Phill Kline
Age: 46
Party: Republican
Occupation: Kansas Attorney General
Prior Political Experience: Kansas House of Representatives, eight years; Kansas Attorney General
What main issues will be your focus if you are elected?
If I have the honor of serving another four years as attorney general, we will continue to work to strengthen laws in order to better protect Kansas families. For example, after a tough battle we were able to get “Jessica’s Law” passed in Kansas this past legislative session. But the law that was signed by the governor contained a loophole that will allow judges to reduce the minimum sentence called for under the law if they believe it is appropriate. We intend to go back to the Legislature next session to close that loophole and make a “mandatory minimum” just that. I will also continue to work for expanded prison capacity and build upon our success regarding violence against dependent seniors and work to make protection from abuse orders more effective.
What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishment?
Generally speaking, it is being the attorney general that I promised the people of Kansas I would be when I asked them for the honor of serving in this position four years ago. Specifically, we have accomplished a great deal in the area of protecting Kansas children and the vulnerable. Kansas laws were among the weakest in the nation regarding predatory activity against children four years ago. Now they are among the toughest. We passed “Jessica’s Law,” increased the statute of limitations giving prosecutors more time to charge and convict criminals, closed a loophole regarding prosecution for child pornography, and increased the penalties for soliciting children for sex and promoting child prostitution. I established the Vulnerable Adults Task Force within the Consumer Protection Division to prevent scams against the developmentally disabled and seniors and was the first attorney general in the nation to sue for price gouging regarding flu vaccine. I argued and won before the United States Supreme Court resulting in the reinstatement of the Kansas death penalty and we’ve won key water victories against Nebraska and Colorado, resulting in more water in areas of our state devastated by drought. I also won a lawsuit against the state of Missouri that resulted in an $100 million-plus foundation to help poor and indigent Kansans get quality health care. And we have made great progress fighting the meth epidemic. Thanks to tough new laws that we fought long and hard for, meth lab seizures are down more than 70 percent than before I assumed office. It is because of these accomplishments that I have been honored by the endorsement of 89 of the state’s 104 sheriffs, including a majority of those from the Democratic Party, the Fraternal Order of Police — representing more than 3,400 rank-and-file police officers — the Kansas State Trooper’s Association, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Kansas Farm Bureau.
How do you want to develop the Attorney General’s Office and responsibilities?
We will continue to develop the Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Unit that was created by the Legislature this past session in order to protect vulnerable Kansans from experiencing what occurred at the hands of Arlan Kaufman at the so-called “house of horrors” in Newton. In addition, we will build upon the tremendous success of our Vulnerable Adults Task Force in protecting disabled and elderly Kansans who are taken advantage of by scam artists. And we will continue our efforts to secure additional funding to expand the KBI labs so they can meet the increasing requests for assistance they receive from local law enforcement agencies.
Would you or would you not want to have access to medical records on abortion, and why?
Medical records are used in practically every criminal investigation, including those involving rape, assault, murder and Medicaid fraud. We never seek medical records unless a judge determines that there is a reasonable suspicion to believe, or, as is the case of our investigation into child rape, probable cause to believe that the record contains evidence that a crime had been committed.
Why should voters elect you instead of your opponent?
Kansans know I have done as attorney general what I said I would do and that I make decisions based upon what I believe is right, not what is politically expedient. The breadth and depth of my legal experience far exceeds that of my opponent. I have successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court and have won several major legal victories for our state. I have a proven track record of working with the Legislature to strengthen penalties for crimes against our children and the vulnerable that have made our state safer than it was four years ago. I believe this is why I have received the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Kansas State Troopers Association, 89 of the state’s 104 Sheriffs, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Kansas Farm Bureau.
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Posted by Frank (anonymous) on October 13, 2006 at 6:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's distressing to read Kline's comments, to listen to or watch him talk on radio or television, and to attend debates. I have yet to hear him when he didn't tell some outright lie. Just this week he claimed support from the Kansas Press Association though they had contemplated suing him for his violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act. Phill was forced to apologize the next day.
Kline couldn't have stopped Jessica's law if he (or anyone else) wanted to. He continuously takes credit for it, but it passed 38-2 in the Senate and 122-0 in the House.
The "tough battle" Kline claims in the Gazette is a fantasy. In fact, Phill has long supported dangerous private prisons and has obstructed the state from building better constructed and less expensive public prisons. Jessica's Law almost failed after it was bundled by supporters with repeal of a ban on private prisons in Kansas in May. Kline took $1,000 from the intendended beneficiary of the repeal, GEO Group.
Kline claims to be a "Christian," but he certainly doesn't show it. Numerous denominations, including Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, Catholic and United Church of Christ have opposed new private prisons with some even calling for the abolition of existing ones.
Kline's appeals to churches imply that his opponent has received money from a doctor who performs abortions. That's just a flat out lie.
Kansas voters deserve an Attorney General who can tell truth from fiction, one who believes in the 8th and 9th Commandments.
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