(MSC News)--Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's proposal to expand Medicaid to 150,000 additional Kansans was introduced into both chambers of the Kansas legislature Wednesday.

Kelly then called for hearings on the bill in both chambers by Kansas Day, which is commemorated annually on January 29.

The bill, known as the Cutting Healthcare Costs for All Kansans Act, was introduced in the House Appropriations Committee by Representative Vic Miller and in the Senate Ways and Means Committee by Senator Pat Pettey.

Miller, who serves as House Minority Leader, in a news release from Kelly's office, said "Medicaid expansion is not only popular, but it saves lives, creates jobs, and saves our rural hospitals," with Pettey, in the release, saying he introduced the act because " by expanding Medicaid to 150,000 additional Kansans, we can support our hospitals, grow our nurses and doctors, and provide relief for Kansans shouldering the burden of rising healthcare costs.”

The release notes that Republican legislators joined in calling for a hearing on the Cutting Healthcare Costs for All Kansans Act by Kansas Day.