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Kansas Lawmakers Prepare For 2016 Session; Governor Set For Annual Address

Bryan Thompson
/
Kansas News Service/File photo

As Kansas lawmakers prepare for the 2016 legislative session, Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing his annual budget message.

The governor will deliver his State of the State Address to the Kansas Legislature at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, in the House chamber. In accordance with Section 5 of Article 1 of the Kansas Constitution, the governor will provide lawmakers with information on the condition of the state.

Kansas government is facing another difficult budget year and Brownback will outline his budget priorities in his speech.

The State of the State address will broadcast on Kansas Public Radio and its affiliate public radio stations. It will also be televised live by KCPT and other Kansas television stations. This will be the 134rd State of the State address in Kansas.

J. Schafer is the News Director of Kansas Public Radio at the Univeristy of Kansas. He’s also the Managing Editor of the Kansas Public Radio Network, which provides news and information to other public radio stations in Kansas and Missouri. Before joining KPR in 1995, Schafer spent 10 years as a commercial radio and TV newsman. During his career, he's filed stories for nearly every major radio news network in the nation including ABC, NBC, CBS, AP, UPI, the Mutual Broadcasting System, NPR and the BBC. This seems to impress no one. At KPR, he produces feature stories, interviews and newscast items and edits the work of others. In the fall of 2000, he performed contract work for the U.S. State Department, traveling to central Asia to teach broadcast journalism at newly independent radio stations in the former Soviet Union. One of his passions is Kansas; learning about and promoting the state’s rich heritage, people and accomplishments. Schafer gives presentations about Kansas to various organizations around the state to remind residents about our awesome history and incredible people. A native of Great Bend, he studied journalism and mass communications at Barton County Community College and at the University of Kansas. He was also an exchange student to Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The “J.” in J. Schafer stands for Jeremy, but he doesn’t really care for that name. He also enjoys the pretentiousness of using just a single initial for a first name!