ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The state of Kansas has undergone some major changes throughout recent years, and 2024 was no exception, according to Gov. Laura Kelly.
“All in all, I feel like 2024 ended on a very high note. We were able to pass a budget that continues to fully fund our public schools, including a bit of extra money for Special Education,” Gov. Kelly said. “We were also able to continue on with our comprehensive transportation program – we closed the 'Bank of KDOT' and are fully funding that program now, so roads and bridges and broadband are being taken care of all throughout the state. We were also able to continue our record-breaking economic development, that has not slowed down since my administration took office. In fact, we were recently awarded our fourth consecutive Gold Shovel Award from Area Development Magazine, which is amazing for us. We've done all of that while also having the largest budget surplus in state history, the largest rainy day fund in state history, and also giving back $1 billion in tax cuts every year to Kansans. Overall, 2024 was a very good year.”
One of the particular areas of success seen was with economic development, Gov. Kelly said.
“Since day one, I've prioritized economic development in Kansas – when I took office for my first term, this state was in a world of hurt, and we had to rebuild our economic development strategy and resources in order to be able to do anything else,” Gov. Kelly said. “We had to do that in order to restore funding to our schools, close the 'Bank of KDOT' and be successful in attracting new businesses and new jobs to the state. I've always been proud of that and I'll continue to be proud of that because that provides a foundation for us to then do everything else we've been able to accomplish. We've also been able to give some of the largest tax cuts to Kansans while I've been governor. Axing the food tax is something I've wanted to see done for a long time, and that was a compromise I had to make in order to get anything else done, so I'm glad Kansans will finally get that tax relief they've needed for so long.”
Among all of the successes, however, Gov. Kelly said there were some challenges faced.
“One particular challenge we faced was coming up with a tax relief bill that gave Kansans back some money and left our budget fiscally sustainable – I had to veto three of those bills before the Legislature came back for a special session, and we were able to come up with some compromises to what is in place now,” Gov. Kelly said. “And I'll sound like a broken record to some people, but I've been working to get Medicaid expansion done since my first term, and STILL not getting that done has been rather disappointing. I feel like the legislative leadership feels not passing Medicaid expansion as a win for them and not a win for me, but I've never seen Medicaid expansion as a win for me, I've always seen it as a win for the people of Kansas and our economy. I'm hoping, now that the election is over, the Legislature will take another look at it this year and find a way to make that happen.”
Even with all the work done in 2024, Gov. Kelly said there are no plans to slow down in the new year.
“There's a lot of the usual suspects when it comes to going into a new year, including continuing to invest heavily in economic development and pushing for plans and programs to shore up the state's early childhood programs,” Gov. Kelly said. “We will also do all we can to fund our transportation program and continue expanding broadband and investing in affordable housing. All of that, we'll be doing while also coming up with a comprehensive, sustainable, long-term funded water plan that will ensure Kansans for generations to come will have the water they and their families and businesses need. The water plan was something I really added to my campaign list during the 2022 campaign – I was out in Western Kansas and hosting some roundtable events and talking to residents in that area, and while there was the usual talk about education and those topics, the top concern was water. When I was reelected, I added water and sustainability to my to-do list – I don't expect us to magically solve the water crisis, because it's not easy to put together a plan that will work and is sustainable and that everyone will agree on. But we're dedicating a lot of time and resources to putting that plan together and listening to as many people as possible so we can have something that will be in place long after I'm out of office. At the beginning of 2025 is when the Legislature will be back in session, so we'll be working to make sure we have a balanced budget and we're maintaining our fiscal stability all while funding everything that needs funding, including education and infrastructure, among many others. We need to make sure we stay on course so we can continue to grow Kansas.”
Overall, Gov. Kelly said, there is a lot of excitement in the air about everything that happened in 2024 and going into 2025.
“I'm really excited about the possibility of coming up with that comprehensive water plan that can survive long after I'm out of office. If I can leave Kansans with only one thing, it would be that, and the other economic development we've done,” Gov. Kelly said. “Overall, I'm really pleased with how 2024 ended up. There was a lot of great work done throughout multiple sectors of the government, and I hope to see that continue into 2025 and maybe even beyond.”
