Prior to losing a Republican primary to Bruce Givens in 2016, he served in the Kansas Senate from 2013 to 2017, representing the 14th district encompassing all or part of Butler, Chautauqua, Coffey, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Montgomery, Wilson, and Woodson Counties - which includes much of the Kansas Flint Hills.
Knox proposed, and helped pass, legislation aimed at reforms in the current foster care system.
One bill, which passed the Senate but was not passed into law, would create the possibility for the Kansas Department for Children and Families to authorize a pilot program for CARE foster homes, where CARE parents would be given more training and ability to "parent" foster children and meet the unique needs of each individual child.
[2] In 2015, in his involvement on the Clean Power Plan Implementation Study Committee, Knox agreed with Chief Deputy Kansas Attorney General Jeff Chanay's statement that the (federal Clean Power Plan) rule was "clearly unlawful" and meant to systematically dismantle the coal industry, with Chanay further stating that it violated the 10th Amendment, which reserves powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution to the states.
Knox's statements implied that the state should consider resisting federal authority with regard to complying with Environmental Protection Agency regulations.