Takeaways: – Kansas lawmakers are in a deadlock over tax cuts, primarily centered around Republicans advocating for a flat income tax.– Republicans are making a second attempt at a flat tax through an amended bill. The second attempt has fewer Social Security tax cuts.– The fate of sweeping tax cuts in Kansas remains unclear but […]
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 inKansas State Government
A new specialized court aims to help Kansas families dealing with substance abuse to get kids out of foster care
Takeaways: Drug addiction can rip families apart. Nearly one in 10 Kansas kids who landed in foster care last year were there because they or their parents had an addiction, according to state foster care data. Another 4% were taken from a family because an infant was affected by drugs. Nationwide, about 8.7 million kids […]
Posted inLocal Government, State Government
Some Kansas Citians look for gun control after the Super Bowl parade, but state law limits get in the way
It’s possible to imagine Kansas City — anguished by chronic gun violence and freshly angered by Wednesday’s nightmarish Super Bowl rally — clamping down on guns.
If only it could.
State lawmakers and the governor of Missouri see guns more as a tool of self-defense than as the source of carnage. They put laws in place that bar Kansas City, Jackson County or anywhere else in the state from imposing local gun control.
Posted inKansas State Government, Local Government
After witnessing a deadly mass shooting, lawmakers want to take action on gun control
Takeaways: Update (Feb. 16, 2024): In response to Wednesday’s shooting, Missouri House Republican Majority Leader Jon Patterson told The Kansas City Star, House Republicans abandoned two gun-related bills. One would allow guns to be carried inside churches and on buses and another would eliminate sales taxes on firearms and ammunition. “While I do think both […]
Posted inElections, Kansas State Government
Kansas GOP eyeing election changes, targeting drop boxes and mail votes
Takeaways: Some bills moving through the Kansas Legislature could overhaul the way the state runs elections, including some slammed by opponents as “pure voter suppression.” They target drop boxes and mail ballots, and some were killed in recent legislative sessions. But past lawmaking defeats won’t stop the Republicans who dominate the Statehouse and say confidence […]
Posted inKansas State Government
How much can the tax money Kansas might spend on child care help?
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wants to spend another $30 million on grants for day care operators to expand. But the $55 million the state has already spent added only 5,500 child care openings.
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
This mother wants an ADHD specialist in every Kansas school district
Takeaways: Lisa Reynolds pulled her son out of school because educators struggled to handle his symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He was called a distraction. Or lazy. He regularly ran into disciplinary issues. Olathe Public Schools or online school — it didn’t make a difference. Special education teachers kept giving him failing grades, and […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas foster kids could soon pick their families
Takeaways: Kids who age out of foster care face a heightened risk of homelessness, unemployment, drug and drinking problems or stubborn mental health issues. They leave the system with few close, personal connections. But Kansas is preparing for a drastic shift that would give them more say in their lives. The state could be the […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas foster kids could soon pick their families
Takeaways: Kids who age out of foster care face a heightened risk of homelessness, unemployment, drug and drinking problems or stubborn mental health issues. They leave the system with few close, personal connections. But Kansas is preparing for a drastic shift that would give them more say in their lives. The state could be the […]
Posted inState Government
Chiefs, Super Bowl and sports bets. Millions will be wagered, but Kansas will see little
Takeaways: The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl, which means millions more will be wagered in Kansas on the game. But sports betting remains illegal in Missouri — lawmakers continue to wrangle on a law that would change that — and bettors regularly travel to Kansas to wager on who might win […]