(KAIR)--Now that the Kansas Legislature is back to business, informal Legislative Coffee updates return to Atchison's Santa Fe Depot, with the first of the session held Saturday. 

Although the event's sponsor, Rainbow Communications, secured and announced the appearance of 63rd District Representative Dr. Allen Reavis in advance of the session, also in attendance was Kansas 2nd District United States Representative Derek Schmidt, with the two Republicans providing their perspectives on issues facing both the state and federal governments.

Schmidt, in a release following his appearance, said he enjoyed his time discussing such matters as taxes, spending, immigration, Venezuela, border security, and NATO. 

Reavis, for his part, provided updates during the informal session, serving his second year on several legislative committees. 

Just two days prior to his time in Atchison, Schmidt announced that more than 14 million dollars is headed to Kansas communities after Congress approved additional federal funding bills. 

In a release from Schmidt’s office, the 2nd District Republican announced that with Thursday’s final passage of three more appropriations bills, he has secured more than 14 million dollars for priorities in seven Kansas communities. The funding targets drinking water projects, university research, healthcare, and public safety. 

The release says the Senate on Thursday gave final approval to the bill, which had already passed the House and now heads to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

With its passage, Congress has completed six of the 12 annual government funding bills — the most in many years — with three additional bills still awaiting Senate action. 

Locally, Leavenworth County will receive 1.25 million dollars for water distribution system improvements at Leavenworth Waterworks, according to the release.