Kansas Senator says redistricting push is ‘masking’ other important issues

TOPEKA (KSNT) — As we continue to follow the latest updates on redistricting in Kansas, one state senator is sending a strong message to his fellow lawmakers.

Senate President Ty Masterson has expressed interest in calling a special session here in Kansas, to try and change the congressional maps.

This would require a two thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. Kansas Republicans are planning to go after the seat of Sharice Davids, the only Democrat representing Kansas in the U.S House of Representatives.

However, State Senator Patrick Schmidt believes it would be a huge waste of taxpayer dollars.

Schmidt says, lawmakers should be focused on more pressing issues such as rising property taxes.

“Everyone in Kansas has gotten their property tax notice, and everyone is seeing that their property taxes are going up,” Schmidt said. “If we’re going to spend millions of dollars to call a special session, we should do it on the one issue that millions of Kansans want us to address which is property tax relief.”

During this year’s legislative session, Kansas lawmakers failed to pass any significant property tax relief legislation.

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