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‘America is showing its dark underbelly’: Protesters condemn ICE in rally at Kansas Statehouse
Hundreds of Kansans chanted “f*** ICE,” carried pointed and sometimes profane signs, and sang protest songs Wednesday as they flooded the second floor of the Statehouse to rally for human rights.
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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
New legislation could allow hemp products to be used in Kansas animal feed
Industrial hemp could open up new pastures for Kansas, said industry professionals urging lawmakers to loosen regulatory measures they believe gave a chilling effect on the business.
House lawmakers advance proposal to study Kansas legislative salaries, potentially increase pay
House lawmakers advanced a legislative pay adjustment proposal in an attempt to remedy years of stagnant wages and make legislative careers more accessible.
Kansas House narrowly approves education proposal to fund unregulated private schools
The Kansas House passed a wide-ranging bill funneling state funding to unregulated private schools after holdups due to bipartisan concern about the proposal’s effects.
Kansas House advances education program giving state dollars to private schools
Public schools have become a monopoly, Republican lawmakers argued in an attempt to gain support for a far-reaching voucher-like program that would fund unregulated private schools with state dollars.
‘Really rotten bundle:’ Kansas lawmaker, education officials call bill bundling a bad practice
A bill that formerly dealt with naturopathy has been transformed into a wide-ranging public education budget and policy bill, the latest bundle of education bills and amendments rolled into one piece of legislation.
House panel endorses bill creating commission to update salary, benefits of state legislators
Legislators’ base salary of $88.66 per day hasn’t increased in decades. A House committee unanimously approved Monday a bill creating a bipartisan commission responsible for studying compensation of the state’s 165 legislators and potentially recommending increases for House and Senate members.
‘A little bit nerve-wracking’: Supporters of medical marijuana hold hope for Kansas law
The medical marijuana debate has been a hard-fought issue for years, heating up as surrounding states passed some form of legalization. But despite several forms of marijuana legislation currently under discussion, advocates aren’t sure of success.
Kansas proposal to regulate Evergy’s charges could save customers millions
With anger rising statewide about bigger electric bills, lawmakers advanced a proposal that would limit Evergy’s ability to recoup construction costs from customers’ wallets.
Proposed Kansas solution to child care shortage: Slash staff training, expand adult-to-child ratio
Three limited-government organizations, two child facility operators and one state senator Wednesday endorsed legislation crafted to alleviate a shortage of day care options in Kansas by reducing employee training requirements, lowering the minimum age of staff and increasing the ratio of adults-to-children in facilities.
Kansas lawmakers propose state funding of anti-abortion advocacy programs
A new bill would divert an estimated $1.7 million in state funding away from low-income families and into programs that promote childbirth, in an effort to reduce abortions statewide.
A Kansas bill hopes to weed out bad cops by sharing job applications
A proposed bill would require law enforcement agencies to share information used on job applications and, more importantly, share information on why a candidate was rejected.
Kansas state representative calls rainbow drawings proof of indoctrination at Leavenworth school
A Leavenworth parent was outraged when she opened up her state rep’s February newsletter and found her daughter’s rainbow drawing published as an example of indoctrination in the school system.
Kansas House panel bundles voucher-like program with teacher, special education spending
The Republican majority on the Kansas House K-12 budget committee bundled into one bill controversial diversion of state tax dollars to private schools with an expansion in state aid for special education in public schools and a mandate half of public school budget increases tied to an inflation index be devoted to raising teacher salaries.
As Kansas lawmakers target abortion rights, opposition unites at Statehouse
If Lila and Margaret Bhattarai had their way, they would replace “incredibly misogynistic” legislation floating around the Statehouse with laws that protect people’s rights to do what they want with their own bodies. The sisters from Lawrence joined a coalition of people from across the state who gathered Monday at the Capitol to leverage their voices against a multitude of anti-abortion and anti-transgender proposals.
Transgender Kansans alarmed by bills seeking to undermine constitutional rights
Adam Kellog says the transgender community in Kansas is terrified by bills advancing through the Legislature this session that include efforts to criminalize gender-affirming care, ban transgender athletes from competing with cisgender athletes, and narrowly define what it means to be a woman.
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