Good morning everyone:
A sincere thank you for the folks who reached out in response to the little piece I wrote about my dad after he died last week. Your messages brought warmth, comfort and encouragement. It was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult week. We push forward with a memorial service in about a week and then start to look ahead. Thanks for your patience. A reminder, the Sunday Reader was always going to be off for Thanksgiving weekend regardless of the personal events of last week. That’s about it for now. Here’s what we were able to cobble together last week, starting with news you might have missed but need to know (along with the significant stories we published).
- The state’s banks are urging lawmakers to take steps to allow them to better compete for local and state government deposits that they say are now flowing to out-of-state financial institutions at a cost to the Kansas economy.
- A panel of legislators is recommending that the Legislature take up a proposal that creates an environment for entrepreneurs to test novel business ideas in a setting where rules and regulations are temporarily or permanently waived.
- President-elect Donald Trump may get to appoint all the federal judges in Kansas after the Biden administration fumbled an appointment away.
- Democratic state Sen.-elect Patrick Schmidt of Topeka has agreed to pay a $500 fine as part of a consent order entered into with the state ethics commission after sending campaign mailers without a paid-for attribution.
- Republican state Sen. Larry Alley has upped the ante in his bid to win reelection as Senate majority leader, staking claim to support from the Senate president.
- Democratic state Rep. Brandon Woodard has announced he will run for the top Democratic post in the Kansas House.
- Gov. Laura Kelly has pardoned two Kansas men convicted on drug-related charges who she said show strong signs of rehabilitation.
State loan program overhaul
A legislative committee last week recommended overhauling a state loan program that is intended for housing, extraordinary utility costs and agricultural production.
The state has earmarked millions in idle state funds that are already invested with the Pooled Money Investment Board for those types of loans.
The funds are part of the state’s linked-deposit program, which provides for low-cost loans for enumerated areas such as housing, agriculture, utilities and economic recovery.
However, critics say the program’s requirements are not flexible enough to benefit the public and that they need to be reworked.
They point out that there are no loan requests currently pending even though there is more than $170 million in funds available.
Alex Orel, senior vice president of government relations for the Kansas Bankers Association, said there’s about $200 million authorized for all of the loan programs, and only a sliver is now being loaned out.
“Our current linked-deposit loan programs are not working. They’re not being utilized at all,” Orel told a special interim committee studying the issue last week.
Orel noted that there is $60 million earmarked for housing loans that was authorized in 2008 and hasn’t been used since 2014.
“It’s just sitting there and not being used,” he said.
The committee didn’t recommend a specific course of action, although a separate interim committee has considered using the $60 million home-loan program for building affordable housing.
Orel pointed to Missouri as an example Kansas should follow.
Earlier this year, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill into law that increased the size of that state’s linked deposit program — called MO BUCK$ — for small business and agriculture to $1.2 billion from $800 million.
Missouri started taking applications for the latest round of MO BUCK$ loans last Jan. 2 with $120 million to give to businesses and farms.
But State Treasurer Vivek Malek said it was only open for six hours because of the large volume of applications.
Orel said the Missouri program is more robust than Kansas’ because it’s broader with larger loan limits and more flexibility.
“Unfortunately, our current policy and our current restrictions on some of our programs do not work,” Orel said.
He cited the loan program for agricultural production as an example.
The agriculture loan program started in July 2000 and enabled qualified farmers to have access to $50 million in low-interest loans.
The next year, $5 million was added to the program, expanding it to $55 million available for loans.
This program provides for Kansas banks and farm credit associations to make loans of up to $250,000 to farmers with a debt-to-asset ratio of 40% or greater.
The loans can be authorized for up to eight years.
However, Orel said the loan limit isn’t enough to buy a tractor.
“Some of these restrictions are extremely outdated,” he said.
The housing loan program provides qualified builders and developers in Kansas access to $60 million in low-interest loans to finance housing development.
Under this program, the state treasurer places funds in Kansas banks or farm credit associations so that they may issue loans to eligible borrowers.
The amount of the loans depend on the purpose and are authorized for up to five years for single- and multifamily homes and up to 20 years for adult care and assisted living homes.
Orel said a five-year home loan is not practical. He said five years is not enough time for consumers to pay off a home loan.
Outgoing state Sen. Rob Olson of Olathe said the upcoming Legislature needs to take a good look at the loan program.
“I think there’s some improvement that needs to be done on the linked-deposit program,” Olson said. “There’s some things that can be done there and it can be improved.”
Lobbyist transactions
Here the latest lobbyist registrations from the secretary of state’s office. Many of these lobbyist registrations are for the 2025 legislative session, although some registered for the current year.
Kristen Ada, Kansas Home Care & Hospice Association
Leslie Anderson, Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities
Kent Askren, Kansas Farm Bureau
Emily Barnes, Kansas Action for Children
Kevin Barone, Kansas Association of Oriental Medicine
Kevin Barone, The Capitol Lobby Group
James Behan, ITC Great Plains
Megan Bottenberg, Cox Communications
Randy Bowman, Kansas Association of Local Health Departments
Philip Bradley, Artisan Distillers of Kansas
Philip Bradley, Equal Entertainment Group
Philip Bradley, Kansas Licensed Beverage Association
Philip Bradley, Kansas Viticulture and Farm Winery Association
Heather Braum, Kansas Action for Children
Natalie Bright, Aligned
Natalie Bright, American Cancer Society/Cancer Action Network
Natalie Bright, Bright and Carpenter Consulting
Natalie Bright, city of Olathe
Natalie Bright, city of Wichita
Natalie Bright, Delta Dental of Kansas
Natalie Bright, Kansas Association of Goodwills
Natalie Bright, Kansas Association of Property and Casualty Insurance Cos.
Natalie Bright, Kansas Economic Development Alliance
Natalie Bright, Kansas Society for Human Resource Management
Natalie Bright, Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants
Natalie Bright, Olathe Chamber of Commerce
Natalie Bright, Shawnee Chamber of Commerce
Natalie Bright, Travel Industry Association of Kansas
Natalie Bright, WANRack
Larrie Ann Brown, Security Benefit Corp.
James Brungardt, Sunflower Electric Power Corp.
Laurel Burchfield, Mainstream Coalition
Marlee Carpenter, Aligned
Marlee Carpenter, American Cancer Society/Cancer Action Network
Marlee Carpenter, Bright and Carpenter Consulting
Marlee Carpenter, city of Olathe
Marlee Carpenter, city of Wichita
Marlee Carpenter, Delta Dental of Kansas
Marlee Carpenter, Kansas Association of Goodwills
Marlee Carpenter, Kansas Association of Property and Casualty Insurance Cos.
Marlee Carpenter, Kansas Economic Development Alliance
Marlee Carpenter, Kansas Society for Human Resource Management
Marlee Carpenter, Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants
Marlee Carpenter, Olathe Chamber of Commerce
Marlee Carpenter, Shawnee Chamber of Commerce
Marlee Carpenter, Travel Industry Association of Kansas
Marlee Carpenter, WANRack
Ward Cassidy, Kansas School Board Resource Center
Kylee Childs, Leading Age Kansas
Jonathan Chowansky, UPS
Andrea Clark, KC Healthy Kids
Travis Couture-Lovelady, National Rifle Association
Whitney Damron, Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority
Paul Davis, University of Kansas
Erika Devore, Kansas Recreation and Park Association
Tonya Dorf Brunner, Oral Health Kansas
Spencer Duncan, League of Kansas Municipalities
Nathan Eberline, League of Kansas Municipalities
John Federico, BioNexus KC
John Federico, Flock Safety
John Federico, Saffire Renewables
John Federico, South Bow
John Federico, United Way of Greater Kansas City
Patrick Feeney, Kansas Motor Carriers Association
David Fernkopf, Kansas NEA
Blaine Finch, Churchill Downs Inc.
Blaine Finch, Harris Kelsey, Chartered
Blaine Finch, ITC Holdings Corp.
Blaine Finch, Kansas Board of Regents
Blaine Finch, Kansas Contractors Association
Blaine Finch, Kansas Electric Cooperatives Inc.
Blaine Finch, PrizePicks
Jan Fisher, Kansas AFL-CIO
Alice Fitzgerald, Kansas Action for Children
Elise Flatland, Equality Kansas
Todd Fleischer, Kansas Optometric Association
Ryan Flickner, Kansas Farm Bureau
Mike Fonkert, Kansas Appleseed
James Franko, Kansas Policy Institute
Justin Galan, Indivior Inc.
Jackie Garagiola, Kansas Livestock Association
Jeanne Gawdun, Kansans for Life
John Goodyear, League of Kansas Municipalities
Tim Graham, Kansas NEA
Travis Grauerholz, Kansas Motor Carriers Association
Zoe Gruber, Security Benefit Corp.
Wade Hapgood, Optum Inc.
Wade Hagood, United Healthcare Services
B.J. Harden, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
B.J. Harden, Americans for Fair Energy Prices
B.J. Harden, Behavioral Health Solutions
B.J. Harden, Bristol Myers Squibb
B.J. Harden, Casey’s General Stores
B.J. Harden, Centurion of Kansas LLC
B.J. Harden, Communications Coalition of Kansas
B.J. Harden, Community Choice Financial Inc.
B.J. Harden, Cottonwood Inc.
B.J. Harden, Critical Response Group
B.J. Harden, Fuel True Independent Energy and Convenience
B.J. Harden, Kansans for Lower Electric Rates
B.J. Harden, Kansas Fine Wine and Spirits
B.J. Harden, Koch Government Affairs and affilates
B.J. Harden, Kreidler Consulting Group
B.J. Harden, LivaNova
B.J. Harden, Maxim Healthcare Services
B.J. Harden, Northwest Technical College
B.J. Harden, Pace-O-Matic
B.J. Harden, Rainbows United Inc.
Dustin Hare, Kansas Action for Children
Marilyn Harp, citizen
Derek Hein, American Trailer World Corp.
Derek Hein, Lockton Management
Ashley Hernandez, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
Jessica Herrera Russell, Kansas Action for Children
Claudia Hissong, Kansas Farm Bureau
Steven Hitchcock, Kansas Agricultural Aviation Association
Jared Holroyd, Kansas Pharmacists Association
Dennis Hupe, Kansas Soybean Association
Ashley Hutchinson, Salina Regional Health Center
Jami Jones, Kansas Action for Children
Alexandra Kaplan, Shenkman Capital Management Inc.
Adam Kazda, Anheuser Busch Cos.
Steve Kearney, ReUp Education
Kyle Kessler, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas
Nathan Kessler, Kansas Action for Children
Scott Kibbe, American Property Casualty Insurance Association-APCIA
Gavin Kreidler, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
Gavin Kreidler, Americans for Fair Energy Prices
Gavin Kreidler, Behavioral Health Solutions
Gavin Kreidler, Bristol Myers Squibb
Gavin Kreidler, Casey’s General Stores
Gavin Kreidler, Centurion of Kansas LLC
Gavin Kreidler, Communications Coalition of Kansas
Gavin Kreidler, Community Choice Financial Inc.
Gavin Kreidler, Cottonwood Inc.
Gavin Kreidler, Critical Response Group
Gavin Kreidler, Fuel True Independent Energy and Convenience
Gavin Kreidler, Kansans for Lower Electric Rates
Gavin Kreidler, Kansas Fine Wine and Spirits
Gavin Kreidler, Koch Government Affairs LLC and affiliates
Gavin Kreidler, Kreidler Consulting
Gavin Kreidler, LivaNova
Gavin Kreidler, Maxim Healthcare Services
Gavin Kreidler, Northwest Technical College
Gavin Kreidler, Pace-O-Matic
Gavin Kreidler, Rainbows United
Tom Krewson, Comcast Cable
Christie Kriegshauser, Kansas Chamber of Commerce
Sarah LaFrenz, Kansas Organization of State Employees
Kaleb Little, Kansas Soybean Association
Dan Lubowitz, Bombardier
Jessica Lynch, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Chad McCain, Indivior
Kevin McFarland, Leading Age Kansas
Rebecca Metz, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
Jacob Miller, Working Kansas Alliance
Sean Miller, Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance
Patty Minear, Eli Lilly and Co.
Shawn Mitchell, Community Bankers Association of Kansas
Tanner Mobley, The Trevor Project
Rachel Monger, Leading Age Kansas
John Monroe, American Trailer World Corp.
John Monroe, Lockton Management LLC
Linda Mowbray, Kansas Health Care Association
Chris Naso, Baxter Healthcare Corp.
Josh Navarro, League of Kansas Municipalities
John Nave, Kansas AFL-CIO
Dan Nelson, National Council on Compensation Insurance
Taylor Nikkel, Kansas Livestock Association
Mike O’Neal, Association of Dental Support Organizations
Mike O’Neal, Bombardier Inc.
Mike O’Neal, Jobs for America’s Graduates/Kansas
Mike O’Neal, Kansas Justice Institute
Mike O’Neal, Kansas Policy Institute
Mike O’Neal, Kansas School Board Resource Center
Mike O’Neal, Kansas Underground Storage Tank Liability Plan
Mike O’Neal, O’Neal Consulting
Adrienne Olejnik, Kansas Action for Children
Alex Orel, Kansas Bankers Association
Ellen Parker, WaterOne
Fred Patton, Churchill Downs Inc.
Fred Patton, Harris Kelsey, Chartered
Fred Patton, ITC Holdings Corp.
Fred Patton, Kansas Board of Regents
Fred Patton, Kansas Contractors Association
Fred Patton, Kansas Electric Cooperatives Inc.
Fred Patton, PrizePicks
Torree Pederson, Aligned
Donna Polichemi, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America
Michelle Ponce, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas
Aaron Popelka, Kansas Livestock Association
Dave Poskey, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical
Sage Pourmirza, League of Kansas Municipalities
James Rankin, Foulston Siefkin
Gary Reser, Kansas Soybean Association
Ryan Reza, Kansas Action for Children
Christopher Riley, Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Ken Ring, Amgen
Kari Rinker, American Heart Association
David Roberts, Valley Hope Association
Vaughn Roland, Flock Safety
Ridge Rose, Children’s Mercy
Sam Sackett, Spirit AeroSystems
Andy Sanchez, Kansas AFL-CIO
Holli Schletzbaum, American Trailer World Corp.
Holli Schletzbaum, Lockton Management
Elizabeth Schwab, Google LLC and affiliates
Riley Scott, AFLAC
Riley Scott, American Express Travel Related Services
Riley Scott, AT&T and affiliates
Riley Scott, BlackRock Funds Services Group
Riley Scott, Cisco Systems
Riley Scott, Delta Dental
Riley Scott, Corecivic
Riley Scott, Dillons
Riley Scott, Evergy
Riley Scott, Graduation Alliance
Riley Scott, H&R Block
Riley Scott, HF Sinclair
Riley Scott, Kansas County Association of Multi-Line Pools
Riley Scott, Kansas Entertainment
Riley Scott, Kansas Farm Bureau
Riley Scott, Kansas Speedway Corp.
Riley Scott, Lewis Legal News
Riley Scott, Merck Sharp Dohme Corp.
Riley Scott, Pittsburg State
Riley Scott, Scott Consulting
Riley Scott, State Farm
Riley Scott, Tata America International Corp.
Riley Scott, Unitedhealth Group
Riley Scott, Watco
Riley Scott, Wellpath Recovery Solutions
C.E. Scroggins, independent lobbyist
Anthony Seiler, Kansas Farm Bureau
Jeffrey Shaw, Kansas Justice Institute
Idalia Shuman, Kansas NEA
Kameron Simmons, Flock Safety
Heather Sprague Scanlon, American Trailer World Corp.
Heather Sprague Scanlon, Lockton Management
Eric Stafford, Kansas Chamber of Commerce
Shahira Stafford, DoorDash Inc.
Shahira Stafford, NextEra Energy Resources
Shahira Stafford, NextEra Energy Transmission
Shahira Stafford, Stafford Public Affairs
Wendi Stark, League of Kansas Municipalities
Katherine Starr, American Trailer World Corp.
Katherine Starr, Lockton Management
Kathy Taylor, Kansas Bankers Association
Mike Taylor, Kansas County Commissioners Association
Mike Taylor, Strategy Consultants
Mike Taylor, Strother Field Airport/Industrial Park
Mike Taylor, Voter Rights Network of Wyandotte County
Matt Teagarden, Kansas Livestock Association
Chad Tenpenny, Leavenworth Waterworks
Chad Tenpenny, Heinen Brothers Agra Services/Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems
Dave Trabert, Kansas Policy Institute
Kelly VanZwoll, Kansas Bankers Association
Brenna Visocsky, Kansas Appleseed
Patrick Vogelsberg, Kansas Gas Service
Phil Wages, KEPCo
Doug Wareham, Kansas Bankers Association
Edward Watson II, Consolidated Capital Investments LLC
Edward Watson II, Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions
Edward Watson II, Foulston Siefkin LLP
Edward Watson II, Kansas Health Science Center
Edward Watson II, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce
Gamal Weheba, KS Conference of the AAUP
Alice Weingartner, Community Care Network of Kansas
JW Wells, Kansas Bankers Association
William Wilk, Kansas Chamber of Commerce
John Wilson, Kansas Action for Children
Jordan Zakery, Excellence in Education National
Here are the latest lobbyist registrations that were terminated:
Amber Doss, Sanofi US
Geovannie Gone, Immunize Kansas Coalition
Keith Gulley, Amgen
Derek Hein, Milan Laser Corporate
Derek Hein, Motorola Solutions
Paul Johnson, Kansas Rural Center
Chris Lutick, UPS
Mike O’Neal, Alliance For Responsible Consumer Legal Funding
Holli Schletzbaum, Milan Laser Corporate LLC
Dodie Wellshear, Olathe Public Schools
Dodie Wellshear, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Olson back into politics
As he wraps up a 20-year career in the Kansas Legislature, Republican state Sen. Rob Olson still apparently has the political bug.
When Olson’s third term in the Senate ends, his political career won’t be over.
Olson has filed to run for the at-large seat on the Olathe City Council next year.
He said he is running to fill a seat now held by an incumbent who is not running again.
“I do like local government,” Olson said. “I thought it would be a great place for me to still stay involved but be doing something local.”
Olson has been in the Kansas Senate since 2011 when he replaced Karin Brownlee, who was appointed state labor secretary by former Gov. Sam Brownback.
Olson also served in the House from 2005 to 2010, rising to the leadership position of House majority whip.
Insurance savings accounts proposed
Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt is planning to ask the Legislature to approve tax-deferred insurance savings accounts to help Kansans pay their deductibles for property and casualty insurance.
Schmidt’s plan would allow single Kansas taxpayers to put $6,000 into a tax-deferred savings account to help them pay either for their insurance premiums or the deductible for a claim related to something like storm damage to a house or business.
The proposal would allow married couples to set aside up to $12,000, and corporations could put up to $25,000 into the savings account.
The savings accounts would not apply to other lines of insurance, including health.
The money could not be used to cover the difference between the amount of damage and the amount the insurance policy would cover.
Schmidt’s proposal is part of a broad agenda that also includes proposals to lower fees and cut premium taxes for Kansas insurance agents and companies as part of her 2025 legislative platform.
Schmidt wants to eliminate appointment renewal fees — $2 for Kansas companies and $5 for out-of-state companies — for 203,525 agents who sell policies in the state.
The elimination of the fee, used to help the agency track who sells insurance, potentially saves $6.5 million for the insurance companies that pay the fees.
Schmidt also plans to ask the Legislature to cut the 2% premium tax imposed on insurance companies based on the amount of insurance premiums they sell.
The insurance commissioner is proposing to cut that rate to 1.98%, and the agency will give up the roughly $1.6 million it gets from that tax each year.
The balance of the premium tax would go to the state general fund, as it does currently.
Democratic leadership lineup
The top card pits Brandon Woodard and Stephanie Sawyer Clayton against each other for the top Democrat in the House. Here’s a look at the other House Democrats who are seeking leadership positions when they’re voted on in December.
State Rep. Valedenia Winn of Kansas City is running for reelection for assistant minority Leader of the House Democratic caucus. “While we did not break the super-majority, we will remain strong and united and we will still represent our constituents with dignity and honor,” Winn said in an email to House Democrats. “I plan to continue to work for unity and inclusion within the Democrat caucus. Each of our members brings strength and knowledge to our caucus. And each deserves more respect.” Winn is the ranking member on the K-12 Budget Committee. She has been in the House since 2001.
State Rep. Jo Ella Hoye of Lenexa is running for House minority whip, a position now held by Clayton, who is running for minority leader. “We faced an upset and a setback on election night, but our upcoming term is not without hope,” Hoye said in a letter to House Democrats. “Let’s stay focused and lay the groundwork to show Kansans that we have their backs, because our nation is going to require a lot of healing over the next two years. We must get organized to prevent harmful legislation from becoming law, and we can continue building coalitions across the aisle and across chambers to keep fighting for our causes. We earned our seats, and our constituents deserve to have their voices heard.” Hoye has been in the House since 2021. She is the ranking member on the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.
State Rep. Barbara Ballard of Lawrence says she is running for reelection as minority caucus chair. Ballard was elected to the Kansas House in 1992. She is the ranking member on the transportation and Social Services Budget committees. She sits on the House Appropriations and Medicaid oversight committees.
State Rep Jerry Stogsdill of Prairie Village is running for reelection as agenda chair. “The results of the election were certainly not what we had hoped they would be, but, it makes the 2025-2026 Session of the Legislature even more important,” he said in a letter to House Democrats. “We can’t give up, we can’t lessen our efforts and we have to use our collective strength to make sure Kansans realize it is the Democratic Party that serves their best interests. Over the next two years we must be laser focused on doing everything we possibly can to reverse the 2024 election results in November of 2026. We CAN do it!” Stogsdill has been in the House since 2017. He has been the ranking members on the House Education Committee and the Legislative Modernization Committee.
State Rep. Dan Osman of Overland Park is running for House minority policy chair. The position was previously held by Christina Haswood, who made an unsuccessful run for the Kansas Senate this year. “We need clear communication from both the top down and from our party outward on what our caucus stands for. We cannot work quietly behind the scenes this term. We should be out front Day 1 of the session with a public conference telling the press corps, ‘These are the items we will be fighting for this year and these are the bills we’re introducing to back our position up.’ I will help facilitate that.” Osman has been in the House since 2021. He sits on the House commerce and Judiciary committees.
Planned Parenthood under funding microscope
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Congressman Ron Estes were among more than 100 Republican lawmakers who are asking for an investigation into the amount of federal funding that has been awarded to health centers that also provide abortions.
The legislators are requesting that the Government Accountability Office investigate the amount of funding sent to those groups — including Planned Parenthood and its affiliates — over the past three years.
“Proper oversight of public funds and programs is crucial for determining the value of the goods and services provided to and funded by American taxpayers,” the letter said.
“The information sought in this inquiry is instrumental for policymakers and the public alike,” they wrote.
“It is our hope that this report will provide greater insight as Congress considers funding levels and provides increased transparency and openness for our constituencies and the general public,” the letter said.
The lawmakers want a report that details funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, International Planned Parenthood Federation, and MSI Reproductive Choices, among others.
Here’s coverage of the letter sent to the GAO from The Hill newspaper.
Tariffs controversy
The Kansas City Star/Wichita Eagle looks at the implications of tariffs for Kansas and last week’s vote by an interim legislative committee rejecting the idea of asking the full Legislature to send a letter to Trump and Kansas’ congressional members urging them to oppose tariff that would hurt the state.
New chief appellate judge
The Kansas Supreme Court has selected Judge Sarah Warner to serve as chief judge of the 14-member Kansas Court of Appeals starting Jan. 13.
Warner will succeed Chief Judge Karen Arnold-Burger, who will continue to serve on the Court of Appeals after her second four-year term as chief judge ends.
“Chief Judge Arnold-Burger has provided outstanding leadership during the past eight years, and I know I have big shoes to fill,” Warner said.
“But it’s been the honor of my life to be a Court of Appeals judge, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve our court and judicial system in this way,” she said in a statement.
Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Warner to the appellate bench in 2019 after her first choice for the position ran into confirmation problems in the Senate after his angry, and sometimes profane, social media posts directed at conservative politicians were revealed.
Warner has been a Court of Appeals judge since 2019. As chief judge, she will determine venues for arguments, designate cases to be heard by three-judge panels and assign judges to panels.
She earned her law degree from Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which was founded by Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan in 1999 with a goal of “combining legal advocacy and Catholic morality.”
She graduated magna cum laude, was a senior editor of the Ave Maria Law Review and at commencement received the highest award given to a law school graduate.
After law school, Warner served as chambers counsel for Chief Justice Robert Davis of the Kansas Supreme Court.
Warner was named president of the Kansas Bar Association at age 38 and was elected to the Kansas Bar’s Board of Governors at 35.
She became president of the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel at 36.
Campaign finance reports snafus
The state ethics commission issued failure-to-file notices in 7.5% cases out of a little more than 1,500 campaign finance reports filed during fiscal year 2024.
A new report from the agency shows that 1,519 campaign finance reports were filed from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.
In 114 cases, or 7.5%, a failure-to-file notice was sent. And in another 241 cases, or 15.9%, an errors-and-omissions report was sent.
Those numbers are about on par with other years.
In fiscal year 2023, there were 2,978 campaign finance reports filed.
And in 218 cases, or about 7.3%, failure-to-file notices were sent. Another 407 notices for errors and omissions found in those reports, or 13.7%, were sent out.
In fiscal 2022, there were 1,462 campaign finance reports filed.
And in 116 cases, or about 7.9%, failure-to-file notices were sent. Another 202 notices for errors and omissions found in those reports, or 13.8%, were sent out.
