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Kansas governor doubtful GOP legislators can pull off congressional redistricting
Gov. Laura Kelly predicted Tuesday the 2026 Legislature wouldn’t muster enough political support to implement a new congressional district map splitting Johnson County and making it easier to defeat U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the midterm election.
Kansas governor doubtful GOP legislators can pull off congressional redistricting
Gov. Laura Kelly predicted Tuesday the 2026 Legislature wouldn’t muster enough political support to implement a new congressional district map splitting Johnson County and making it easier to defeat U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the midterm election.
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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 Legislature races to finalize budget, food tax cut, sports gambling, education bills
Kansas lawmakers are working to finalize last-minute deals on the state budget, a reduction of the state sales tax on food, sports wagering, a parental bill of rights, transgender athletes, and a wide range of other legislation before adjourning for a three-week break.
Chris Neal / Kansas News Service
K-State researchers find that feeding hemp to cattle mellows the herd
Researchers at Kansas State University said hemp could be a natural way to decrease stress-related respiratory infections and other ailments when cattle are being transported or weaned off their mothers.
Legislature ties SNAP for able-bodied adults to job training or part-time job
The Kansas House and Senate voted to send Gov. Laura Kelly a measure Thursday mandating able-bodied adults without dependents hold down a job for 30 hours a week or enroll in a job training program to receive federal food assistance.
Legislature forwards House, Senate and Board of Education maps to governor
The Kansas Legislature sent to Gov. Laura Kelly a bundled bill Wednesday containing redistricting maps for the House, Senate and state Board of Education.
Kansas House revives and passes stalled sports wagering bill
A bill to legalize sports wagering took a significant step Wednesday, clearing the Kansas House just more than 24 hours after the measure appeared to stall in committee.
Kansas Senate quickly endorses legislation banning ‘sanctuary cities’
Kansas senators fast-tracked a bill prohibiting municipal governments from creating “sanctuary cities,” approving it without reading it or allowing opponents to testify. The bill now goes to Gov. Laura Kelly.
Kansas sports wagering plan hits snag after leadership-backed amendment fails twice
The future of a plan to legalize sports wagering in Kansas is up in the air after a House committee abruptly adjourned Tuesday.
Senate tackles fresh redistricting controversy with Board of Education map
Kansas Senate leadership proposed Monday a redistricting map for the 10-member Kansas Board of Education that critics indicated unnecessarily placed four incumbents in head-to-head showdowns.
As BA.2 variant prevalence increases in northeast U.S., Kansas hospitals already altering response
While publicly available data may lag, medical experts at a Kansas hospital system say the prevalence of the BA.2 variant of COVID-19 is slowly rising and is already affecting pandemic response.
Kansas Senate gives major shakeup of ballot drop box, mail voting law green light
A bill approved this week by the Kansas Senate would limit drop boxes in all but the largest areas of the state to one per county and add new security measures for surveillance. It would also end a three-day grace period for mail ballots to arrive after Election Day.
Native American legislator rejects GOP lawmaker’s apology for offensive remark
Rep. Ponka-We Victors-Cozad rejected the apology of a House Republican who said during a floor debate that he had to make certain Victors-Cozad was using a wooden gavel rather than a tomahawk to bring order to the chamber.
Bill banning city prohibitions on plastics throws home rule, environment out, representatives say
Some Kansas representatives say a prohibition recently approved by the Legislature on municipalities restricting plastic items tramples on local control and will cause issues for ecosystems across the state.
Kansas is on a path to make it easier to get your seized property back from police
Police can keep seized property “as long as necessary,” state statute says, if they believe it could be evidence in a trial. A proposed change to state law would require police to give items back.
Senate narrowly adopts bill affirming access to off-label drugs for COVID-19
A bill adopted by the Senate on a vote of 21-16 would mandate child care facilities and K-12 public schools to accept — without inquiry or scrutiny — the religious objection of parents or guardians to vaccination of their children against a collection of maladies.
Kansas House takes brief hiatus after approving more than two dozen bills
The Kansas House concluded business before a short break in the session Wednesday by passing more than two dozen bills, including proposals to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, final approval of an education mega bill and passage of both legislative maps.
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