That has rankled at least two Wichita Democratic members of the delegation, incoming House Minority Leader Jim Ward and Rep. John Carmichael.
Ward said the delegation hadn’t been consulted before the decision was made to eliminate public comment and if it had been, he would have opposed it. He said the pre-session forum is a tradition going back at least 30 years.
“It was a unilateral decision by an outgoing legislator to deny the public the chance to engage their representatives,” Ward said. “That’s totally inappropriate.”
Added Carmichael: “Unfortunately, I understand some members of the South Central Kansas Delegation don’t have the courage to face their constituents. And that’s wrong.”
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“I’d say, from the Democrats’ perspective, if we consider increases in sales tax, whether a gas or tobacco tax, it needs to be coupled in some fashion with sales tax relief on food,” said Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita.