People often ask me how I like my new job outside of the State Legislature, where I spent sixteen years serving the people of the 116th district. I tell them the work is very exciting, but I now have a much bigger district to cover. It is an honor to serve this state that I love and to work with such a dedicated staff. They share my commitment to finding opportunities for Kansas families and businesses to get ahead during these difficult times.

In fact, we’ve been working tirelessly on a number of issues:

• Streamlining our own budget (including cutting my salary, my first act as State Treasurer), one of many steps to make our office more efficient and decrease the burden on Kansas taxpayers;
• Fighting for and helping to pass a housing loan bill in the Kansas legislature that makes it easier for home builders to create more jobs for hard working Kansans;
• Working diligently to put more money back into the hands of Kansans, who are very much in need, through the outstanding efforts of our Unclaimed Property Department. In 2009, we handled a record number of claims, getting money back to rightful owners, and we have already exceeded the total number of claims repaid for 2009 in the first 9 months of this fiscal year;
• Helping Kansas families save for higher education costs by making the KIDS pilot project permanent, allowing the state to match contributions made into a 529 education account.

I firmly believe that we have accomplished a great deal in the State Treasurer’s Office, but with the 2010 election rapidly approaching, I need your help to continue to provide common sense leadership for our state. If you’d like to learn more about the programs we have available in the Treasurer’s office you can visit by clicking here.