Steve Watkins

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize a man that embodies everything it means to be a Kansan, and a Topekan. As the Topeka Capitol-Journal recently highlighted, John Dicus has made himself a fixture in the Topeka community. While some decide to take their talents elsewhere, John decided to use his talents to better his hometown. John has taken it upon himself to lead the charge of revitalizing our downtown area, most notably a $2.5 million dollar investment in the Evergy Plaza. John has taken action on his vision for Topeka and the city is better because of it. I know John shares the same sense of pride for his hometown as I do. Keep up the great work. He is making us all proud.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise in honor of Liam Magathan of Meriden, Kansas, whom I awarded last week the Silver Congressional Award Medal.

Liam is a student at the University of Kansas. Through years of hard work, dedication, and personal sacrifice, Liam has achieved this prestigious honor.

I want to let Liam know how much I look up to him and how the world would be a better place if more people were like him.

Keep up the good work, my friend. You are bringing pride upon yourself, Kansas, and the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, last week the administration made yet another attempt to strip healthcare away from our families.

Let me be clear: My community in the Central Valley needs more health coverage, not less. We need more doctors; we need more nurses; we need

more mental health services; and we need everyone with a preexisting condition to have coverage.

Each and every one of us in this Chamber has a loved one or a neighbor who would be hurt by this effort. This includes my friend Vicky, from Modesto.

She was healthy her whole life until she had her first seizure. She was hospitalized and was having four to five seizures a day until her doctor was able to find a medication that worked. She has to pay $400 a month even now for this medicine, and she has insurance.

Imagine if this lawsuit goes through. Vicky will completely lose her insurance. There are 100,000 other people in my community with a story just like hers. These are real people who would be hurt.

Folks in my community have been crystal clear on this issue: We need more healthcare for more people.

My community needs us to move this discussion forward, not backwards.