Each week during the 2025 Kansas legislative session, we will provide Johnson County lawmakers the opportunity to share their thoughts about what is happening in the state capitol.
The views expressed in each Capitol Update are solely those of the lawmaker. The topics are of the lawmakers’ choosing and are not fact-checked.
Below is a submission from Democratic Rep. Cindy Neighbor, who represents Kansas House District 18, covering parts of Shawnee and Merriam.
The Post plans to publish a Capitol Update from Republican Rep. John Resman later this week. We also extended an offer to Republican Sen. Adam Thomas but did not hear back.
As I think about this session. I can honestly say that is has been totally different. With an excelled calendar to working the budget process, everything is different. I wish I could report that all the changes were positive, but that would not be true.
I have always felt that change provides new opportunities! The new budget process was designed to cut the Governor out of the process. The budget is basically a Republication majority document. The federal government’s budget and cuts are very similar to the path that has been taken in Kansas.
Cuts to special education is just one example, along with cutting higher education. When we look at tuition, tenured professors and departments underfunded and put on the chopping block, we have to wonder where our education system will be in the future. Kansas is known for its high level of expectations and where we be when this is not happening in the future?
Our courts are under attack again. There is a movement taking place to change the way our judges are chosen from appointment to elected. When people go to court, they know they will win or lose. We have politicians who get mad at judges who don’t vote the way they want—on schools, abortion rights, etc. Our judges take an oath to protect and defend our Constitution. They are to enforce the laws the Legislature makes. They are not a political arm of any group. They are a branch of government that is separate and that is good! Keep your eyes and ears open on how this issue progresses.
Kansas is a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and do business! We believe in helping our neighbors and communities grow and prosper. What we can’t do is fall into lock step with Washington DC and the civil unrest and unhappiness that is so prevalent every day. Our country is losing its democracy and is dismantling our system of government. This is a serious loss to all of us as citizens of this country. We need to work together to make sure we stay strong and treat our neighbors with respect, both here and abroad.
