TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)-Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach spoke to the media on Thursday to share his plans for what he hopes to accomplish with lawmakers.
Kobach was joined by Tony Mattivi, Kobach’s candidate to become the next KBI director, and outlined his 2023 legislative agenda, which includes proposals to combat fentanyl deaths and organized crime activities.
According to their press release, Kobach plans to ask the Kansas Sentencing Commission to increase penalties for fentanyl distribution and to create a new sentencing improvement specifically for the crime of drug distribution in the event of death. “This problem is likely to get worse,” Kobach said. “It’s not like the fentanyl crisis is just a temporary thing that’s fading now. It looks like it’s going to keep getting worse.” “We plan to ask the legislator for tools to help us deal with the problem,” Mattivi added.
Kobach is also calling on lawmakers to create a task force to focus on organized retail crime. “We are creating a retail organized crime task force that will include local law enforcement, our agency, as well as representatives of the retailers themselves who will be part of the task force and share the information they have,” Kobach said.
The attorney general added that he is also prioritizing regulation of ESG investments, prohibiting foreign ownership of land in Kansas and eliminating the fees charged by the attorney general’s office for obtaining a concealed carry permit.
