Who owns Dirty Dan Hawkins?
Owner #1
Big Pharma
Paid in
$4,000
from PhRMA, the drug makers’ lobbying group
His record
Sent the House home when lawmakers tried to debate a drug-discount bill.
March 19, 2026
- Date the report was filed
- Aug. 3
- Date listed for the PhRMA contribution
- Aug. 25
One report, two dates. It covers July 24 through July 29, 2026.
Read the full record
Senate Bill 284 would have required drug makers to sell some outpatient medicines at reduced prices to eligible clinics and hospitals.
- Senate Bill 284 passed the Senate 34-6 in March 2025, then sat in the House.
- On March 19, 2026, lawmakers tried to bring a modified version up as an amendment to another bill. Hawkins adjourned the House until March 23 without explanation.
- Sending the House home stopped work on Senate Bill 284 and 16 other bills. Hawkins did not comment for the report.
Owner #2
The prescription middlemen
Paid in
3
PBM donors: PCMA, Prime Therapeutics and CVS Health
His record
One of only 17 House members to vote no on reining in the drug middlemen.
March 23, 2026
104House members voted yes
17voted no
Read the full record
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, run prescription benefits for health plans. Senate Bill 20 cracked down on them.
- Senate Bill 20 banned spread pricing. It also added payment, reporting, and enforcement rules.
- Heartland Signal reported that Hawkins used legislative maneuvering to consistently block Senate Bill 360, an earlier version of the bill.
- On March 23, 2026, 104 House members voted yes and 17 voted no. Hawkins was one of the 17.
- The Senate approved the bill 32-8. The governor signed it on April 9, 2026.
Owner #3
The insurance companies
Paid in
9
insurance donors, including three health insurers
His record
Voted for health plans that don’t have to follow the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections.
2019 and 2021
Read the full record
Three health insurers appear in his campaign reports, along with six other insurance companies and groups.
- In 2019, Hawkins voted for a law that does not treat Kansas Farm Bureau health coverage as insurance under state law.
- KFF reports that exempting these plans from state insurance rules also exempts them from the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections. Hawkins called the plan “just another option.”
- In 2021, Hawkins voted to override a veto and let short-term plans continue for 36 months. KFF reports these plans do not have to meet any ACA standards. The override failed 67-48.
Owner #4
The 40‑year friend
Paid in
$4,000
from Ken Hush, his friend of more than 40 years
What happened next
Legislative leaders approved a $50,000 no-bid contract for Hush.
January 8, 2026
Read the full record
Hawkins and Ken Hush were fraternity brothers at Emporia State.
- The report lists two gifts from Hush: $1,000 and $4,000. It also lists a $1,000 refund. After the refund, Hush had given $4,000.
- On January 8, 2026, a group of legislative leaders approved a five-month, $50,000 contract for Hush. The vote was 5-2.
- Hawkins and Hush were fraternity brothers at Emporia State. Hawkins said they had been friends for more than 40 years.
- Republican leaders did not say Hush’s name during the public meeting. Kansas Reflector called the contract a no-bid deal.
Owner #5
The KanCare companies
Paid in
41
meals worth $1,061.91, reported by lobbyists for KanCare companies
His record
Helped oversee KanCare, the Medicaid program those companies are paid to run.
2015
Read the full record
The meals were legal under Kansas law.
- In 2015, lobbyists for Amerigroup, Centene, and Sunflower Health Plan reported 41 meals for Hawkins with a total value of $1,061.91.
- Kansas law permitted the meals.
Who pays the price
Medicaid
Who pays
152,000
Kansans who could gain health coverage
His record
Would not let the House vote on Medicaid expansion.
- His chance of supporting expansion, in his words, 2024
- “Zero”
- What he said expansion gives people
- “No reason to work”
Read the full record
He later named Medicaid as a possible target for budget cuts.
- In 2024, Hawkins said there was “zero” chance he would support expansion. He said it gave people “no reason to work.”
- Hawkins said the plan did not have enough votes. He did not let the House vote on it.
- In 2025, he named Medicaid as one possible target in a plan for about $200 million in state budget cuts.
The full ledger
Insurance, PBM, and drug interests put $40,000 into his campaign.
These 15 reported contributions add up to $40,000. They come from insurance companies, PBMs, and drug groups. Hawkins is asking voters to put him in charge of their regulator.
2025 campaign haul$417,305.07
2025 cash stockpile$384,009.85
Cash on hand in July 2026$420,677.75
The interests behind the checks13 organizations
UnitedHealth Group PAC
Kansas State Farm PAC
American Property Casualty Insurance Association
Travelers PAC
CVS Health
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City PAC
Elevance Health
Security Benefit Life Insurance PAC
Shelter Insurance Kansas PAC
NAIFA Kansas PAC
PhRMA
Prime Therapeutics PAC
The record at a glance
The votes and contributions discussed on this site, organized by date with links to the records already cited in our coverage. The site’s arguments and conclusions are opinion; the entries below identify the underlying reported actions.
Selected voting-record timeline
A selection of votes discussed on this site, not a complete voting history. A vote on an unsuccessful override is identified separately from an enacted measure.
- 2019
HB 2209: Farm Bureau health coverage
Voted yesHawkins voted for the measure discussed in our coverage of Farm Bureau health plans.
- 2021
SB 29: short-term health-plan veto override
Voted yes; override failedHawkins voted to override the veto. The House override attempt failed 67–48, as described in the existing record section.
- March 23, 2026
SB 20: pharmacy benefit manager rules
Voted no; measure passedThe House voted 104–17. Hawkins was among the 17 voting no. The site’s existing account reports that the governor signed the measure on April 9, 2026.
Campaign contribution source table
The organizations named in the existing donor section, with the same campaign-finance sources collected in a readable table. The site’s existing contribution totals and arguments appear above. This reference table is not a complete campaign donor list.
| Contributor named in coverage | Source reports |
|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical Care Management Association | |
| UnitedHealth Group PAC | |
| Kansas State Farm PAC | |
| American Property Casualty Insurance Association | |
| Travelers PAC | |
| CVS Health | |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City PAC | |
| Elevance Health | |
| Security Benefit Life Insurance PAC | |
| Shelter Insurance Kansas PAC | |
| NAIFA Kansas PAC | |
| PhRMA | |
| Prime Therapeutics PAC |
The existing filing section discusses the reported PhRMA contribution date and the electronic filing date. Read the existing filing discussion
The receipts
Do not take our word for it. Check his record.
Every record and report behind these charges is below.
See every source
Official records
- Daniel Hawkins legislative profileKansas Legislature
- 2025 receipts and expenditures reportKansas Public Disclosure Commission
- July 2026 receipts and expenditures reportKansas Public Disclosure Commission
- 2026 last-minute contribution reportKansas Public Disclosure Commission
- March 23, 2026 House journal and Senate Bill 20 voteKansas Legislature
- Senate Bill 20 conference committee briefKansas Legislature
- Kansas Consumer Prescription Protection and Accountability Act summaryKansas Insurance Department
- Governor signs prescription protection actKansas Insurance Department
- House vote on House Bill 2209Kansas Legislature
- House vote on Senate Bill 29 veto overrideKansas Legislature
News reports
- Legislative leaders enlist Ken Hush for university budget workKansas Reflector
- Kansas hires former ESU president for budget reviewThe Bulletin
- Former Emporia State president hired to find wasteInside Higher Ed
- Kansas Republicans pass prescription drug consumer protectionsHeartland Signal
- Hawkins ends House work before drug bill debateThe Topeka Capital-Journal via Yahoo News
- House speaker removes Republican committee leadersNews From The States
- Kansas legislators reject special redistricting sessionAssociated Press
- Kansas proposal for paid veteran claims servicesKansas Reflector
- 2019 Kansas legislative health recapKansas Health Institute
- State actions on individual-market health coverageKFF
- Kansas Farm Bureau health plan lawAssociated Press via KSL
- Short-term health insurance expansion raises concernsKansas Reflector
- Hawkins says press seats were needed for staffKansas Reflector
- New media rules limit Kansas House accessKWCH
- Kansas Republican leaders oppose Medicaid expansionKCUR
- Hawkins declines to put Medicaid expansion to a House voteAssociated Press
- Hawkins proposes state budget cutsKansas Reflector
- Lobbyist meals and KanCare oversightKCUR