Opinion

RYCKMAN RECAP, Ron Ryckman, 38th District Senator

The stamina and mettle of the Legislature were very much tested during Week 6 of the 2025 Session, as we worked our way through all of 41 bills in a single day on the Floor while it was zero degrees and snowing outside and all other state offices were closed. That is what can happen during the lead-up to “Turnaround,” the halfway point when time has run out for consideration of most bills in the house of origin.

The prospect of facing a deadline even had some of our committees meeting twice in the same day and having to return to the Chamber for roll-call votes. Such is the glamorous life in a day at the Statehouse, where we’re on “information overload” and called upon to make important decisions on a plethora of issues affecting our constituents. I’m kind of a “regular order” guy who favors a more consistent, even pace, but don’t always have the luxury of getting things done my way. Can any of you relate to that?

Overall, we took final action on 61 measures deemed the highest priority by Leadership. In addition, the Governor’s veto of the ban on medical sex-change procedures for children under 18 was overridden 31-9 in the Senate and 84-35 by the House, making SB 63 become law. Other items that drew a lot of attention and consumed a good bit of debate time were SB 79, banning the use of food stamps to purchase candy and soft drinks; SB 87, expanding tax credits for private school vouchers; and SB 70, providing fee-charging for copies of records. All passed, with my voting for the first but against the other two in deference to the wishes of my public school and Register of Deeds officials. It is difficult in a newsletter to cover the substance of such a high volume of proposals, but for those who like to “get into the weeds” on the rest go to www.kslegislature.org and bring up the Senate Journal for Wednesday, February 19.

I took advantage of the five-day break during which Revisor and Research staff send all bills passed by one side to the other by co-hosting a Town Hall event at the Jetmore Farm Bureau this morning. Folks are still interested in things like property tax relief and water issues, but mostly they’re just curious about what’s going on in Topeka. I didn’t tell them I almost “lost it” when we spent more than an hour talking about child pronouns on the Senate Floor, but did take advantage of an inquiry about restrictions on deer permits for nonresident landowners to mention that Kansas has the least public lands available for hunting of any state in the nation. For those of you who have questions or concerns about any topic -- or especially Page recommendations for a new date of Wed., March 12, shoot me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call my office, 785-296-7359, to have someone you know experience a great opportunity.

February 11 was a great opportunity — with congratulations in order (even though we’ll be losing her to Garden City.) -- for former Ford County Attorney, Natalie Morlock, who was appointed then by the Governor to succeed Christopher Sanders as 25th District Judge. March 15 will be a big day for Hilmar Cheese Company in Dodge, as they celebrate their grand opening with a private ribbon-cutting ceremony. For those who like “groaner” headlines, this week’s definite winner was “Could an aqueduct bring water to western Kansas, or is it a pipedream?” Bad, huh? Not sure yet what the winning bold print might be for our last 6 weeks at The Capitol, but we’ll find out by April 12. Until then, thanks as always for the honor and privilege of being your “voice” in Topeka; may your confidence and trust in what we do there be higher than the temperatures. Happy what-we-used-to-celebrate as George Washington’s Birthday