Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert on Tuesday proposed adoption of a judicial branch budget model tied to general state revenue rather than volatile court fee funds and requested state resources to add 13 district judges and 10 magistrate judges.
“I think (the legislative session) is going to be a train wreck, and I think it’s going to be highly partisan,” Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, said.
Carter Gaskins / The Lawrence Times
High numbers of student and staff absences amid surging COVID-19 cases in just the first week back to school after winter break had Lawrence school board members concerned Monday about how buildings will stay open.
Kansas medical providers on Friday praised Gov. Laura Kelly for declaring a state of emergency and issuing executive orders to help confront an overwhelming surge in COVID-19 infections.
After a 2021 legislative session packed with election proposals, Kansas officials and advocacy groups again are looking at both election integrity and accessibility issues.
A trio of newly proposed Kansas constitutional amendments would see the issues of Medicaid and marijuana put up to a public vote.
Gov. Laura Kelly responded to mounting staff shortages at Kansas hospitals and nursing homes by issuing a new COVID-19 disaster emergency declaration and companion executive orders temporarily suspending laws and regulations on health care providers.
The task of serving interests of nearly 3 million Kansans falls to the state’s 125 representatives, 40 senators and one governor. The annual legislative session starts Monday and redistricting must be done by June.
A fledgling association of construction contractors led by two political lobbyists is developing a plan to persuade the Kansas Legislature to make an unprecedented seven-year, $315 million investment to shrink the academic building repair backlog at the state’s six public universities.
Nearly 38% of Kansas’ tax revenue comes from sales taxes, according to Donna Ginther, director of the Institute for Policy and Social Research at KU.
