TOPEKA – On August 2nd, Governor Laura Kelly is releasing a new video message to Kansans highlighting how she’s worked with both parties to get results and improve the lives of Kansans.
In the video, Governor Kelly highlights the successes of her first term, from balancing the budget and fully funding schools to axing the food tax. Governor Kelly makes it clear that it’s time to continue her steady bipartisan approach instead of going backward.
Watch Governor Laura Kelly as she speaks directly to Kansans here:
Transcript:
Hi, I’m Governor Kelly. When I took office nearly four short years ago, we faced: a budget that was broken at its core, a public school system that was underfunded and underperforming, and an economy that was stalled, especially in our rural parts of the state.
I ran for Governor because I heard from my neighbors, from teachers, parents, and everyday Kansans that they wanted a change. They wanted a steady hand at the wheel, they wanted to get Kansas back on track.
And since I took office, we’ve done just that. Our first order of business: get the budget under control. We rolled up our sleeves, brought both parties together – and not only did we balance the budget, but we created a record surplus.
That sound fiscal management allowed us to do several things; first, we fully funded our schools. That had to happen. Then, we passed a series of tax cuts to put money back in the pockets of Kansas families – we eliminated the sales tax on food once and for all; we cut taxes for veterans, for teachers, for agriculture, and small businesses.
We also put money in the state’s Rainy Day fund, because planning for a rainy day is the responsible thing to do. We closed an old political slush fund known as the bank of KDOT, and made sure those funds are actually used to rebuild roads, bridges, and highways with over 1,000 infrastructure projects in the works.
The results of our hard work are showing.
Unemployment is at a record low. And we brought in over $13.5 billion in new business investment, and created and retained over 48,000 new jobs, and landed the largest economic development project in Kansas history: Panasonic.
Our state’s fiscal house is back in order.
But at the same time, the same politicians who drove our state into the ground want the keys back. They must think Kansans have a very short memory. Back to the days of budget deficits, when some schools were so poorly funded that they were forced to go to 4-day school weeks.
And they’ll take us back to the days where extreme political ideologies won over basic common sense.
They’ll take us back to the days when Kansas was getting national attention for all the wrong reasons.
We tried that approach before, and it was a total mess. We cannot go back.
Now that we’ve steadied the ship, we must keep moving forward. So join me as we continue to put Kansas on the path forward.
With stronger schools, an economy that keeps growing – not just with jobs, but with careers you can build a life around. And safe communities, where neighbors help neighbors.
I want to make Kansas the best state in America to get an education, raise a family and start a business. And together, I know we will.
Thank you for your support.
###