New Kansas bill would set cap on insulin prices, restrict costs for diabetes equipment, Kansas Reflector, 2/7/2023

"Meyer is championing legislation that would set limits on insulin prices. The bill is an attempt to lessen the financial burden of the thousands of Kansans living with diabetes."

Read the entire article here: https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/07/new-kansas-bill-would-set-cap-on-insulin-prices-restrict-costs-for-diabetes-equipment/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=0d0c512c-c08a-4aac-9f3a-29208acd6d31

This Bisexual Legislator Wants To Get Stuff Done, The Advocate, 10/18/22

"There are people like me," she says, "who are regular people, who have struggled through life, who have tried really hard to make a difference in their communities, and I threw my hat into the ring because I just wanted to do shit for people."

Read the entire article here: https://www.advocate.com/politics/2022/10/18/bisexual-kansas-legislator-wants-get-stuff-done

Capitol Update: Rep. Heather Meyer says voters must go to polls to combat extremism, Shawnee Mission Post, 5/16/22

"Vote like our democracy is at stake, because it is.

More and more we watch as our rights are being jeopardized by extremists, while people fall prey to disinformation campaigns under the guise of rebuking mainstream media and eschewing facts for confirmation bias. It’s happening on the left and the right. No one is immune."

Read the entire article here: https://shawneemissionpost.com/2022/05/16/capitol-update-rep-heather-meyer-says-voters-must-go-to-polls-to-combat-extremism-146444/

In wake of House-passed insulin cap, Rep. Sharice Davids hosts roundtable on rising insulin costs, Blue Valley Post, 4/11/22

"Impact of high costs: Heather Meyer, an Overland Park resident, state representative and Type I diabetic patient, said on Friday that a $35 cap on insulin would make a big difference for her family." 

"Before having access to health insurance, Meyer said she had to ration her insulin and share it with her father, who was also a Type I diabetic patient. This had led to costly health complications for both her and her father, she said."

“I think that a lot of us in the Type I community have been begging for something like this for so long,” she said. “We’ve lived through it ourselves and we don’t want anyone else to have to go through that.” 

Read the entire article here: https://bluevalleypost.com/2022/04/11/in-wake-of-house-passed-insulin-cap-rep-sharice-davids-hosts-roundtable-on-rising-insulin-costs-138181/

Capitol Update: Rep. Heather Meyer criticizes out-of-state interest groups for driving ‘culture war’ bills, Shawnee Mission Post, 4/11/22

"The last few weeks of the legislative session have been tumultuous. From passing new legislative maps and the budget, to debating an anti-trans kids in sports bill, and the “parental bill of rights,” we had quite a lot to address.

Unfortunately, very little of the legislation we heard will make the lives of everyday Kansans any better, and that’s because so much of what comes out of committees and onto the floor is brought to us by out-of-state, dark money interest groups and “bill mills” that provide cut and paste, ready-made legislation to your representatives.” 

Read the entire article here: https://shawneemissionpost.com/2022/04/11/capitol-update-rep-heather-meyer-criticizes-out-of-state-interest-groups-for-driving-culture-war-bills-144360/

Two Kansas House members say representative offered ‘we work harder’ defense of gender pay gap, Kansas Reflector, 4/6/2022

"Rep. Meyer, who at times was the primary household wage earner when her husband was temporarily out of work, said she and Rep. Featherston initially looked at each other in shock because it would be inappropriate for a legislator to articulate what could be viewed as a defense of gender pay inequities while watching his peers honor Women’s History Month."

“It’s pretty hurtful,” Meyer said. “We can’t really tackle the root of the issue, because the men in charge are the root of the issue.”

Read the entire article here: https://kansasreflector.com/2022/04/06/two-kansas-house-members-allege-rep-paul-waggoner-offered-we-work-harder-defense-of-gender-pay-gap/

Disputed Kansas anti-transgender sports bill either a personal affront or saving grace, Kansas Reflector, 4/4/2022

"Rep. Heather Meyer took it personally the House and Senate for the second time voted to send Gov. Laura Kelly an anti-transgender bill mandating participation in public elementary, middle school, high school or college sports programs to be based on a person’s gender at birth."

"Meyer, the mother of a transgender child, said Senate Bill 160 was an unjust attempt to authorize bullying at school and would engrain discrimination in state law. Nearly a year ago, Kelly vetoed the inaugural version of this legislation."

“This is real life. These are real children. This is my child, and I’m going to stand up for them,” said Meyer, an Overland Park Democrat. “I’m going to stand up for their friends. I’m going to stand up for their peers. I’m going to make sure that we continue to protect them from legislation like this. It’s only going to hurt them. Push them into the closet. Have them consider suicide. Put them at higher risk for violence.”

Read the entire article here: https://kansasreflector.com/2022/04/04/disputed-kansas-anti-transgender-sports-bill-either-a-personal-affront-or-saving-grace/

Including young kids likely to sink Kansas trans sports ban, AP News, 4/2/22

"Kansas state Rep. Heather Meyer, D-Overland Park, speaks about her 12-year-old transgender child and their best friend during a House debate, Friday, April 1, 2022, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Meyer opposes a bill that would ban transgender athletes from female school sports and told her colleagues, “This is just wrong.”

Read the entire article here: https://apnews.com/article/sports-kansas-topeka-education-legislature-6972397127e6ebc77984fd23b6d0e6ec

That Podcast in Hutch, Episode 29, 3/31/22

"Heather is a Type 1 diabetic. Many of you know that my son, Mitch (who wrote and performed all the musical bits for this show) also has Type 1 diabetes. We both have very personal experiences with this disease, and we both intimately know how much it affects the lives of patients, and their friends and family. 
But Heather’s story is layered with an additional complication – she has spent much of her life without health insurance, and thus, the inability to effectively treat this debilitating and life-threatening disease."

Listen to the podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7rZ4qFztMMRGxVfk8dSm11?si=1a83947f344d45a9

Governor’s chief of staff: Medicaid proposal presents serious risks, Sunflower State Journal, 3/28/2022

"Last month, four House Democrats – Susan Ruiz, Kathy Wolfe Moore, Christina Haswood and Heather Meyer – sought the opinion about a bill that extended contracts for the three companies that manage the Medicaid program."

"As originally proposed, a House bill called for extending the contracts through Dec. 31, 2025. A revised proposal, now part of the state budget, calls for extending the contracts through the end of 2024."

Read the entire article here: https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/governors-chief-of-staff-medicaid-proposal-presents-serious-risks/

As a diabetic in the Kansas Legislature, I know expensive insulin is life and death, Kansas City Star, 3/23/2022

"My first experience with America’s broken health care system came when I fell into a diabetic coma at the age of 12. After three months in the hospital, a medical social worker enrolled me in Medicaid to cover insulin costs. But my family was left with crippling debt from my hospital stay. This was only the beginning of the nightmare that is living with diabetes in America."

Read the entire article here: https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article259518904.html#storylink=cpy

Capitol Update: Rep. Heather Meyer humbled by opportunity to ‘be the change’ in Topeka, Blue Valley Post, 2/7/2022

"Coming into the legislature mid-session has been an exciting introduction to serving in public office, especially amid a pandemic."

"Thankfully, as both a social worker and a mom (as well as a studious policy wonk), this level of organized chaos isn’t new to me."

Read the entire article here: https://bluevalleypost.com/2022/02/07/capitol-update-rep-heather-meyer-humbled-by-opportunity-to-be-the-change-in-topeka-135680/

Youth and expertise converge in gathering of Kansas lawmakers, entrepreneurs, Kansas Reflector, 1/24/2022

"[Rep. Heather Meyer joined the] bipartisan Kansas Future Caucus, an extension of the D.C.-based Millennial Action Project, which works to engage young policymakers."

Read the entire article here: https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/24/youth-and-expertise-converge-in-gathering-of-kansas-lawmakers-entrepreneurs/

Kansas lawmakers test positive for COVID-19, worry about lax safety at Statehouse, Kansas Reflector, 1/19/2022

“I hear my constituents say they are tired, and my former colleagues in health care talk about how concerned they are about this surge,” Meyer said. “At this point, we are all exhausted and overwhelmed by the pandemic, which is why it’s important for everyone to step up their game, and continue to do all that we can to help stop the spread because we won’t beat this virus if we don’t work together.”

Read the entire article here: https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/19/kansas-lawmakers-test-positive-for-covid-19-worry-about-lax-safety-at-statehouse/

Heather Meyer, social worker and former candidate, picked to fill Kansas House seat in Overland Park, Shawnee Mission Post, 8/26/2021

"Johnson County Democrats this week tapped social worker Heather Meyer to fill a Kansas House seat in Overland Park that opened up when former Rep. Brett Parker resigned this year. Meyer, 41, currently works as a medical case manager for an AIDS service organization in the Kansas City metro. She earned a degree in Social Work from the University of Kansas in 2018."

Read the entire article here: https://shawneemissionpost.com/2021/08/26/heather-meyer-house-district-29-131093/

Historic selection to replace Parker in House, Sunflower State Journal, 8/24/2021

"Johnson County Democratic precinct leaders on Tuesday night picked Heather Meyer, a medical social worker, to replace Democratic state Rep. Brett Parker. Meyer said she is bisexual, which will make her the fourth openly LGBTQ member of the Kansas Legislature."

"Meyer will fill the House District 29 seat that Parker is vacating to lobby for the American Atheists, a New-Jersey based group that advocates for religious equality."

Read the entire article here: https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/historic-selection-to-replace-parker-in-house/