State government
Latest
Kansas House Speaker touts Republican supermajority’s ‘people-first agenda’
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins underscored the force of the Republican supermajority and its 2025 policy wins in his response to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s final State of the State address.
Kansas House Speaker touts Republican supermajority’s ‘people-first agenda’
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins underscored the force of the Republican supermajority and its 2025 policy wins in his response to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s final State of the State address.
Want more state government news?
You can read Associated Press coverage of Kansas stories and more online for free here.
KCUR also has paywall-free news from around the state at this link.
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.
TOP TAGS
Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe STATE GOVERNMENT NEWS
Kansas gets Good Samaritan overdose law. But people on parole are left out
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a bill to include drug overdoses in the state’s Good Samaritan law. But people on parole, probation or work release were left out of the protections.
Kansas governor vetoes child support for fetuses
Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed legislation that would have opened up a pathway for child support claims to be made on behalf of fetuses, calling it an attempt to “take more control over women.”
Gov. Laura Kelly affirms plan to veto bipartisan $2.3 billion, five-year tax reform bill
Gov. Laura Kelly said there was “absolutely no way” to avoid vetoing the $2.3 billion tax reduction bill approved with bipartisan majorities in the Kansas Legislature, arguing the cumulative year-to-year result of a half-billion-dollar drop in revenue would crack the state’s financial foundation.
New Kansas coalition seeks to legalize adult use of cannabis, expunge criminal records
Leaders of a new politically diverse coalition said Tuesday they were committed to supporting candidates for the Kansas Legislature dedicated to ending the state’s prohibition on recreational cannabis and to expunging criminal records tied to marijuana.
Women for Kansas to hold forum for Senate District 19 candidates
The Lawrence/Douglas County chapter of Women for Kansas is kicking off election season early with an online forum for candidates of Senate District 19.
Kansas anti-abortion groups are celebrating legislative wins. Here’s what that means for patients
Republican lawmakers passed measures that will force abortion patients to report more information to state officials, make it easier to prosecute people for coercing someone to get an abortion and allot more money to anti-abortion counseling centers.
‘Incredibly positive’: Disability advocates commend Kansas Republicans’ effort on waitlists
As the dust settles on the legislative maneuvering of the chaotic 2024 session, disability rights advocates applaud a budget provision meant to shorten wait times for disabled Kansans who need services.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Douglas County Commission approves revised wind energy regulations
Douglas County commissioners voted Wednesday to approve revisions to local wind energy regulations.
Kansas lawmakers pass trio of crime bills dealing with juvenile justice, fentanyl
New bills passed in the last frenzied days of the legislative session would allow Kansans to seek potentially life-saving drug overdose treatment without fear of arrest, expand parameters for teenagers held in state custody and increase penalties for fentanyl-related crimes.
Kansas Legislature adopts $2.3 billion, 5-year tax cut despite bipartisan forecast of veto
The Kansas Legislature passed a tax reduction plan early Wednesday that closely mirrors the package vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly and includes property tax relief, elimination of sales tax on groceries and more.
Pancho Metz / Contributed photo
East Lawrencian, Air Force veteran kicks off campaign for Kansas House
Brooklynne Mosley, an Air Force veteran and community organizer living in East Lawrence, has kicked off her campaign for Kansas House District 46.
Jackson County dropped the ball, so Kansas making last-minute drive to lure KC sports teams
Kansas House and Senate members worked Monday to consider whether to approve an economic development package designed to attract the Kansas City football team, Kansas City Royals or professional hockey or basketball franchises to Kansas.
Kansas Senate fails to override governor’s veto of tax cut package
Three Senate Republicans joined with Democrats on Monday to sustain Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a massive tax cut package over concerns about reshaping income tax brackets and the state’s long-term fiscal vitality.
Kansas House fails to override veto on bill that would ban gender-affirming care for kids
As the Kansas Legislature renewed its yearslong assault on transgender children, Sen. Mary Ware told her Senate colleagues Monday she had a “simple” question for them: ”What is the acceptable number of youth suicides?”
Kansas school finance bill, passed without ‘poison pill,’ on its way to governor
Kansas lawmakers have sent a bipartisan school finance bill that will shape state education funding for the next three years to the governor’s desk, packaging a $75 million increase in special education funding into the bill.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
