Honoring Juneteenth in Lawrence

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in Lawrence, marking Juneteenth alongside neighbors, families, and community leaders. It was a day to honor freedom hard-won and long-delayed, and to remember that the promise of that freedom has always been about more than a date on the calendar. It’s about opportunity: the chance to own a home, build a business, and point your kids toward a future they choose.

That’s the conversation I came to have.

I talked with constituents about what’s keeping Kansas families up at night. Housing costs climbing faster than paychecks. Property tax bills pushing seniors out of homes they’ve lived in for decades. The worry that a four-year degree is the only path to a good life, while good-paying trades go unfilled across our state.

These aren’t abstract problems, and the Treasurer’s office isn’t powerless against them.

As Treasurer, I’ll fight for real property tax relief — including deferral options so seniors aren’t taxed out of their homes — and I’ll make sure the millions in unclaimed property the state is sitting on gets back to the Kansans it belongs to.

I’ll expand Kansas’s Learning Quest 529 plan so it works for every family, covering not just two- or four-year colleges, but trades, apprenticeships, and the short-term credentials that lead straight to good jobs. Every kid deserves a clear path forward, whether that’s a university or a welding certification.

As an elected official, I’ll work on establishing a nonpartisan Kansas Economic Council that will focus on bringing in real economists to discuss growth opportunities for Kansas. Kansans will always know how their money is being managed and where we’re headed.

Juneteenth reminds us that progress takes work, and that the work is never finished. I’m ready for it.

I’m Juan C. Luengo — let’s get to work.