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Transgender Kansans had their IDs invalidated overnight, causing confusion and panic
Some transgender Kansans received letters urging them to request new IDs that conflict with their gender identity and presentation, because their current ones are “invalid immediately.” It’s the result of a new law that also regulates which bathrooms transgender people are allowed to use.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
Kelly signs education budget and policy bundle, asks Legislature to fully fund special education
Gov. Laura Kelly signed Monday a bill providing more than $6 billion for K-12 education and making several policy changes, including a controversial provision allowing students to openly transfer to districts around Kansas.
Supreme Court of Kansas explores constitutionality of revised congressional redistricting map
Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court stepped into an explosive legal and political drama Monday triggered by the Legislature’s decision to split the state’s most diverse county between two congressional districts and relegate Lawrence to the rural conservative 1st District reaching into western Kansas.
Arguments pit process vs. result in Kansas Supreme Court debate over legislative maps
Attorney General Derek Schmidt began proceedings Monday asserting to the Kansas Supreme Court that new boundaries for Kansas House and Senate districts violated no law.
Kansas community mental health centers transitioning to new care model; Bert Nash is in the first phase
More changes in mental health and substance use disorder service delivery are afoot in Douglas County. By the end of 2022, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center will have transitioned to a new, integrated model of care.
Kelly vetoes infectious disease, Medicaid and election bills
Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill allowing autonomous vehicles to operate on Kansas roads and vetoed legislation restricting public health officials’ response to all infectious disease outbreaks, a mandate imposing a no-bid contract for Medicaid services and limitations on the executive branch’s enforcement of election law.
Kansas COVID-19 case numbers trending up as hospital leaders see potential surge
Leading infection control and prevention experts at a Kansas hospital say COVID-19 numbers are trending up slowly but have yet to reach the surging levels seen in other countries.
Kansas thinks maybe you’re accidentally buying vegetarian ‘meat,’ so it passed a law
The power of the Kansas cattle industry means grocery shoppers in the state won’t be buying anything called sausage or burger unless it’s made of animal parts.
Kansas saw the nation’s second-highest increase in drug deaths last year
Kansas is one of just a few states without a good Samaritan law that encourages people to call 911 when they witness a drug overdose, and it doesn’t permit syringe service programs that provide sterile injection equipment.
Kansas foster families say attorneys representing foster kids in court are failing those children
Guardians ad litem say their heavy caseloads make it hard to be everywhere at once. Foster parents want them to know the children they represent better.
Woman wants Kansas library to get rid of children’s book about boy who dresses in mom’s clothes
An Oakley woman wants to ban a children’s book from the public library because it contains drawings of a naked boy who gets dressed in his mother’s clothes. The author questioned the woman’s sense of humor, called her un-American and rejected her concern that his book contains LGBTQ content.
Kansas legislative leaders argue district court erred by ruling congressional map unconstitutional
The Republican-controlled Legislative Coordinating Council’s legal brief to the Kansas Supreme Court rejects a lower court decision that the 2022 congressional map was unconstitutional, arguing that judge’s ruling amounted to partisan overreach and parroted unproven claims by plaintiffs.
Analysis: How the Kansas Legislature avoids public scrutiny by hiding in darkness
The Kansas Legislature shields itself from public scrutiny through secrecy, confusing shell games and silenced opposition.
Marshall demands special parental warnings on television shows exploring gender issues
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall wants a television monitoring board to expand a ratings system to warn parents about content in youth programs relating to people with a desire to be another gender.
Kelly signs bipartisan legislation creating state tax incentive for housing construction
Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation Thursday creating incentives in the form of state income tax credits for investors in construction of residential housing that contributes to economic development in Kansas.
Late-night deal rewrites Kansas public health laws on masks, vaccines and quarantines
The Kansas Legislature approved a rewrite of the state’s public health laws, disregarding bipartisan concerns the bill was too restrictive. For example, no governmental body or public official could mandate face masks to prevent the spread of any infectious disease.
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