Priorities

Cindy will fight for all Kansans — to make Kansas more affordable, to make our schools strong for our kids, and to protect seniors, veterans, and farmers.

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Cindy’s “Common Sense & Lower Costs” Agenda

In the State Senate, here’s what Cindy’s fighting for this year. As Governor, she’ll fight even harder for every Kansan.

Lowering the Cost of Living – Including Healthcare, Housing, Childcare, and Groceries

Every hard-working Kansan should be able to support their family. As Governor, Cindy will focus on keeping costs down on the essentials — like healthcare, childcare, groceries, and gas — so people don’t have to struggle so hard to get by. She’ll work to make essential family products like diapers tax-free, too.

Supporting Working Families, Not The Wealthiest Few

Jobs should pay enough to live on. Cindy is already working to increase the state minimum wage to $16, and to let higher-cost cities and counties set higher minimums so people can keep up. And she’ll fight to make sure that when people need to miss work because they’re sick, they don’t have to go without pay.

Making Housing More Affordable

Cindy aims to cut residential property taxes for everyone, and add exemptions to make sure seniors and disabled veterans can afford to stay in their homes. And she’ll fight for fairness for renters, too, so if they make a late payment, they’re not at risk of losing their homes.

Investing in Public Education and In Our Kids’ Futures

As the mother of three Kansas public school graduates, Cindy knows that every child deserves the best start in life. Cindy’s working to expand special education funding, to make sure all Kansas kids get the opportunities they deserve. And she aims to make school lunch free for every student, to make sure our kids can show up to learn without worrying about their next meal.

Protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

Cindy will protect these critical programs to ensure that no matter who you are or where you come from, you have the support to live a good life, stay healthy, and retire with dignity. She’s also determined to make Medicaid available to more low- and moderate-income Kansans, which Kansas GOP extremists have refused to do over and over.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana works, and Cindy believes it should be legal In Kansas. Letting people who need it use it will lower treatment costs and expand options for patients. It will also unlock new revenue to fund education and healthcare.

Advancing Bipartisanship and Common Sense, Not Extremism

Cindy founded the Women’s Bipartisan Caucus and helped end the failed Brownback experiment, which drained billions from our schools. She worked across the aisle to reverse school budget cuts, restore common sense to state finances, and put the Kansas economy back on track. As Governor, she’ll apply the same common-sense approach.

Making Government Work for The People

Kansas should create an independent panel for redistricting, and prohibit mid-decade redistricting to help ensure GOP extremists can’t hijack our state. Cindy also believes in enacting term limits and limiting corporate PAC money in elections to break the power of entrenched politicians and special interests.

See below for Sen. Cindy Holscher’s Common Sense & Lower Costs Agenda:

Raising Minimum Wage

Immediate income increases for workers earning entry-level wages, providing immediate purchasing power and economic stability. Allow municipalities to raise the minimum wage higher to keep up with cost of living differences across the state. Regularly assess the minimum wage to ensure that wages keep up with cost of living.

Worker Protections: Paid Sick Time and Repealing Right to Work

Economic security that prevents lost wages when workers must miss work due to illness, protecting both health and household income. Repeal right to work.

Property Tax Relief for Kansas Families and Seniors

Lower residential property assessment rates from 11.5% to 9.0%, lowering annual tax burdens and providing significant property tax relief for homeowners across all income levels. Establish a task force to determine other avenues for property tax relief.

Fund general education and special education to avoid shifting obligation to localities using property taxes.

Expanding Medicaid

Healthcare cost relief and expanded access to medical services for low- and moderate-income individuals and families, lowering the burden on the health care system and shoring up rural hospitals at risk of closing.

Free School Lunches

Immediately lowering costs for families by eliminating meal expenses for students, reducing household food budgets, and improving child nutrition.

Eliminate Taxes on Essential Products For Women and Babies

Tangible everyday savings on essential hygiene products (diapers, feminine hygiene products, etc) that represent significant recurring expenses for families and individuals.

Fully Fund All Classrooms Across the State

While the state has made progress funding general education, special education has still been underfunded. Fully funding special education would ensure that all classrooms across the state have the resources they need and all Kansas kids get the opportunities they deserve.

Fully fund Special Education using the savings from expanding Medicaid and new tax revenue from sales of medical marijuana.

Housing Security

Housing affordability protection by limiting penalties for late rental payments, preventing debt accumulation and eviction risk. Exclude Social Security income and raise the income and home value limits so more seniors and disabled veterans can qualify for the property tax homestead exemption.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Lower costs and expand treatment options for patients, reducing reliance on expensive pharmaceutical interventions. Unlock new revenue for the state to fully fund special education. Study the effects of legalization of recreational marijuana on neighboring states.

Making Government Work for The People

Creating an independent panel for redistricting and prohibiting mid-decade redistricting to ensure that Kansans’ voting rights are further protected.

Enacting term limits and limiting corporate PAC money in elections to break the power of entrenched politicians, fostering citizen-legislators that are responsive to voters, and reduce the influence of special interest lobbyists.