Governor Laura Kelly announced her annual budget yesterday.

 Kelley says her budget is balanced and fully fund Kansas’ K-12 public schools, as well as investing in early childhood services and special education and addresses both short and long-term water needs.

 Some highlights of the budget includes over $13 million to expand child care slots and build child care workforce capacity, including $10 million to increase the availability of child care through the Childcare Capacity Accelerator Grant program and $1.3 million for Child Care Health and Safety Grants.

 Governor Kelly increased annual spending by $30 million for water funding this year. This budget includes close to $90 million for water infrastructure projects in small towns, cost-share for farmers near the Ogallala Aquifer to implement water saving technology and clean-up of groundwater contamination near cities and parks.

 The budget also expands Medicaid to 150,000 Kansans, invests nearly $50 million in additional funding for higher education, includes $2 million in funding towards safe and compliant hospitals and health care facilities, and provides funding for agriculture and natural resources.

 A link to Governor Kelly's full budget can be found here.