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Kansas legislative leadership wobbly on redistricting as January session draws near
Kansas legislators’ messaging has teetered between confident and uncertain as they approach a possible attempt at drawing new Congressional lines in January.
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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
Yes, you can still get an abortion right now in Kansas
Nothing has changed in Kansas, and those who need access to an abortion can still get one. But that could change on Aug. 2.
Mackenzie Clark / The Lawrence Times
Douglas County voters are still waiting on updated info cards, but here’s what to expect on ballots
Staff members in the Douglas County clerk’s office are still working to make sure they’ve got everything right before letting voters know about changes as the result of redistricting this year.
Organizers launch ‘Vote Neigh’ to boost the reproductive justice movement ahead of the Aug. 2 election
Young activists have formed an organization to energize people around reproductive justice and appeal better to young voters. With a fun, western theme, Vote Neigh aims to get people excited about mobilizing to vote “no” on Aug. 2 and preserve abortion rights.
‘Death by 1,000 cuts’: Kansas teachers demoralized by current environment
Caught in a political crossfire and exhausted from the pandemic, Kansas teachers are putting down their books and leaving the profession.
Lawrence City Commission delays vote on revisions to sanctuary ordinance, sets special meeting
The Lawrence City Commission voted Tuesday to delay action on changes to its sanctuary ordinance that city staff said were necessary to comply with state law. The commission will instead give activists more time to work with the city on changes to the ordinance.
Max Kautsch: With open government on the line, we’re calling Kansas legislators to account (Column)
“Kansas voters cannot allow our elected leaders to avoid this crucial issue. … After all, if elected leaders are not sensitive to the concerns of their voters, why should they remain in office?” Max Kautsch, president of the Kansas Coalition for Open Government, writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Education, health care issues bring out candidates on last day to file for Kansas elections
As the last day to file for Congress, the state Legislature and the Kansas Board of Education came to a close on June 10, many candidates say they hope to tackle education and health care if elected.
Governor signs bipartisan bill establishing Kansas suicide prevention hotline
Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill hailed by Republicans and Democrats to provide funding and regulation for a statewide 24/7 suicide prevention hotline scheduled to be operational in mid-July.
Final Kansas budget locks in public university tuition freeze, fee hikes still on table
Kansas public university students uneasy about the cost of their education dodged a tuition hike this fall, but won’t know until mid-June whether they’ll be dinged with higher campus fees.
Kansas Action for Children focuses on early education, food security and health insurance
Kansas Action for Children’s Adrienne Olejnik knows the look of kids enduring without a sustainable food source, quality early childhood education and benefit of routine medical care.
Kelly pivots increasingly to veto powers, winning two-thirds of showdowns with Legislature
Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation three times as often in the past two years compared to the first half of the Democrat’s term as governor.
Immigrants face new reality and old fears under a Kansas law banning ‘sanctuary’ cities
Advocates warn of criminal, economic fallout TOPEKA — Alejandro Rangel-Lopez says fear is a given […]
With Roe doomed, the Kansas fight over abortion takes on a new urgency
After a leaked U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark case that promised women the right to abortion, an August vote to amend the Kansas Constitution over abortion has taken on heightened importance.
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, other reps join list of retiring lawmakers
House Speaker Ron Ryckman confirmed Monday he would not seek reelection, along with nearly a dozen other representatives who announced plans to step away from the Legislature.
Kansas Legislature overrides veto, extends Medicaid contracts past election
Republicans in the Kansas Legislature on Monday blocked Gov. Laura Kelly from reworking contracts for the state-run Medicaid program, downplaying concerns from Democrats about political motivations and clandestine deal-making involved in extending the $3.9 billion deals.
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