The Kansas Farm Bureau hosted its annual meeting Sunday, with Gov. Laura Kelly as the key guest speaker.
During her speech, Kelly says strengthening rural communities in Kansas has been a critical mission for her administration. She recognizes agriculture is widely tied to the state’s past and future, economically and culturally.
Kelly says farmers and ag producers never fail to impress her with their wisdom, kindness, and determination. She thanked those farmers in the state who have persevered through all the troubling times, especially in the last two years.
Kelly also highlighted some of the issues the Office of Rural Prosperity is looking into for rural communities in the state. Since its creation, Kelly and her administration have heard from farmers and producers about what prosperity means to them.
Kelly says her administration has invested heavily in broadband expansion, and has even partnered with the Farm Bureau to make that happen. Along with addressing these issues, the administration has been working to bring and expand jobs and businesses to rural areas.
During a Q&A session after her speech, Kelly was asked about how the state is going to make up the funds without the tax. Kelly says she is confident the state’s revenue stream over the past few years.
Kelly says the revenues in the bank now are coming in on a state basis and not one time monies. Traditionally in the past, Kelly has been against efforts to eliminate or reduce the tax due to not having this kind of revenue.
Kansas currently has the second highest food sales tax in the country behind Mississippi.
Kelly also took time during her speech to honor the late Senator Bob Dole, who passed away over the weekend. She says Dole was many things to many people in Kansas.
Kelly says while Dole will be remembered for many things, some of the biggest are saving the Food Stamp program, protecting Social Security, and assuring the passage of the Americans with Disabilities act.
Kelly shared her experiences she had with Dole during that passage.
Kelly says while Dole was proud to call Kansas his home, she hopes he knew how proud Kansans were of that fact.
