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Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Kansas students to face punishment for protests after lawmakers override veto
Kansas public school students will need parental permission to leave school grounds for a protest and schools could face $100,000 penalties if they don’t enforce restrictions after legislators overrode the governor’s veto Friday.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Kansas students to face punishment for protests after lawmakers override veto
Kansas public school students will need parental permission to leave school grounds for a protest and schools could face $100,000 penalties if they don’t enforce restrictions after legislators overrode the governor’s veto Friday.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
‘Hungry for control’: Kansas House advances ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors
State employees would no longer be able to so much as call transgender children by their chosen pronouns under a bill blocking transgender minors in the state from receiving gender-affirming care. The legislation is barreling toward the governor’s desk.
Kansas bill banning affirming care for trans kids headed toward fight with governor
Kansas House lawmakers advanced a wide-ranging bill Tuesday that includes Republican plans to ban trans children from getting gender-affirming medical care amid outcry from worried parents.
Kansas House committee considers abortion coercion bill, funding for anti-abortion services
The House Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony on a bill creating a felony of coercion for persuading someone to terminate a pregnancy against their will and a bill designed to funnel $5.8 million into efforts to pressure women not to terminate a pregnancy.
Kansas court upholds AG Kobach’s argument in transgender driver’s license case
A district court has sided with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on a temporary block to keep Kansas residents from changing the gender listed on their drivers’ licenses.
New Kansas bill requests $40 million for homeless shelters, requires enforcement of camping laws
A bill supported by Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita is requesting $40 million from the state for homeless shelter infrastructure, and it also requires localities to enforce ordinances on camping and vagrancy.
Kansas Democrats blast GOP physicians for pushing disinformation in debate on anti-trans bill
House Democrats questioned the integrity of two Republicans legislators who brandished their credentials as physicians while promoting harmful misinformation about transgender children during debate Thursday on legislation that would prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming care.
In wake of mass shooting, Kansas lawmakers spar over ‘gun rights preservation’ bill
Though Kansans and Missourians are still reeling from a February mass shooting that left dozens injured and one dead, a Kansas lawmaker is pushing to change gun regulations in the state so that the “feds” can’t interfere with gun owners like himself.
Kansas House pivots to DEI bill imposing $100,000 fines on offending public colleges, universities
A Kansas House committee plans to move ahead Wednesday with a bill exposing universities and colleges to $100,000 administrative penalties and lawsuits for compelling students or employees to pledge allegiance to diversity, equity and inclusion.
‘August was not a fluke’: Kansas advocates warn against raft of bills limiting reproductive rights
Kansas is one of the few states left in the region that protects abortion rights. Unable to change state constitutional protections, some lawmakers are now doing their best to discourage abortion through a slew of legislation instead.
Sparks fly when Kansas House budget panel explores detail of university budget requests
The Kansas House’s budget committee delivered bipartisan condemnation Monday of unusual $3 million payouts to Emporia State, Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State universities intended to stabilize operating budgets during a period of enrollment decline and rising costs.
Critics of Kansas bills blocking transgender medical care to minors tossed from House hearing
Kansas House Rep. Brenda Landwehr kicked the first person out of Thursday’s hearing on anti-transgender legislation for cradling a protest sign in the room.
A Kansas senator heard debate on an anti-trans bill after short notice for the public to prepare
Kansas advocates for trans rights spoke out Thursday against Republicans’ latest attempt at restricting access to gender-affirming care and criticized a state senator for giving short notice on a hearing to those who would be most affected if the proposal becomes law.
Kansas Republicans introduce new anti-abortion bills, including prison time for ‘coercion’
House and Senate Republicans — in their latest attempts to weaken the state’s constitutional right to bodily autonomy — have introduced legislation to require prison time for coercing a pregnant person into getting an abortion and to mandate ultrasounds before terminating a pregnancy.
New estimate predicts Medicaid expansion would serve 152K at no cost to state
The Kansas Health Institute on Thursday unveiled its analysis of Gov. Laura Kelly’s proposal to expand Medicaid, predicting 152,000 Kansans would enroll in the first year with no additional cost to the state government.
DEI audit of state universities shows $9M in state funds spent widely
An audit instigated because of Republican suspicion over state public universities’ equity programs found the programs used $9 million in state dollars during the 2022-2023 school year.
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