State government
Latest
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.
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
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Douglas County voters: Here’s a look at candidates who have filed for election so far
Just more than a week remains for people to throw their hats into the ring for a big election year. The Douglas County Commission is adding two seats; every seat in the Legislature is up for grabs; and the top prosecutor job is on the ballot.
Kansas’ smallest school district prepares to close in warning sign for rural communities
Healy’s eighth-grade graduates walked the stage as family members cheered them on. School board members were seated at the side of the stage to congratulate the students — all three of them.
Courtesy photo
Governor signs Lawrence disability advocate’s bill into law
Self-advocate Kathy Lobb’s decades-long quest has come to an end as a law to grant executive branch employment preferences for disabled Kansans is now on the books.
Kansas providers challenge new ‘abortion survey’ law in court
Kansas abortion providers have challenged an abortion survey law less than a month after lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.
Kansas governor follows through on threat to veto bipartisan tax plan, will call special session
A session-long standoff between Gov. Laura Kelly and state legislators over changes in tax policy reached its inevitable climax Thursday when the governor vetoed a bipartisan tax plan as promised.
Kansas governor signs school funding bill with $75 million boost for special education
Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation that allocates $6.6 billion to K-12 public schools, including $75 million in new money for special education, but vetoed language designed to funnel safety grant cash to a specific software company.
Former foster kids relived trauma, fought for new program and compelled Kansas lawmakers to act
On Tuesday, alumni of Kansas’ foster care system celebrated the passage of legislation that will allow foster kids who are 16 or older to choose to stay with a family member or close friend — as opposed to bouncing from one temporary house to another or sleeping in office space.
Traffic tickets in Kansas can cost low-income drivers their licenses. There’s a new law to help
Traffic tickets for low-income drivers can snowball into thousands of dollars of debt and revoked licenses. A new law aims to reduce fines and fees to help get them reinstated.
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.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first



