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Dear Melissa:
As 2016 comes to a close and attention turns to the challenges ahead in the 2017 legislative session, this seems an appropriate time to pause and reflect. Thank you so much for your support. I am honored to have earned a third term to represent you in the Kansas House. My opponent and I chose to keep our campaigns clean, classy and focused on the issues in an election season that was as nasty as any in recent memory. The two of us spoke on Election Day (before the polls closed) and thanked each other for that. Civility matters, and I remain committed to fostering courteous relationships with you.
It is interesting to focus on what happened in Kansas in the 2016 election cycle. There will be 45 new House members when the 2017 legislature convenes (there were 25 retirements, 9 incumbents lost in the August 2 primary, and 11 incumbents lost in the November 8 general). The Kansas House make-up will include 85 Republicans (down from 97) and 40 Democrats (up from 28). Within the Republican caucus, there is a fairly balanced mix of political ideology - think of it as the House divided into roughly equal thirds.
The 2017 leadership team is also politically balanced and there is a strong desire to work in a collaborative manner to solve the serious challenges ahead. Any governing that is done will require tough compromises which should result in better policy coming from the state legislature. The wild card is how the governor chooses to respond. I welcome the opportunity to work toward consensus as we tackle the major issues facing our state.
Official Business
We met on Monday, December 5 in the House chamber to cast leadership votes. Here is a breakdown of what happened:
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