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Kansas Governor vetoes bill that would extend state budget if lawmakers fail to pass one
Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday vetoed a bill that would roll over the previous year’s state budget if the Legislature failed to pass one, pointing out that every legislative body since the state’s founding had managed to pass a budget and she expects nothing less.
Kansas Governor vetoes bill that would extend state budget if lawmakers fail to pass one
Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday vetoed a bill that would roll over the previous year’s state budget if the Legislature failed to pass one, pointing out that every legislative body since the state’s founding had managed to pass a budget and she expects nothing less.
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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
Kansas House endorses plan to elect Supreme Court justices, placing question on August 2026 ballot
Kansas voters will decide next year whether to rewrite the state’s constitution to turn the Kansas Supreme Court into an elected office.
Kansas education commissioner: Kids need more time in school
Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson urged districts to cancel breaks or extend the school year to make up for snow days. He is also proposing half-day summer school for young students who are struggling in reading and math.
Kansas legislators, archbishop take action against satanists and their planned black mass
A planned satanic black mass at the Kansas capitol has spurred policy changes, allegations of theft and religious debates as state leaders scramble to address First Amendment concerns with blocking satanists from their demonstration.
Kansas Senate budget ties $4 million to ending DEI, use of preferred pronouns in emails
The Kansas Senate’s budget committee wants to hold $4 million hostage from Gov. Laura Kelly until state agencies proved they eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion jobs and programs as well as ended use of pronouns in email signatures.
Kansas Democratic unity fractures with fetal child support debate in Senate
Republican legislation to establish child support for pregnancy costs — and, in turn, establish “fetal personhood” — revealed tension among legislators as a Democratic senator representing part of Lawrence inserted a bipartisan tax credit provision.
Kansas legislation would sever perceived influence of global treaty organizations
Members of a House committee on Wednesday weighed a bill that would declare the World Health Organization, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum have no power to enforce any mandates in Kansas or any governing body in the state.
A Kansas tax credit can help build thousands of affordable homes. Lawmakers want to cut it
Critics of the affordable housing tax credit argue it is costing Kansas too much. Supporters say it’s helping construct new homes amid a housing shortage that’s driving up costs of homes and contributing to homelessness.
Kansas Senate adopts plan to elect Supreme Court justices, a step toward overturning abortion rights
The Kansas Senate adopted a resolution that calls for the election of justices to the Kansas Supreme Court by popular vote. The House now has a choice: Accept the Senate’s resolution, pass an alternative, or table the issue for another year.
Kansas ‘back to work act’ would force state employees to return to offices
Thousands of state employees who once worked in office buildings in Kansas’ capital and frequented downtown businesses for lunch and happy hour now work from home all or part of the time. They could be called back to the office under proposed legislation.
Voters would elect Kansas Supreme Court justices under proposed change
Kansas Senators advanced a constitutional amendment Wednesday that would convert Kansas’ method for selecting state supreme court justices from a merit-based system to an elections system.
Kansas Republican’s pleas for decorum at anti-trans hearing met with cries of ‘fascist!’
For Joanna Herrmann and 100-plus other opponents who spoke at a Kansas House hearing or submitted testimony, SB 76, which would forbid school employees from using preferred pronouns without parental consent, is both personal and hurtful.
Kansas Republicans punt immigration bill after kicking opponents out of hearing
A Republican-led Senate committee declined Monday to take action on a bill that would prohibit people in Kansas without permanent legal status from receiving public benefits, including in-state tuition, and permit higher bond prices for those charged with crimes.
Freshman Kansas senator ‘trying to stop bad stuff’ while pressing for property tax relief
The way freshman Sen. Patrick Schmidt sees it, a shorter legislative session isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Topeka Democrat said the shortened timeline for passing bills could work in Democrats’ favor.
Should pregnant Kansans get child support for fetuses? State lawmakers will decide
Anti-abortion groups and reproductive rights advocates sparred in a Kansas legislative committee room this week over a bill that opponents say would give embryos and fetuses the same legal rights as pregnant women — a legal concept known as fetal personhood.
Kansas Senate bill would address conflicts of interest in local government — but not in Legislature
Proponents see a bill prohibiting local government officials from voting on major development projects in which they have a “substantial interest” as increasing transparency; opponents are concerned with what they view as overly broad language and hypocrisy.
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