Laura Kelly is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Kansas Senate

Kansas Senate

The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....

, representing the 18th District since 2005. She is currently the Senate Assistant Minority Leader].

Personal life

Kelly was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. She studied at Bradley University

Bradley University

Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....

  where she earned a BS

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 in Psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

, and at Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

 where she earned a MS

Master of Science

A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

 in Therapeutic Recreation.

Political career

In late 2009 Kelly briefly considered a run for Kansas's 2nd congressional district

Kansas's 2nd congressional district

Kansas's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kansas covering most of the eastern part of the state, except for the core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The district encompasses less than a quarter of the state...

.

Issue positions

Priority issues for Kelly include:

• Education
• Lower health care costs
• Working with the public and with all levels of government for job creation

Committee assignments

Kelly serves on these legislative committees:

• Ways and Means, Ranking Minority
• Joint Committee on Health Policy Oversight
• Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services Oversight
• Judiciary
• Joint Committee on Pensions, Investments and Benefits
• Public Health and Welfare, Ranking Minority
• Joint Committee on State Building Construction

Sponsored legislation

Legislation co-sponsored by Kelly includes:

• A bill regarding the income tax
• A bill regarding retirement pensions
• A resolution supporting a U.S. laser program

Group Ratings

Abortion:

• Senator Kelly supported the interests of the Kansans for Life 17 percent in 2005.

Budget, Spending, and Taxes:

• Supported the interests of the Kansas Taxpayers Network 15 percent in 2005.
• Supported the interests of the Kansas Taxpayers Network 20 percent in 2006.
• Senator Kelly received a rating of 16.7 from the Kansas Taxpayers Network in 2007.
• Senator Kelly received a rating of 9.1 from the Kansas Taxpayers Network in 2008.

Business and Consumers:

• Senator Kelly supported the interests of the Kansas National Federation of Independent Business 100 percent (2005–2006)
• Senator Kelly received a rating of 67 from the Kansas National Federation of Independent Business (2007–2008)

Education:

• Senator Kelly supported the interests of the Kansas Association of School Boards 80 percent in 2005.
• Senator Kelly supported the interests of the Kansas Association of School Boards 67 percent in 2006.

Past Endorsements

• Kansas Sierra Club (2008)
• Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-America Missouri (2008)
• Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus (2008)
• Kansas National Education Association (2008)

Major donors

Some of the top contributors to Kelly's 2008 campaign, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics:

Senate Democrats of Kansas, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee of Kansas, Laura Kelly (self-finance), Federation of Teachers/AFT, Astrazeneca, Kansas National Education Association, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association

Political parties were her largest donor group.

External links

• Kansas Legislature - Laura Kelly official government website
• Senator Laura Kelly official campaign website
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Laura Kelly (KS) profile
• Follow the Money - Laura Kelly
  • 2008 2006 2004 campaign contributions