“We need to remember over two years ago the governor embarked on a program with the help of his friends in the Legislature to pack the Supreme Court,” Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said.
Month: August 2016
Hutch News: “Brownback: Kansas primary results not a reflection on his policies”
“The governor sadly remains out of touch with reality. He does not realize what happened last Tuesday was a repudiation not only of his policies but also his Republican conservative friends in the Legislature who implemented those policies,” said Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita.
http://www.hutchnews.com/news/local_state_news/brownback-kansas-primary-results-not-a-reflection-on-his-policies/article_825c27fc-66f3-5c61-a703-7d208fd22166.html
KWCH: Fatal water slide accident questions need for stricter inspection laws in KS
Some Kansans are asking if the deadly Schlitterbahn accident is a sign we need stricter inspection laws in Kansas. Our state is one of a limited number that don’t require state inspectors to certify a ride’s safety.
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“I represented a ride manufacturer whose ride unfortunately caused the electrocution of a child at a traveling carnival,” said Rep. John Carmichael, (D) Wichita. That was 35 years ago. “We did have Kiddie Land and Joyland here in Wichita when I was growing up. I’m that old. And a lot of the inspections then were performed by the fire department.”
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The records of those inspections are available to any company who rents the ride. But the state hasn’t answered our questions about whether the public can see the records.
“There is no system to keep track of good operators or bad operators,” Carmichael said. “It is basically a self inspection program.”
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But Carmichael says having state safety inspectors might not be enough to prevent some accidents.
“We probably cannot expect a basic safety inspector to do a design analysis of a large mega ride,” he said.
Kansas is one of a limited number of states that don’t currently use state inspectors for ride safety. The laws we do have apply more to mobile amusement park rides like you might see at a street carnival or county fair. Carmichael believes we might need a separate set of design requirements for large, permanent rides like the Verruckt.
Wichita Eagle: Moderates, Democrats could control school finance next legislative session
“Government by fiat in Kansas is done,” said Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita. “We are going to have to have cooperation between three factions – conservative Republicans, moderate Republicans and Democrats – in order to do anything to right the sinking ship of state that we’ve watched for the past six years.”