political spotlight and enfranchises voters by making voting locations closer to them and easier to access. That’s a big win for all of us.”


** Southwest Kansas Tour Successful
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It’s been a whirlwind since last Tuesday when Kristi and I headed to Oklahoma City for the Republican National Committee Spring Training Meeting. The conference ended on Thursday, and we headed back north to Wichita, where we attended the Wichita Pachyderm Club luncheon at the Petroleum Club downtown.

After lunch, we headed to Dodge City to spend Friday night. Saturday morning, we drove to Liberal, KS (which is an irony, to be sure, because so many conservative Republicans live in Seward County!), where I spoke with about 20 amazing conservative Kansans! After that meeting, we returned to Dodge City and attended a party at the home of the 1st Congressional District Republican Chairwoman, Laura Francis, and her husband, Drew Francis, who serves as the Dodge City Chief of Police. There were roughly 25-30 in attendance, including a few State Representatives, and it was an honor to speak to and with these Patriots.

We got back to our hotel room about 11 pm (late for me!) and were back up at 7 am, and headed eastbound for our home in Overland Park, where I met with a substantial donor to KSGOP and got a solid commitment. It was time well spent in SWKS, and I'm looking forward to my next trip to see my friends and fellow Republicans in NWKS!

KSGOP Standing Committees

Begin Work

RULES COMMITTEE UPDATE & INFO

For the last 75 days, I have been communicating with tens of thousands of Kansas Republicans weekly to keep as many people as possible updated on our KSGOP and to build the bridges open communication offers.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the names of the newly appointed committee members that will provide proposed rules and resolutions to be voted on by the State Committee members during our upcoming semi-annual meetings. The Republican Congressional District Chairs primarily recommended the members of these committees at my request. Then the appointments were made by me, per the by-laws, to ensure a balanced cross-section of Kansas Republicans.

Our KSGOP is a grassroots-directed and driven organization. I‘ve made it clear from the beginning I would not put my finger on any scale in an attempt to control those who offer themselves as legitimate Republican candidates. I am applying that same approach to our Standing Committees.

The Committee Chairs and Members of our Standing Committees have been empowered to lead by encouraging open discussion and debate. They are charged with considering legitimate proposals made by members. After the meeting and debate, the issue will be voted on. If a majority of members of the committee support the resolution, it will then be brought before the State Committee members at the next meeting for consideration.

Our process is bottom-up. That is the definition of a grassroots-driven organization and the KSGOP. It is also the hallmark of a healthy political organization. I expect every Republican committee member to carefully consider every process because the worn-out line “but that is how we’ve always done it” isn’t near good enough.

I have received many phone calls regarding the discussion that occurred in the Rules Committee last week over a proposed change to the make-up of the State Executive Committee.

To be clear, I did not write this proposed change and I was not part of the debate that occurred in the rules committee. As I stated earlier, and regardless of how I feel about potential changes offered by the committees, I will not direct, demand or prohibit discussions within committees. I have included the proposed changes that were discussed and then tabled in the Rules Committee.

The unnecessary name-calling and intentional misrepresentation by some (many of whom were not even on the call to the best of my knowledge) regarding the committee’s discussion of a suggested rule change is not helpful and is being used by some in an attempt to create a wedge to divide Kansas Republicans when we can all agree we should be focused on unity. This dissension risks a negative impact on fundraising which puts at risks electing Kansas Republicans. This must stop.

All of the members of the KSGOP’s committees are committed and dedicated Republicans who are giving of their time and talent to support the Party. If you have any questions, concerns or opinions to offer, I recommend you reach out to the Committee Chairs and Members and of course I, as State Chairman, will also always listen.

In summary, a group of qualified and appointed Kansas Republicans will - or will not - bring forward ideas for the State Committee to consider. The State Committee may then vote on those ideas. If the body decides the statement should not be approved, then the idea is dead. If the body approves the idea it will be adopted.

That’s it.

That’s common sense.

That’s Republican.
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