State government
Latest
Kansas moves closer to updating Children’s Health Insurance Program eligibility stuck in 2008
The federal poverty level from 2008 determines eligibility for Kansas’ program that provides low-cost insurance for children who don’t quite meet Medicaid income requirements. But that could change.
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
House lawmakers pass flat tax proposal, ‘abortion reversal’ legislation
House lawmakers passed a flat tax proposal with bipartisan support, following weeks of debate on the topic and criticism that the policy would mostly benefit corporations and the state’s wealthiest residents.
Senate clashes over gutting of Kansas overdose fatality bill unanimously passed by House
Republicans in the Kansas Senate undercut a plan for responding to the crisis in opioid overdose deaths by gutting a bill unanimously passed by the Kansas House and converting it into a vehicle to blunt authority of officials to issue public health directives during disease outbreaks.
Kansas House advances ‘state-mandated deception’ of abortion pill reversal
Rep. Brad Boyd, an Olathe Democrat, admonished fellow lawmakers Tuesday for ignoring the will of Kansas voters who overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional amendment on abortion last year.
Kansas House advances budget over objections to unchecked spending
Rep. Henry Helgerson appealed to his fellow House members’ sense of duty Tuesday as he asserted no more than “a handful of you” had actually read the 337-page budget proposal they were about to endorse.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Lawrence students hold walkouts for transgender rights
Students at multiple Lawrence schools participated in walkouts at 11 a.m. Tuesday to show support for transgender people and trans rights.
Kansas lawmakers strike several provisions from controversial private school funding program
In the first of what is likely to be a series of bill negotiations over the next few days, a Kansas senator proposed cutting provisions on teacher salaries and district funding from a controversial, voucher-like K-12 education proposal.
Kansas law singling out abortion clinics contested at high court
An attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights says a 2011 state law that targets abortion clinics with a “regulatory scheme” was an unjustified attempt to restrict access to a fundamental right.
Kansas attorney general urges state Supreme Court to reverse 2019 abortion-rights decision
Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court grilled the state solicitor general Monday about an appeal asking the state’s highest court to reverse its 2019 opinion finding the right to abortion was embedded in the Kansas Constitution and then pivot to affirm a state law banning an abortion procedure.
Kansas activists discuss abortion rights, Legislature’s response to amendment vote
The Legislature may not respect the public’s stance on abortion, but reproductive rights advocates find hope in knowing the record turnout Aug. 2 to defeat the constitutional amendment on abortion was fueled by young voters who are likely to keep voting.
‘I buried this terrifying experience’: Survivors of child sex crimes urge changes to Kansas law
Earl McIntosh wants state lawmakers to look at a photo of himself as a young boy, to see him as an innocent child full of joy and potential, and to think about how his life forever changed when he was sexually assaulted.
Updated: Kansas lawmakers advance bill making it easier to get a religious vaccine exemption
A bill that would have broadened vaccine exemptions in day care, schools and workplaces in Kansas got rejected Thursday by a legislative committee.
GOP-led House endorses K-12 school funding measure bundled with policy from handful of bills
Complex details of the Kansas House’s plan for state funding of K-12 education were woven Wednesday into contents of nine other bills that included policy allowing private school students to take part in extra-curricular activities at public schools and expanding opportunities for more than two-dozen wealthy districts to raise taxes to increase salaries of teachers.
Kansas lawmakers advance unproven, scientifically questionable ‘abortion reversal’ legislation
Going against professional medical advice, lawmakers advanced a bill requiring health care providers to tell people undergoing drug-induced abortions they can still change their minds. Providers who refuse to do so could face thousands in fines and potential jail time.
‘Some kids do need Jesus first’: Kansas lawmaker explains voucher-like program to Augusta community
Kansas children don’t generally find a “spiritual perspective” in public schools, Rep. Kristey Williams said, defending a voucher-like program that would funnel state tax dollars to unregulated private schools to her Augusta constituents.
Kansas Senate committee moves to block use of fentanyl test strips to stem overdose deaths
The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee reshaped a bill Monday to remove a provision legalizing use of fentanyl strips to help people avoid overdose deaths.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first



