On Tuesday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly featured some of her policy priorities for her final year in office. On Wednesday, she released the details behind the goals.
The governor says her budget fully funds K-12 education for the eighth straight year. A key component of the education budget is adding over $50 million for special education.
Governor Kelly says she is backing up her commitment to behavioral and mental health with a series of investments, including almost $31 million for first-year operations at the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital and an additional $5 million in support for adult inpatient services at six hospitals.
In addition:
*Kelly’s budget fully funds the State Water Plan Fund and adds over $1 million for planning and project development
*Fully funds operations for the new Office of Early Childhood
*Adds $15 million to fund increased caseloads for children’s health insurance
*Restores full funding to the Kansas Arts Commission and the State Library’s State Grants-in-Aid program
How much of the governor’s budget plan will be considered by the Legislature is in question. Last year, the Republican-led Statehouse passed a measure where lawmakers developed their own budget as a primary source of information and action, ending years of precedent where the governor’s budget was the main source.
Governor Kelly will be KVOE’s Newsmaker guest at 7:20 am Jan. 23.
