Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward says Kansas voters sent a "clear signal" in November’s election that they want a "new direction" in state government. The voters elected more moderate lawmakers to replace some of the more conservative lawmakers who supported Governor Sam Brownback’s deep income tax cuts. Ward, a Wichita Democrat, says lawmakers have not been fiscally responsible and, he says many lawmakers are ready for a change.
Ward also said that school funding and the state’s health care system, including Medicaid and Medicare, will require action from lawmakers in the upcoming session. Ward says he is "excited to get started" when the Legislature convenes next Monday, January 9th.