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Kansas legislature

By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Think-tank lobbyist Dave Trabert argued Kansas needed a state constitutional amendment to aggressively restrain property tax increases because local government officials were dishonest about why tax obligations tied to property were climbing faster than inflation. Trabert,...
Each week during the 2024 Kansas legislative session, we will provide Johnson County lawmakers the opportunity to share their thoughts about what is happening in the state capitol. Below is a submission from Democratic Rep. Linda Featherston of House District...
By Blaise Mesa Tory Marie Blew first got on a waiting list for infant care when she got married. She waited over three years before a spot finally opened. Thankfully for Blew, a Republican state representative from Great Bend, Kansas, she...
By Dylan Lysen A new poll again shows Kansans broadly support legalizing marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, but it seems as unlikely as ever that lawmakers will launch a new cannabis industry. Advocates and lawmakers who back medical marijuana point...
Kansas lawmakers have continued to pass on a federal policy that could make more people eligible for food assistance programs. Now, the state is one of the last in the country that has not yet adopted it. The policy has...
By Suzanne Perez When Kansas lawmakers convene at the Statehouse in January, their to-do list could include several measures that would affect public school districts and students. A special committee on education, chaired by Republican Rep. Kristey Williams of Augusta, met over...
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly opened a sixth chapter in the state debate over Medicaid expansion Thursday with her promise at a Johnson County commission meeting that she would present another bill to state lawmakers when the next session begins. Kelly...
By Dylan Lysen In the last nine years, Carol Schenk of Wichita has seen the assessed value of her home increase from $152,000 to $240,000 — pushing her annual property tax bill from $2,200 in 2014 to more than $3,000...
By Joe Blubaugh Despite record-breaking temperatures, an overflow crowd of frustrated taxpayers crammed into the Shawnee County Commission chambers recently to voice concerns about rising property taxes driven largely by growing home values. The majority of people spoke against the county's...
By Rose Conlon Transgender Kansans remain temporarily barred from changing the gender on their drivers’ licenses, a judge ruled Wednesday. Shawnee County District Court Judge Teresa Watson denied Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration’s request to dissolve an order she issued earlier...
By Tim Carpenter  A Shawnee County District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday to prevent Kansans from amending gender declarations on driver’s licenses pending further consideration of a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Kris Kobach. Kobach filed suit Friday...
By Dylan Lysen New laws that range from the definition of male and female to testing for a lethal drug to abortion pill regulations took effect in Kansas this month. It’s unclear how many of them will survive likely court challenges. The...