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Kansas champions of administrative reform at public universities offer concessions to calm skeptics
The Republican majority leader of the Kansas House and the governor’s chief of staff worked Thursday to resolve objections to a bill designed to make the state’s three largest public universities more financially efficient by removing layers of administrative red tape.
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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 Republicans shift focus from gerrymandering to anti-trans law in quest for a special session
Republican legislative leaders are urging lawmakers to support their push for a special session where they can both ban Kansans from altering gender markers on their driver’s licenses and redraw congressional maps.
Kansas disability service providers say conflict of interest rule could cause ‘massive’ problems
Complying with a federal policy designed to avoid conflicts of interest could cause “massive system disruption” for Kansans who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, an advocate told legislators.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Kansas Legislature closer to special session for partisan remapping of U.S. House districts
Kansas Republicans’ goal of convening a special redistricting session in November prompted U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids to dust off the playbook used to fend off the last attempt to gerrymander her out of office.
Kansas governor’s office disputes accuracy of Kobach’s claims about SNAP funding
The federal government’s plan to withhold $10 million from a Kansas food assistance program won’t affect recipients and will be delayed while the state files an appeal, the Kansas governor’s chief of staff said Monday.
Kansas legislators question business and affordable housing tax credit programs over data and costs
Two tax credit program audits were met with skepticism from the Legislative Post Audit committee, one because it lacked data about usage and the other about concerns the state will lose as much as $1 billion in income tax in the coming years.
Kansas School for the Deaf struggles with national shortage of specialized teachers
Lack of a Kansas-based bachelor’s degree program to prepare specialists in teaching of deaf or hard of hearing students complicates the challenge of hiring fully qualified staff at the Kansas School for the Deaf.
Kansas ban on using food assistance for candy and soda has yet to be approved
Kansas’ request to ban candy and soft drinks from being purchased with food assistance dollars has yet to be approved, while other states’ similar restrictions are expected to go into effect Jan. 1.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
KU announces new regulations for employees’ email signatures
KU administrators announced an updated policy Tuesday that lays out an exact formula for KU employee email signatures, beyond an earlier requirement for employees to remove pronouns from their signatures.
Kansas Republicans might redistrict to help defeat the state’s only Democrat in Congress
Statehouse Republicans already redrew Democrat Sharice Davids’ district in 2022. They may try again, joining the national gerrymandering battle over the U.S. House of Representatives.
Advocates’ lawsuit against foreign contributions ban stalls as Kansas crafts rules
Kansas officials brought clarity to a new law that bans financial contributions from foreign nationals to campaigns for or against state constitutional amendments, a law at the center of an ongoing lawsuit.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
City of Lawrence seeking feedback on draft affordable housing incentives policy
The City of Lawrence is seeking community feedback on a draft policy that details how the city will define and invest in affordable housing projects, what criteria developers must meet and more.
Kansas schools have to show fetal growth videos. Critics say it’s another anti-abortion tactic
A new law requires human development videos in classrooms, but leaves it up to local school districts to decide what materials students will see and at what ages.
Kansas state education board expands scoring range for student assessments
State assessments have shown increasing numbers of Kansas students scoring lower on math, science and English language arts tests since 2016, while achieving marks of post-secondary success, such as higher education degrees and military careers.
Rivals launch fight over Kansas constitutional amendment to elect Supreme Court justices
Campaigns for and against a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution allowing direct election of justices to the Kansas Supreme Court have begun the one-year charge to the August 2026 primary election where the issue will be decided.
Housing progress in Kansas may slow with state, federal cuts to programs
The housing industry in Kansas faces a rollback of funding on the state and federal levels, rising building costs, inflation and tariffs, which could affect the progress made to address a dire need for housing in communities across the state.
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