Each legislative session, we provide Shawnee Mission area legislators the opportunity to share their thoughts about what’s happening in the state capitol. Rep. Nancy Lusk, Rep. Charlotte Esau, and Sen. Barbara Bollier are scheduled to send updates this week. (Rep. Esau did not respond to our invitation to submit a column).
Below is a column from Rep. Lusk.
Last week I went to the Johnson County Election office, but it was not a trip to file for re-election. I accompanied (with proper social distancing, of course) another person who did file to run for the 22nd House District, Lindsay Vaughn. She is an extremely bright and dedicated young woman who I believe has the potential to be a great representative. And I signed up for a new role for myself – to be her campaign treasurer.
I should explain my decision to not run again is not related to the upheaval of the COVID 19 crisis, but is one I had been considering for some time. This year is my eighth in the legislature and to put it simply, it’s the right choice for me now, and it’s the right time for another who is ready and worthy to “step into the arena.”
Nor is my decision related to the low pay, although that does make it hard for some legislators to continue serving. To put legislative pay into perspective, in 1955 House members were paid $12 a day. It doesn’t sound like much, but the daily salary a representative receives in 2020 is the equivalent of about $9 in 1955 dollars.
Members do receive an extra per-diem allowance to cover food and housing expenses, but it is the equivalent of $15.50 in 1955 dollars and added together, it’s a total of less than $25. And the job doesn’t end with the end of session; it demands a large amount of unpaid time outside of the statehouse, too.
That said, I think most legislators would agree that the real reward of serving is not monetary, but the chance of making a difference for the better. As I have served in office, I have tried my best to make good judgement calls on legislation and provide responsible government. I am proud and pleased I was a part of the Brownback tax policy repeal, and of the accomplishment of finally funding K-12 school finance at a sufficient level.
My biggest take-away lesson from my time in the legislature is that good government matters. The quality of our leaders’ decision-making directly impacts the quality of life that Kansas citizens experience. As we have seen with the coronavirus pandemic, government may be the only institution in a position to fix, or at least mitigate, unexpected problems we face as a society.
I am grateful Governor Kelly has taken preemptive actions to manage our state’s response to the coronavirus, which will help flatten the outbreak curve in Kansas. From the start of her administration she staffed it with high-caliber experts like Secretary of Health and Environment Dr. Lee Norman. In addition to holding daily live public press conferences at 2:00 pm (available through the Governor Laura Kelly Facebook page), she also started a Friday briefing conference call with legislators and key locally elected officials across the state.
Her administration is in constant contact with us sending resource information via email updates. And the Kansas departments of Labor, Health, and Commerce are providing numerous resources available to the public on their websites and through social media.
I, like other legislators, have been fielding calls of concern from constituents, mainly problems connecting with the Kansas Department of Labor. Staff at the statehouse is continually providing support to our efforts to help.
There may be others who also decide to enter the 22nd House District race, but whoever wins, I hope it will be someone who has an appreciation of the largely invisible and important role that government plays in maintaining our public structures and institutions, and an understanding that the public sector can be a practical problem-solver for our collective good. This pretty much sums up why I am so pleased that Lindsay Vaughn is willing to step up and run.
This is not a final good-bye yet. I will be completing my full term, which does not end until next January, and I plan to stay actively involved in our community after that. And as always, I want to express my thanks for the trust given to me to serve in this role.
Stay home, stay safe, and be healthy wishes.
