Ronald Ryckman Jr. (December 17, 1971) is an American politician who represented the 78th District in the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craft ...

from 2013 to 2023, and served as the Speaker of the House from 2017 to 2023. He was first elected to the Kansas House in 2012, and previously served on the Olathe City Council from 2009 to 2017.

Early life

Ryckman was born and raised in

Meade, Kansas Meade is a city in and the county seat of Meade County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,505. History Meade was both laid out and incorporated in 1885. It was named for Gen. George Meade. Geogr ...

. He attended MidAmerica Nazarene University as a student athlete, where he received his bachelor's degree. He later started several small businesses in the Johnson County area.

Kansas House of Representatives

Ryckman was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2012. He was inspired by his father Ron Ryckman Sr. to run for the Kansas House of Representatives; his father was a state representative at the time. In 2017, Ryckman was first elected by his peers to preside as Speaker of the House. He was re-elected as speaker in 2019 and again in 2021, marking him as the first state representative in state history to be elected as Speaker of the House for three consecutive terms. Ryckman currently chairs the Interstate Cooperation Committee, and serves as vice-chair of the Legislative Coordinating Council and the House Committee on Calendar and Printing Committee. He also serves as a member on the House Legislative Budget Committee. He previously served as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, a position he assumed in January 2015. He is the former House Majority Whip and a former chairman of the House Social Services Budget Committee.

Transparency

In 2018, Ryckman instituted a new set of rules to end the century-old practice of the anonymous introduction of bills in the Kansas House. Any individuals including

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ...

, lobbyist, advocate, or organization that request the introduction of legislation is now posted publicly and visibly on the Legislature's website. This change was made in effort to improve transparency within the

Legislative Branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

Welfare reform

In 2013, Ryckman sponsored legislation to require welfare recipients to undergo drug testing. Specifically, only individuals who are suspected of using illegal drugs would be required to be tested. Any individual who is tested and fails to qualify can request a second test, and can be reimbursed for that test. This legislation was signed into law by Governor Sam Brownback in April of that year.

Legislative process changes

After a shortened 2020 Legislative Session due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Ryckman implemented several changes to House protocol in effort to keep legislators and staff safe and healthy during the 2021 session. Of these safety precautions most notable was the $3 million spent on upgrading the legislature's video and audio streaming, and teleconference technology, which allowed the public to participate virtually in the committee process for the first time. In addition, half of the House members were seated by Ryckman in the east and west galleries to ensure appropriate social distance while in the House chamber.

Personal life

Ryckman was born and raised in

, and later attended MidAmerica Nazarene University as a student athlete. He and his wife Kim have three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryckman, Ron Jr. 21st-century American politicians Kansas city council members Living people MidAmerica Nazarene University alumni People from Meade County, Kansas Politicians from Olathe, Kansas Speakers of the Kansas House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives 1971 births