TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says he’s committed to funding more schools, tackling unemployment and improving the lives of all Kansans. On Wednesday night, Gov. Brownback delivered his annual State of the State address from the state capitol in Topeka.
Gov. Brownback took almost one hour to deliver the address. His key issues included: education, employment and what the governor called, “necessary stability” for more Kansas families.
“The state of our state is strong and getting stronger and we’re leading an American renaissance,” Gov. Brownback said.
A cheerful and enthusiastic Gov. Brownback used his annual State of the State address to tell Kansas house and senate members the Sunflower State has bounced back from tough economic times, and is moving in the right direction.
“The state once couldn’t pay its bills on time, because state government had no cash,” he said in the address.
The governor said in the last three years that Kansas has made “significant economic progress.” He said since December, 2010 the state added 1,000 jobs a month. He also told the crowd that unemployment dropped from 6.9 percent in 2010 to 5.1 percent at its current state.
“But for all the good that’s happening in our state, too many of our fellow Kansans are still struggling,” he said.
Gov Brownback said education is the state’s top issue and stressed it was the legislature’s job, not the judiciary’s to fund it.
“All we have done and will continue to do is down with the goal of building a broad prosperity for all Kansans,” he said.
House minority leader Paul Davis (D) from Lawrence delivered the Democratic response to the governor’s address. Davis said Brownback’s policies have failed Kansas.
“Gov. Brownback and his roadmap for Kansas are leading our state in the wrong direction. Our schools are suffering, jobs remain scarce and property taxes are skyrocketing,”
That debate between Davis and Gov. Brownback will continue. Davis is running against Gov. Brownback in this year’s election. For a full transcript of the governor’s address, click on this link.
