Would you like it darker? Get ready for a red-hot legislative session in Kansas. • Kansas reflector

Despite occasional resentment, I try to maintain a fundamentally optimistic view of this state and its people.

But following the November election, I want to put on the record what’s likely to happen in Kansas politics in the coming legislative session. I want to warn you upfront that this column should not be read by the faint of heart or by those who have never had a caffeinated beverage. As Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen sang on the album released 17 days before his death: “You want it Darker? We kill the flame.”

Things are about to get worse in Kansas politics. Worse than many of you expect. And quickly.

The Legislature, emboldened by larger supermajorities than in its previous sessions, now wields power it hasn’t had since 2012, when Republican Gov. Sam Brownback conducted his tax “experiment.” The most conservative and reactionary Republicans in Topeka have drawn up a long wish list. They have rarely achieved their goals in recent years. Now they will be able to. Whether it’s tax policy, school vouchers, reproductive freedom or LGBTQ+ rights, a deluge is coming.

For most of Brownback’s term, the federal government acted as a backstop. The Obama administration provided some restraint. No longer. The worst and cruelest policies at the state level will almost certainly find approval in Washington, DC

Here’s a quick guide to what to expect. Don’t avert your gaze.

Reduce corporate taxes

House Majority Leader Chris Croft told Johnson County Republicans about his plans back in May.

Tackling corporate tax rates will be the “big thing” for the upcoming session, he said in the recorded Zoom call. Republican leadership will focus on “reducing the overall corporate tax rate, with the intent of getting it to zero,” he said.

Last session’s tax cuts will already reduce state revenue by $72 million. Reductions of the kind and size Croft envisions will take an even greater toll.

Once the state places itself in a financial straitjacket, it will no longer be able to adequately fund education, Kansas disability services, road construction and maintenance, public employee pensions and a long list of other priorities. But that’s a feature, not a bug. I think Republican leaders are looking for a budget crisis. They plan to hamper services for poor and middle-class Kansans, privatize government services and hand the state on a platter to their wealthy patrons.

Good public education

An outspoken portion of Kansas Republicans loathe public education.

The evidence can be found in dozens of stories in the Kansas Reflector archives. The legislature refused to adequately fund public education until the Kansas Supreme Court ordered it. Statutory special education is still not funded.

At the same time, lawmakers have supported a number of voucher and tax credit programs designed to benefit private, parochial schools at the expense of public schools. They called public education a “monopoly,” which only makes sense if you view government as a window and education as a shill. Such efforts have been inconsistent in the past and outraged voters when they became public. However, they are expected to be in full swing from January.

The state constitution currently calls for “appropriate provision for financing the state’s educational interests.” But lawmakers can submit constitutional amendments to voters.

The target group is LGBTQ+ people from Kansas

A ban on gender-specific care for those under 18 almost passed last session. A few brave Republicans in the House changed their votes at the last minute to uphold Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.

Given the larger Republican majority in the new session, lawmakers are expected to launch more attacks on transgender children. The gender-affirming ban on childcare will undoubtedly return. Depending on leadership interest, I would look for bills that go even further. They may target the right of trans people to use facilities rather than conforming them to their gender. A so-called bathroom bill has already come into force in Ohio.

A number of Republican lawmakers hate dealing with bills like this. They understand that their voices come across as bigoted and malicious. But if the leadership wants such measures to be implemented, there is a way to do it.

Restrict abortion rights

Here’s a way to think about reproductive freedom in Kansas.

Although an anti-abortion constitutional amendment failed by 18 percentage points in 2022, lawmakers overcame several hurdles last session. They voted for an intrusive questionnaire designed to intimidate women seeking abortion care. They created a new criminal offense of “coercion” to have an abortion.

Expect more nonsensical suggestions this time. I’m not sure where lawmakers have their eyes set, but the most motivated ones have one primary goal: banning abortion entirely in Kansas. That was the aim of the amendment and they have not given up the fight.

“The vote (Value Them Both) has happened,” outgoing Rep. Brenda Landwehr said April 29. “She went down. And until that can be changed at some point in the future, we accept it.”

Note the dismissive tone and a key phrase: “Until that can be changed.” Abortion opponents have not given up.

National vs. local

After last month’s election, I watched scores of people express panic and despair online.

I understand this reaction to the return of President-elect Donald Trump. Nevertheless, the federal government’s authority remains limited compared to state and local governments. The decentralized and vast nature of the United States means that Trump – even at his most authoritarian – will constantly face obstacles to his ability to implement harmful policies. I urge everyone monitoring Washington DC to remain calm and vigilant.

On the other hand, the legislature and local city councils exert enormous influence on the daily lives of Kansans. The threats the GOP leadership poses to ordinary people in this state are great. If you are interested in the issues listed above, pay attention. Understand what is likely to come and what it means.

Would you like it darker? We may all be navigating pitch-dark times within a few months.

Clay Wirestone is opinion editor at Kansas Reflector. Kansas Reflector’s Opinion section works to amplify the voices of people affected by public policy or excluded from public debate. Here you will find information, including the opportunity to submit your own comment. Here.