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Kansas champions of administrative reform at public universities offer concessions to calm skeptics
The Republican majority leader of the Kansas House and the governor’s chief of staff worked Thursday to resolve objections to a bill designed to make the state’s three largest public universities more financially efficient by removing layers of administrative red tape.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe STATE GOVERNMENT NEWS
About 1,500 Kansas students change school districts under new open enrollment policy
Kansas school districts showed caution in allowing transfers through a new open enrollment option that lets students attend school outside their home district, data presented Wednesday to the Kansas State Board of Education showed.
Kansas lawmakers want to crack down on homeless crime. Law enforcement says it won’t help
Law enforcement officials say arresting people who are unhoused for minor crimes like trespassing and vandalism will not help reduce homelessness. Experts say it will cost a lot of tax dollars and actually makes homelessness worse.
Kansas GOP’s political muscle in general, primary elections strengthen legislative supermajorities
Senate Republicans could welcome a 31-9 majority when the 2025 Legislature convenes. The Senate GOP’s edge was 29-11. In the House, the GOP majority could expand to 88-37 from 85-40.
Kansas sees high voter turnout, smooth elections, two tight legislative races
As county officials across Kansas continue to submit final vote counts, the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office’s post mortem of the 2024 election indicated a smooth transition of power.
Kansas State Board of Education election results favor conservative power
Far-right Republicans were poised to win two of five seats up for election on the Kansas State Board of Education, shifting the board’s power to a conservative bloc.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Election results: Kansas Senate, House and State Board of Education seats representing Douglas County
Voters have elected candidates to four Kansas Senate and four Kansas House seats that represent parts of Douglas County. Democrat Marci Francisco will keep her Senate seat, and newcomer Democrat Patrick Schmidt won Senate District 19.
Election night results show Republicans preserving supermajorities in Kansas House, Senate
Kansas Republicans appear to have preserved the two-thirds edge in the House and Senate despite a costly effort by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to diminish the supermajority and make it easier to veto legislation.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
‘We are not going back’: Lawrence women rally ahead of historic election
Chants of “We are not going back” resounded in South Park, where hundreds showed up for a women’s rights rally Saturday morning despite the rain.
Kansans support marijuana legalization, but lawmakers won’t bite
A wide majority of Kansans support legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, but a group of legislators assigned to weigh medical marijuana legalization declined to push the issue in the 2025 session.
This election, thousands of new U.S. citizens will vote for the first time in Kansas
Kansas isn’t a battleground state nationally, but several key races are on the ballot, including the makeup of the entire state Legislature. Experts say the thousands of Kansans who become new citizens each year could play a decisive role.
Survey finds most Kansans support Medicaid expansion and abortion access
More than 7 in 10 Kansans support expanding Medicaid, according to a new survey, and more than 6 in 10 Kansans say women are better-positioned than politicians to make the decision about whether to get an abortion.
2024 election guide for Lawrence and Douglas County voters
Big questions and representation at the local, state and national levels are on Lawrence voters’ ballots for the Nov. 5 general election. Here’s our key need-to-know election info, all in one place.
Psychiatric care in Kansas inaccessible to kids who need it most, study finds
The number of psychiatric treatment beds for kids in Kansas has increased overall in the past five years, but those with specialized needs continue to face hurdles when accessing care, a recent state study found.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Survey: Kansas voters support legalizing marijuana, oppose current direction of the country
New survey data gives a look at how people in Kansas feel about key issues including marijuana legalization, abortion and gender-affirming care for transgender kids.
Task force: Kansas schools should ban cellphones for all students
An advisory group created by the Kansas State Board of Education is recommending that schools ban cellphones for students at every grade level.
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