TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly plans to deploy political capital during the 2025 Kansas legislative session to broaden commitment to a bipartisan, multigenerational investment in protection of the state’s water supply.
Kelly, a Democrat midway through her second term, said during a interview with Kansas Reflector that shaping a water roadmap would require collaboration among diverse interests from industry and government.
The approach could draw upon the tradition of the GOP-led Legislature crafting politically popular 10-year transportation plans, she said.
“I don’t expect to solve the water crisis as we speak or even by the end of my term, but I would like to have in place a solid infrastructure like we do with transportation,” Kelly said.
No longer, the governor said, should policy makers at all levels view water as an issue to be addressed by the next generation. Each generation ought to take strategic steps beneficial to the next two generations of Kansans, Kelly said.
She anticipated there would be Republican and Democratic legislators enthusiastic about the focus on water, but opposition was certain to emerge in the Capitol.
“I’m probably the first governor to have the political capital that I can spend to get this done,” said Kelly, who has promised not to seek another political office. “It’s not going to be easy to work with the multitude of agencies that have something to do with water and bring that all together and have them working together with the stakeholders.”
The KANSAS WATER Authority has hosted two-dozen regional and more than a dozen local council advisory meetings to get a better sense of priorities.
Meanwhile, Kelly said she would open the legislative session in January by renewing support for legislation that fully funded the K-12 public education system and maintained the state’s dedication to transportation infrastructure.
“I want to build on a lot of what we’ve already done,” she said. “I want to make sure that we fully fund schools. I want to put more money into special education. I want to continue building that robust early childhood system. We’ve come a long way. There’s more to do before I leave.”
Kelly said she wouldn’t abandon her campaign to convince the Legislature to expand eligibility for Medicaid among lower-income Kansans.
In each of the past six years, she’s recommended a plan for moving Kansas off the list of states blocking expansion. At this point, only 10 states maintain roadblocks to reform.
“I’ve got my number seven coming up,” she said. “We’re not giving up. We’ll continue on that.”
