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Kansas marijuana laws remain unchanged, despite Trump promoting looser regulations
President Donald Trump took the first step Thursday to reclassify marijuana, but the move won’t affect Kansans unless the state changes its laws, a law enforcement professional said.
Kansas marijuana laws remain unchanged, despite Trump promoting looser regulations
President Donald Trump took the first step Thursday to reclassify marijuana, but the move won’t affect Kansans unless the state changes its laws, a law enforcement professional said.
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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 sends flat income tax bill to the governor for a possible veto
The Republican-controlled Kansas House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would set a single rate on state income taxes, setting up a likely veto from the Democratic governor.
Kansas GOP’s proposed platform condemns same-sex marriage, abortion, gun control
Citing God’s guidance, the Kansas Republican Party has declared itself against same-sex marriage in an early unreleased version of its proposed 2024 platform.
Panasonic answers concern Kansans to pay for electricity infrastructure serving De Soto plant
Panasonic executives involved in construction of the $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant at De Soto said Tuesday the facility would begin production in early 2025 and negotiations continued with Evergy on delivery of electricity to manufacturing space occupying 4.7 million square feet.
Driver’s license gender needs to match sex assigned at birth, Kansas AG Kris Kobach argues in court
Civil rights advocates argued in court this week that drivers’ licenses should not lead to “forced outing,” leaving a district judge to decide how a divisive law will impact the day-to-day lives of transgender Kansans.
Kansas lawmakers take up legislation forbidding discrimination based on hairstyle traditions
A nonprofit leader dedicated to expanding the influence of Black women urged the Kansas Legislature to prohibit discrimination based on ancestry linked to hairstyle and hair texture. Lawrence passed the CROWN Act in August.
House GOP lawmakers introduce bill imposing near-total ban on abortion in Kansas
Eight Kansas House Republicans introduced a bill crafted to implement a near-total ban on abortions, while also authorizing individuals to file lawsuits against doctors and others who helped someone obtain an abortion.
Kelly urges Legislature to focus on health care, education, tax, water and child care reforms
Gov. Laura Kelly widened an agenda dedicated to public education, Medicaid expansion and broad-based tax reform Wednesday in the annual State of the State speech.
Kansas’ chief justice blames Russian ransomware hackers for disabling court’s electronic systems
Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert said Wednesday that the state didn’t pay ransom demands of a cybercriminal group that infiltrated the judicial branch’s computer system in October.
Medicaid expansion will probably fail again in Kansas, so why is the governor still trying?
Gov. Laura Kelly’s likely doomed push for Medicaid expansion is aimed at setting the table before this fall’s election. But Republican leaders want to focus on other ideas, like cutting taxes.
Kansans would see lower property, income and sales taxes under the governor’s new plan
A showdown over tax reform is brewing in the Kansas Legislature after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly unveiled a tax-cutting proposal on the first day of the 2024 legislative session.
Carter Gaskins/Lawrence Times
Lawrence school board to consider new high school graduation requirements
The Lawrence school board on Monday will look to approve proposed high school graduation requirements for next year.
Task force asks Legislature for 4-year, $82.7 million annual spike in special education funding
The task force created by the Kansas Legislature to resolve funding challenges in K-12 special education endorsed a four-year plan Friday adding $82.7 million annually in appropriations to local school districts.
Kansas special education task force to convene – finally – for quick study of funding shortfall
Rep. Kristey Williams and Sen. Renee Erickson agreed there was little value in convening a task force to study the state’s shortfall in funding public school special education programs because the financial issues were too complex for such a group to unravel and the only remedy suggested by education advocacy groups was too simplistic to warrant examination.
Kansas Chamber puts shoulder behind 2024 income tax, health care, education reforms
The Kansas Chamber released a legislative policy agenda Thursday endorsing a proposed single rate state income tax, opposing expansion of Medicaid health coverage to 150,000 low-income Kansans and supporting investment of state tax dollars in private K-12 education.
Kansas senator proposes job limits to avoid potential conflicts of interest in state government
Sen. Tom Holland, of Baldwin City, has introduced a bill that would forbid members of the Kansas Legislature from concurrently holding jobs in an executive branch agency. Others have filed bills on school starts, birth centers, taxation and heritage sites.
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