Lawrence, Kansas

2005 Session

Kansas Legislature

Sebelius signs health care reorganization bill
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed into law Tuesday a bill consolidating seven state programs under a new, independent Kansas Health Care Policy Authority.

Reorganization approved for health care programs
Sunday, May 1, 2005
A partisan battle over reorganizing health care programs for hundreds of thousands of Kansans became a bipartisan lovefest Saturday.

Sebelius signs GOP health plan
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
With the crucial part of her health care plan stalled in the Legislature, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is signing into law less ambitious proposals drafted by others.

Mother regrets giving state custody of son
Monday, April 4, 2005
It's a choice no parent should have to make: Cope inadequately with a son or daughter's ever-worsening mental illness or surrender the child to the state in hopes of assuring the care the child needs.

Area legislators dissatisfied with session's progress
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Last week's actions by the Kansas Legislature left some in the Douglas County legislative delegation in a bleak mood for their appearance Saturday morning before Lawrence Chamber of Commerce members.

House shoots down Sebelius' health plan
Thursday, March 10, 2005
House Republicans on Wednesday killed one of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' major proposals for the 2005 legislative session, rejecting a reorganization of health care programs.

House kills Sebelius health care reorganization plan
Thursday, March 10, 2005
House Republicans have killed Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' plan for reorganizing social service programs.

GOP to roll out own health-care plan
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Republican legislative leaders Tuesday released a health care proposal to replace Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' plan, which they will try to kill today.

GOP outlines alternative for health care reorganization
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Republican leaders have outlined their plan to reorganize health care services for the needy -- an alternative to a proposal from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Proposal to improve care protects against litigation
Monday, February 21, 2005
A battle that could affect the lives of thousands of Kansans in nursing homes and assisted living facilities is being waged before the Legislature.

Officials worry Bush cutting services for poor, homeless
Saturday, February 19, 2005
President Bush's proposed budget will hammer everyone from low-income homeowners to the homeless, city leaders from Lawrence and throughout the Midwest said at a special meeting here Friday.

Medicaid 'monster' keeps growing
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Over the past two years, state spending on health care for the poor has increased 30 percent.

Sebelius blasts GOP for stalling plan
Friday, February 11, 2005
Republican budget writers Thursday put the brakes on a major part of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' health care reform plan. The move prompted Sebelius, a Democrat, to accuse Republicans of playing partisan politics.

Churches lobby for social services, school funding
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
Members of about a dozen Christian churches and groups Tuesday called on lawmakers to increase funding for public schools and social services, and to abolish the death penalty.

Social Security campaign launches
Friday, February 4, 2005
With the tenacity of a door-to-door salesman and tools of a math teacher, President Bush carried his pitch for reforming Social Security on Thursday directly to voters he hopes will help make his case with a balky Congress.

GOP says Sebelius balking at detailing health care plan
Thursday, February 3, 2005
Republican budget leaders Wednesday threatened to reject a major part of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' health care reform package because they said she has failed to answer key questions about the proposal.

Officials urge more action to collect child support
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
In Kansas, there are hundreds of millions of dollars out there that could be used to lift families out of poverty and reduce taxes. But the money, in the form of child support payments, goes uncollected.

$4 million foster care budget cut raises alarm
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
A Douglas County judge on Tuesday blasted Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' plan to cut $4 million from the state's foster care budget.

Foster care agency loses contract
Friday, January 28, 2005
These aren't the best of times for Kansas Children's Service League. Last week, the 112-year-old charity learned it had lost its $15 million foster care contract with the state and that its $33.6 million adoption contract would be reduced to $3.5 million.

SRS announces changes to foster care services
Friday, January 21, 2005
Welfare officials on Thursday announced a major overhaul of the state's approach to caring for its abused, neglected and troubled children.

Governor's plan to cut foster care criticized
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Child advocates Tuesday criticized a proposal to remove more than 750 youngsters from foster care.

GOP health plan proposes to lower prescription costs
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
A no-new-taxes health care plan offered Tuesday by Senate Republicans was quickly co-opted by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who said the GOP's alternative to her much more expensive proposal "fits in very well" with her ideas.

Deferrals state owes federal government may exceed $80 million
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
State officials Tuesday warned that the federal government could reduce health care funds for low-income Kansans by more than $80 million in future appropriations.

Advocates concerned about foster care proposal
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
(Updated Tuesday at 1:14 p.m.) A proposal to remove more than 750 youths from foster care raised concerns among family and child advocates today.

Governor's health care plan likely to clash with Bush pledge
Sunday, January 16, 2005
In 2000, state welfare officials spent $608 million on health care for the poor. Before this year ends, they'll spend more than $1.3 billion. That's a whopping 121 percent increase in five years.

Medicaid audit irks Sebelius
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday said she was unhappy with federal officials trying to disallow expenditures made by Kansas on health care for the poor and disabled.

Federal audit checks SRS on Medicaid payments
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
A budget timebomb is ticking in the state welfare agency, and no one is sure when it will go off.

System not placing foster kids any faster
Monday, January 10, 2005
Something's wrong with the Kansas's privatized foster care system. Children are hardly being returned home or adopted any more quickly than they were before privatization.

More Kansans using food stamps to get by
Monday, January 3, 2005
With the exception of one round of unemployment pay, Rick Hull had never received any government help. But then he hurt his back, his wife lost her job, the family became homeless and his wife left him and their two young children.

Sebelius tells Legislature to get to work
Sunday, January 2, 2005
As she prepares for the 2005 legislative session, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is urging lawmakers to get to work on school finance and defending her proposed cigarette tax increase to expand health insurance.

Bush pushes for Social Security overhaul
Friday, December 17, 2004
President Bush declared Thursday that the Social Security system has already reached a "crisis" stage as he made the case for an expansive second-term domestic agenda that would dramatically restructure the nation's retirement program, tax code and legal liability system.

State pharmacy board criticizes Sebelius' drug plan
Sunday, December 5, 2004
The State Board of Pharmacy criticized Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' plan to help residents acquire lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and Europe.

SRS upsets fetus-insurance advocates
Saturday, December 4, 2004
Kansas lawmakers who said Friday they wanted to expand health care to fetuses of low-income women expressed frustration with the state welfare agency.

State alliance to boost drug purchasing power
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Between them, Elaine and Gordon Shreves spend about $500 a month on prescription drugs. "One month, it was over $800," said Elaine Shreves. "Both my husband and I -- he's 79, I'm 76 -- have bad hearts and high blood pressure."

Food stamp benefits unclaimed in Kansas
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
More than four of 10 Kansans eligible for food stamps are not receiving them, according to a report released Tuesday.

Advocates for disabled present list of demands
Friday, November 19, 2004
Advocates for Kansans with disabilities called Thursday for increased mental health insurance coverage, stronger protections for the rights of the disabled and $40.7 million in additional funding to provide home-based care for those on waiting lists for services.

A.G. clarifies foster care records policy
Monday, November 15, 2004
When abuse or neglect results in the death of a child in the state's foster care system, the public has a right to know what happened, according to the Kansas attorney general's opinion.

Sebelius plan would pack on costs for smokers
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday unveiled a $50 million initiative aimed at extending health care benefits to more than 70,000 uninsured Kansans.

SRS secretary to retire
Monday, October 25, 2004
(Updated Monday at 11:53 a.m.) Janet Schalansky, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilation Services, announced her retirement today.

New poverty report shows state has more have-nots
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Lani Benton said she had a stack of bills, just a few groceries and $1 in the bank. "I go from paycheck to paycheck," said the 35-year-old single mother, who works in Lawrence and lives in Lecompton.

Report: 1 in 4 Kansans don't earn enough to meet basic needs
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
(Updated Tuesday at 11:06 a.m.) TOPEKA -- One in four Kansans don't make enough income to meet their basic needs, according to a report released Tuesday.

SRS seizes client assets
Monday, September 27, 2004
The Friday before the Labor Day weekend, Mike Copeland received a letter that scared him to death. The state was telling Copeland, of Prairie Village, who suffers seizures and has brain damage from a long-ago fireworks accident, that it could put a lien on his house to recover the cost of his health care.

Shuffling at SRS causes uproar
Thursday, September 23, 2004
One of the largest state agencies in Kansas is in the midst of a reorganization that is likely to result in job losses and redefined positions statewide, officials say.

Governor to juggle school, health care issues in 2005
Monday, September 13, 2004
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and legislators already expect to tackle one huge, difficult issue next year: rewriting the state's school finance law to distribute education dollars more fairly.

Out-of-state corporation bids on family-preservation contracts
Thursday, August 26, 2004
An out-of-state corporation wants to provide family-preservation services in northeast Kansas.

Mental health workers say state in crisis
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Those who care for the Kansas mentally ill are in a panic about what to do with patients now that two of the three state hospitals are near or at capacity.

Advocates for disabled say thousands may be in institutions needlessly
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Ed Kline has spent the past three years in a Topeka nursing home. He wants out.

State may expand prenatal care
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
A state lawmaker Monday said she would push to expand taxpayer-funded prenatal care, an idea that was killed last year in a dispute between opponents and supporters of abortion rights.

Sebelius denies comment on civil service
Saturday, July 3, 2004
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Friday denied she wanted to get rid of the civil service system for state employees, but added it was "outmoded" and should be changed.

SRS changes cut supervisory staff throughout state
Friday, July 2, 2004
The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services' Lawrence Area Office is no more.

Civil service future in doubt
Friday, July 2, 2004
A leading labor official said Thursday she was stunned after Gov. Kathleen Sebelius told her it was time to scrap the civil service system for state employees.

Kline issues funds to pregnancy help groups after governor's veto
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
(Web Posted Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.) Taking direct aim at Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Attorney General Phill Kline issued checks Wednesday to four women's health care clinics that do not provide or advocate abortions. Last month, Sebelius vetoed a provision in the budget that would have provided $300,000 for grants to such nonprofit clinics.

SRS fears open child-welfare records could lead to lawsuits
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' administration said Monday it would keep a tight rein on records involving deaths and serious injuries of children in state custody despite a law that takes effect Thursday designed to open those records.

Agency hopes photos spur
Saturday, June 26, 2004
The group charged with finding homes for the more than 700 children under the state's care plans to use a touring collection of professionally made photographs to boost interest among potential adoptive parents.

College grants expanded for teens in foster care
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Starting next month, more teenagers now in the state's foster care system will get a tuition-free shot at going to a state university or vocational school.

State reaches out to hungry Kansans
Monday, June 14, 2004
When her husband left her with three children, no job and no money, there was little Cindy Palmatier could do. She knew, however, that she couldn't live in her car and let her children go hungry.

Cost of maintenance causes Lawrence group home to close
Friday, June 11, 2004
Achievement Place for Girls' governing board didn't have much choice.

Foster care contracts to undergo overhaul
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
Welfare officials have launched a major overhaul of the state's contracts for foster care, adoption and family preservation services.

Rising medical costs worry SRS chief
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Money will remain tight for programs helping the needy because costs associated with medical services continue to rise quickly, the state's top social services official said Tuesday.

Bill contains provision attacking outsourcing of SRS work
Sunday, May 9, 2004
Workers outside the United States could not handle telephone calls from Kansans who have questions about food stamps, under a budget bill legislators approved Saturday.

Lawmakers pass bill to open records of children who die in state foster care
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
A bill designed to open state records pertaining to children who die or almost die while in foster care has passed the Kansas House and Senate.

Disabled Kansans lobby for more funding
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
(Web Posted Wednesday at 2:47 p.m.) Several hundred Kansans with disabilities and advocates rallied today outside the Capitol for more funding for social services.

Advocates of disabled to fight veto
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Advocates for the disabled said Wednesday they would urge legislators to reinstate $500,000 Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed for services that help people with disabilities get jobs. "This would be a huge missed opportunity for people with disabilities in Kansas to move into employment," said Bob Mikesic, advocacy coordinator and Americans with Disabilities Act specialist with Independence Inc. in Lawrence.

Epilepsy care advocates seek SRS funding
Monday, April 12, 2004
Sometimes, it costs money to save money. Advocates for Kansans struggling with epilepsy want the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to pay for vagus nerve stimulators, pacemaker-like devices that help control seizures.

Social services consolidated across state
Monday, April 12, 2004
Major changes are under way at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services area office in Lawrence. Instead of the office overseeing SRS operations in seven counties, it's now in a six-county region overseen by an office in Kansas City.

AARP criticizes nursing home inspection bill
Sunday, April 11, 2004
A bill to ban some inspection records from being used in lawsuits against nursing homes has drawn strong opposition from AARP, which has spent thousands on newspaper ads opposing the measure. The seniors advocacy group says the bill would make it harder to sue a facility for neglect.

400 disabled may move off state waiting list
Friday, April 9, 2004
About 400 disabled Kansans could soon move off a waiting list for in-home services that help keep them out of nursing homes, an official of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services said Thursday.

More money needed to reduce state waiting lists for assistance
Thursday, April 1, 2004
Nancy Glennon and her husband, Dan, need help raising their son. He has Asperger syndrome, which is related to autism. "My son has behavior problems -- more at home than at school," Nancy Glennon said, explaining why she sought services through Home and Community Based Services, a state-run program that helps keep disabled children and adults out of institutions.

Governor urges social services advocates to pressure legislators
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
(Updated Wednesday at 5:10 p.m.) TOPEKA - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius urged social service advocates who rallied at the Statehouse on Wednesday to pressure legislators to put more money into programs for elderly, disabled and needy Kansans.

Negotiators agree on bill to make voting sites accessible to disabled Kansans
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
A bill intended to make all polling places accessible to the disabled emerged Tuesday from legislative negotiations, pleasing activists who say Kansas' current law fails to ensure all citizens' right to vote.

House tentatively approves $10.2 billion state budget
Thursday, March 25, 2004
(Web Posted Thursday at 11:08 a.m.) A proposed budget trimming total funding for state government by two-tenths of 1 percent advanced Thursday in the House, while a similar, $10.2 billion spending plan was before the Senate.

Panel endorses SRS budget with Sebelius plan on Smart Start
Friday, March 19, 2004
A Senate committee Thursday endorsed a proposed $2.3 billion budget for services for the poor and disabled, including Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' proposal to increase spending on programs for young children.

Attorney general discusses gay marriage, school finance in online chat
Thursday, March 18, 2004
(Updated Friday at 3:26 p.m.) The following is the transcript on an online chat with Kansas Atty. Gen. Phill Kline that took place March 18 on ljworld.com.

Senate passes bill to aid ‘foster' grandparents
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren could receive financial help from the state under a bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday.

Senate advances bill to encourage grandparents as foster parents
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Senators gave first-round approval Monday to a bill creating a new program to help grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, with the goal of keeping some of those children out of foster families.

Disabled warehoused in nursing homes, say protesters
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Advocates for the disabled on Friday accused nursing home administrators of blocking efforts to let their disabled residents know they have a right to live in a community setting rather than an institutional one. "We get thrown out of facilities every day. We get the cops called on us," said Joyce Jackson, a worker at Topeka Independent Living Resource Center.

Senators pledge support for Smart Start
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
More than half of Kansas' 40 state senators have signed a petition supporting Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' proposal to more than triple spending on Smart Start programs for young children.

Child advocacy groups call for Ballard's support
Saturday, March 6, 2004
One of the state's best-known child advocacy groups on Friday challenged Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, to put her vote where her mouth is. "She had the opportunity to show her support, and she chose not to," said Gary Brunk, executive director at Kansas Action for Children. "She'll have ample opportunities to show her support in the future. I hope she comes through."

Medicare letter sows confusion
Friday, March 5, 2004
A government form letter on upcoming changes in Medicare benefits has George Kinnard's telephone ringing off the hook. "People are getting this letter from the government, and it's confusing. It reads like they're supposed to do something, but the letter doesn't say what to do," said Kinnard, a counselor on Medicare and Medicaid benefits at Douglas County Senior Services, 745 Vt.

SRS budget debate focuses on program for children
Friday, March 5, 2004
A House committee Thursday endorsed a proposed social services budget after acrimonious debate over where best to increase spending to help young children.

House Democratic leader Dennis McKinney takes part in online chat
Friday, March 5, 2004
Welcome to our online chat with Kansas House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney. The chat took place on Thursday, March 4, at 1:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Hearings to continue on closing state hospital
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
A hearing on a bill that could lead to the closure of state hospitals for the developmentally disabled started Tuesday.

Lawmakers consider closing hospitals for developmentally disabled
Tuesday, March 2, 2004
(Updated Tuesday at 1:14 p.m.) TOPEKA - A hearing on a bill that could lead to the closure of state hospitals for the developmentally disabled started today. Amy McCart, a Kansas University researcher, told lawmakers that research shows that people with disabilities do better outside an institution.

Kline proposes investigation into foster care deaths
Monday, March 1, 2004
Kansas Atty. Gen. Phill Kline is proposing measures that would scrutinize the deaths of children in the foster care system who die from abuse or neglect.

Mother: Foster care killed son
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
The attorney for the distraught mother of a 19-month-old boy who died five days after he was taken into state custody said the child would still be alive had he been left with his mother. "This is a case where the system went too far," said Scott Wasserman, a Lenexa lawyer. "Dominic Matz should not have been in foster care. He was fine when he was in his mother's care. He died because he was in foster care."

State effort on housing urged
Friday, February 13, 2004
When James Logan moved two years ago to Lawrence from California, rental rates here seemed pretty low. Then he went looking for a job and found wages also were a lot lower.

Catholic leaders, Sebelius announce housing plan
Thursday, February 12, 2004
(Updated Thursday at 3:00 p.m.) TOPEKA - Catholic leaders and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today joined in calls for increased efforts to produce affordable housing in Kansas.

Kansas' 'working poor' numbers increasing
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Margaret Cameron doesn't want help. Not from the state. Not from private charities. But she doesn't see much choice. The Lawrence resident works 40 hours a week in the pharmacy of Watkins Memorial Health Center on the Kansas University campus. The roughly $1,200 a month she takes home, however, isn't enough to support her 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter.

Audit: Agency misspent money
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Consulting fees in the past decade were improperly awarded by Kansas Advocacy and Protective Services to members of its own board, a federal audit has found. Auditors said the agency, charged with protecting the rights of Kansans with disabilities, had no business paying the then-president of its governing board more than $300,000 in consulting fees. Two other board members were paid a total of more than $60,000.

Senate President Dave Kerr chats online
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Welcome to our online chat with Kansas Senate President Dave Kerr. The chat took place on Tuesday, February 10, at 1:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Wages paid to disabled criticized
Sunday, February 8, 2004
People in Kansas working for nickels, dimes and quarters an hour? Some advocates for the disabled say Kansas and the rest of the nation would not tolerate such a wage for anyone else. Why, they ask, is it tolerated for people with developmental disabilities?

Governor participates in online chat
Thursday, February 5, 2004
(Updated Tuesday at 4:05 p.m.) Gov. Kathleen Sebelius took part in an online chat today with ljworld.com readers. This was the governor's first time to meet with her constituents using an online chat format.

Proposed law would help keep families together, aid grandparents
Tuesday, February 3, 2004
Low-income Kansans who have custody of their grandchildren could receive additional state aid under a bill that supporters said Monday would keep some children out of foster care and save the state money.

Caregiver advocates pan pay study
Saturday, January 31, 2004
A state study used to help decide pay for workers who care for the disabled is "riddled with misleading and inaccurate information" advocates said Friday.

Lake View vendor seeks intervention from state officials
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
A Wichita businessman on Tuesday urged state officials to force Lake View Manor nursing home into receivership. "That would be the prudent thing to do," said Brian Powers, president of Home Healthcare Connection, an agency that specializes in providing troubled nursing homes with nurses and aides.

Budget threatens care facilities
Monday, January 26, 2004
Jo Ann Van Druff is convinced Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' budget plan poses a danger to her child and others like him. Van Druff's 43-year-old son, Tim Gibson, lives in a Lawrence facility for people who are severely disabled. Under Sebelius' budget proposal now being considered by legislators, these facilities would -- beginning July 1 -- receive about 10 percent less state money.

Governor encourages 'vanpool' supporters to car pool
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
(Web Posted Wednesday at 3:35 p.m.) Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today had a two-word response to state employees in Lawrence upset over her plan to phase-out the "vanpool" program: Car Pool.

Director: Social services can 'hold on'
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
This year's meeting went better than last year's. "If you remember, at this time last year we'd already gone through three budget reductions," state welfare Secretary Janet Schalansky said Tuesday, addressing more than 100 people. A mix of advocates, program directors and state workers met for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services' meeting on the budget proposed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Order would resurrect Department of Labor
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Kansas government would have a Department of Labor again under an executive order issued by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

SRS secretary explains agency's reorganization to lawmakers
Friday, January 16, 2004
Officials of the state's Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services are pleased with the progress of a reorganization toward making the agency more accessible to clients, agency secretary Janet Schalansky said Thursday.

1 in 10 families worried about food
Friday, January 16, 2004
Kansas is known as the world's breadbasket, but many of the state's residents are having trouble putting food on the table, according to a study released Thursday. Each year an estimated 105,000 Kansas households -- about one in 10 -- experience uncertainty about the availability of enough food to eat, according to the report. And in 38,000 of those households, someone goes hungry.

Hunger a problem in 1 of 10 Kansas households
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Kansas may be part of the nation's "breadbasket" but one in 10 households in the state experienced uncertainty about the availability of food during the year, according to a study released today.

SRS plans forums to review governor's budget proposal
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
(Updated Friday at 8:33 a.m.) The state's social service agency will hold public meetings to review Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' budget proposal which, if enacted, could result in hundreds of people being made homeless.

SRS budget warms few hearts
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Advocates for the state's poor and disabled were less than thrilled with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' proposed welfare budget.

Disabled waiting on lawmakers
Sunday, January 4, 2004
John Beasley, 46, knows all about The Wait. "It stinks," he said. "That's the only way I know how to describe it." A longtime steel worker, Beasley broke his neck last year after slipping on wet steps outside his mobile home in east Lawrence. He's paralyzed below the waist.

Legislation error holds up funding for home health care to disabled
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
An error made at the end of the 2003 legislative session has kept $6.5 million from being used to help reduce waiting lists that are full of Kansans needing social services, officials have confirmed.