Sam Brownback

Having a Republican majority in the Kansas State House and the State Senate is nothing new, but this year something might change about that majority. "This is taking a turn in a new direction that doesn't happen very often," explains political science professor Dr. Ed Flentje of Wichita State University. "The State Senate as well as the House will be much more closely aligned with Governor Brownback as well as with a series of interest groups that are aligned with Brownback.

Gov. Sam Brownback responded Friday to criticism about a mailer sent to 146,000 Kansas businesses promoting the state's 2013 tax changes. The new law includes exemptions for "non-wage" income and other benefits designed to promote business growth in the state. Brownback said the motive behind the flier was "strictly educational" and not political.  The governor said he never spoke with the Department of Revenue about the timing of the mailing, which comes just days before the general election.

Governor-elect Sam Brownback selects Rob Siedlecki, Jr. as the next Secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) and Robert Moser, Jr., M.D. as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).      "As we said during the campaign, preserving the family is essential to preserving our freedom. For this reason, our administration will work for a strengthening of healthy marriages, a decrease in the percentage of children in poverty, and protection from threats to our state's families' well-being and survival," Brownback said.

The Kansas Senate's decision to reverse course and pass a bill cutting taxes came after Gov. Sam Brownback and his staff talked to some senators. Brownback spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag said Wednesday that Brownback and his staff spoke with an unspecified number of senators between two votes only two hours apart. The bill reduces income and sales taxes, and it's dramatically different from Brownback's plan to overhaul the individual income tax code. But Brownback declared that it's a step toward creating more jobs.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback issued a disaster declaration for 16 counties on Sunday, a step toward getting state and federal aid for the affected areas. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and everyone impacted by this storm," Brownback said in a statement issuing the declaration. One person was killed, at least 20 homes destroyed, and some 200 buildings damaged after a weekend tornado struck the town of Reading in Lyon County. The agency said five others were injured in addition to the fatality, and power was knocked out to the town of about 250 people.

Several Kansas legislators say Gov. Sam Brownback raised issues such as tax cuts and water policy in private meetings with them at his official residence.     But their accounts of the meetings differed Monday.     Some Republican legislators who attended one or more of the gatherings with the GOP governor described them as purely social events.     But several lawmakers interviewed by The Associated Press said Brownback made remarks about substantive issues.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback appeared to question recent attacks by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney against President Barack Obama during a TV appearance on Wednesday. At issue is a July executive order which gave states more flexibility when it comes to work requirements for welfare. The Romney campaign and its supporters say the White House eliminated the work requirements. Democrats and fact checkers say that's not true. Click to Read PolitiFact's Analysis Independent analysts say the states requested greater flexibility in the form of waivers.

Sam Brownback has been sworn in as Kansas' governor, assuming office with the state facing a big budget shortfall. He took the oath of office Monday in the Kansas House chamber. Among the guests were Sen. Pat Roberts, former Atty. General and Senator John Ashcroft, and members of the Kansas Congressional delegation Among the lawmakers taking their oaths on the first day of the legislature were Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

When he was a United States Senator, Sam Brownback's approval ratings were consistently positive. That's not the case during his time as governor so far, according to our exclusive FactFinder 12 Scientific Surveys. Now, Brownback's supporters question those approval ratings and they've commissioned their own survey. Last month, we polled 501 registered voters in Kansas. 34% approve of the job Brownback is doing as governor. That's lower than Kansans rated President Obama in the same survey.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and the Legislature's leaders plan this year to tackle overhauling three major parts of state government. “Nearly 100,000 Kansans are out of work. The deficit of the 2012 budget has grown to $550 million. And even after we balance that budget, our state is still headed down a path of continued huge structural deficit,” Brownback said at a news conference late Wednesday afternoon. “We have a structural budget deficit We must grow our economy and restructure state government.