Author: Staff

An open letter to State Board of Education Member John Bacon

An open letter to State Board of Education Member John Bacon

Dear Mr. Bacon:

I don’t know you, so I may be totally off base, but why in the world would you vote not to retain and encourage one of the finest, most honest, and most dedicated public servants in the history of Kansas.  Does fifty years of distinguished service mean nothing to you?

Public service is not easy.  Those who devote their lives to it deserve our respect and thanks, not vilification.  If we want to encourage the hard working professionals who work every day for Kansans, the way to do it is to support Dale Dennis and those like him, rather than disparaging his good name for political gain.

John Carmichael
Ranking Member Kansas House Judiciary Committee
Kansas State Representative, District 92
785-296-7650

From KSN: Kansas lawmakers working to toughen swatting penalties

“We need to make sure that people understand that this is not a joke, it’s not a trick, it’s not a stunt. It’s a serious crime and you will go to jail if you do it,” explained Carmichael.

“We want to make sure this is a serious felony and will result in someone going to jail,” said Carmichael.

Read the full story at http://ksn.com/2018/01/19/kansas-lawmakers-working-to-toughen-swatting-penalties/

From the Wichita Eagle: Wichita State gun case shows loophole in campus carry law

“Whether it’s at our universities, or whether it’s anywhere else in public on the streets or otherwise, law enforcement officers have no way to know whether someone carrying a firearm, concealed or unconcealed, is in fact someone (who’s) disqualified from carrying a firearm because of prior convictions,” Carmichael said. “At some point, we are going to have a tragedy arise because of that.”

Carmichael is a gun owner and said he supports the right to keep and bear firearms. But, he said, “there needs to be some reasonable regulation in the interest of public safety.”

From the Garden City Telegram: Brownback hails falling child-poverty rate

http://www.gctelegram.com/storyimage/KS/20180105/NEWS/180109190/AR/0/AR-180109190.jpg?Q=75&maxW=960&maxH=960Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said celebration among Brownback administration officials about families skipping away from poverty was misplaced.

“What has claimed to be success actually represents denial of services to people in need,” he said.

http://www.gctelegram.com/news/20180105/brownback-hails-falling-child-poverty-rate

 

From the Wichita Eagle: Opioid crisis: Pharmacist wants law to fight fear of cops

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he will ask the Legislative Research Department to evaluate what other states have done with an eye toward drafting a Kansas bill.

“It’s worth looking into. It seems like a good idea,” he said.

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article192937209.html

From the Lawrence Journal-World: Kansas attorney general, Johnson County DA to confer on Supreme Court immigrant cases

Justices return from recess during hearings before the Kansas Supreme Court in Topeka, Kan., Thursday, May 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) State Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, an attorney, said the decisions were consistent with American legal principles.

“It is a long-standing doctrine that the federal government has pre-empted the field of immigration; it is a federal responsibility, and the application of state laws that conflict with the federal scheme is not permissible,” Carmichael said.

Read the full story at http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/sep/12/kansas-attorney-general-da-confer-supreme-court-im/

/ In In the News / By Staff / Comments Off on From the Lawrence Journal-World: Kansas attorney general, Johnson County DA to confer on Supreme Court immigrant cases

From the Kansas City Star: Kansas Legislature moves to give amusement rides more time to comply with new law

The Verrückt water slide in Kansas City, Kan., has not been in operation since a death occurred there last August. It eventually will be taken down.Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, voted against the bill.

“What we did today represents an unnecessary delay of safety regulations,” Carmichael said Thursday. “We can only hope and pray that no other child is killed or injured between now and the first of January.”

Read the full story at http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article155421404.html

/ In In the News / By Staff / Comments Off on From the Kansas City Star: Kansas Legislature moves to give amusement rides more time to comply with new law

From the Kansas City Star: Kris Kobach launches campaign for Kansas governor

His candidacy was condemned by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a national group that advocates for immigrant rights.

“Kobach is an Architect of Hate and he’s relied on hate and fear to financially profit as he advanced and defended policies aimed at severely restricting immigration in the United States. He is simply not fit to be governor of Kansas — or hold any public office,” the group said in a statement.

Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat who has been a vocal critic of Kobach, accused him of running “on a platform of hate.”

Read the full story at http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article155063589.html

From KCUR: Kansas Lawmakers Work To Resolve Differences Between Budget …

Kansas legislative research staff members J.G. Scott, left, and Dylan Dear confer while answering questions from lawmakers during Thursday night’s negotiations. A panel of senators and representatives worked toward a compromise between two budget bills.Some lawmakers also worried the Legislature will continue to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars from the Kansas Department of Transportation to cover other areas of the state budget.

“We can’t keep doing it this way,” said Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat.

Read the full story at http://kcur.org/post/kansas-lawmakers-work-resolve-differences-between-budget-plans