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Kansas House dramatically amends bill aimed at constraining local property tax increases
The Kansas House voted Wednesday to alter significant provisions of a bipartisan property tax reform bill granting the public a direct voice in decisions by local government to raise property taxes more than 3% annually.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
Kansas Supreme Court: ‘Skill-gaming’ company lacks standing in lawsuit against state regulators
The Kansas Supreme Court deflected a legal squabble initiated five years ago by a company that sought an official declaration that its Dragon’s Ascent game available to players at truck stops or convenience stores was legal under state law.
Watchdog group sues to get disbarred Kansas prosecutor’s ‘shocking’ case records
A watchdog group has sued the U.S. Department of Justice, asking the government to release documents on a controversial former prosecutor from Kansas.
Reintroducing bison to Kansas tallgrass prairies promotes biodiversity and resilience, study finds
Reintroducing bison to tallgrass prairies can double biodiversity of native plants and increase drought resistance, a Kansas State University study found.
State sales tax on groceries drops to zero Jan. 1
On Jan. 1, 2025, Kansans will no longer pay state sales tax on groceries. They will still pay city- and county-imposed taxes, but the current state tax of 2% will be reduced to zero.
Kansas faces ‘constitutional crisis’ with rural attorney shortage, Supreme Court justice says
Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall said Friday the state is “approaching a constitutional crisis” with a shortage of attorneys in rural areas, and that “equity and justice” are at stake.
Shuttered private jail in Kansas could become immigration detention center
The ACLU warns that CoreCivic’s shuttered Leavenworth jail could play a role in President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans as an immigration detention center.
DACA health care ruling leaves few options but emergency care for some immigrants in Kansas
Immigration advocates are regrouping after a recent ruling prevented the expansion of health care access for more than 4,000 people in Kansas brought to the country illegally as children.
Former rural Kansas prosecutor charged with felony perjury and witness intimidation
Former Neosho County Attorney Linus Thuston, who was jailed for misdemeanor convictions earlier this year, now faces six felony charges of perjury and witness intimidation.
Kansas audit sounds alarm on security flaws at Osawatomie State Hospital
Inadequate physical security systems, erosion of workplace culture and persistently high staff turnover jeopardizes the safety of Osawatomie State Hospital employees serving adults with acute mental illness, a state audit said.
Housing prices in Kansas have exploded. Here are three ideas to make homes affordable
Home and rental prices have skyrocketed in recent years because of a housing shortage. That’s leading to a rise in homelessness and could be hurting the economy.
Kansas provided more abortions in 2023 than ever before, mostly for out-of-state patients
More abortions occurred in Kansas in 2023 than ever before in the state’s recorded history — driven by a surge of patients living in nearby states with abortion bans.
Kansas Board of Education accepts policy report recommending phone bans, sends to local districts
School districts across Kansas will receive a 20-page report containing guidance on cell phones that recommends daytime cell phone bans, mental health awareness and bolstered parental oversight.
Kansas county sues plastic companies over recycling, alleging ‘fraud and deception’
Plastics and chemical companies engaged in “a decades-long campaign of fraud and deception” about recycling, causing a pollution crisis, a western Kansas county claims in a lawsuit.
Kansas’ smallest school district to dissolve following voter, state board approval
Two students are enrolled this year at the Healy Public Schools district in western Kansas, a decrease from 20 students the previous year.
Kansas broadband internet disparities persist despite huge investments
Kansas Health Institute’s latest research demonstrated with online county-by-county maps that broadband deficits and computer ownership gaps plaguing Kansas were intertwined with social and demographic influences.
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