Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information about the 2024 legislative session. The Kansas Legislature meets from January through at least early May each year, holding countless committee meetings and hours of floor debate, which frequently can last into the wee hours. Hundreds of lobbyists and a dozen or so journalists monitor […]
Kansas Legislature
Posted inHealth, Kansas State Government
Medicaid expansion in Kansas: What to know, how we got here and what’s next
Update as of March 14, 2023: In February, Democratic lawmakers introduced two bills, SB 225 and HB 2415, that propose expanding Medicaid eligibility in Kansas. Both bills have stalled since they were introduced, with no movement so far from legislative leadership. On March 31, a pandemic measure that prevented states from removing people from Medicaid […]
Posted inElections, State Government
Changes to checks and balances: What these constitutional amendments could mean for Kansas
Kansans may have seen postcards in their mailbox, videos in their Facebook feed or commercials on television admonishing voters to support House Concurrent Resolution 5014, a proposed constitutional amendment listed on the November ballot as Constitutional Question 1. But while the ads are long on platitudes, they’re short on specifics, leaving many Kansas voters to […]
Posted inElections, Kansas State Government
Changes to checks and balances: What these constitutional amendments could mean for Kansas
Kansans may have seen postcards in their mailbox, videos in their Facebook feed or commercials on television admonishing voters to support House Concurrent Resolution 5014, a proposed constitutional amendment listed on the November ballot as Constitutional Question 1. But while the ads are long on platitudes, they’re short on specifics, leaving many Kansas voters to […]
Posted inElections, How To, Kansas State Government
Follow the money: Here’s how to research Kansas campaign finance reports
Follow the money, they say. Ever since the Watergate scandal, when then-President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign funded a 1972 break-in and wiretap at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., the phrase “follow the money” has been shorthand to describe the often fraught relationship between campaign donations and political influence. […]
Posted inElections, Kansas State Government, Local Government
How to research federal, state and local candidates on the November ballot in Wichita
For voters interested in researching candidates, here are the competitive races that will appear on ballots in Sedgwick County on Nov. 8, with links to each candidate’s campaign website (if one exists) and Ballotpedia page.
Posted inElections, Kansas State Government
Political newcomers to Kansas House go uncontested
“Not everyone has the latitude to remove themselves from their places of employment for a period of time, especially a period of time that’s as excessive as this,” Carr said.
Posted inKansas State Government
Follow the money: How casinos got what they wanted in Kansas’ sports wagering law
How we reported this story: The Wichita Beacon relied on publicly available information from company websites and press releases; business registration paperwork filed with agencies in at least five states; legislative documents including hearing testimony, lawmaker voting records and archived video feeds of legislative proceedings; and lobbyist registration directories and campaign finance data available from […]
Posted inHealth, Kansas State Government
Who loses – and by how much – with legalized sports gambling in Kansas?
In 2020, the National Council on Problem Gambling told the Kansas Legislature the estimated social cost of Kansas adult problem gamblers is $829 million a year, from gambling-related bankruptcy, divorce, crime and job loss. Using the same methodology, adjusting for inflation and the new population census, The Beacon found that problem gambling would incur an estimated cost of $1.126 billion for Kansas taxpayers, families and communities in 2022.
Posted inKansas State Government
Legalized sports betting comes to Kansas before the NFL season
The amount raised by sports betting will determine how much money is available to lure a professional sports team to Kansas, ideally the Kansas City Chiefs from across the state line. That’s because the majority of tax revenues from sports betting is earmarked for a fund for that purpose.