photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., is pictured on Sept. 23, 2021.

Douglas County leaders have approved their list of legislative priorities after making an addition urging the state to fully leverage federal funding for Medicaid as well as other federally funded programs that provide assistance to low-income families.

As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission voted unanimously to approve its 2022 Legislative Statement, which it will send to the state legislative delegation. The proposed statement comprises three legislative priorities — related to state support for crisis services, psychiatric care and the South Lawrence Trafficway — and expresses support for 13 additional issues.

Instead of just expressing support for the expansion of some specific programs such as Medicaid, Commission Chair Shannon Portillo suggested the county broaden its position to say that the county supports bringing as many federal dollars to the state as possible by lifting limitations on not only Medicaid but also other federally funded programs.

“Let’s make sure we’re bringing in all of the federal dollars to our state that we can,” Portillo said. “We are one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to utilization of federal dollars, and we’re all paying those federal taxes, so let’s get those dollars back to the state of Kansas.”

Portillo said that included support for the expansion of Medicaid, the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). All three of those programs were mentioned in the statement, though not all in the same section, and Portillo suggested that the county group those issues together under the broader issue of the utilization of federal dollars. Portillo also said another example could be the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides cash assistance.

Commissioners and county staff agreed the broader issue of the utilization of federal dollars could be added to the statement, using the programs mentioned as examples. Assistant County Administrator Jill Jolicoeur said she agreed with the suggestion, adding that one of the values that she and County Administrator Sarah Plinsky have articulated as they approach the county’s budget was leveraging as much state and federal dollars as possible.

The other issues that the county expresses support for include public health, criminal justice reform, elimination of the state sales tax on food, and state environment and sustainability efforts. The county also encourages the Legislature to establish additional clarity on issues of emergency powers, local control and county authority, specifically during states of emergency.

The three legislative priorities in the statement comprise positions related to state support for the county’s mental health crisis center; “competency restoration” for those declared incompetent to stand trial; and state funding for the expansion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. The full draft of the statement is available as part of the commission’s agenda materials on the county’s website, douglascountyks.org.

In other business, the commission:

• Voted unanimously to adopt an amended version of the county’s 2021 budget, which includes updated revenue and expense information.

• Voted unanimously to adopt a revised version of the county’s finance policy, which includes clarifications and additions on various topics.

• Voted unanimously to approve $211,675 for case management software for the District Attorney’s Office.