Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, has requested an additional $1.2 million dollars from the state legislature to cover potential lawsuits over laws passed this year, according to the Associated Press and the Topeka Capital-Journal.
These items include:
• The federal government may not regulate any gun or gun part or accessory, including ammunition that is made, sold and kept exclusively in Kansas. It makes it a felony for any federal agent to try to do so.
• Requiring drug testing to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
• Preventing public employees from establishing automatic deductions from paychecks to union political action committees.
• Banning abortion based on gender and stating life begins at fertilization.
At a time of tremendous budget cutting and continuing state sales tax, which was supposed to end this summer, this request comes completely because of choices made by legislators.
Larned State Hospital is in tremendous turmoil and has been for years, in part due to the mandatory overtime.
And, it is just not LSH, it is mental health across the state, including vulnerable populations of the seriously mentally ill and handicapped as well as other services such as education. This  includes closing KU’s medical school in Salina.
Maybe it would have been better to spend the money on the state’s high teen pregnancy rate or  problem with teen drinking, which both can lead to poverty or, adequately fund the above listed services.
Some belt tightening in times of economic recession is necessary. Cutting the heart out of so many of these programs will not attract businesses for families to the state.
Maybe the legislators who passed these bills should pay this out of their own pocket and take responsibility for their actions.
Karen La Pierre