Sebelius appropriates $6.5 million in grants from attorney general

Topeka ? With the help of moderate Republicans, Democratic Gov.-elect Kathleen Sebelius has taken control of $6.5 million in federal grants from incoming conservative GOP Atty. Gen. Phill Kline.

Both Kline and an aide to the governor-elect dismissed the notion that the change in administration of the grants represents an early sign of conflict between the two officials.

However, Kline wasn’t consulted about the change, nor had he been notified as of Monday.

A prominent Democratic legislator said the change was a mistake and that the money should continue to go to the Attorney General’s Office.

“The elections are over,” Sen. Paul Feleciano, Wichita, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, told Mid-America News Network, a radio station in Wichita. “There are many people leery and suspicious about the new attorney general of the state of Kansas, but the people have spoken.”

The grants primarily finance victim assistance programs in communities across the state, though some also go to drug abuse prevention efforts. The largest, about $3.2 million, comes from the Office for Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice.

The six-member grant administration staff is expected to move from the Attorney General’s Office into the Governor’s Office.

“It is very common for a governor to run a federal grants program out of his or her office,” Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran-Basso said. “Kathleen has a long commitment to domestic violence and sexual assault issues. There are no hidden motives here at all.”

Kline said he had no strong objection.

“I think the important thing is that the services being provided continue,” he said.

Feleciano said that if there’s concern about the way the attorney general’s office would administer the grants, the Legislature can provide oversight.

Douglas County receives $304,398 from the $6.5 million in federal grants that will now be controlled by the Governor’s Office.Juliene Maska, grant administrator in the Attorney General’s Office, said the bulk of the money goes to help crime victims, with smaller allocations for family violence prevention, drug-free school efforts and child support enforcement.Douglas County does not receive grant money under the Violence Against Women Act.

“Give him a chance to begin serving,” Feleciano said of Kline. “When he steps out of line, we’ll jerk the rope.”

Corcoran-Basso said the decision to switch the grants to the governor’s office was made by Sebelius, Graves and outgoing Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall.

“Many states run these programs through their governors’ offices,” said Juliene Maska, the grant administrator.

Graves didn’t endorse Kline during the election, and Kline often criticized Graves on issues such as tax cuts and abortion as a member of the Kansas House. Stovall, a Graves ally, campaigned against Kline before the August GOP primary.

Kline and Sebelius served together in the Kansas House during the early 1990s. They differed sharply on many issues, including abortion. Sebelius supports abortion rights and Kline opposes abortion.

Still, both Kline and Sebelius said they hope they can work together.

“It’s important for the people of Kansas that we have a constructive relationship,” Kline said.

Sebelius said: “I’m looking forward to starting with a framework that we will have a positive relationship.”