Less than a week remains before the 2022 legislative session begins.
On KVOE’s On-Air Chat recently, 17th District Senator Jeff Longbine of Emporia said redistricting will be a major focal point. Another major talking point will be budget as a whole — with the state in the unusual position of “being flush with cash.”
Longbine also spoke at length about plans to bolster funding to higher education, including Emporia State University. The Kansas Board of Regents has asked lawmakers for another $200 million in funding to get colleges and universities back to 2008-level spending, based on inflation, and ESU has secured $350,000 from Lyon County as part of a new scholarship-and-enrollment initiative to bring more students to campus. Support from the city is pending. Longbine says it’s important to help ESU because of the ripple effect through Emporia’s economy.
Longbine’s appearance on KVOE’s airwaves leads to a trio of interviews this week on KVOE’s Morning Show. On Tuesday, 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia joins the program, followed by 51st District Representative Ron Highland of Wamego at 8:30 am Wednesday and 76th District Representative Eric Smith of Burlington at 8:20 am Thursday.
