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 […]
State Government
Posted inDIY Democracy, Local Government, State Government
Missouri House Democrats launch uphill push to give cities more power over gun control
Takeaways: Missouri House Democrats reacted to the fatal shooting that followed Kansas City’s Super Bowl celebration by pushing to give mayors and city councils more leeway on gun control. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and her Democratic caucus bristle at the way Missouri’s lawmakers refuse to consider legislation that would create more firearms restrictions in […]
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 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 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 […]
Posted inLocal Government, State Government
Celebratory gunfire after Chiefs games is getting worse
As the Kansas City Chiefs get ready for a Super Bowl appearance with the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11, Missouri lawmakers advanced a measure to raise the penalty for shooting a gun skyward in celebration. Kansas City saw more celebratory gunfire on Sunday — an increase from when the Chiefs won the AFC championship […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas flat-tax plan vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly. Here’s what happens next
Takeaways: A Republican-led Kansas tax plan that would bring $1.6 billion in tax cuts over three years was vetoed by the state’s Democratic governor on Friday. Now, the Legislature and governor prepare for a bitter fight over taxes that makes it unclear whether Kansans will get a tax break — or what form it might […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government, State Government
Got an outrageous utility bill? These eight officials have the power to keep Kansas City’s rates down
January kicked off with bone-chilling, pipe-bursting temperatures.
By the end of the month, Kansas City residents can expect energy bills, many topping $200, extending their wintertime misery.
Those bills — ranking among the most expensive in the country — come approved by regulators in both states.
Posted inEconomics, State Government
A Kansas business tax credit can offset the cost of child care. But almost nobody uses it
Takeaways: The child care shortage in Kansas costs families dearly, yet a business tax credit to offset those costs goes mostly unused. The credit is designed to encourage small businesses to offset costs for their employees and get money shaved off their state tax bill as a reward. A business spending $5,000 a year contracting […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas Democrats and Republicans both proposed tax cuts. Here’s how they compare
Takeaways: Republicans and Democrats propose dueling tax-cut plans in the Kansas Legislature that could spend down a surplus and set policy for a generation. The Republican plan includes things the Democratic governor has said she’ll never sign. The Democrats’ plan lacks items that Republicans say are must-haves. Yet even as each side says the other’s […]