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Dozens of health organizations urge Kansas governor to veto Medicaid eligibility changes
Nearly 50 health organizations signed a letter urging the Kansas governor to veto a budget provision that would end continuous eligibility in the state’s Medicaid program, which allows public health insurance enrollees to consistently access health care.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
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Kansas Republican’s pleas for decorum at anti-trans hearing met with cries of ‘fascist!’
For Joanna Herrmann and 100-plus other opponents who spoke at a Kansas House hearing or submitted testimony, SB 76, which would forbid school employees from using preferred pronouns without parental consent, is both personal and hurtful.

Kansas Republicans punt immigration bill after kicking opponents out of hearing
A Republican-led Senate committee declined Monday to take action on a bill that would prohibit people in Kansas without permanent legal status from receiving public benefits, including in-state tuition, and permit higher bond prices for those charged with crimes.

Freshman Kansas senator ‘trying to stop bad stuff’ while pressing for property tax relief
The way freshman Sen. Patrick Schmidt sees it, a shorter legislative session isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Topeka Democrat said the shortened timeline for passing bills could work in Democrats’ favor.

Should pregnant Kansans get child support for fetuses? State lawmakers will decide
Anti-abortion groups and reproductive rights advocates sparred in a Kansas legislative committee room this week over a bill that opponents say would give embryos and fetuses the same legal rights as pregnant women — a legal concept known as fetal personhood.

Kansas Senate bill would address conflicts of interest in local government — but not in Legislature
Proponents see a bill prohibiting local government officials from voting on major development projects in which they have a “substantial interest” as increasing transparency; opponents are concerned with what they view as overly broad language and hypocrisy.

Kansas House Democrat proposes filing a formal complaint against GOP colleague
A Democratic state rep. has requested the filing of a formal complaint and appointment of a special investigative committee to examine allegations that a Republican rep. engaged in “inappropriate” conduct on the House floor.

Court fees and traffic fines cost thousands of Kansans their licenses every year. A new law gives drivers some latitude
Advocates say Kansas laws have left thousands without legal means to drive — sometimes for years — just because they’re unable to pay fines. New reforms to suspended license rules have now gone into effect. Here’s what they mean for drivers.

Kansas advocates condemn U.S. House budget tied to Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts
Kansas organizations advocating for sustained funding for Medicaid services said hundreds of billions of dollars in proposed federal budget cuts to the national health program can be deadly to vulnerable people with disabilities as well as seniors and children.

Kansas has a housing shortage. One legislator is suggesting prison labor as a solution
A new bill in Topeka proposes legalizing the use of prison labor to address housing shortages while also providing inmates with job training, a proponent says.

‘Everyone needs to breathe’: Intense confrontation on Kansas House floor forces two-hour recess
An intense confrontation between a Republican and Democrat on the Kansas House floor Thursday during a gun debate forced the chamber into a two-hour recess as leadership worked to deescalate tensions.

Kansas pronoun bill sparks bipartisan concerns of turning ‘classrooms into courtrooms’
The Kansas Senate gave preliminary approval Wednesday to legislation that would ban school district employees from using names or pronouns other than a minor student’s corresponding biological sex or birth certificate without parental permission.

It’s illegal to own a pet raccoon in Kansas. One man is trying to change that
For the past four years, Lenexa resident Stephen Kaspar has been feeding and training wild raccoons that wander onto his property. He’s urging state lawmakers to pass a bill that would legalize pet ownership of raccoons.

Kansas Legislature votes to override governor’s veto of legislation that targets trans kids
Senate and House Republicans voted Tuesday to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of legislation that bans gender-affirming care for minors, rejecting pleas from Democrats to turn attention instead to issues that concern Kansans.

Kansas Senate Democrats urge support for healthy food over ‘humiliating’ restrictions
Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau urged her colleagues Tuesday to make access to healthy food a priority instead of imposing “humiliating” restrictions on how low-income residents use government funds for food. But the Senate advanced the bill on a voice vote.

Kansas protest march, Democratic governor sound alarm on federal DOGE operations
Sarah Melody, of Lawrence, joined dozens of people for a protest march Monday that circled the perimeter of the Kansas Capitol. She held a sign with the message ”No one elected Elon.”
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