WABAUNSEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a high speed chase in Wabaunsee Countuy.

While on an overnight patrol, a Wabaunsee Sheriff's Sergeant attempted to perform a lawful traffic stop on a brown Pontiac, according to a social media report from the Wabaunsee County Sheriff's office.

Upon activating emergency lights and audible sirens the driver, later identified as 36-year-old Justin Case Goodspeed of Eskkridge, attempted to flee from the Sheriff's Sergeant.

The Sergeant initiated a pursuit and gave chase of the suspect vehicle which attempted to evade law enforcement at high speeds on snow and ice. 

The Sergeant, out of an abundance of caution, deactivated emergency lights and sirens and reduced his own speed yet persisted forward towards the suspects last known direction of travel. 

Shortly thereafter Sergeant again activated emergency lights after discovering the suspect vehicle crashed the 15550 block of Wakarusa Road in Eskridge.

The Sergeant performed a felony car stop and arrested Goodspeed, the lone occupant, without incident and transported him to Wabounsee County Jail where he is being held on requested charges of Flee or attempt to elude LEO by engaging in reckless driving;&nbsp; Felong Driving while a habitual violator; Operate vehicle without registration or w/ expired tag; Vehicle liability insurance; Liability coverage required; Basic rule governing speed of vehicle; too fast for conditions; Maximum speed limits; Failure to wear seatbelt; Transporting open container; Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant (meth); Possession of marijuana; Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body and Traffic contraband in correction facility. There were no injuries or property damages from the incident.

Goodspeed has previous convictions for theft, burglary, domestic battery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740077810278.png" alt="Goodspeed -photo Wabaunsee County" />
 <figcaption>Goodspeed -photo Wabaunsee County</figcaption>
 </figure>WABAUNSEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a high speed chase in Wabaunsee Countuy.While on an overnight patrol, a Wabaunsee Sheriff's Sergeant attempted to perform a lawful traffic stop on a brown Pontiac, according to a social media report from the Wabaunsee County Sheriff's office.Upon activating emergency lights and audible sirens the driver, later identified as 36-year-old Justin Case Goodspeed of Eskkridge, attempted to flee from the Sheriff's Sergeant.The Sergeant initiated a pursuit and gave chase of the suspect vehicle which attempted to evade law enforcement at high speeds on snow and ice. The Sergeant, out of an abundance of caution, deactivated emergency lights and sirens and reduced his own speed yet persisted forward towards the suspects last known direction of travel. Shortly thereafter Sergeant again activated emergency lights after discovering the suspect vehicle crashed the 15550 block of Wakarusa Road in Eskridge.The Sergeant performed a felony car stop and arrested Goodspeed, the lone occupant, without incident and transported him to Wabounsee County Jail where he is being held on requested charges of Flee or attempt to elude LEO by engaging in reckless driving;&nbsp; Felong Driving while a habitual violator; Operate vehicle without registration or w/ expired tag; Vehicle liability insurance; Liability coverage required; Basic rule governing speed of vehicle; too fast for conditions; Maximum speed limits; Failure to wear seatbelt; Transporting open container; Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant (meth); Possession of marijuana; Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body and Traffic contraband in correction facility. There were no injuries or property damages from the incident.Goodspeed has previous convictions for theft, burglary, domestic battery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kan. felon jailed after high-speed chase, crash on icy highway

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — All Senate Republicans, except two, voted on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel to a 10-year term as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an agency in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.

In a 51-49 vote, the Senate GOP approved the 18th of Trump’s nominees just one month into the president’s second term. All Democrats and independents opposed Patel’s nomination.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke with the GOP to vote against Patel, citing a “compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical.”

“While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity.&nbsp; Mr. Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead,” Collins said in a statement ahead of the vote.

Murkowski said her “reservations with Mr. Patel stem from his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership.”

“The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores,” Murkowski&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/1892651718053396919" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;on social media.

Patel, a career Department of Justice prosecutor who also worked for the first Trump administration, will now head up the federal law enforcement agency responsible for stamping out terrorism, white-collar crime, violent crime and public corruption among other criminal activity.

Patel, of Nevada, also has a lengthy resume of media appearances, consulting positions and commercial publications, according to his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25540408-patel-kashyap-final278/" target="_blank">financial disclosure</a>.

He sits on the board of directors for the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, but pledged to resign upon confirmation as FBI director.

However, Patel declared on his disclosure that he will not divest from his investments in the Chinese online clothing retailer Shein while he serves as head of the FBI. Patel’s investments in the company are valued between $1 million and $5 million, and are registered in the Cayman Islands, where Shein’s parent company, Elite Depot Ltd., is based.

Patel pulled in between $230,000 and $550,000 in recent years from book sales, including his 2023 title “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy.” Patel is also the author of a children’s series that depicts a cartoon Donald Trump as a king confronting opposition, including battling a fictional stolen election — even though kings are not elected.

Patel, 44, a frequent guest on right-wing media,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjWCnh42Sc4" target="_blank">told</a>&nbsp;podcast host Shawn Ryan last year that he’d “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”

Patel was also one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea" target="_blank">producers</a>&nbsp;on the recorded version of the “Star-Spangled Banner” sung by defendants jailed in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waco-rally-texas-9a5676b734bb087a977ffe0216d0a6a8" target="_blank">played</a>&nbsp;the song on the campaign trail.

However during his confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing-part-1/654894" target="_blank">hearing</a>, Patel spoke out against Jan. 6 defendants who committed violence against law enforcement.

When asked about his previous comments about shutting down the FBI headquarters, Patel told senators that accusations that he would “put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Patel on the Senate floor as the right choice to lead the FBI “at a critical time” and restore trust in an agency suffering from “a perception that politics has infected the FBI’s important work.”

“The next director of the FBI needs to focus on rooting out politics, so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe,” Thune said.

“The bureau also needs a renewed focus on empowering the FBI’s field offices to be good partners to local law enforcement. I’m encouraged that Mr. Patel has the support of the National Police Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and multiple state attorneys general — all of whom will be his partners in law enforcement should Mr. Patel be confirmed,” the South Dakota Republican continued.

Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1892589465308184925" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;his support on social media Thursday morning.

“Kash will reform the agency and not a moment too soon,” Schmitt wrote.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin wrote on social media early Thursday in all caps that within hours he and his colleagues would “CONFIRM KASH PATEL”

“We’re almost there, America,” the Oklahoma Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenMullin/status/1892606859464351777" target="_blank">posted</a>.

Trump was charged with multiple federal crimes in recent years stemming from classified documents held at his Florida estate after his presidency and his attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.

Both cases were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doj-special-counsel-smith-drops-federal-criminal-cases-against-trump" target="_blank">dropped</a>&nbsp;after Trump won his second presidency in November, according to a long-standing policy that the department does not prosecute sitting presidents.

Durbin slams Patel support of Jan. 6 defendants

Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, said Thursday morning that his Republican colleagues are “willfully ignoring myriad red flags about Mr. Patel.”

Durbin, of Illinois, led the morning remarks outside the Washington, D.C., FBI headquarters at the J. Edgar Hoover Building.

The committee’s ranking member criticized Patel’s support for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, many of whom violently attacked law enforcement.

“I was there that day on January 6, as many of my colleagues standing here (were) with me. Those insurrectionists are not political prisoners. They were rioters on a mission from Donald Trump,” Durbin said.

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-issues-pardons-1500-defendants-charged-jan-6-attack-us-capitol" target="_blank">granted clemency</a>&nbsp;to all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on his first night in office, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-republicans-have-little-say-about-trump-pardons-1500-jan-6-defendants" target="_blank">little pushback</a>&nbsp;from Senate Republicans.

The Trump administration has forced out FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-officials-target-agents-prosecutors-who-worked-on-trump-investigations-3a80b280" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.

Durbin alleged in a Feb. 11&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2025-02-11%20RJD%20Letter%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20re%20Patel%20Allegations.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>&nbsp;that he obtained “highly credible information from multiple sources that Kash Patel has been personally directing the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who spoke alongside Durbin and five other Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary panel, accused Patel of being a “sycophantic suck-up.”

“Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day,” Whitehouse said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism by Collins, Murkowski and Senate Democrats of Patel.

During Trump’s first administration, Patel served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and as a senior adviser to Trump’s director of national intelligence, Rick Grenell. Patel briefly served as the chief of staff to the acting defense secretary from November 2020 to January 2021.

Prior to joining Trump’s White House, Patel worked as a national security adviser on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from March 2018 to January 2019 and as senior counsel for the committee in the months prior.

Patel was a trial attorney with the Department of Justice National Security Division from 2014 to 2017 during former President Barack Obama’s second term in office.

Patel began his career as a public defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article296428549.html" target="_blank">in Miami</a>, Florida.

He received his law degree from Pace University Law School in 2005. He is from Garden City, New York.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740091174453.png" alt="Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley during a Dec. meeting with Patel -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley during a Dec. meeting with Patel -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — All Senate Republicans, except two, voted on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel to a 10-year term as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an agency in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.In a 51-49 vote, the Senate GOP approved the 18th of Trump’s nominees just one month into the president’s second term. All Democrats and independents opposed Patel’s nomination.Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke with the GOP to vote against Patel, citing a “compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical.”“While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity.&nbsp; Mr. Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead,” Collins said in a statement ahead of the vote.Murkowski said her “reservations with Mr. Patel stem from his own prior political activities and how they may influence his leadership.”“The FBI must be trusted as the federal agency that roots out crime and corruption, not focused on settling political scores,” Murkowski&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/lisamurkowski/status/1892651718053396919" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;on social media.Patel, a career Department of Justice prosecutor who also worked for the first Trump administration, will now head up the federal law enforcement agency responsible for stamping out terrorism, white-collar crime, violent crime and public corruption among other criminal activity.Patel, of Nevada, also has a lengthy resume of media appearances, consulting positions and commercial publications, according to his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25540408-patel-kashyap-final278/" target="_blank">financial disclosure</a>.He sits on the board of directors for the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, but pledged to resign upon confirmation as FBI director.However, Patel declared on his disclosure that he will not divest from his investments in the Chinese online clothing retailer Shein while he serves as head of the FBI. Patel’s investments in the company are valued between $1 million and $5 million, and are registered in the Cayman Islands, where Shein’s parent company, Elite Depot Ltd., is based.Patel pulled in between $230,000 and $550,000 in recent years from book sales, including his 2023 title “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth and the Battle for Our Democracy.” Patel is also the author of a children’s series that depicts a cartoon Donald Trump as a king confronting opposition, including battling a fictional stolen election — even though kings are not elected.Patel, 44, a frequent guest on right-wing media,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjWCnh42Sc4" target="_blank">told</a>&nbsp;podcast host Shawn Ryan last year that he’d “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”Patel was also one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea" target="_blank">producers</a>&nbsp;on the recorded version of the “Star-Spangled Banner” sung by defendants jailed in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waco-rally-texas-9a5676b734bb087a977ffe0216d0a6a8" target="_blank">played</a>&nbsp;the song on the campaign trail.However during his confirmation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing-part-1/654894" target="_blank">hearing</a>, Patel spoke out against Jan. 6 defendants who committed violence against law enforcement.When asked about his previous comments about shutting down the FBI headquarters, Patel told senators that accusations that he would “put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair.”<h2>Thune praises Patel</h2>Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Patel on the Senate floor as the right choice to lead the FBI “at a critical time” and restore trust in an agency suffering from “a perception that politics has infected the FBI’s important work.”“The next director of the FBI needs to focus on rooting out politics, so the FBI can enforce the law, uphold the Constitution, and keep Americans safe,” Thune said.“The bureau also needs a renewed focus on empowering the FBI’s field offices to be good partners to local law enforcement. I’m encouraged that Mr. Patel has the support of the National Police Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and multiple state attorneys general — all of whom will be his partners in law enforcement should Mr. Patel be confirmed,” the South Dakota Republican continued.Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1892589465308184925" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;his support on social media Thursday morning.“Kash will reform the agency and not a moment too soon,” Schmitt wrote.Sen. Markwayne Mullin wrote on social media early Thursday in all caps that within hours he and his colleagues would “CONFIRM KASH PATEL”“We’re almost there, America,” the Oklahoma Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenMullin/status/1892606859464351777" target="_blank">posted</a>.Trump was charged with multiple federal crimes in recent years stemming from classified documents held at his Florida estate after his presidency and his attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election results.Both cases were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doj-special-counsel-smith-drops-federal-criminal-cases-against-trump" target="_blank">dropped</a>&nbsp;after Trump won his second presidency in November, according to a long-standing policy that the department does not prosecute sitting presidents.<h2>Durbin slams Patel support of Jan. 6 defendants</h2>Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, said Thursday morning that his Republican colleagues are “willfully ignoring myriad red flags about Mr. Patel.”Durbin, of Illinois, led the morning remarks outside the Washington, D.C., FBI headquarters at the J. Edgar Hoover Building.The committee’s ranking member criticized Patel’s support for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, many of whom violently attacked law enforcement.“I was there that day on January 6, as many of my colleagues standing here (were) with me. Those insurrectionists are not political prisoners. They were rioters on a mission from Donald Trump,” Durbin said.Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-issues-pardons-1500-defendants-charged-jan-6-attack-us-capitol" target="_blank">granted clemency</a>&nbsp;to all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on his first night in office, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-republicans-have-little-say-about-trump-pardons-1500-jan-6-defendants" target="_blank">little pushback</a>&nbsp;from Senate Republicans.The Trump administration has forced out FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-officials-target-agents-prosecutors-who-worked-on-trump-investigations-3a80b280" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.Durbin alleged in a Feb. 11&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2025-02-11%20RJD%20Letter%20to%20DOJ%20OIG%20re%20Patel%20Allegations.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a>&nbsp;that he obtained “highly credible information from multiple sources that Kash Patel has been personally directing the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who spoke alongside Durbin and five other Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary panel, accused Patel of being a “sycophantic suck-up.”“Kash Patel, mark my words, will cause evil in this building behind us, and Republicans who vote for him will rue that day,” Whitehouse said.The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism by Collins, Murkowski and Senate Democrats of Patel.<h2>Patel’s background</h2>During Trump’s first administration, Patel served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, and as a senior adviser to Trump’s director of national intelligence, Rick Grenell. Patel briefly served as the chief of staff to the acting defense secretary from November 2020 to January 2021.Prior to joining Trump’s White House, Patel worked as a national security adviser on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from March 2018 to January 2019 and as senior counsel for the committee in the months prior.Patel was a trial attorney with the Department of Justice National Security Division from 2014 to 2017 during former President Barack Obama’s second term in office.Patel began his career as a public defender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article296428549.html" target="_blank">in Miami</a>, Florida.He received his law degree from Pace University Law School in 2005. He is from Garden City, New York.

U.S. Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI director, with two Republicans dissenting

WASHINGTON — A Kansas man pleaded guilty Thursday to operating an internet-based platform that generated false doctors’ orders to defraud Medicare and other federal health care benefit programs of more than $1 billion, according to the United State's Department of Justice.

According to court documents, Gregory Schreck, 50, of Johnson County, admitted that he and his co-conspirators targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries to provide their personally identifiable information and agree to accept medically unnecessary orthotic braces, pain creams, and other items through misleading mailers, television advertisements, and calls from offshore call centers. Schreck and his co-conspirators owned, controlled, and operated DMERx, an internet-based platform that generated false and fraudulent doctors’ orders for orthotic braces, pain creams, and other items for these beneficiaries. 

Schreck, a vice president of the company that operated DMERx, admitted that he offered to connect pharmacies, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, and marketers with telemedicine companies that would accept illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for signed doctors’ orders that were transmitted using the DMERx platform. Schreck and his co-conspirators received payments for coordinating these illegal kickback transactions and referring the completed doctors’ orders to the DME suppliers, pharmacies, and telemarketers that paid for them. 

The fraudulent doctors’ orders generated by DMERx falsely represented that a doctor had examined and treated the Medicare beneficiaries when, in reality, purported telemedicine companies paid doctors to sign the orders without regard to medical necessity and based only on a brief telephone call with the beneficiary, or sometimes no interaction with the beneficiary at all. The DME suppliers and pharmacies that paid illegal kickbacks in exchange for these doctors’ orders generated through DMERx billed Medicare and other insurers more than $1&nbsp;billion. Medicare and the insurers paid more than $360 million based on these false and fraudulent claims.

Schreck pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Isaac Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin E. Fleck of the FBI Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge David Spilker of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG)’s Southeast Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, FBI, VA-OIG, and DCIS are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Darren C. Halverson and Jennifer E. Burns of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Andrea Savdie and Shane Butland assisted in the prosecution.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/http:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Fcriminal-fraud%2Fhealth-care-fraud-unit%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/010001952556bac1-bbef654d-6126-45be-b254-d9c5ecc3e9dd-000000/Dd8w0yEPttRwjnPB8hceih8qcjmM1DnXMyUcGv7hZEM=392">www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit</a>.

WASHINGTON — A Kansas man pleaded guilty Thursday to operating an internet-based platform that generated false doctors’ orders to defraud Medicare and other federal health care benefit programs of more than $1 billion, according to the United State's Department of Justice.According to court documents, Gregory Schreck, 50, of Johnson County, admitted that he and his co-conspirators targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries to provide their personally identifiable information and agree to accept medically unnecessary orthotic braces, pain creams, and other items through misleading mailers, television advertisements, and calls from offshore call centers. Schreck and his co-conspirators owned, controlled, and operated DMERx, an internet-based platform that generated false and fraudulent doctors’ orders for orthotic braces, pain creams, and other items for these beneficiaries. Schreck, a vice president of the company that operated DMERx, admitted that he offered to connect pharmacies, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, and marketers with telemedicine companies that would accept illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for signed doctors’ orders that were transmitted using the DMERx platform. Schreck and his co-conspirators received payments for coordinating these illegal kickback transactions and referring the completed doctors’ orders to the DME suppliers, pharmacies, and telemarketers that paid for them. The fraudulent doctors’ orders generated by DMERx falsely represented that a doctor had examined and treated the Medicare beneficiaries when, in reality, purported telemedicine companies paid doctors to sign the orders without regard to medical necessity and based only on a brief telephone call with the beneficiary, or sometimes no interaction with the beneficiary at all. The DME suppliers and pharmacies that paid illegal kickbacks in exchange for these doctors’ orders generated through DMERx billed Medicare and other insurers more than $1&nbsp;billion. Medicare and the insurers paid more than $360 million based on these false and fraudulent claims.Schreck pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Isaac Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Justin E. Fleck of the FBI Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge David Spilker of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG)’s Southeast Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office made the announcement.HHS-OIG, FBI, VA-OIG, and DCIS are investigating the case.Trial Attorneys Darren C. Halverson and Jennifer E. Burns of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Andrea Savdie and Shane Butland assisted in the prosecution.The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/http:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Fcriminal-fraud%2Fhealth-care-fraud-unit%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/010001952556bac1-bbef654d-6126-45be-b254-d9c5ecc3e9dd-000000/Dd8w0yEPttRwjnPB8hceih8qcjmM1DnXMyUcGv7hZEM=392">www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit</a>.

Kan. man admits role in billion dollar healthcare fraud scheme

Chamber sends Senate a bill allowing 20-year-olds to enter police academy

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Rep. Brad Barrett’s sense of potential lethal ramifications of high-speed pursuits by law enforcement officers was drawn from service as a Shawnee County district attorney investigator and a Coffey County sheriff’s deputy.

Barrett, an Osage City Republican, brought that experience to the Kansas House where he urged peers to support&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2177_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 2177</a>. It would stiffen criminal penalties for motorists repeatedly convicted of fleeing or attempting to elude authorities.

“This is dangerous,” he said. “When people are fleeing law enforcement, they’re driving a couple thousand pound missile full of fuel. We need to hold them accountable for their actions.”

Kansas Highway Patrol Col. Eric Smith and Coffey County Undersheriff Eric Smith — no relation — had testified to a House committee in support of the bill. Both said the state would be justified to enact progressively severe punitive measures for those who continued to attempt or commit an aggravated form of fleeing and eluding.

“Increased penalties for prior convictions discourage violators from committing the same offense,” the KHP colonel said.

He said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documented 525 fatalities in 2021 that occurred during police pursuits in the United States.

On Thursday, the House responded by voting 94-28 to send the bill to the Kansas Senate.

The legislation would raise a third or subsequent conviction for skirting a road block, avoiding tire deflation devices or intentionally causing property damage during a law enforcement chase from a level 9 felony to a level 5 felony. The bill also would dictate that a person convicted a third or subsequent time of driving the wrong way into an opposing lane of traffic and forcing a motorist to take evasive action or colliding with a vehicle, would face a level 4 felony rather than a level 9 felony.

Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen, D-Topeka, asked during floor debate on the bill Wednesday for evidence demonstrating that modifying the sentencing grid so more people went to prison compelled anyone to avoid entering into chases with law enforcement.

“There’s no evidence that raising the penalty on fleeing and eluding will have any deterrent effect at all,” Schlingensiepen said.

Emily Brandt, who represents the legislative committee of the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense, said the bill was unnecessary because fleeing-and-eluding recidivists were punished when judges who factored criminal history into sentencing decisions.

She said elevating the third offense to a level 4 or level 5 felony would punish someone as seriously as if the crime in question was aggravated battery, involuntary manslaughter or sexual exploitation of a child. Individuals with a third such person felony could be sentenced to more than decade in prison, she said.

“This bill would punish people who committed no harm to another as severely as people who committed a murder or caused great bodily harm,” Brandt said. “If passed, this bill would have a significant fiscal impact on the state of Kansas, mostly because of much longer prison stays for committing these crimes, but also because of increased defense costs for higher severity level crimes.”

A House majority also sent the Senate — on a vote of 97-24 — a bill to lower the minimum age for persons applying for certification as a law enforcement officer to 20 years of age from the current standard of 21. While law enforcement training could take place, supporters of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2164_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 2164</a>&nbsp;indicated individuals would need to be 21 to be assigned duties as a part-time or full-time officer.

“This bill would help with recruitment and retention for Kansas law enforcement departments to help address shortages,” said Rep. Kevin Schwertfeger, R-Turon.

Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan, who made officer recruiting a top priority since selected chief in 2022, said one barrier to attracting candidates for careers in law enforcement was the state mandate they had to be 21 years of age prior to applying for a state law enforcement certification.

He said the department implemented an “early onboarding process” to streamline recruitment. The House bill would allow the department to formally bring 20-year-olds into the process while they awaited a law enforcement academy start date. The objective would be for applicants to complete a six-month training program before turning 21, he said.

“Increasing the pool of potential applicants will help us fill critical vacancies and enhance public safety for all Kansans by ensuring that we have well-training, capable officers protecting our communities,” Sullivan said.

Overland Park Police Chief Doreen Jokerst, who entered a Colorado police academy at age 20, said the reform would reflect her belief that “responsible and capable individuals exist” within the lower age group. Opening training academies to Kansas applicants earlier would support law enforcement agencies working to attract promising candidates, she said.

Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Republican who served as chairman of the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, said he wasn’t convinced lowering the age was sound public policy. He said there could be problems if 20-year-old trainees were given gun and badge before they were equipped to handle the job.

“I urge the House to move very slowly on this request because I think we’re going to make mistakes,” Carmichael said. “We’re going to have people without the maturity out there as police officers.”

Ottawa GOP Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, vice chair of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, said legislative heartburn on the bill didn’t make sense.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740069726626.png" alt="File photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>File photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Chamber sends Senate a bill allowing 20-year-olds to enter police academy</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Rep. Brad Barrett’s sense of potential lethal ramifications of high-speed pursuits by law enforcement officers was drawn from service as a Shawnee County district attorney investigator and a Coffey County sheriff’s deputy.Barrett, an Osage City Republican, brought that experience to the Kansas House where he urged peers to support&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2177_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 2177</a>. It would stiffen criminal penalties for motorists repeatedly convicted of fleeing or attempting to elude authorities.“This is dangerous,” he said. “When people are fleeing law enforcement, they’re driving a couple thousand pound missile full of fuel. We need to hold them accountable for their actions.”Kansas Highway Patrol Col. Eric Smith and Coffey County Undersheriff Eric Smith — no relation — had testified to a House committee in support of the bill. Both said the state would be justified to enact progressively severe punitive measures for those who continued to attempt or commit an aggravated form of fleeing and eluding.“Increased penalties for prior convictions discourage violators from committing the same offense,” the KHP colonel said.He said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documented 525 fatalities in 2021 that occurred during police pursuits in the United States.On Thursday, the House responded by voting 94-28 to send the bill to the Kansas Senate.The legislation would raise a third or subsequent conviction for skirting a road block, avoiding tire deflation devices or intentionally causing property damage during a law enforcement chase from a level 9 felony to a level 5 felony. The bill also would dictate that a person convicted a third or subsequent time of driving the wrong way into an opposing lane of traffic and forcing a motorist to take evasive action or colliding with a vehicle, would face a level 4 felony rather than a level 9 felony.<h2>Not so fast</h2>Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen, D-Topeka, asked during floor debate on the bill Wednesday for evidence demonstrating that modifying the sentencing grid so more people went to prison compelled anyone to avoid entering into chases with law enforcement.“There’s no evidence that raising the penalty on fleeing and eluding will have any deterrent effect at all,” Schlingensiepen said.Emily Brandt, who represents the legislative committee of the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense, said the bill was unnecessary because fleeing-and-eluding recidivists were punished when judges who factored criminal history into sentencing decisions.She said elevating the third offense to a level 4 or level 5 felony would punish someone as seriously as if the crime in question was aggravated battery, involuntary manslaughter or sexual exploitation of a child. Individuals with a third such person felony could be sentenced to more than decade in prison, she said.“This bill would punish people who committed no harm to another as severely as people who committed a murder or caused great bodily harm,” Brandt said. “If passed, this bill would have a significant fiscal impact on the state of Kansas, mostly because of much longer prison stays for committing these crimes, but also because of increased defense costs for higher severity level crimes.”<h2>Police academy: Age 20</h2>A House majority also sent the Senate — on a vote of 97-24 — a bill to lower the minimum age for persons applying for certification as a law enforcement officer to 20 years of age from the current standard of 21. While law enforcement training could take place, supporters of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2164_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">House Bill 2164</a>&nbsp;indicated individuals would need to be 21 to be assigned duties as a part-time or full-time officer.“This bill would help with recruitment and retention for Kansas law enforcement departments to help address shortages,” said Rep. Kevin Schwertfeger, R-Turon.Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan, who made officer recruiting a top priority since selected chief in 2022, said one barrier to attracting candidates for careers in law enforcement was the state mandate they had to be 21 years of age prior to applying for a state law enforcement certification.He said the department implemented an “early onboarding process” to streamline recruitment. The House bill would allow the department to formally bring 20-year-olds into the process while they awaited a law enforcement academy start date. The objective would be for applicants to complete a six-month training program before turning 21, he said.“Increasing the pool of potential applicants will help us fill critical vacancies and enhance public safety for all Kansans by ensuring that we have well-training, capable officers protecting our communities,” Sullivan said.<h2>What’s the hang-up?</h2>Overland Park Police Chief Doreen Jokerst, who entered a Colorado police academy at age 20, said the reform would reflect her belief that “responsible and capable individuals exist” within the lower age group. Opening training academies to Kansas applicants earlier would support law enforcement agencies working to attract promising candidates, she said.Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Republican who served as chairman of the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, said he wasn’t convinced lowering the age was sound public policy. He said there could be problems if 20-year-old trainees were given gun and badge before they were equipped to handle the job.“I urge the House to move very slowly on this request because I think we’re going to make mistakes,” Carmichael said. “We’re going to have people without the maturity out there as police officers.”Ottawa GOP Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, vice chair of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, said legislative heartburn on the bill didn’t make sense.

Kan. House agrees to stiffen penalty for recidivist offenders in high-speed police chases

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

A proposed constitutional amendment that would impose work and reporting requirements on Missouri Medicaid recipients was debated in a state Senate committee Wednesday morning.

Sponsored by state Sen. Jill Carter, a Joplin Republican, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=127" target="_blank">proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;would require able-bodied Medicaid participants ages 19 to 49 to prove they are working or engaging in another qualifying activity as a condition for receiving health coverage.

Participants would need to complete 80 hours a month of work, education, job search, child care or volunteering. There would be various exceptions, including for those who are pregnant or primary caregivers to a dependent child or dependent adult.

If passed by the legislature, it would be placed on the statewide ballot and need voter approval to go into law.&nbsp;

“This is an amendment that is similar to what the federal government is kind of pivoting to,” Carter said at the Senate’s Families, Seniors and Health committee hearing, “just trying to help people be more involved and engaged in the communities where they are receiving assistance.”&nbsp;

At the federal level,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-work-requirements-congress-republicans-90ec1119f1d95de067c76f79eec7fa87" target="_blank">Republicans in Congress</a>&nbsp;have said they’re eyeing work requirements for Medicaid, as well as deep cuts to the program. The last Trump administration encouraged&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/medicaid-work-requirements-states-revamp-trump-administration/" target="_blank">state-level efforts to condition Medicaid on work and reporting requirements,</a>&nbsp;and the second administration has shown interest in similar policies.&nbsp;

Carter said her bill is designed to help empower able-bodied Medicaid participants to better themselves by getting involved in their communities and escaping poverty.

“I see how poverty is and getting assistance is becoming a multi-generational cycle,” she said. “Instead of us helping people get out of that cycle of poverty, we’re capping them and keeping them entrapped in that.”

No one testified in favor of the bill Wednesday. Five people testified in opposition, arguing the requirements would amount to bureaucratic red tape that would cause the neediest Missourians to lose health care.

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/understanding-the-intersection-of-medicaid-and-work-an-update/" target="_blank">health policy organization KFF</a>, two-thirds of adults on Medicaid age 19-64 already work.

Low-income Missourians, along with those with disabilities, qualify for Medicaid.&nbsp;For a two-person household of low-income adults without disabilities, for example, the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/benefit-program-income-limits" target="_blank">income limit</a>&nbsp;is $27,185 to qualify.

Emily Kalmer, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the proposal could drop cancer survivors and patients from the rolls who are unable to work.

“For a cancer patient losing coverage in the middle of treatment — that could seriously jeopardize their chances of survival,” she said.

Kalmer said although the exemptions may be “well meaning and intended to help,” in practice, those who qualify could still lose coverage due to administrative hurdles.

In Arkansas, where work requirements were briefly implemented, Kalmer said people intended to be exempt from work requirements still lost coverage because they didn’t know about the exemptions or weren’t able to navigate the reporting requirements.&nbsp;

Arkansas was the first state to adopt Medicaid work requirements in 2018. Until a court halted the program in 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/health/medicaid-work-requirements.html" target="_blank">around 18,000 people lost coverage.&nbsp;</a>

Brian Colby, vice president of public policy at the progressive Missouri Budget Project, said other states’ experiences have shown that “this administrative task is very expensive, very hard to do and gets mixed up in court and the whole thing gets thrown out.”&nbsp;

Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, chief of policy staff with the anti-poverty organization Empower Missouri, said the proposal would add an “incredible extra layer of bureaucracy” onto an already-strained social services system.&nbsp;

“Social Services is struggling right now answering phone calls,” he said. “This would be a pretty dramatic increase: hundreds of thousands of folks, hundreds of thousands of forms, processes, people who need to call with questions, need to figure out which form they need to submit, get into the local office or get a hold of someone onto the phone.”

Caldwell-McMillan said the proposal would cause, “as we’ve seen in Arkansas, folks who are working, who are eligible, losing their Medicaid&nbsp;benefits.”

Missouri’s social services agency has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/17/leader-of-missouri-social-services-agency-stepping-down-for-new-job-in-poplar-bluff/">struggled</a>&nbsp;to meet federal standards for processing Medicaid applications. It is also being sued for its hours-long wait times for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.&nbsp;

The Department of Social Services&nbsp;also says it’s understaffed, and requested 220 new eligibility staff in its budget for this year. Gov. Mike Kehoe recommended only 55 new positions.

Caldwell-McMillan added that the many exemptions in the proposed amendment could “add an extra layer of complexity,” in the bureaucratic process.

State Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat from Kansas City on the committee, pointed to issues with social services wait times already,&nbsp;

“What actually happens,” she said of work requirements,&nbsp; “is that the bureaucratic cost to it, really outweighs the benefit.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740067216659.png" alt=" State Sen. Jill Carter, a Republican from Granby, is sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment that would require able-bodied Medicaid participants ages 19 to 49 to prove they are working or engaging in another qualifying activity as a condition for receiving health coverage (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Jill Carter, a Republican from Granby, is sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment that would require able-bodied Medicaid participants ages 19 to 49 to prove they are working or engaging in another qualifying activity as a condition for receiving health coverage (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>A proposed constitutional amendment that would impose work and reporting requirements on Missouri Medicaid recipients was debated in a state Senate committee Wednesday morning.Sponsored by state Sen. Jill Carter, a Joplin Republican, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=127" target="_blank">proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;would require able-bodied Medicaid participants ages 19 to 49 to prove they are working or engaging in another qualifying activity as a condition for receiving health coverage.Participants would need to complete 80 hours a month of work, education, job search, child care or volunteering. There would be various exceptions, including for those who are pregnant or primary caregivers to a dependent child or dependent adult.If passed by the legislature, it would be placed on the statewide ballot and need voter approval to go into law.&nbsp;“This is an amendment that is similar to what the federal government is kind of pivoting to,” Carter said at the Senate’s Families, Seniors and Health committee hearing, “just trying to help people be more involved and engaged in the communities where they are receiving assistance.”&nbsp;At the federal level,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-work-requirements-congress-republicans-90ec1119f1d95de067c76f79eec7fa87" target="_blank">Republicans in Congress</a>&nbsp;have said they’re eyeing work requirements for Medicaid, as well as deep cuts to the program. The last Trump administration encouraged&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/medicaid-work-requirements-states-revamp-trump-administration/" target="_blank">state-level efforts to condition Medicaid on work and reporting requirements,</a>&nbsp;and the second administration has shown interest in similar policies.&nbsp;Carter said her bill is designed to help empower able-bodied Medicaid participants to better themselves by getting involved in their communities and escaping poverty.“I see how poverty is and getting assistance is becoming a multi-generational cycle,” she said. “Instead of us helping people get out of that cycle of poverty, we’re capping them and keeping them entrapped in that.”No one testified in favor of the bill Wednesday. Five people testified in opposition, arguing the requirements would amount to bureaucratic red tape that would cause the neediest Missourians to lose health care.According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/understanding-the-intersection-of-medicaid-and-work-an-update/" target="_blank">health policy organization KFF</a>, two-thirds of adults on Medicaid age 19-64 already work.Low-income Missourians, along with those with disabilities, qualify for Medicaid.&nbsp;For a two-person household of low-income adults without disabilities, for example, the annual&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/benefit-program-income-limits" target="_blank">income limit</a>&nbsp;is $27,185 to qualify.Emily Kalmer, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the proposal could drop cancer survivors and patients from the rolls who are unable to work.“For a cancer patient losing coverage in the middle of treatment — that could seriously jeopardize their chances of survival,” she said.Kalmer said although the exemptions may be “well meaning and intended to help,” in practice, those who qualify could still lose coverage due to administrative hurdles.In Arkansas, where work requirements were briefly implemented, Kalmer said people intended to be exempt from work requirements still lost coverage because they didn’t know about the exemptions or weren’t able to navigate the reporting requirements.&nbsp;Arkansas was the first state to adopt Medicaid work requirements in 2018. Until a court halted the program in 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/health/medicaid-work-requirements.html" target="_blank">around 18,000 people lost coverage.&nbsp;</a>Brian Colby, vice president of public policy at the progressive Missouri Budget Project, said other states’ experiences have shown that “this administrative task is very expensive, very hard to do and gets mixed up in court and the whole thing gets thrown out.”&nbsp;Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, chief of policy staff with the anti-poverty organization Empower Missouri, said the proposal would add an “incredible extra layer of bureaucracy” onto an already-strained social services system.&nbsp;“Social Services is struggling right now answering phone calls,” he said. “This would be a pretty dramatic increase: hundreds of thousands of folks, hundreds of thousands of forms, processes, people who need to call with questions, need to figure out which form they need to submit, get into the local office or get a hold of someone onto the phone.”Caldwell-McMillan said the proposal would cause, “as we’ve seen in Arkansas, folks who are working, who are eligible, losing their Medicaid&nbsp;benefits.”Missouri’s social services agency has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/12/17/leader-of-missouri-social-services-agency-stepping-down-for-new-job-in-poplar-bluff/">struggled</a>&nbsp;to meet federal standards for processing Medicaid applications. It is also being sued for its hours-long wait times for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.&nbsp;The Department of Social Services&nbsp;also says it’s understaffed, and requested 220 new eligibility staff in its budget for this year. Gov. Mike Kehoe recommended only 55 new positions.Caldwell-McMillan added that the many exemptions in the proposed amendment could “add an extra layer of complexity,” in the bureaucratic process.State Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat from Kansas City on the committee, pointed to issues with social services wait times already,&nbsp;“What actually happens,” she said of work requirements,&nbsp; “is that the bureaucratic cost to it, really outweighs the benefit.”

Republicans renew push to enact work requirements for Missouri Medicaid recipients

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Police are investigating a shooting in the 1700 block of W. 6th Street Wednesday night that left a 23-year-old Lawrence man hospitalized in critical condition.

Just before 11p.m. Wednesday, Lawrence Memorial Hospital reported to police that a man had been dropped off at the emergency room suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a media release.

Due to the severity of the victim’s injuries, he was transferred to an area trauma center where he remains in critical condition.

Investigators are actively following leads to find the people involved in this shooting. Based on the leads generated thus far, there is no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to this incident. 

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Police are investigating a shooting in the 1700 block of W. 6th Street Wednesday night that left a 23-year-old Lawrence man hospitalized in critical condition.Just before 11p.m. Wednesday, Lawrence Memorial Hospital reported to police that a man had been dropped off at the emergency room suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a media release.Due to the severity of the victim’s injuries, he was transferred to an area trauma center where he remains in critical condition.Investigators are actively following leads to find the people involved in this shooting. Based on the leads generated thus far, there is no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to this incident.

Man critically injured in shooting, dropped off at Kan. hospital

LABETTE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a newborn baby from a hospital in Parsons.

Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, police responded to Labette Health following a report of an attempted kidnapping in progress, as reported by hospital security, according to a media release from Parsons Police.

Officers learned that hospital security had successfully intervened, preventing a suspect from leaving the hospital after trying to take a newborn baby who had not been discharged by medical staff. 

The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Eric Matthews, was immediately detained as officers launched an investigation into the incident.

Officers reviewed video surveillance footage and interviewed multiple witnesses, confirming that Matthews had attempted to leave the Obstetrics Ward with a one-day-old infant without authorization. 

According to reports, a family member of the child confronted Matthews before he could exit the ward, stopping him from taking the baby. Hospital security then stepped in and held Matthews at the scene until law enforcement arrived.

The investigation revealed that Matthews was known to the family and has a reported history of drug use. Based on the evidence gathered, officers transported Matthews to the Parsons Police Department's lock-up facility, where he was booked on requested charges of Kidnapping and Child Endangerment.&nbsp;

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks commended both hospital staff and law enforcement for their swift and professional handling of the situation.

"We are incredibly fortunate that this incident was resolved peacefully and without harm to the child. The quick response from Labette Health security staff played a crucial role in ensuring the infant's safety. These situations can be unpredictable and volatile, but thanks to the diligence of those involved, this matter was contained before it could escalate further. We now allow the Labette County judicial system to proceed with the case and ensure justice is served."

The Parsons Police Department remains committed to protecting the safety and well-being of all residents, especially the most vulnerable members of the community. We strive to maintain partnership with all our medical professionals to continue this protection and safeguard the guardian mentality.

This continues to be an on-going investigation, and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspdks.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740015765703.png" alt="Matthews photo Labette County" />
 <figcaption>Matthews photo Labette County</figcaption>
 </figure>LABETTE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with the attempted kidnapping of a newborn baby from a hospital in Parsons.Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, police responded to Labette Health following a report of an attempted kidnapping in progress, as reported by hospital security, according to a media release from Parsons Police.Officers learned that hospital security had successfully intervened, preventing a suspect from leaving the hospital after trying to take a newborn baby who had not been discharged by medical staff. The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Eric Matthews, was immediately detained as officers launched an investigation into the incident.Officers reviewed video surveillance footage and interviewed multiple witnesses, confirming that Matthews had attempted to leave the Obstetrics Ward with a one-day-old infant without authorization. According to reports, a family member of the child confronted Matthews before he could exit the ward, stopping him from taking the baby. Hospital security then stepped in and held Matthews at the scene until law enforcement arrived.The investigation revealed that Matthews was known to the family and has a reported history of drug use. Based on the evidence gathered, officers transported Matthews to the Parsons Police Department's lock-up facility, where he was booked on requested charges of Kidnapping and Child Endangerment.&nbsp;Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks commended both hospital staff and law enforcement for their swift and professional handling of the situation."We are incredibly fortunate that this incident was resolved peacefully and without harm to the child. The quick response from Labette Health security staff played a crucial role in ensuring the infant's safety. These situations can be unpredictable and volatile, but thanks to the diligence of those involved, this matter was contained before it could escalate further. We now allow the Labette County judicial system to proceed with the case and ensure justice is served."The Parsons Police Department remains committed to protecting the safety and well-being of all residents, especially the most vulnerable members of the community. We strive to maintain partnership with all our medical professionals to continue this protection and safeguard the guardian mentality.This continues to be an on-going investigation, and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspdks.gov.

Police: Man attempted to kidnap newborn baby from Kan. hospital

JOHNSON COUNTY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a fourplex in Overland Park.

Crews responded just before 8a.m. Wednesday to the fire&nbsp;at 116th Terrace and Bluejacket, according to a social media report from Overland Park Fire. It took 50 minutes to bring fire under control.

Fire crews found one dog deceased. Another dog was reported missing. Residents from 2 units are displaced. Fire crews from Olathe and Lenexa also responded to the scene. There were no other injuries reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739999731120.png" alt="Images from Overland Park Fire Dept. video" />
 <figcaption>Images from Overland Park Fire Dept. video</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a fourplex in Overland Park.Crews responded just before 8a.m. Wednesday to the fire&nbsp;at 116th Terrace and Bluejacket, according to a social media report from Overland Park Fire. It took 50 minutes to bring fire under control.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740000071683.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Fire crews found one dog deceased. Another dog was reported missing. Residents from 2 units are displaced. Fire crews from Olathe and Lenexa also responded to the scene. There were no other injuries reported.

2 pets die in Kansas fourplex fire

TOPEKA — Daniel Shipp, president of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas for nearly three years, has been hired to lead Maryville University in suburban St. Louis.

Shipp was chosen to succeed&nbsp;Mark Lombardi, who plans to retire after 18 years at the private university. Shipp is to begin his new duties in June.

“I am inspired by Maryville’s bold vision, its commitment to expanding access and opportunity and its innovative approach to education,” Shipp said.

In a note to PSU faculty, he said “we’ve made significant progress that has been critically important to the success of this beloved institution and the many communities we serve in southeast Kansas. I am more than proud to have successfully served as your president during this transformational period of time.”

Maryville University was founded in 1872 and enrolls more than 9,000 students at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Nearly half of the university’s students pursue health or business degrees. The university serves students from 50 states and 56 countries, and has more than 50,000 alumni.

Carl Ice, chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, said Shipp prioritized student success at PSU. During his tenure, PSU increased on-time graduate rates, expanded student financial aid and reduced student debt. He said Shipp consented to remain at PSU through the end of May.

Rick Webb, executive chairman of the Watco transportation company, was named chairman of the PSU presidential search committee by the Kansas Board of Regents. Webb earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from PSU.

“As an alumnus of the university, an experienced business leader and engaged member of the Pittsburg community, Rick brings the skills and dedication needed to lead the committee’s work of identifying candidates,” Ice said.

Prior to taking the PSU presidential job in April 2022, Shipp was vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and associate to the chancellor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and executive vice president and provost of the University of Nebraska System. He previously held administration positions in student affairs and enrollment management at University of Nebraska at Omaha.

He earned a doctorate at University of the Pacific, a master’s degree at Nebraska-Omaha and a bachelor’s degree at University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740050283794.png" alt="Pittsburg State University President Daniel Shipp intends to resign by June 1 to assume the presidency of Maryville University, a private institution in the suburbs of St. Louis. (submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Pittsburg State University President Daniel Shipp intends to resign by June 1 to assume the presidency of Maryville University, a private institution in the suburbs of St. Louis. (submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Daniel Shipp, president of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas for nearly three years, has been hired to lead Maryville University in suburban St. Louis.Shipp was chosen to succeed&nbsp;Mark Lombardi, who plans to retire after 18 years at the private university. Shipp is to begin his new duties in June.“I am inspired by Maryville’s bold vision, its commitment to expanding access and opportunity and its innovative approach to education,” Shipp said.In a note to PSU faculty, he said “we’ve made significant progress that has been critically important to the success of this beloved institution and the many communities we serve in southeast Kansas. I am more than proud to have successfully served as your president during this transformational period of time.”Maryville University was founded in 1872 and enrolls more than 9,000 students at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Nearly half of the university’s students pursue health or business degrees. The university serves students from 50 states and 56 countries, and has more than 50,000 alumni.Carl Ice, chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, said Shipp prioritized student success at PSU. During his tenure, PSU increased on-time graduate rates, expanded student financial aid and reduced student debt. He said Shipp consented to remain at PSU through the end of May.Rick Webb, executive chairman of the Watco transportation company, was named chairman of the PSU presidential search committee by the Kansas Board of Regents. Webb earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from PSU.“As an alumnus of the university, an experienced business leader and engaged member of the Pittsburg community, Rick brings the skills and dedication needed to lead the committee’s work of identifying candidates,” Ice said.Prior to taking the PSU presidential job in April 2022, Shipp was vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and associate to the chancellor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and executive vice president and provost of the University of Nebraska System. He previously held administration positions in student affairs and enrollment management at University of Nebraska at Omaha.He earned a doctorate at University of the Pacific, a master’s degree at Nebraska-Omaha and a bachelor’s degree at University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Pittsburg State president accepts top academic post at private Missouri university

WASHINGTON —U.S. forces conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East, this week to demonstrate force projection capabilities in the region, according to a statement from the&nbsp;U.S. Central Command.

The test involved the flight of two&nbsp; B-52 H Long-Range Strategic Bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom across the Middle East. 

During the Flight, the Bombers flew over Europe as well as nine partner nations in the Middle East, carrying out Aerial-Refueling and Live-Munitions Drops at ranges in several nations. Additionally, U.S. Air Force F-15s as well as Fighter Jets from 4 Allied Air Forces in CENTCOM’s Area-of-Responsibility, provided escorts during the mission.

“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740002612425.png" alt="Image from video during the mission- U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Image from video during the mission- U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —U.S. forces conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East, this week to demonstrate force projection capabilities in the region, according to a statement from the&nbsp;U.S. Central Command.The test involved the flight of two&nbsp; B-52 H Long-Range Strategic Bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom across the Middle East. During the Flight, the Bombers flew over Europe as well as nine partner nations in the Middle East, carrying out Aerial-Refueling and Live-Munitions Drops at ranges in several nations. Additionally, U.S. Air Force F-15s as well as Fighter Jets from 4 Allied Air Forces in CENTCOM’s Area-of-Responsibility, provided escorts during the mission.“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

Show of force: U.S. sends bomber task force over the Middle East

KANSAS CITY– A Kansas man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose death, according to the United State's Attorney.

Jacob A. Block, 27, Olathe was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Block to forfeit to the government $10,000, which represents the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.

On Feb. 1, 2024, Block pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and to one count of distributing fentanyl. 

Block admitted that he delivered 10 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl) to a confidential informant. Block possessed an additional 150 to 300 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl) at the time of this transaction.&nbsp; Block also admitted he sold a co-defendant approximately seven grams of powder fentanyl and 50 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl) five to seven days a week, for six or seven months.

All 13 defendants in this case have pleaded guilty. Block is the ninth defendant to be sentenced.

Co-defendant Dmitry Cattell, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on May 2, 2024, to 21 years in federal prison without parole for leading the drug-trafficking conspiracy and for illegally possessing a firearm. Evidence was presented at Cattell’s sentencing hearing related to the delivery of fentanyl, the use of which caused the death of another person on May 18, 2020. The victim of the fatal overdose is not identified in court documents.

KANSAS CITY– A Kansas man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose death, according to the United State's Attorney.Jacob A. Block, 27, Olathe was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Block to forfeit to the government $10,000, which represents the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.On Feb. 1, 2024, Block pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and to one count of distributing fentanyl. Block admitted that he delivered 10 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl) to a confidential informant. Block possessed an additional 150 to 300 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl) at the time of this transaction.&nbsp; Block also admitted he sold a co-defendant approximately seven grams of powder fentanyl and 50 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl) five to seven days a week, for six or seven months.All 13 defendants in this case have pleaded guilty. Block is the ninth defendant to be sentenced.Co-defendant Dmitry Cattell, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on May 2, 2024, to 21 years in federal prison without parole for leading the drug-trafficking conspiracy and for illegally possessing a firearm. Evidence was presented at Cattell’s sentencing hearing related to the delivery of fentanyl, the use of which caused the death of another person on May 18, 2020. The victim of the fatal overdose is not identified in court documents.

Kansas fentanyl dealer sold to a confidential informant

BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

Opponents say the bill’s language is too broad, affecting age-appropriate shows and theater performances

For the third year in a row, Missouri Republicans are trying to place restrictions on drag performances.

The effort has stalled in years past,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/07/restrictions-on-drag-performances-debated-by-missouri-house-committee/">clearing a House committee last year</a>&nbsp;but never coming up for debate in the Senate.

That changed Wednesday, when a Senate committee held a public hearing on&nbsp;<a href="https://instatrac-production.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/GovWatch/text/pdfs/23/bill-text/introduced-sb295.pdf?c=46914" target="_blank">legislation sponsored by state Sen. Rick Brattin</a>, a Harrisonville Republican, that he argued was “geared towards protecting children from displays of sexual content.”

The bill would make it a class-A misdemeanor to participate in an “adult cabaret performance” in a public area or other space where children might see. A repeat violation becomes a class-E felony.

State Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance who chairs the Senate’s judiciary committee, discussed possible fixes to the bill’s definitions following opponent’s testifying that community theater could be impacted.

The issue is a definition of “adult cabaret performance” that includes “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest or similar entertainers.”&nbsp;

Including “or similar entertainers,” opponents said, is too vague and may draw police to plays where women play male roles or a non-sexual performance by a transgender person.

Chris Lehman, co-founder of LGBTQ-focused entertainment company Nclusion+, said there are already “safeguards in place for all-ages drag.”

Lehman checks IDs before shows with racy performances, and kid-friendly routines are scrutinized to eliminate swearing and other mature content. Even music by Taylor Swift is censored and edited for a young audience, he said.

Schroer said the bill was tailored to not ban age-designated spaces and asked Lehman if parents should be allowed to take children to a “topless strip club.”

“Of course not,” Lehman said. “However, the rest of the bill language goes on and bundles everything together.”

Lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/23/drag-performers-at-columbia-event-push-back-against-missouri-republican-attack/">criticized an Nclusion+ performance in 2023</a>&nbsp;where drag queens lip-synched to songs like “Hold on (for one more day)” by Wilson Phillips during a City of Columbia diversity event attended by middle-school students.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent the city’s mayor and the Columbia Public Schools superintendent letters accusing them of trying “actively to undermine Missouri’s laws by deliberately subjecting a group of middle-school students to an adult-themed drag show performance.”&nbsp;

Those letters have since been removed from the attorney general’s website.

Schroer mentioned that letter when questioning Cara Carter, a theater teacher in Columbia.

“It was alleged that kids were sent to a drag show on a field trip without parental consent,” he said.

Carter said the event had drag performers but was not wholly a drag show.

“I was in theater,” Schroer said. “And I think that we need to carefully define what we believe is drag that has the prurient interest and what doesn’t.”

Carter uses content warnings when shows have depictions of violence or other mature matters, she said, adding that these disclosures are “a much cleaner way of doing this than straight up banning it entirely.”

No one testified in favor of the bill, and the committee took no action on Wednesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740000708426.png" alt="State Sen. Rick Brattin speaks as part of a Missouri Freedom Caucus press conference in 2024. Brattin, who sponsored a bill this year restricting drag performances, leads the Missouri Freedom Caucus (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Rick Brattin speaks as part of a Missouri Freedom Caucus press conference in 2024. Brattin, who sponsored a bill this year restricting drag performances, leads the Missouri Freedom Caucus (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>Opponents say the bill’s language is too broad, affecting age-appropriate shows and theater performances</h2>For the third year in a row, Missouri Republicans are trying to place restrictions on drag performances.The effort has stalled in years past,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/07/restrictions-on-drag-performances-debated-by-missouri-house-committee/">clearing a House committee last year</a>&nbsp;but never coming up for debate in the Senate.That changed Wednesday, when a Senate committee held a public hearing on&nbsp;<a href="https://instatrac-production.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/GovWatch/text/pdfs/23/bill-text/introduced-sb295.pdf?c=46914" target="_blank">legislation sponsored by state Sen. Rick Brattin</a>, a Harrisonville Republican, that he argued was “geared towards protecting children from displays of sexual content.”The bill would make it a class-A misdemeanor to participate in an “adult cabaret performance” in a public area or other space where children might see. A repeat violation becomes a class-E felony.State Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance who chairs the Senate’s judiciary committee, discussed possible fixes to the bill’s definitions following opponent’s testifying that community theater could be impacted.The issue is a definition of “adult cabaret performance” that includes “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest or similar entertainers.”&nbsp;Including “or similar entertainers,” opponents said, is too vague and may draw police to plays where women play male roles or a non-sexual performance by a transgender person.Chris Lehman, co-founder of LGBTQ-focused entertainment company Nclusion+, said there are already “safeguards in place for all-ages drag.”Lehman checks IDs before shows with racy performances, and kid-friendly routines are scrutinized to eliminate swearing and other mature content. Even music by Taylor Swift is censored and edited for a young audience, he said.Schroer said the bill was tailored to not ban age-designated spaces and asked Lehman if parents should be allowed to take children to a “topless strip club.”“Of course not,” Lehman said. “However, the rest of the bill language goes on and bundles everything together.”GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.SUBSCRIBELawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/01/23/drag-performers-at-columbia-event-push-back-against-missouri-republican-attack/">criticized an Nclusion+ performance in 2023</a>&nbsp;where drag queens lip-synched to songs like “Hold on (for one more day)” by Wilson Phillips during a City of Columbia diversity event attended by middle-school students.Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent the city’s mayor and the Columbia Public Schools superintendent letters accusing them of trying “actively to undermine Missouri’s laws by deliberately subjecting a group of middle-school students to an adult-themed drag show performance.”&nbsp;Those letters have since been removed from the attorney general’s website.Schroer mentioned that letter when questioning Cara Carter, a theater teacher in Columbia.“It was alleged that kids were sent to a drag show on a field trip without parental consent,” he said.Carter said the event had drag performers but was not wholly a drag show.“I was in theater,” Schroer said. “And I think that we need to carefully define what we believe is drag that has the prurient interest and what doesn’t.”Carter uses content warnings when shows have depictions of violence or other mature matters, she said, adding that these disclosures are “a much cleaner way of doing this than straight up banning it entirely.”No one testified in favor of the bill, and the committee took no action on Wednesday.

Missouri Republicans seek to criminalize certain drag shows witnessed by children

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

Kansas one of 10 states refusing to embrace wider Medicaid eligibility

TOPEKA — Kansas Senate Democrats attempted Tuesday to insert Medicaid expansion into a bill increasing legislative oversight over public assistance programs.

The outcome was the same in the Kansas House when a Democrat sought to drop a Medicaid reform package into a state government budget bill.

Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, brought forth&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb161/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 161</a>, which would require legislative approval for any changes to public assistance programs in Kansas if they seek to expand eligibility, increase costs to the state, request federal waivers or modify intellectual or developmental disability services.

A Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, Sen. Pat Pettey, took the opportunity during floor debate on the bill to introduce an amendment that would adopt the Healthcare Access for Working Kansans, or HAWK, Act.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and a handful of Democrats in the House and Senate announced in early February&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/06/kansas-governor-takes-another-swing-at-joining-41-states-that-have-expanded-medicaid/">the HAWK Act’s introduction</a>&nbsp;into both chambers. It was the governor’s seventh time trying for Medicaid expansion.

The proposal drew support from Democrats and health advocacy groups, but that support was tinged with criticism for a work requirement baked into the act.&nbsp;

It did not receive a hearing this session, Pettey pointed out Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739971301681.jpeg" alt=" Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City Democrat, in March 2023 at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City Democrat, in March 2023 at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Kansas one of 10 states refusing to embrace wider Medicaid eligibility</h2>TOPEKA — Kansas Senate Democrats attempted Tuesday to insert Medicaid expansion into a bill increasing legislative oversight over public assistance programs.The outcome was the same in the Kansas House when a Democrat sought to drop a Medicaid reform package into a state government budget bill.Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, brought forth&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb161/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 161</a>, which would require legislative approval for any changes to public assistance programs in Kansas if they seek to expand eligibility, increase costs to the state, request federal waivers or modify intellectual or developmental disability services.A Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, Sen. Pat Pettey, took the opportunity during floor debate on the bill to introduce an amendment that would adopt the Healthcare Access for Working Kansans, or HAWK, Act.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and a handful of Democrats in the House and Senate announced in early February&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/06/kansas-governor-takes-another-swing-at-joining-41-states-that-have-expanded-medicaid/">the HAWK Act’s introduction</a>&nbsp;into both chambers. It was the governor’s seventh time trying for Medicaid expansion.The proposal drew support from Democrats and health advocacy groups, but that support was tinged with criticism for a work requirement baked into the act.&nbsp;It did not receive a hearing this session, Pettey pointed out Tuesday.“Medicaid expansion is not political,” she said, referencing survey data that shows most Kansans support expansion or widespread access to affordable health care.&nbsp;Kansas is one of 10 holdout states that have not expanded Medicaid.“It saves lives,” Pettey said. “It saves Kansans money. It stabilizes rural hospitals. It brings taxpayers’ money back to Kansas.”Pettey said the state has passed up on more than $8 billion by refusing to expand KanCare, as Medicaid is known in Kansas.Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, pushed back.“I agree that it is not partisan,” he said, “but there is a whole host of reasons not to do it.”&nbsp;He acknowledged the lack of discussion on Medicaid expansion this session and encouraged it to take place, rather than block consideration of Pettey’s amendment.“It’s not like Kansas isn’t getting its money back,” Masterson said. “Kansas is doing the right thing and putting the right people at the front of the line.”Democrats’ efforts were unsuccessful without the support of a majority of Republicans. Pettey’s amendment&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/vote_view/je_20250218133629_925711/" target="_blank">failed</a>&nbsp;with 12 in favor — three Republicans and nine Democrats — and 28 Republicans opposed. Republicans who voted in favor were freshman Sen. Mike Argabright of Olpe, Sen. Rick Billinger of Goodland and Sen. Brenda Dietrich of Topeka.<h2>Over in the House</h2>Members of the Kansas House deflected an attempt to insert Medicaid expansion into next year’s state budget bill. The maneuver failed by a wide margin following lengthy debate. It was stopped with a roll call vote of 34-82. Republicans hold an 88-37 majority over Democrats in the House.Rep. Suzanne Wikle, D-Lawrence, proposed a plan that would extend health coverage to about 150,000 lower-income workers across the state without costing the state treasury.Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government must cover 90% of a state’s increased expenditures for Medicaid expansion. Congress adopted a supplemental incentive aimed at Kansas and other holdout states. The additional federal support would mean Kansas could save $78 million on Medicaid in the upcoming fiscal year by approving expansion.“Budgets are a reflection of your priorities,” Wikle said. “Show me a budget and I’ll show you what you care about.”Rep. Troy Waymaster, the Bunker Hill Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, acknowledged the financial reality of Wikle’s proposal but urged lawmakers to reject her amendment.“I recognize there might be some savings, but we need to vote this down,” Waymaster said. “If this were to pass, we’d have Medicaid expansion for one year. That’s it. Unless there is legislation that would pass in subsequent years.”Rep. Nikki McDonald, D-Olathe, said it was frustrating House GOP leaders had again sought to stifle regular debate on fiscally responsible Medicaid expansion proposals in House committees and on the House floor. She urged rank-and-file Republicans to pressure their GOP leaders to bring about meaningful debate on Medicaid expansion rather than suppress an approach for improving access to affordable health care embraced by 40 states.House members who didn’t believe it important to extend preventive health care to thousands of Kansans with modest incomes should take a different approach to Medicaid expansion, said Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, D-Overland Park.“If you’re not going to vote for this out of a moral reason, you should at least vote for this out of a cold-hearted business decision to make sure that our workforce is as healthy as possible so we can make sure we are working them as much as possible to help our economy,” Sawyer Clayton said.<h2>Senate’s efficiency bill</h2>In the Senate, the underlying bill on government efficiency was passed despite criticism from Democrats.Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat, called the bill “inefficient” and said it added “layers of bureaucracy for even the simplest program changes.”“That red tape could result in thousands of Kansans being unable to get time-sensitive help,” she said.&nbsp;When the Legislature is not in session, oversight of public assistance program changes would shift to the Legislative Coordinating Council, which consists of the governor and House and Senate leadership.&nbsp;More than half a dozen advocacy organizations indicated their opposition to the bill at a hearing before the GOP-led Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, which was created in response to and modeled after the federal initiative under billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is not actually a federal department. However, Shawnee Republican Sen. Mike Thompson indicated at the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/17/kansas-senates-efficiency-committee-embraces-trio-of-bills-aimed-at-state-spending/">hearing</a>&nbsp;the bill could be a solution to complaints over the Kelly administration’s pursuit of changes to intellectual and developmental disabilities programs.During the hearing and again on the Senate floor, Holscher said the bill could put at risk Kansas’ existing share of Medicaid funds, more than $3 billion for fiscal year 2025. That could be the case if certain federal deadlines, such as those associated with payment rate adjustments, are not met.&nbsp;Legislators pushed bills through the Senate at a rapid clip Tuesday ahead of a self-imposed deadline Thursday to pass all bills that originated within the chamber. Senators on Tuesday gave first-round approval to more than 40 bills.