By John Celock
A freshman state legislator in Kansas has issued a statement saying that he planned to resign this week.
State Rep. J. Basil Dannebohm (R-Ellinwood) sent The Celock Report a statement Monday saying that he would resign and then confirmed in a phone conversation that his resignation was planned. Dannebohm said that his battle with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease has led him to conclude that he needs to focus on his health. Dannebohm said that his resignation will become official on Friday.
“No matter how much you enjoy doing something you have to know when to walk away,” Dannebohm said in the statement. “For me, that moment came far sooner than I expected. I thought I could serve in the Kansas Legislature with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. The simple fact of the matter however, is that with each day that passes, I compromise my health more and more. While the disease has abruptly ended this chapter in my life, I hope to continue my fight for increased awareness and research.”
Dannebohm was the first Kansas legislator in history to be elected with Young Onset Parkinson’s and he has been an advocate for increasing awareness of the disease. He has sponsored legislation with state House Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita) to increase awareness of the disease. The legislation was modeled after first in the nation legislation signed last year by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). The New Jersey bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City) and Senate Health Committee Chairman Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge).
He has also worked on concierge medicine policy and rural issues including water policy. He co-sponsored legislation to legalize medical marijuana in the state, citing a young constituent, Owen Klug, who suffers from a rare disease. Klug’s mother, Kiley, has been an advocate for medicinal marijuana, saying it would help her son’s condition.
Dannebohm served in the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee, the House Vision 2020 Committee and the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He was unopposed in the 2014 GOP primary and general election.
Republicans in his central Kansas district will meet to appoint his replacement, who will complete the remainder of his term.