Kobach for Homeland Security? Petition wants Trump to nominate Kansas official

November 28, 2018 06:45 AM

Updated 6 hours 47 minutes ago

A new petition urges President Donald Trump to name Kris Kobach the next secretary of homeland security, after Kobach lost the race for Kansas governor earlier this month.

A WhiteHouse.gov petition created on Monday had gathered nearly 7,300 signatures as of Tuesday evening — with 100,000 needed by Dec. 26 to force the White House to respond.

“No one is more qualified to address the ongoing border crisis and to carry out the Trump Administration’s immigration agenda than Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach,” the petition says.

Kobach’s term as Kansas secretary of state will end in January. He has not yet announced his future plans after conceding defeat in the Nov. 6 general election to Democrat Laura Kelly.

Read more here: https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article222278170.html#storylink=cpy

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has cleared the way for a grand jury investigation of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's handling of voter registrations before the 2016 election.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported the court late Tuesday denied Kobach's second request to review a June ruling of the Kansas Court of Appeals. The lower court had said Douglas County District Court must summon the grand jury to investigate.

A Lawrence man, Steven Davis, who gathered enough signatures to force the investigation contends Kobach's office didn't register some people who tried to register online or at state driver's license bureaus.

Kobach has called the allegations politically motivated.

Elections Director Bryan Caskey said the allegations stem from now fixed technical problems that occurred during the transfer of information between computer systems.

https://www.cjonline.com/news/20181108/governor-elect-laura-kelly-pledges-to-press-ahead-on-education-medicaid-gay-rights

During the news conference at the Capitol, the Democrat said she wouldn’t be blinded by partisan loyalties when making appointments to the Cabinet and other key positions in the executive branch.

“It will be diverse, dynamic and highly skilled,” Kelly said. “People who know what they’re doing. Highly-skilled people will be our No. 1 choice. We need really top-notch managers.”
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The Topeka state senator, who will be inaugurated in January, said she would issue an executive order soon after taking office to reverse decisions by Gov. Jeff Colyer and former Gov. Sam Brownback to withhold employment discrimination protection from gay, lesbian and transgender state workers. The job protection was established by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in 2007, but removed by Brownback in 2015.
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In terms of public education, Kelly said, the state would no longer “get by just doing the minimum. We will truly invest in our children’s future.” The state has been mired in years of school-finance litigation resulting in decisions by the Kansas Supreme Court to compel infusion of more than $500 million into public education.
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Kelly said her administration would collaborate on a plan to expand eligibility for Medicaid to reach thousands of Kansans lacking access to health care. Brownback vetoed a Medicaid expansion bill, and Colyer opposed expansion efforts.
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Complexities of repairing Brownback-era policy on health care, education, taxes, transportation, foster care, adoption, corrections and other areas would be a “long and challenging process,” she said.