Molly’s background is in education, healthcare and business, and she claims her priority issues as:

• Restoring our Economy

• Education

• Mental Health

• Foster Care

• The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System

• Taxes

• Transparency and Access

Let’s discuss

Restoring our Economy

Molly is one of the Brownback loyalists who helped him erode our economy with his disastrous Brownback Tax Experiment. He’s long gone, but she still supports Brownback’s reckless agenda with her votes and committee actions.

Molly arrived in the KS Senate in May 2014. By early 2017, Kansas had endured "nine rounds of budget cuts over four years, three credit downgrades, missed state payments", and what The Atlantic called "an ongoing atmosphere of fiscal crisis" To make up the budget shortfall, lawmakers tapped into state reserves set aside for future spending, postponed construction projects and pension contributions, and cut Medicaid benefits.  Since approximately half of the state's budget went to school funding, education was particularly hard hit.

In addition to budget problems, Kansas was lagging behind neighboring states with similar economies in "nearly every major category: job creation, unemployment, gross domestic product, taxes collected".

Even when Kansas lawmakers from both parties voted to return normalcy to the state’s finances, Baumgardner voted to stay the course with the failed Brownback tax disaster. A few months later he resigned and left ‘restoring the economy’ to Laura Kelly.

Education

Molly claims her years in school business, but her votes in the Senate have done much harm to school budgets, teachers and students.

2019 session – KS Senate Bill 22 (SB 22) - A tax break for corporations that would take needed funding from our schools. A NO vote on SB 22 is good for Kansas schools. Baumgardner voted YES and AGAINST public schools.

2016 session - 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. Baumgardner voted YES & AGAINST public schools.

2015 session - HB 2104 / SB 171 - The 2015 move of local municipal elections to the fall, partisan cycle. This legislation purposely injects partisan politics into what has been and should have remained a non-partisan race. This makes it difficult for public school boards to enact good policy when their members are replaced in the middle of a school year.
Baumgardner voted YES & AGAINST public schools.

2015 session - SB 7 – This legislation repealed the 20 year old school finance formula and replaced it with Block Grants, including a funding freeze through June 2017, at 2014 levels. Baumgardner voted YES & AGAINST public schools.

2015 session - H Sub SB 4 This legislation set in place by the 2012 Brownback tax cut forced budget cuts, across the board 4% budget reductions for schools, public works, Kansas social programs, administration. Baumgardner voted YES & AGAINST public schools.

HB 2696 (2292)
Ban the current K12 Curriculum Standards, aka Kansas College and Career Ready Standards and the Common Core. Baumgardner voted YES & AGAINST public schools.

Mental Health (Medicaid Expansion)

SB 249 was to effectively mandate insurance companies to provide coverage for mental health services, without giving their insureds the endless run-around that so many have experienced. Ms. Baumgardner sponsored the bill then voted NO & AGAINST the ‘Kristi L. Bennett mental health parity act’, named after the young woman whose tragic death had been the inspiration for the bill.

In professing support for Mental Health, it stands to reason that should include support for Medicaid Expansion, so that people requiring mental health services have the resources to pay for the services. However, Ms. Baumgardner refused to vote for Medicaid Expansion May 2019 causing the bill to fail by ONE vote. - Hers. Jim Denning brokered a promising compromise bill with Governor Kelly. While Ms. Baumgardner sponsored this bill, she did not protest loading the bill with a 'poison pill'. Additionally, Ms Baumgardner voted against public healthcare when she voted for the ‘poison pill’ bill. For reference: https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article242909086.html

The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System

KPERS is funded by employee contributions and employer ‘matching’ contributions from the General Fund.

In May 2016, Ms. Baumgardner voted with the GOP and passed a new budget in the middle of the night that imposed sizable CUTS -3 % for most state agencies, large cuts to highway spending, significant cuts to state universities, and delayed state payments to fund government-employee pensions, putting Kansas on an unfunded-liability trajectory to disaster for retired Kansas public employees.

KPERS payments were deferred for years as the Brownback tax cut disaster careened through the state’s finances. In Jan 2019, Gov Kelly took the helm and funding KPERS suddenly became a priority when it had been largely ignored by Republican legislators during the Brownback administration. An additional KPERS payment shoved through by the majority party leadership was done purposely to remove money from the budget that would have “helped ensure Kansas has the ability to “address any unforeseen emergencies,” said Ashley All, spokeswoman for Kelly. “The governor is disappointed that the Legislature failed to exercise fiscal responsibility and she urges them to be more mindful stewards of taxpayer dollars in 2020.”

Senate Bill 368 was written to transfer $268,412,000 from the state general fund to the Kansas public employee’s retirement fund in FY 2020. Baumgardner and her fellow senators effectively killed the bill by refusing to advance the legislation to the floor for a vote. KPERS funding bill #SB 368 died due to stall tactics that set up the chaotic 2020 sine die session.

Taxes

Ms. Baumgardner’s stalwart support of Sam Brownback’s disastrous tax cuts pushed the state to the verge of BANKRUPTCY - with the effect that YOUR TAXES - personal property and sales taxes all went UP. Why? Because billionaires - like Koch Industries - save HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS EVERY YEAR in tax payments. Who makes up the difference when cities and counties need revenue for repairing potholes, roads, bridges, health departments? YOU! In 2017, a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted to overturn Brownback’s tax disaster. Ms. Baumgardner voted to maintain Brownback’s tax experiment.

Transparency and Access

Considered one of the most secretive dark states, don’t expect transparency from Kansas Legislature. NEEDED legislation that you and I have petitioned our representatives and senators to present, is purposely delayed until there is no time to discuss or debate bills, like the chaotic mess of the 2020 last day session. After months of squandering precious COVID response time, the Legislature was dismissed, then recalled for a one-day (sine die) session on the very last possible legislative day. With no time to review or debate important issues, bills were rammed through (HB2054) in an utterly dysfunctional session that even national media referred to as “24-hour circus.” Ms Baumgardner’s comments on this legislative disaster? We’re still waiting.

We need someone who truly is FOR the people of Senate 37, an advocate for those who need access to healthcare, education, public services, transparency and more. We need Becca Peck.