The Kansas State Legislature does not well represent the interests of the majority of Kansans. Their priorities should be fiscal responsibility, school funding, infrastructure improvements, citizens’ rights, and quality healthcare for all Kansans.

Here are things the Kansas people need:

Fiscal Responsibility. We need sustainable budgets that maintain essential services and fund programs necessary for Kansas to prosper. Kansans desperately need property tax relief.

Schools. We must fund our schools for excellence. We need to fully fund special education and develop early childhood education. School bus stop sign laws need to be improved and enforced.

Solar Energy for Schools. Some states have developed programs to encourage schools to install solar panels on schools. Those schools have saved millions of dollars on their energy costs.

Incarceration. It costs $35,000 a year to keep someone in prison. That money could be spent much better on job training and rehabilitation. The Smart Justice Initiative, which is sponsored by diverse groups such as the ACLU and Americans for Prosperity, will significantly reduce the incarceration rate and save the state millions of dollars each year.

Health Insurance. Kansas needs to limit co-pays for insulin and other life-saving drugs. Roadblocks need to be removed so that people can more easily access mental health care through their health insurance.

Medicaid Expansion. Expanding Medicaid would ensure 150,000 working Kansans and bring $800 million of our tax dollars back to Kansas each year. So far, Kansas has lost $8.3 billion by not expanding Medicaid. Think what the state could have done with that money.

Medical Marijuana. It prevents seizures in children and relieves pain. It is far less addictive and much less expensive than opioids.

Agricultural Hemp: Hemp products are biodegradable and can replace many products currently made from more expensive materials. State laws need to change to encourage agricultural hemp.

State Energy Plan. Kansas needs to form a State Energy Commission. Kansas is one of the few states that does not have an energy committee to plan ways to provide energy services reliably and keep rates low.

Develop Renewable Energy. Wind and solar energy are now less expensive and are much less polluting than gas or coal. A state Energy Committee could help transition to renewable energy.

Referendum System. Kansas does not have a system that allows its citizens to put issues directly on the ballot and avoid the roadblocks in the legislature. Most states do, and Kansas should.

Legislative Rules. Legislative rules must be changed to make the legislative processes more transparent and democratic.

The legislators’ responsibilities are to serve Kansas with integrity, transparency, and a desire to help the citizens. Over the years, the Kansas Legislature has become increasingly polarized. Kansas Legislators from both sides of the aisle need to collaborate, compromise, and get things done for Kansans.