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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.
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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 overrides governor’s veto of tax cut bills despite gloomy five-year forecast
House members voted to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of income, property and sales tax cuts that would lower state revenue by about $520 million per year.
Kansas governor slices border funding, anti-abortion program, ESU earmark from state budget
Gov. Laura Kelly sliced tens of millions of dollars from the state budget through a series of line-item vetoes, striking out funding to deploy the Kansas National Guard to the Mexico border, support for anti-abortion programs, and another earmark for Emporia State University’s enrollment-cratering “model.”
Kansas governor vetoes bipartisan plan to slash income, property and sales taxes
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly rejected a bipartisan package of tax cuts Wednesday and proposed a cheaper […]
Kansas places into state law blueprint for reforming K-12 instruction in reading
Gov. Laura Kelly affirmed in law Wednesday a flurry of bills on reading literacy, employing people with disabilities, parking railroad cars adjacent to intersections and creating the crime of egging on someone to commit suicide.
Gov. Laura Kelly approves bill creating independent agency devoted to child welfare
Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation placing into state law establishment of an independent agency dedicated to serving as an advocate for children involved with the state welfare system.
Kansas governor signs law providing flexible enrollment calculations for school funding
Legislation altering the state’s funding formula for public school districts will bolster schools struggling with declining enrollment, the governor said as she signed the bill into law.
Kansas legislators circumvent board allocating state’s opioid settlement funds, stalling distribution process
Members of the Kansas Fights Addiction Board has paused further allocating the state’s opioid settlement funds in response to lawmakers allocating funds without the board’s approval.
Kansas governor allows anti-DEI bill to become law, vetoes anti-abortion and election bills
In her latest round of vetoes, Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday announced she was rejecting bills that would restrict voting in the state and funnel tax dollars to anti-abortion centers.
Kansas lawmakers dangle $36 million for public universities to secure anti-DEI commitments
House and Senate budget negotiators agreed to anchor $36 million to a requirement that university administrators affirm they had abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion programs. KU could lose $8.35 million.
Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes ban on gender-identity health care, abortion coercion and survey bills
Gov. Laura Kelly flexed a veto pen to reject bills Friday prohibiting gender-identity health care for transgender youth, introducing a vague crime of coercing someone to have an abortion and more, certain to trigger veto override attempts.
Kansas pregnancy crisis center funding, anti-abortion measures sent to governor
Limited by the state’s constitutional protection of abortion, Kansas anti-abortion lawmakers have funneled more money into a program encouraging women to give birth, among other such focused measures sent to the governor.
Kansas Legislature brings gavel down on civil asset seizure powers of law enforcement
Before her death, Rep. Gail Finney ruffled state and local police officials and prosecutors by publicly denouncing as unjust the state law allowing civil asset seizure. The Legislature last week voted unanimously in favor of a bill reforming the law.
Kansas Board of Education agrees to expand Indigenous education outreach
The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday voted to expand Indigenous education outreach from the K-12 to college level, following debate that touched on mascots and political agendas.
Kansas Medicaid expansion debate to be revived when Legislature returns
In three weeks, senators will decide whether to give Medicaid expansion a full floor debate or block discussion of health insurance coverage for low-income Kansans for another year.
Contributed
Bill named after Lawrence self-advocate Kathy Lobb headed to governor for signature
Gov. Laura Kelly’s signature is now all that’s missing for Kathy’s Bill to become law. It’s been a long time coming for the Lawrence self-advocate who brought it to life, Kathy Lobb.
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