HAYS, Kan. - Today, the Kansas NOW Political Action Committee announced its endorsements for the candidates running in the 2010 primary and general elections. Kari Ann Rinker, state coordinator of Kansas NOW, explains, "These endorsements indicate the PAC's approval of candidates who are, or promise to be, leaders in promoting NOW's issues, or candidates whose voting records, if they exist, demonstrate this support."

Kansas candidates were asked to respond to 7 survey questions and provide comments. The PAC's survey questions addressed issues such as gender equality, access to reproductive health care and legislation reducing violence against women.

Once the surveys were tabulated and reviewed by the KS NOW PAC Committee, decisions were made to endorse 45 Kansas Democrats and 11 Kansas Republicans. For the complete list of endorsements, click here.

SALINA, Kan. - Patients often receive inappropriate care when their doctors fail to take into account the patients' unique or individual circumstances, so says a new study performed by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the VA Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care.

The study of physician performance is the largest ever to be conducted using actors presenting as patients in doctors' offices.

Physicians did quite well at following guidelines or standard approaches to care, but not so well at figuring out when those approaches were inappropriate because of a particular patient's situation or life context. Physicians need to understand why a patient is failing, for instance, to control their asthma, rather than just increase the dose of the drugs they prescribe.

Specific issues - such as the lack of health insurance, the need for less costly treatment, or difficulty understanding or following instructions - must be recognized when making clinical decisions. Inattention to such issues leads to what are called "contextual errors" in patient care.

TOPEKA, Kan. - On Thursday, long-time Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley endorsed Chris Biggs for Secretary of State.

That is not very surprising in itself. After all, Biggs is the incumbent Secretary of State, appointed to the position by Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson. What was notable was that Hensley also called on Wyandotte County Senator Chris Steineger to withdraw from the primary and give his full support to Biggs.
Chris Biggs

In an open letter to Kansas Democrats, Hensley wrote:

Now Kris Kobach wants to be our next Kansas Secretary of State. Should he become the Republican nominee, Kansas Democrats need a strong candidate who will bring professional conduct to the office.

I believe the man to beat Kobach is our current Secretary of State, Chris Biggs.  Chris is a lifelong public servant.  He has the experience and integrity needed to go head-to-head with h and win.  It is important that we unite behind the strongest Democratic candidate and in this case the choice is clear:  Chris Biggs is the man for the job.

FORT SCOTT, Kan. - State House District 4, Representative Shirley Palmer of Fort Scott, announced her campaign for re-election. Palmer, first elected in 2006, represents all of Linn County and most of Bourbon County. This election cycle, she is running unopposed in the August 3 Primary, but will face two candidates from Linn County running on the Republican ticket. Renee Slinkard of Parker, a local Tea Party organizer, and Caryn Tyson of Parker is the GOP second district chairperson.
Shirley Palmer

"It has been an honor to serve the people of the 4th House District," Palmer said. "I have deeply appreciated the opportunity to work across party lines to find practical and efficient ways to solve problems. I have made every effort to vote according to the values of our district, keep my constituents informed, and help those in need."

Palmer serves on the House Committees on Commerce and Labor, Veteran's, Military, Homeland Security, Higher Education, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Transportation, Education, Rules and Regulations as well as the Commission for the Aging. Throughout her four years of service, Palmer has maintained near perfect attendance both in committee and on the House floor.

HAYS, Kan. - In regard to federal assistance for state Medicaid funding, a recent survey found that voters oppose cutting funding to nursing homes so strongly that 62% of voters favored additional federal funding for Medicaid.

The new national survey from The Mellman Group found that Americans, by significant margins, strongly support passage of federal Medicaid relief. Voters support the use of federal funding to prevent additional cuts at the state level.

The new survey findings further punctuate the impact of Medicaid cuts enacted in state capitols across the nation on elderly and disabled constituents - and the threat of more to come as state governors face ongoing budget crises.

Results also show that voters vehemently oppose any additional state Medicaid cuts initiated by their state legislatures.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - In her first appearance with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Tom Holland, state Sen. Kelly Kultala said that she will file paperwork to begin campaigning as the Democratic candidate for Kansas Lieutenant Governor. Kultala, 51, is in her first term in the state senate serving District 5, which includes Ft. Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Lansing, western Kansas City, and Bonner Springs.

In announcing his choice of Sen. Kultala as his running mate, Sen. Holland contrasted their moderate campaign against that of Sam Brownback, who he refers to as the "Washington Insider,"

"Sam Brownback says he's a fiscal conservative, but he forked over billions in earmarks to his campaign donors. He pretends to be a champion of Main Street, but he treated Kansas as an obstacle to Wall Street's bottom line."

WICHITA, Kan. - On June 7 KOSE (Kansas Organization of State Employees) members overwhelmingly approved a new contract to ratify a 2010-2013 MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) which will now be sent to Governor Mark Parkinson for his signature.

The MOA governs such things as compensation, hours of work, benefits, discipline and protocol for classified executive branch state employees.

During a seven month period of Meet and Confer with the state the KOSE Bargaining Team achieved major victories for state employees.

Michelle Walters, a state employee at SRS and a team member says of the now ratified agreement, "This MOA is a huge win for Kansas state employees. It strengthens the rights of 11,000 state workers."