Dinah Sykes Legislative Update; End of Session Recap
- Lucas Kenney
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
All legislative sessions for the Kansas House and Senate have ended, with many bills and legislation being passed and many being vetoed and reviewed. Dinah Sykes, Senate Minority Leader in the Kansas Senate, sat down with News Director of NWKS Radio Lucas Kenney to recap a little bit of the legislative session, highlighting some important or exciting legislation, as well as talking about her campaign for Kansas Insurance Commissioner.
To start, Dinah and Lucas recapped the legislative session just a little bit. Many bills were passed, many were shut down, but the rough number of total legislations heard is around 250-300 total bills.
"There were quite a few. During turnaround week, we were handling around 50 to 60 bills a day," Sykes recalled. "And remember, not every bill passes both chambers. Some pass the Senate but not the House, and vice versa, though we did send quite a few to the governor."
Something else Sykes also noted was a lack of action regarding property taxes. She recognized the importance of this issue but noted disagreements between the house and senate.
"The biggest issue we heard about going into the session was property taxes. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to reach a solution. The House and Senate had different approaches. Even though I’m in the Senate, I believed the House had the better approach."
Sykes highlighted one bill, which included an artificial cap on increases in property taxes, but also included why that may not have worked very well.
"Different parts of the state grow at different rates, and a fixed cap could limit growing communities. It also would have shifted more of the tax burden onto agricultural land," Sykes said. "I’m glad it didn’t pass, because it likely would have shifted costs to rural communities."
Next, Kenney shifted the conversation about which legislation Sykes is most excited about or most proud of, which turned out to be Senate Bill 20, dealing with PBM reform.
"What we’re seeing now is vertical integration—insurance companies owning PBMs and pharmacies," Sykes stated. "In some cases, independent pharmacies—especially in rural areas—aren’t even reimbursed at the full cost of prescriptions, while insurance-owned pharmacies receive higher payments. Senate Bill 20 increases transparency. It requires reporting so we can see what’s actually happening in Kansas. Other states, like West Virginia, have seen significant cost reductions and lower premiums after implementing similar measures."
Keeping on the topic of insurance, Kenney and Sykes discussed her campaign for the Kansas Insurance Commissioner. Some of her main points of focus include Affordability, Consumer Protection, Transparency, and Fairness.
"Many people don’t realize how much the insurance commissioner affects their daily lives. The role is essentially a regulator. If an insurance company wants to operate in Kansas, the commissioner ensures it’s financially stable and able to pay claims."
Before ending the interview, Senator Sykes had one more message.
"I encourage people to stay engaged and pay attention. The conversations we’re having now will shape next year’s legislative session."
If you'd like more information on her campaign, you can visit her website at dinahsykes.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Make sure to listen to the whole interview at the top of the article!