Kansas lawmakers concluded this year’s legislative session last Friday after a three-day flurry of veto overrides and finalizing budgets for both public schools and the state, but without passing any of the tax relief policies each party wanted at the start of the session. Neither did Gov. Laura Kelly achieve the major priorities she laid […]
Kansas state government
Posted inKansas State Government
‘I trusted her wholly.’ After breaking from Gail Finney, can Rep. Ford Carr earn constituents’ trust?
When state Rep. Gail Finney, a Democrat from Wichita, died in August, her successor Ford Carr knew that she left big shoes to fill. So much so that Carr has a pair of women’s shoes — presumably Finney’s, but Carr didn’t confirm this when The Beacon asked him — displayed in his office, a dedication […]
Posted inState Government
It took three years for Kansas lawmakers to ban trans athletes from girls’ teams. What happens now?
Transgender and nonbinary student athletes will no longer be allowed to play on girls’ sports teams in Kansas schools, following the state legislature’s override of Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2238. The Kansas trans sports ban does not restrict who might play on boys’ teams. The override is the culmination of a three-year […]
Posted inKansas State Government
It took three years for Kansas lawmakers to ban trans athletes from girls’ teams. What happens now?
Transgender and nonbinary student athletes will no longer be allowed to play on girls’ sports teams in Kansas schools, following the state legislature’s override of Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2238. The Kansas trans sports ban does not restrict who might play on boys’ teams. The override is the culmination of a three-year […]
Posted inState Government
Is support for legal medical marijuana in Kansas coming in 2023?
Recreational marijuana is legal to the west in Colorado and to the east in Missouri. Medical marijuana is legal to the south in Oklahoma. But Kansas remains one of three states where possession for any purpose remains illegal — despite the fact that nearly 90 percent of Americans support legal use for at least medical […]
Posted inState Government
These laws could curb fentanyl deaths. Why won’t Kansas lawmakers enact them?
Update: On May 11, Gov. Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 174 into law. The bill decriminalizes fentanyl test strips. Read more here. On Monday, the Kansas Legislature introduced a bill that, if passed, would decriminalize a tool used to test drugs for the presence of fentanyl. House Bill 2328 was introduced with little fanfare in […]
Posted inKansas State Government
These laws could curb fentanyl deaths. Why won’t Kansas lawmakers enact them?
Update: On May 11, Gov. Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 174 into law. The bill decriminalizes fentanyl test strips. Read more here. On Monday, the Kansas Legislature introduced a bill that, if passed, would decriminalize a tool used to test drugs for the presence of fentanyl. House Bill 2328 was introduced with little fanfare in […]
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
Tuition, sports and free speech: How Kansas lawmakers want to change higher education in 2023
Among the sponsored bills are proposals that would make it easier to evade vaccine requirements, require colleges to provide platforms for a wide variety of viewpoints, and make community college and medical school more affordable for students in high-demand areas.
Posted inState Government
These lawmakers represent Johnson and Wyandotte counties in the 2023 Kansas Legislature
Johnson and Wyandotte counties are represented in the 2023 Kansas Legislature by more lawmakers during this legislative session than the last, a reflection of the region’s growing population — and political influence. The region gained three state representatives after last year’s redrawing of political boundaries. Wyandotte County is now represented by eight members of the […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Who represents me in the 2023 Kansas Legislature?
Wichita and the surrounding area account for only a fifth of the state’s population, but the region’s representatives in the 2023 Kansas Legislature include some of the most powerful politicians in Topeka, including House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson. Both men have the power to set the agenda of the entire legislature, […]