By NATE KING
Salina Post
Incumbent Republican State Representative for Kansas' 69th House District, Clarke Sanders, secured another two years in office on Nov. 5, winning with 58% of the vote. Sanders expressed satisfaction with both the outcome and the overall tone of the campaign, describing it as “conducted very above board.”
"It went really well for me, but I thought the campaign, for the most part, was conducted very above board, and I was pleased with the tenor of the campaign and obviously pleased with the outcome," said Sanders.
A win for Kansas Republicans
The 2024 Nov. General Election wasn't just a great night for Sanders —Kansas Republicans took home a slate of victories in the Senate and the State House of Representatives.
“We have more of a mandate to get done what Republicans in the statehouse have been trying to do,” Sanders said.
In the Kansas Senate, Republicans hold a significant majority, with 30 confirmed Republican seats and potentially 31, depending on the results of a close race in District 5. This increased from the previous session's 29 Republicans, where only 26 Republican representatives consistently voted with the Kansas Republicans on major issues.
In the Kansas House, Republicans have expanded their majority from 85 to at least 88 seats, with a possible 89th seat pending in the Kansas House District 49. Previously, the House had 85 Republicans, with a few members occasionally siding with Gov. Kelly. Republicans now hold a stronger supermajority, giving them more than the 87 votes required to override a veto.
Sanders echoed remarks by Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins criticizing Gov. Kelly for her efforts to break the Republican-held supermajority in Topeka.
Hawkins' statement reads:
"The Governor made it clear she would not support property tax relief in the next session. She raised a ton of outside special interest money and told lie on top of lie about school funding and abortion to try to mislead voters and stop our efforts. Quite frankly, the people of Kansas are much smarter than that and saw through their dishonesty and hateful rhetoric and voted to put a stop to their games. "
Hawkins' statement continues.
"At the end of the day, the massive amount of work and dedication our House Republican candidates put into their districts—ensuring they were listening to what is most important to you, is truly why we’re here with a much stronger supermajority. A humble thank you to the people of Kansas and congratulations to our team—I look forward to the truly awesome things we’ll accomplish together for the next two years.”
Sanders' legislative priorities
Sanders' priorities for the upcoming session include reintroducing a bill from the last session to reduce property taxes and advancing a long-sought sales tax exemption for qualifying community theaters.
“We got it as part of another bill last session, but the governor vetoed it,” Sanders said."It passed both the House and the Senate by wide margins, and she vetoed. At the time we weren't going to be in session to override her veto."
Given the gains in the House and Senate, Sanders said that he is not overwhelmingly worried about a looming veto this time.
"Given the overall numbers that we've got now, her ability to veto much of anything is not going to be very high," Sanders said.
Sanders stated that he and his Republican colleagues plan to pass property tax relief for Kansans by advocating for a reduction in the state’s mill levy. The proposal, which sought to lower the state’s property tax for K-12 public education from 20 mills to 18 mills, was introduced last session but was vetoed by the governor.
The legislation also increased the residential exemption on state property tax from $40,000 to $100,000.
"We need to get a reduction of mill levy that the state assesses, and I know that that's going to come up very early in the session," Sanders said. "I'm thinking it's going to be passed in January. The governor has promised to veto it, and we'll be able to override that veto in both the House and Senate now, with the makeup of the new legislature, so that's high on my agenda."
In addition to tax relief, Sanders said Republicans would focus on getting more funding for county tag offices across Kansas. He acknowledged recent frustration from Saline County residents over the closure of a local satellite office due to funding shortages.
"The state tag offices haven't had a raise in their funding in 17 years, and the only way tag offices can get more money is if the state appropriates it," Sanders said. "This isn't a city or county decision."
A new way to propose the state budget
On October 23, the State Legislative Coordinating Council approved the creation of the Special Committee on Legislative Budget. This interim committee is exploring a new approach to the state budget process, which would allow the Kansas Legislature to draft the initial budget rather than the governor, as has traditionally been done.
"We don't know what they [the committee] is going to come up with yet, but the way I understand it is that instead of the budget originating with the governor, which is the way that it's always been done, the budget is going to originate with the legislature," Sanders said.
Under this proposal, the governor would review the legislature’s proposed budget and she would have the option to make line-item vetoes. However, Sanders believes the governor's vetoes are not likely to withstand overrides in the new legislature. While the governor could release agency budget requests sooner, in the past, the legislature had to wait until after the session started to review them.
Those in favor of changing how the budget is proposed argue that the change will provide another two months for further vetting, ensuring the state is on a fiscally responsible path.
The interim committee, consisting of 23 members appointed by Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, includes key legislative leaders and chairs of various budget committees.
Contacting your legislator
The new legislative session begins on Jan. 13. To discuss a legislative issue with Rep. Sanders, email him at [email protected].
To keep up to date on legislation Rep. Sanders is sponsoring or introducing, click here. The State Library of Kansas reminds residents that information about the 2025 Kansas Legislative session is only a phone call or chat away. The toll-free number for the Legislative Hotline is 1-800-432-3924.
Frequently asked questions include:
● Who are my legislators?
● How can I contact them?
● What is the status of this bill?
Calls are answered by experienced reference and research librarians at the State Library.