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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.
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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 DCF received nine reports, including allegations of drug use, before death of 5-year-old
The state’s child welfare agency received multiple reports asking them to look into the case of a homeless 5-year-old before her death earlier this month.
Education agenda: Here’s what Kansas lawmakers have in mind for school districts and students
A legislative committee on education offered a glimpse at what Kansas lawmakers could propose during the 2024 session. The Legislature hinted at changing the formula for funding special education and pushing more school choice measures.
Older Kansans want lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana and expand Medicaid
Kansas is one of the few states that doesn’t offer legal access to marijuana, and one of just nine states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Kansas seniors will be lobbying lawmakers for both.
Kansas commission recommends raising annual base salary of state legislators to $43,000
A bipartisan commission led by former state lawmakers Thursday endorsed recommendations raising the base salary of House and Senate members to $43,000 per year.
Why Kansas makes it harder to qualify for food assistance than most other states
Kansas lawmakers have continued to pass on a federal policy that could make more people eligible for food assistance programs. Now, the state is one of the last in the country that has not yet adopted it.
Former Rep. Esau seeks end of Kansas’ 3-day grace period for accepting mailed advance ballots
A former state rep. said it was a mistake for the 2017 Kansas Legislature to create a 3-day grace period for acceptance of mail-in advance ballots postmarked before polls closed on Election Day.
Voting rights advocates pan Kansas Republican’s ‘invite-only stage for election conspiracies’
Republican Sen. Mike Thompson orchestrated a two-day debauchery of fearmongering about advance ballots, drop boxes, and voter registration efforts. No local election official was invited to participate.
Think tank demands release of ‘secret’ Kansas voter registration deal. It was readily available.
Florida think tank lobbyists pressured Kansas legislators to investigate Gov. Laura Kelly for negotiating a “secret” agreement requiring distribution of voter registration information to recipients of government safety-net assistance.
Labor study: Kansas faces shortfall of 34,000 college-educated workers through 2030
A new labor report revealed the current annual rate of degree and certificate completion at Kansas colleges and universities would be insufficient to meet anticipated growth in demand for young, educated workers.
Kansas counties eager for lawmakers to resurrect property tax relief fund
The Legislature’s perennial failure to invest in lowering local property taxes left Miami County with a budget dilemma this year. The Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund has been dormant for 20 years.
Kansas special committee leans harder toward raising legislators’ annual base salary to $45,000
A bipartisan committee built momentum for the idea of raising the annual base salary of legislators to $45,000 and delivering substantial compensation premiums for eight lawmakers in leadership positions.
Top Kansas Republicans push flat tax proposal, pan Medicaid expansion
After declaring themselves a united family, “like brothers and sisters,” the top Republicans in the Legislature announced they will work together to resurrect and pass a massive flat tax plan in the first weeks of the upcoming legislative session.
Here’s why Kansas abortions rose 114% in the first half of 2023
Research estimates Kansas saw one of the most significant increases in abortions in the country, driven by a surge in patients from nearby states.
Transgender Kansans barred from altering birth certificates
The state will no longer recognize transgender Kansans’ identities, reversing birth records back to assigned sex at birth and halting future modifications of birth certificates following a federal judge’s ruling.
This Kansas teacher retired 23 years ago — and her pension payment is frozen in time
Thousands of retired public employees in Kansas have never seen an increase to their pension pay, and inflation is eating away the value of the those payments. Advocates argue the Legislature owes them a boost.
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