TOPEKA — Top priorities of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Senate President Ty Masterson collide in January when the Kansas Legislature convenes for the 2024 session.
Kelly left no doubt her central objective would be to convince at least 63 representatives and 21 senators — simple majorities of the House and Senate — to vote for passage of a bill expanding eligibility for government health benefits through Medicaid to 150,000 lower-income Kansans.
Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, the GOP centers of power in the Capitol, are committed to advancing a bill delivering millions in state tax dollars to private schools through scholarships, savings accounts or vouchers. Their numerical challenge is bigger than Kelly’s. They’ll likely need two-thirds majorities — 84 in the House, 27 in the Senate — to override a Kelly veto on private school funding.
They’ve been at this juncture before. The trio tangled last legislative session over Medicaid and private school funding before settling on stalemate.
Kelly said that speculation she would be willing to secure Medicaid expansion by accepting some form of vouchers for private education was misplaced.
“I don’t horse trade,” she said. “Not on things that I have a very clear position on.”
The Legislature passed a bipartisan Medicaid expansion bill in 2017, but it was vetoed by GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. The House approved a bill in 2019, but it died in the Senate. GOP legislative leaders have stonewalled Medicaid expansion the past four sessions.
Kelly said extending Medicaid to the working poor would be of profound benefit to rural Kansans.
As to putting toward private schools, Kelly said states that approved vouchers or other mechanisms for investing in private education learned much of the money went to students already enrolled in those schools.
“There’s been so much more evidence coming from states that have done vouchers that these aren’t impacting at-risk kids,” Kelly said.
She said she didn’t believe the state should pour cash into private schools because “public dollars ought to go to public schools.”
School choice a key
Masterson said school choice legislation was good public policy because it offered parents more options in the education of their children. Kansas does offer income tax credits for donations to scholarship funds used by academically at-risk students at private schools.
Masterson said Kansas should be among the more than 30 states that direct significant tax revenue to programs that paid tuition and expenses for students at private or home schools.
“The one thing COVID did was expose a real need for school choice,” Masterson said on a talk show hosted by Hugh Hewitt. “You go to the inner cities, those are the ones who need choices. Quite frankly, wealthy people have choice. They can go spend their money on a private school of their choice. We’re trying to bring that to everyone to have the ability to have a choice in their education.”
