Following the unveiling of a flat tax proposal that would cost the state $1.5 billion, Gov. Laura Kelly once again rallied Kansans to her tax cut plan, saying any bill passed this legislative session needs to be fiscally responsible.
The restaurant industry statewide has been plagued by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and workforce shortages, with new issues making it difficult for restaurant owners to bounce back, officials have said.
Assessments by the Kansas budget director and an independent tax policy institute Monday showed the flat tax proposal by the Kansas Chamber would reduce the state budget by $1.5 billion per year and primarily benefit the state’s highest wage earners.
The Kansas Senate unanimously confirmed Kansas Court of Appeals nominee Rachel Pickering despite alarms set off by Republicans about judicial criticism leveled against her decisions as appellate defense counsel in a 15-year-old criminal case.
Rachel Imthurn remains a champion more than a decade after her husband’s death for implementation of a Kansas law giving residents of assisted living facilities at least 30 days notice of an involuntary discharge and the right to appeal the facility’s decision.
Kansas Republicans are considering the removal of a three-day grace period for returning ballots by mail and creating runoff elections for statewide races. Democrats and voter turnout advocates say they are voter suppression efforts.
Republican lawmakers in Kansas have introduced the most extreme anti-abortion legislation so far this session. It comes less than six months after voters dealt a landslide upset to abortion opponents when they rejected an anti-abortion ballot measure.
Republicans in the Kansas House voted down a proposed rule forbidding the launch of House floor debate on a bill after midnight.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly pleaded with lawmakers to avoid injecting politics more deeply into K-12 public schools. She amplified recommendations to expand eligibility for Medicaid, legalize medical marijuana, accelerate workforce training and answer calls for action on the rural housing crisis.
The Republican president of the Kansas Senate said Tuesday that Kansans should appreciate Gov. Laura Kelly is governing near the ditch on the left side of the road rather than from the center as she has claimed on many occasions.
