Incumbent Sen. Chase Blasi, a Wichita Republican, is trying to defend his Statehouse seat from J.C. Moore, who has served in the Legislature before. Moore sells himself as more of a moderate Republican while Blasi leans more conservative in a key Republican primary race. The winner of the primary takes on Raymond Shore Jr. in the […]
Blaise Mesa
Blaise Mesa is The Beacon’s Kansas Statehouse reporter. He has covered the Kansas Statehouse for The Beacon since Nov. 2023 after reporting on social services for the Kansas News Service and crime and local government for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He has a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in radio from Columbia College Chicago.
Posted inState Government
Only 12% of eligible Kansas families signed up for programs to make child care cheaper
The families of nearly 100,000 children in Kansas were potentially eligible for child care subsidies in 2020. Yet barely more than one in eight got the federal benefit designed to make child care more affordable. That happened even as Kansas has been expanding its child care subsidy and has more room for families to apply. […]
Posted inState Government
The newest abortion law in Kansas requires putting questions to patients. Here’s what that means
What’s the harm in asking? Abortion rights supporters say quite a bit. Republicans in the state Legislature are trying to gather more data about the practice. Starting July 1, any medical professional performing an abortion is required by Kansas statute to ask patients their reasons for getting it. The law passed the Kansas Legislature this […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas might use STAR bonds to lure Chiefs and Royals. Here’s how they worked on other projects
Kansas lawmakers have returned to Topeka for a special tax-cutting session and are expected to vote on a STAR bond proposal to finance a new stadium.
Posted inState Government
Kansas lawmakers pass tax cuts. Here’s how they compare to past plans
This article was updated after the governor signed the bill. Kansans will see income and property tax relief after a tax cut plan became law. Passing taxes has been a headache all session, but lawmakers returned to Topeka on Tuesday and approved a plan that was negotiated by the Democratic governor and Republican leaders in […]
Posted inState Government
Redefined infant ages and new to child-to-staff ratios: Kansas changes child care regulations
Kansas child care providers likely will soon be able to take in more children, care for more infants and work under new health and safety training requirements. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has proposed 37 changes to current regulations to strip away burdensome regulations and clarify language — some aimed at easing rules […]
Posted inState Government
A year later, the Kansas trans athlete ban appears to matter more as a symbol than in practice
It’s been a year since Kansas lawmakers banned transgender women from women’s sports in schools or colleges. But the hotly debated issue — banning trans female athletes from girls’ and women’s sports has been a pet issue of Republican-controlled legislatures across the country — appears to have had little practical effect so far in Kansas. […]
Posted inState Government
Insurance covers mammograms, but Kansas patients are often on the hook for costly follow-up screenings
Delaying a diagnostic mammogram carries potentially deadly risks. Diagnostic mammograms, MRIs, sonograms and other types of specialized breast imaging can help detect breast cancer when it’s most treatable. Stage 1 breast cancer has an almost 100% survival rate. That’s why yearly mammogram testing is free for women over 40. But when doctors find something that […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas lawmakers are temporarily limiting a program that increases mental health services
Targeted federal tax dollars turbocharged Sedgwick County’s COMCARE mental health clinic by helping it give patients more behavioral health treatment and add sorely needed staff. COMCARE cut its staff vacancy rate from around 50% years ago down to 13%, thanks in part to a federal program. Other community mental health centers have expanded their services […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas budget approves millions for mental health workforce development
Finding mental health professionals in Kansas is hard. Crisis teams that talk down suicidal Wichitans struggle to fill evening shifts and mental health hospitals that can rescue someone from a crisis have open beds they can’t use because they don’t have enough staff. States across the country can’t hire enough workers for critical mental health […]