Mark B. Steffen (born August 30, 1962) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of about 73,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

from the 34th district. He assumed office in 2021, after beating one-term Republican incumbent Edward Berger with 57.5% of the vote in the August 4, 2020 primary, and Democrat Shanna Henry with 69.8% of the vote in the general election.

Medical practice

Steffen is an anesthesiologist and pain specialist who promoted unproven medications to help sufferers from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

by the

United States Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

, including ''

Ivermectin Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug. After its discovery in 1975, its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis. Approved for human use in 1987, it is used to treat infestations including head lice ...

'' and ''

Hydroxychloroquine Hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil among others, is a medication used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, an ...

.'' On January 26, 2022, Steffen reported his practice had been investigated by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts for the previous 18 months. Steffen demanded a hearing to debate the science and later claimed that the government agencies dismissed all complaints. He contended that Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at The

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Health System, who was critical of politicians who oppose vaccination and masking, was "the Kansas ''Dr. Fauci''," accusing Stites of spreading "propaganda."Senator under health board investigation calls KU doctor 'Kansas Dr. Fauci' as COVID rates worsen
''

Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jou ...

'', Jason Tidd, January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.

Tenure

In January 2021, Steffen introduced SB187, a bill designed to levy heavy penalties against media corporations that censored political posts. It died in Committee in 2022. On January 26, 2022, he appeared before a Kansas Senate committee to discuss affordable, effective COVID-19 remedies. He demanded that a "panel of physicians and scientists from both sides of this issue," be convened. An "Early Covid Treatment Symposium" was then held in Lenexa, KS. In January 2023, Steffen filed the first bill of the legislative session, SB1. It would have subjected online social media to fines of up to $75,000 per instance for platform censorship of user posts, with the Kansas Attorney General given the latitude to bring such cases on behalf of Kansas residents, under the authority of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. He did not seek re-election in 2024.

References

External links

Vote Smart Mark Steffen
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steffen, Mark 1962 births Living people Republican Party Kansas state senators University of Oklahoma alumni Northwestern Oklahoma State University alumni 21st-century members of the Kansas Legislature