By Sally Hemmer

I recently received a political postcard from Steven Howe with the title “This Is Why.” On the other side, it read, “Early Mornings. Long Miles.”

My immediate reaction was confusion. Is this why you want us to vote for you? Also, isn’t that what you signed up for?

Every job includes hardships, hours we would rather spend with our families or time we would rather devote to pursuing our own dreams. For legislators, their workdays are admittedly a little different from those of the average person.

During the regular session, which lasts three to four months each year, Kansas legislators spend their weekdays in Topeka and their weekends at home. They typically rent rooms and sometimes live with fellow legislators as roommates while doing the important work they were elected to perform.

Their workweeks include researching legislation, preparing for and attending committee meetings, participating in working lunches and dinners, attending sessions that can last into the evening and, of course, being present when votes are taken.

Representative Howe presumably wants us, based on his mailer, to reelect him because he works hard for us.

But does he?

Howe, unlike other legislators, allegedly travels from Salina to Topeka each day during the regular session. Also unlike many of his colleagues, Howe reportedly ends his legislative workday at 3:30 p.m., presumably so he can return home around 5 p.m.

I do not begrudge anyone for prioritizing family, but I do find fault with an elected official limiting the work he is able to do by leaving early each day. If only his constituents could do the same.

Is Howe’s unusual schedule limiting his ability to represent his constituents?

On average, a Kansas representative sponsors approximately 10 bills annually, based on the number of bills introduced divided by the number of representatives. Kansas allows bills that did not pass during the previous session to be introduced again during the next session, so let us presume there is some overlap and lower the average to seven bills per year.

Howe has been in office for six years. During that time, according to publicly available records, he has sponsored only 10 bills.

Of those 10 bills, all have died at various stages of the legislative process except one. That lone bill, which Howe cosponsored with 110 of his House colleagues, sought to rename a portion of K-5 in memory of a colleague who had passed away.

Was it thoughtful? Yes.

Did it help the citizens of District 71? No.

Why does this matter?

Because “Early Mornings. Long Miles.” only matters if you are doing the work. It only matters if you are actively affecting change that benefits your constituents.

Perhaps his work on behalf of his constituents takes place through the committees on which he serves.

Committees introduce legislation, hear testimony from citizens, business leaders, educators, farmers, local governments, law enforcement officials and state agencies. Committee members debate and amend bills and decide whether proposals will move forward.

Howe currently serves on two committees, while the average House member serves on two or three. His current assignments are the House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care and the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs.

Several of the Kansas House’s most influential committees regularly meet at 3:30 p.m. These committees address some of the most important issues facing Kansas families, including the same issues Howe lists in his campaign mailer.

Our current representative presumably chooses not to serve on these committees because they conflict with his reported 3:30 p.m. departure time.

Those committees include:

Taxation Committee

Judiciary Committee

Elections Committee

K-12 Education Budget Committee

Social Services Budget Committee

Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee

General Government Budget Committee

Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Insurance Committee

Howe’s mailer lists issues that interest many voters, including real property tax relief, stronger criminal penalties, protecting children online, respecting traditional values and protecting constitutional rights.

It also lists two statements that suggest work he has already completed: “Prioritized spending on core government functions” and “Stepped up efforts to stop government waste and fraud.”

I see no evidence in Howe’s legislative activity indicating that he has accomplished any of these things, and I can only conclude that he will not do so in the future.

After reviewing Howe’s time in the House, it appears that while his postcards may say he gets up early and drives long distances, that is largely all he is doing.

As a voter in District 71, this information has been eye-opening.

I prefer elected officials who work hard for the people they represent, not those who simply send slick mailers that, at best, provide voters with warm feelings and, at worst, completely mislead the public.

This Tuesday, Aug. 4, we have a choice to make regarding who will represent us in the general election for Kansas House District 71.

Despite his campaign assertions, Howe does not appear to be working for us. He has only shown that he clocks in every morning and leaves early every afternoon.

I believe we deserve a representative who will put in the time and effort necessary to enact meaningful change in the policy areas that matter to Republicans.

We deserve someone who will work tirelessly to research and sponsor legislation, spend evenings during the session brainstorming and planning, remember whom he represents and encourage citizens to participate in government.

We deserve someone who will help bridge the gap between state and local government, prioritize our children’s education, work to provide property tax relief and demand medical freedom and parental rights from our Legislature.

I believe that person is Jay Vanier.