On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Sen. Lauren Arthur talks about the just-completed budget and unfinished business as the 2023 session starts its last week.
Arthur represents the 17th District, which takes in a portion of Clay County. She was first elected to her post in a 2018 special election and reelected to a full term in 2020. Because of term limits, she will not be eligible to run again for the Senate in 2024.
Here’s what Arthur talked about on the program:
- A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she discussed how Senate Republicans teamed up with House and Senate Democrats to prevail on most of the contentious issues around the state budget.
- The impact of a proposal adding another lane in each direction to Interstate 70. The project, which is expected to cost around $2.8 billion, is one of the biggest transportation-related moves made by the legislature in decades.
- Arthur is the handler of a tax credits bill aimed at shoring up the state’s day care centers. She said that she’s been frustrated by Republican opposition to these ideas, especially since child care can often be critical for working parents.
- The status of a bill creating an open enrollment program for public schools and another banning gender-affirming care for minors.
Arthur is a native of the so-called Northland, the part of Kansas City that’s north of downtown. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in history and worked as a teacher and in the advertising industry.
Many see Arthur as a potential candidate for statewide office once she leaves the Senate after 2024, though she has made no announcement about her future.
