Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said in a free society people have a First Amendment right to freedom of expression.

“My vote no…is not meant as an encouragement to violent, graphic depictions, but rather it is a defense of freedom, liberty and the First Amendment despite the fact that the price of freedom is high,” Carmichael said.

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article141459144.html

The Kansas House vote took place before the failure of the federal bill. Lawmakers who had expressed reservations about supporting expansion because of federal uncertainty may now be more inclined to support a veto override, said Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita.

“You take that off the table and that may pick up the necessary votes to override the veto,” Carmichael said. “It’s my hope, however, that the governor will do the responsible thing and at the least allow this to become law without his signature.”

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article141202878.html

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, voiced support for the bill, but suggested the state needs to continue reforming the process for dealing with sexual violent predators.

“By no means does this fix the many serious issues we have with Larned State Hospital,” he said.

Read the full story at http://cjonline.com/news/state-government/2017-03-27/kansas-house-advances-bill-establishing-annual-review-sexually

Democratic Rep. John Carmichael, of Wichita, also opposed the bill, saying he didn’t think the bill would prevent minors from buying tickets and that he’s generally opposed to state-sponsored gambling.

“The state should not be involved in promoting gambling, especially when the state takes a higher percentage of the handle, the wagers, the bets, than even a bookmaker on the street,” he said.

Read the full story at http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/mar/26/kansas-lawmakers-considering-lottery-vending-machi/

“We have to make a hard decision: Do we want to educate our children to compete in the 21st century? Or do we want to see our schools fall to the level of some adjoining states, where we have never provided children with the education that they need. I don’t believe Kansans want to live in that type of a state,” Rep. John Carmichael (D-Wichita) said.

Read the full story at http://ksn.com/2017/03/26/lawmakers-collaborating-to-end-the-year-in-the-black/

“We started off with a bang,” said Rep. John Carmichael, (D) Wichita. “But unfortunately we sit here with two weeks left in the regular session and none of that accomplished.” But he says it will get done, “because we can’t leave without balancing the budget for this year and without a budget for next year.” That’s a constitutional requirement in Kansas.

Read the full story at http://www.kwch.com/content/news/Time-running-out-for-lawmakers-to-solve-state-budget-problems-417142983.html

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said lawmakers are recognizing that budget cuts alone won’t balance the budget or bail lawmakers out of the ongoing financial pressures facing the state.

But Carmichael said the Legislature strengthens the governor’s hand each day that passes without a tax plan and budget in place.

“We place ourselves closer and closer to an absolute crisis where the governor will take action and the Legislature through its delay will have compromised our ability to affect the outcome,” Carmichael said.

Read the full story at http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article140810053.html

Rep. Trevor Jacobs, a Fort Scott Republican, and Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, were two of those voting no and for similar reasons.

Rehabilitation clubhouses are important, but Carmichael said he could not agree with the expansion of gambling, particularly vending machine gambling.

Read the full story at http://www.hutchnews.com/e887d266-5dae-5bc2-aaf3-ec42ff684bcc.html

The House Judiciary Committee approved a multifaceted bill Tuesday to correct an oversight in state law making first-time conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia a higher level misdemeanor than actual possession of illegal drugs.

Rep. Russ Jennings, R-Lakin, and Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, argued for bringing equity to the offenses.

Read the full story at http://cjonline.com/news/state-government/local/2017-03-21/kansas-house-panel-aligns-paraphernalia-drug-possession-laws

The Ad Astra Rural Jobs Act, as the bill is called, passed the House, 97-22, over the objection of some House members who said it had not been thoroughly studied, and worried that it could lead to giving taxpayer subsidies to factory hog farms or other kinds of confined animal feeding operations.

Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, made that argument during debate on the bill Tuesday. He also noted that a nearly identical bill was introduced in the Missouri General Assembly in 2016, under the name “the Show-Me Rural Jobs Act,” and that the same venture capital firm executive who supported that bill was also the leading proponent of this year’s bill in Kansas.

“I sincerely hope this bill accomplishes its laudable purpose and does not result in the victimization of small businesses in Kansas by out-of-state venture capital companies,” Carmichael said, explaining his vote against the bill.

Read the full story at http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/mar/15/house-passes-rural-jobs-bill-despite-skepticism/