Kansas Republicans were quick to paint Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto Tuesday of their coronavirus bill as a power grab when in fact the biggest takeaway was the governor’s willingness to compromise.
Kelly handed over responsibility to address the COVID-19 pandemic to individual counties, withdrawing her mandated Ad Astra program to gradually reopen the state.
In exchange, she intends to retain the ability to declare official disasters and their management as well as oversee disbursement of federal aid to help those affected.
Eager to stoke the fire, GOP leaders say the governor’s proposal “creates unnecessary confusion,” and is illustrative of her lack of leadership.
LET’S BACK UP.
After a seven-week hiatus, Kansas legislators allotted one measly day last week to address what should have been a jam-packed schedule.
That in itself is a travesty.
Unemployment in Kansas is 11.2%. Two months ago it was 2.8%.
That’s 130,400 Kansans needing assistance as they look for work that will be slow in coming.
Instead of facing the fact that we are experiencing a global pandemic, Republicans are eager to blame those lost jobs on Kelly, saying her response to the health crisis is overkill.
Seems 9,337 confirmed infections, 822 hospitalizations and 205 deaths from the virus in Kansas alone aren’t worth their attention.
For many, losing their jobs has also meant losing their health insurance. Of all the years to expand Medicaid — an opportunity for the last 11 years — this is the time. The measure would close the coverage gap and increase access, helping not only those who need healthcare but also the health clinics and hospitals who deliver their care.
With politicians seemingly conflicted on what to prioritize — their constituents’ health or their pocketbooks — expanding Medicaid hits both targets.
KELLY HAS requested legislators return June 3 to rewrite the emergency management bill.
Top of the agenda should be to expand Medicaid.
Second, is to see that businesses and industries are held accountable during this pandemic by providing their employees and clients safe living and work environments.
Specific in the legislation that Republicans passed last week is a guarantee that no coronavirus-related lawsuits can be filed against such entities for negligence or deceit.
In Kansas, there have been 113 outbreaks of COVID-19 that have resulted in 138 deaths. Of those, 30 outbreaks were in long-term care facilities, resulting in 107 deaths.
