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Homelessness is rising in Kansas and state lawmakers aren’t doing much to help
A bill in the Kansas Legislature would have provided millions of dollars to build homeless shelters across the state. But lawmakers let the bill stall in committee and left Topeka for the year without taking any meaningful action to address the growing problem.
Want more state government news? You can read Associated Press coverage of Kansas stories and more online for free here.
We post many, but not all, stories from the Kansas Reflector. Read more of their coverage here.
We also frequently post stories from the Kansas News Service. Read more of their coverage here.
MORe STATE GOVERNMENT NEWS
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House panel passes bill altering county commission elections when boards go to 5 members
Controversy in Pottawatomie and Douglas counties about expansion of county commissions to 5 members surfaced Monday with a Kansas House committee backing a bill mandating new seats be filled at the next general election.
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Kansas prosecutors seek right to enter evidence of prior bad acts in domestic violence trials
Prosecutor Will Hurst said the scourge of domestic violence was so alarming that Kansas lawmakers ought to allow admission of evidence of a defendant’s prior bad acts to better hold domestic abusers accountable.
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Kelly signs bill boosting job prospects for people with disabilities with tax credits, wage grants
Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation expanding a tax credit to incentivize purchase of services or goods from vendors employing people with disabilities and creating a program to help businesses pay people with disabilities at least minimum wage.
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Kansas Supreme Court ends five-year hold on jurisdiction of public school funding case
The Kansas Supreme Court issued a two-page order Tuesday releasing jurisdiction of the Gannon v. State school finance case after concluding the Legislature complied with mandates to resolve violations of the Kansas Constitution by suitably funding public education.
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Wave of opposition hits Kansas House bill inviting challenges to public school accreditation
A renewed assault on public education, defended Monday by Republicans on the House K-12 Budget Committee, would set the stage for districts to be stripped of accreditation. The bill wouldn’t hold private schools to comparable accreditation standards.
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More than 100K Kansans could be booted from Medicaid by end of redetermination process
Kansas is close to determining who will remain eligible for Medicaid after months of glitches and ongoing confusion over how to reapply. Current estimates suggest thousands of Kansans will be removed from the system.
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Kansas bill ending municipal regulation of plastic bags, containers raises constitutional issue
A bill aggressively promoted by the Kansas Chamber would forbid municipal bans on plastic straws and the thin, cheap plastic shopping bags often given consumers by stores and restaurants.