KanCare: Vote Denied By House Leadership

Advocating & Communicating for Kansans with Developmental Disabilities

KanCare: Vote Denied By House Leadership

Thursday was a day full of action and debate regarding KanCare and carving out DD services.  A bill was carried to the floor by Rep. Brenda Landwehr (R-Wichita) to create a joint legislative oversight committee to monitor KanCare.  During the discussion, Rep. Jim Ward (D-Wichita) carried forward an amendment to “carve out” DD services from KanCare.

During the debate, we received widespread bipartisan support.  Local representatives who spoke fearlessly on our behalf are: Pat Colloton (JO), Mike Kiegerl (JO), John Rubin (JO), Ron Worley (JO).  House leadership spoke out against the amendment while the Administration sent staff in to stop the carve out.

The debate was brought to a screeching halt when a procedural motion was made to send the original bill back to the Appropriations committee.  House leadership used parliamentary procedure to stop the amendment from being voted on because they were seeing that we might win.

Your advocacy brought this debate to the floor and caused legislators to invoke procedural ruling in order to bury this amendment temporarily.  The House has noticed your hard work.  Keep it up!

Local representatives who voted NO to keep Ward’s amendment alive and address our issue are: Barbara Bollier (JO), Pat Colloton (JO), Mike Slattery (JO), Sheryl Spalding (JO), Kay Wolf (JO), Ron Worley (JO), Bill Feuerborn (MI), Stan Frownfelter (WY), Louis Ruiz (WY), Tom Burroughs (WY), Valdenia Winn (WY), Broderick Henderson (WY), Kathy Wolfe Moore (WY).  Be sure to personally thank those who supported us on this issue.

Those who voted YES to send the bill back to committee and chose not to address our issue are: Representatives Anthony Brown (JO), Rob Bruchman (JO), Jim Denning (JO), Owen Donohoe (JO, WY), Amanda Grosserode (JO), Brett Hildabrand (JO), Lance Kinzer (JO), Marvin Kleeb (JO), Kelly Meigs (JO), Bob Montgomery (JO), Charlotte O’Hara (JO), John Rubin (JO), Scott Schwab (JO), Arlen Siegfreid (JO), Greg Smith (JO), Jene Vickrey (MI).  Mike Kiegerl (JO) abstained from voting and can still be persuaded.

If your representative is listed as voting YES please write them and ask why they voted to stop debate on our most important issue.  Let them know that we are watching and we expect a different outcome.  Don’t forget to keep us in the loop with their responses!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

PUSH DAY 2012 is Wednesday, April 25th at the Statehouse in Topeka.

Stay tuned for more details.