The Kansas Senate on Friday turned back last-minute efforts to pull bills legalizing medical marijuana and expanding Medicaid out of committee.
The Senate voted down the motion to pull medical marijuana out of committee on a 12-25 vote.
It rejected the bill to bring Medicaid expansion out of committee 18-17 with two Republican senators – Rick Kloos and Mike Petersen – present and passing and three senators absent.
Both bills needed 24 votes to be pulled from committee and 27 votes to be moved above the line for a general debate on the floor.
The Senate’s action should largely end the debate on two issues – both supported by Gov. Laura Kelly – that have failed to gain traction in recent years.
However, Kelly, who has pushed for expansion throughout her two terms as governor, has promised to make it an issue at the ballot box later this year.
The governor has already raised close to a $1million for a political action committee that is expected to kick into action later this year.
Republican state Sen. Rob Olson of Olathe made the motion to pull the medical marijuana bill out of committee.
Olson, who is serving out his last term in the Senate, said he wanted the full Senate to debate the bill after it had been bottled up in committee in recent years.
Earlier this session, the Senate Federal and State Affairs committee tabled a bill that was portrayed as a more conservative approach to medical marijuana, although it ran into widespread opposition.
Th bill Olson wanted to withdraw from committee would have legalized a medical marijuana program administered by the state health department, the state Board of Healing Arts, the state Board of Pharmacy and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The bill would have allowed medical marijuana to be dispensed in the form of oils, tinctures, plants, edibles and patches. Smoking, combustion or vaporization of medical marijuana would have been prohibited under the bill.
The proposal was opposed by law enforcement, the Kansas Catholic Conference and the Kansas Medical Society, among others.
Some opponents argued that the bill was “full of illusionary ‘guardrails'” and there were many issues that “threaten the physical and mental health, safety, security, and freedom of current and future generations of Kansans.”
Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher spoke in support of the bill on Friday.
“Over the past three weeks, scores of Kansans have reached out to their senator voicing support for medicinal cannabis as they have done for basically the past decade,” Holscher said.
“Sadly, supporters have faced many hurdles on this important measure time and time again,” she said.
“Today we have been given a unique opportunity to move this measure forward which is supported by a majority of Kansans,” she said.
The debate on Medicaid expansion was more protracted with Republicans characterizing it more as a “procedural vote” than an actual vote on a bill to support expansion.
Expansion is intended to help Kansans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but don’t make enough to be eligible for tax credits that would make buying a plan through the Affordable Care Act affordable.
Earlier this session, the House and Senate held committee hearings on Medicaid expansion. The House health committee voted down an effort to bring expansion to the floor.
Supporters said the state was giving up hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money that could be used to improve health outcomes in Kansas.
“I think it makes financial sense for us,” said Democratic state Sen. Jeff Pittman of Leavenworth.
“We’ve given up $7 billion of our federal taxpayer’s money that’s gone out to help the health care outcomes of folks out in New York and California but not here in Kansas.”
Pittman said there were provisions in the bill that have been requested, including work requirements and a measure ending the program if the state didn’t get federal funding.
“I think it’s high time we consider it on the floor,” he said.
Some Republicans questioned whether Medicaid expansion is as popular as portrayed, although statewide polls have suggested that it would be welcomed by Kansans.
Republican state Sen. Virgil Peck of Havana said he surveyed his district. He said the results showed overwhelming opposition.
Last December, Peck said he received 507 responses to a survey mailed to voters of all parties in his district asking whether Medicaid should be expanded to cover nondisabled, working-age adults.
He said 63.5% opposed expansion, 22.3% supported expansion and 14.2% were undecided.
“We constantly hear that Kansans want Medicaid expansion. That is false,” Peck said.
Republican state Sen. Beverly Gossage, another opponent of expansion, dismissed the idea of a work requirement, saying that it would not be permitted by the federal government.
Gossage questioned whether rural hospitals were any more at risk in states without Medicaid expansion than in state with expansion.
After the vote, Gov. Laura Kelly issued a statement blaming Republican leaders for blocking efforts to expand Medicaid.
“Despite their effort, I will not give up,” Kelly said.
“I will continue to advocate for Medicaid expansion to strengthen Kansas’ small businesses, health care system and work force and economy.”
She said a “no” vote ignored the wishes of more than 70% of Kansans, including 51% of Kansas Republican primary voters, who want Medicaid expanded.
Dinah Sykes, the top Democrat in the Senate, made the motion to bring Medicaid out of committee.
“While I’m disappointed and ashamed of my Republican colleagues who blocked Medicaid expansion, I’m incredibly thankful for the thousands of Kansans who spoke up and supported this legislation over the last three months,” Sykes said.
“Kansans will remember how some Republican politicians once again chose to serve the special interests that fund their political campaigns rather than their constituents,” she said in a statement.
“They’ll remember how they voted against the nearly 80% of Kansans who support Medicaid expansion. They’ll remember in November.”
Senate President Ty Masterson explained his vote against bringing the bill out of committee.
“By not expanding Medicaid, Kansas has enjoyed the benefit of being able to assess
the impact of other states who have chosen to do so,” Masterson said.
“The results demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kansas is wise to preserve Medicaid for those for whom it was created to help,” he said.
“Expanding Medicaid would kick able-bodied adults off affordable or sometimes premium-free private plans and force them onto a government program, thereby crowding out those who are already on waiting lists today.
“The quality of health care they receive would be diminished and the negative budgetary consequences of such a scheme would be permanent.”
