Assessments by the Kansas budget director and an independent tax policy institute Monday showed the flat tax proposal by the Kansas Chamber would reduce the state budget by $1.5 billion per year and primarily benefit the state’s highest wage earners.
The Kansas Senate unanimously confirmed Kansas Court of Appeals nominee Rachel Pickering despite alarms set off by Republicans about judicial criticism leveled against her decisions as appellate defense counsel in a 15-year-old criminal case.
Kansas Republicans are considering the removal of a three-day grace period for returning ballots by mail and creating runoff elections for statewide races. Democrats and voter turnout advocates say they are voter suppression efforts.
Republican lawmakers in Kansas have introduced the most extreme anti-abortion legislation so far this session. It comes less than six months after voters dealt a landslide upset to abortion opponents when they rejected an anti-abortion ballot measure.
Republicans in the Kansas House voted down a proposed rule forbidding the launch of House floor debate on a bill after midnight.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly pleaded with lawmakers to avoid injecting politics more deeply into K-12 public schools. She amplified recommendations to expand eligibility for Medicaid, legalize medical marijuana, accelerate workforce training and answer calls for action on the rural housing crisis.
The Republican president of the Kansas Senate said Tuesday that Kansans should appreciate Gov. Laura Kelly is governing near the ditch on the left side of the road rather than from the center as she has claimed on many occasions.
Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau says state law revoking driving privileges for failure to pay a traffic citation should be amended to give motorists the opportunity to apply for a restricted license so they could get to work and earn money to pay off any penalties.
More than 50 foster kids are missing in Kansas at a given time. The state said it is making progress to fix the problem, but critics say it could do more.
Greg Kramos / USFWS
The Kansas Senate suspended rules and took emergency action Monday to adopt a resolution condemning federal protection of the lesser prairie chicken.
