During the 2025 Kansas legislative session, we are providing 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. Brandon Woodard, the House Minority Leader who represents Kansas House District 108, covering parts of Lenexa, Olathe and Overland Park.
The Post earlier this week also published Capitol Updates from Republican Sen. Doug Shane of Louisburg and Democratic Rep. Nikki McDonald of Olathe.
Throughout the 2024 election cycle, Republican candidates running for the legislature made big promises to address rising property taxes and the unaffordable cost of living in Kansas. But when the 2025 legislative session began, it was clear their priorities were elsewhere.
The very first bill passed stripped parental rights by banning gender-affirming care, setting the tone for a session dominated by partisan culture wars, not real solutions for Kansans.
This year, we saw little effort to ease the financial burden on working families. Instead, Republicans pushed an agenda that ignored the everyday struggles Kansans are facing.
They passed harmful legislation attacking our elections, including eliminating the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots, making it more difficult for Kansans to have their voices heard.
Republican leaders also advanced controversial bills like mandating fetal development videos in public schools and collecting child support starting at conception.
Despite Kansans clearly voting to protect abortion rights in 2022, Republicans continue to defy the will of the people with more thinly veiled anti-choice legislation. These bills don’t help Kansans; they serve only to appease the far right.
Governor Kelly’s budget proposed free school meals for low-income students. Instead of supporting kids in need, Republicans turned their backs on them, choosing instead to stigmatize families on SNAP benefits by attempting to ban the purchase of candy and soda. They even held up the Summer EBT program as leverage, punishing families who rely on food assistance.
When House Democrats introduced an amendment to finally expand Medicaid, every single Republican voted no. A few even left the room to avoid being on record.
They also rejected our efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, even though Kansas still lags behind with an embarrassingly low $7.25 wage that hasn’t been livable in years. There is no reason workers should be making less in Kansas than in Missouri.
Meanwhile, they admitted to adjusting for inflation only on their own pet projects, ignoring how the rising cost of living impacts Kansas workers.
The 2025 session was filled with harmful, misguided legislation that will negatively affect everyday Kansans. The GOP’s campaign promises to address affordability were nothing more than empty rhetoric.
While Republicans doubled down on divisive policies, House Democrats introduced serious proposals aimed at making life more affordable and just in our state. Though we didn’t have the numbers to pass them this year, we’re not giving up.
We’re committed to continuing the fight for livable wages, fiscally responsible tax relief, supporting public education, affordable housing and fair access to the ballot box.
As we look ahead to the 2026 Kansas House elections, we’re focused on winning back seats, amplifying Kansans’ voices and passing legislation that actually serves the people of Kansas.
