Kansas Speaker of the House, Dan Hawkins, discussed key highlights of the legislative session as it nears Turnaround Week during an interview with KFRM. Hawkins emphasized that bills from the House are now in the Senate, while bills from the Senate are under review in the House. One of the major accomplishments before Turnaround was passing the Help Not Harm Act, which prevents minors from undergoing gender-changing procedures, a bill that the governor vetoed but was successfully overridden by the legislature. In addition, Hawkins highlighted progress on child support legislation and ongoing budget discussions.

On the state’s budget, Hawkins expressed concern over the state’s growing deficit, warning that Kansas could face a $38 million shortfall by July 2027. He noted that federal COVID relief funds had previously masked the issue, but with those funds gone, spending needs to be reduced. Regarding property tax relief, Hawkins assured that efforts are ongoing, with a proposed constitutional amendment aiming to stabilize appraisal spikes.

Hawkins also addressed Medicaid expansion, stating that while the governor supports it, he believes it would not benefit Kansas. He argued that expanding Medicaid would cost the state millions without resolving the challenges facing rural hospitals, pointing to examples from other states where such expansions failed to prevent hospital closures.