In the News
In this time of uncertainty, Johnson and Miami County residents deserve leadership from their elected representatives regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. But Molly’s constituents have heard little from her on this critical issue, aside from a photo op where she handed out sack lunches one day a week at a local car dealership. That’s nice, Molly. One meal, one hour. But what are families to do the rest of the week? How will they pay their bills and feed their families? How to survive and thrive during the pandemic…
Kansas foster care system funding
“What’s insulting to me — not so much that it’s insulting to the legislative process, although there is that insult — but that it’s insulting to the foster kids,” Baumgardner said in July 2020. What Baumgardner neglected to say was that she voted YES on HS Sub for SB 161, the 2016-17 adjusted budget bill that continues to borrow and sweep, without addressing the underlying revenue shortfall and associated tax policy, thereby STARVING the Department of Children and Families (DCF)of funding for foster kids and families. Fortunately, Gov. Kelly saw through her charade
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About two hundred people on Saturday attended a town hall event in Olathe where they questioned nine Republican lawmakers about their positions on Medicaid expansion and school financing.
Many held placards expressing support for more Medicaid funding. All of the lawmakers present - including Molly Baumgardner - were opposed to expanding the program and agreed with Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision to veto an expansion bill passed overwhelmingly by the Legislature. Fast forward to 2020, recently she’s been crowing about how she ‘worked’ with Denning to expand Medicaid. Utter hogwash. Which way is the wind blowing, today, Molly?
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Molly Baumgardner appealed to House lawmakers Monday for support of a bill requiring production of annual academic report cards on each of the state’s foster children. Admirable, in theory. Yet Molly Baumgardner has never missed an opportunity to short change the vulnerable and that’s why child welfare advocates are worried....click to read more
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Molly Baumgardner says she’s been working for Highway 68 improvements ever since she became a senator. What she doesn’t mention is that she said NOTHING as Sam Brownback raided the ‘Bank of KDOT’ to make up for his disastrous tax giveaway… ”Withdrawals from the so-called Bank of KDOT escalated under former Gov. Sam Brownback, with more than $2 billion swept away since 2011.” Baumgardner never opposed by voice nor vote ANY of Brownback’s raids on KDOT. Now she’s trying to take credit for funding K-68, something she has most definitely NOT done over the last 6 years. So much for ‘leadership’ in infrastructure and public safety.
Molly Baumgardner pressed colleagues Wednesday to answer public criticism of legislators by supporting her proposal for child welfare reform. What she failed to mention is that her plan mandated only 4 months for KS DCF to implement very substantial changes…without providing any additional funding....click to read more
In promoting this bill, Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg said ACT offered to extend the testing at no additional cost to the state. But she added no accountabilty requirements the bill, leaving a key part of the legislation to be added by Democratic Sen. Barbara Bollier “We know…..kids that might be home schooled or attending private, they tend to kind of weave in and out of our public schools,” Baumgardner said. But Baumgardner knows the ‘free’ testing offer is a loss leader for ACT, and that they will be back next year demanding payment for every test administered. Watch as her ‘free’ testing for private school students is quietly dropped and Kansas taxpayers get stuck with the tab ..click to read more
In Dec 2019 Democratic Senator Tom Holland and Republican Senator Molly Baumgardner co-sponsored the Kristi L. Bennett Mental Health Parity Act. Kristi died after multiple mental health facilities refused her insurance. After filing the bill and professing to support people needing mental health services, Baumgardner bowed to her insurance company corporate donors and voted against the bill in committee, effectively killing it. Sen. Holland, however and his fellow committee Democrats voted for it.
Baumgardner put the Bennett family through her legislative charade, knowing all along that she and her fellow Republicans would not allow it to advance to the full legislature for a vote. It was all pure political theater at the expense of the young woman’s family. Shame on her.
In spite of her recent ‘creative’ campaign rhetoric, Baumgardner has also steadfastly opposed Medicaid Expansion at every turn. How many Kansas families could have benefited, been spared the tragedy of loss, had she not been such a vocal opponent of insurance for those less fortunate than she? ....click to read more
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For all her show of piety, Molly Baumgardner has voted again and again AGAINST fairness and justice. That’s why she single-handedly derailed Gov’ Kelly’s nomination of Carl Folsom, a decent and respected public-defense attorney man to the Kansas Court of Appeals in August 2020.
“This cannot be dismissed as mere politics,” said Melody Brannon, who leads the federal public defender’s office in Kansas and is Folsom’s boss. “It is much deeper and more harmful. Public defenders represent clients who are poor and often people of color. To denigrate our clients and Carl’s work while protests against systemic racism saturate our communities is particularly reprehensible. Our responsibility as public defenders is to call out police and prosecutorial abuses in defense of our clients of color — these senators did not want that experience and presence on the bench.”
Check out these references regarding Molly’s active support of the Brownback disaster - then check out her Report Card (next page)
https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/kansas-lawmaker-seeks-to-prevent-state-from-borrowing-kdot-funds/article_bd7c3dd9-684a-5082-947d-b804e5638035.html
https://www.courthousenews.com/brownbacks-schools-plan-fails-to-impress-kansas/
https://www.courthousenews.com/kansas-still-starving-schools-money-supreme-court-says/
https://www.courthousenews.com/kansas-school-funding-woes-drag-into-summer/
https://www.kcur.org/health/2015-02-17/flat-spending-proposed-for-kansas-hospitals-that-treat-disabled-and-mentally-ill
https://www.kcur.org/news/2017-04-02/kansas-lawmakers-at-olathe-town-hall-meeting-draw-boos-over-unwillingness-to-expand-medicaid
https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/nov/02/kansas-tax-collections-11m-short-expectations-octo/
https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=24844712
http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article6514956.html
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/04/20/kansas_tax_cuts_are_a_mistake_and_everyone_agrees.html
http://www.hutchnews.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/will-brownback-s-debacle-ever-end/article_d54677de-8e23-52bc-
823a-089c66c1e4c0.html
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/06/19/healthcare-firm-flees-kansas-ceo-brownback-resign-shame.html
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2014/06/30/the-kansas-tax-cut-debacle-the-enduring-power-of-badideas
http://www.kansas.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article61173797.html
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/cautionary-tale-brownbacks-failed-kansas-experiment
https://www.kcur.org/education/2015-07-14/some-state-board-of-education-members-blame-lawmakers-for-teachers-fleeing-kansas
https://www.thekansan.com/article/20150709/NEWS/150709582
https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/626037/look-washington-kansas-reporter-who-defies-his-sources
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150510/business/150519962/