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Kansas House and Senate both pass legislation targeting transgender youth
TOPEKA — The Kansas House passed parental rights legislation and a controversial transgender student athlete sports bill following months of debate and pushback from public education officials and advocates. The transgender student athlete bill has been debated for the past three years, although education officials have said the bill’s scope is extremely narrow. Only two […]
Parental rights bill panned by educators gains traction in Kansas House
TOPEKA — Kansas House lawmakers moved forward on a form of parent’s rights legislation, one that would allow parents to pull their children out of any classes they found offensive without repercussions to the child’s grades. Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, an Ottawa Republican, introduced an amended form of the bill on the House floor Wednesday. Schmoe […]
Kansas House debate on election security showcases GOP split over voter fraud theories
TOPEKA — Kansas Republicans are once again divided on voter fraud and election security, wrangling over whether mail-in ballots could be trusted during a House discussion on state election laws. Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican, said a bill tightening laws on mail-in ballots would restore Kansans’ faith in elections. Proctor spoke in support of […]
Wide-ranging Kansas tax exemption proposal would benefit fitness club magnate
TOPEKA — Though he hadn’t actually read the legislation in question, Senate President Ty Masterson spoke in support of wide-ranging tax exemptions for businesses thought to be in competition with government entities. Property and sales tax exemption proposals have been kicked around for years, including when Kansas fitness club magnate Rodney Steven began a campaign […]
Foster care legislation would cap social worker caseloads, change foster parent adoption process
TOPEKA — Kansas’ foster care system has seen workers struggling under excessive caseloads, lackluster resources and foster children not getting the help they need. Legal limits to caseloads and changes to the state’s adoption system are being touted as potential solutions. During a Monday House Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee hearing, lawmakers discussed House […]
House lawmakers drop provision undercutting local anti-discrimination measures in Kansas
TOPEKA — Following backlash to legislation that would have nullified local government anti-discrimination protections, lawmakers voted to strike the offending section from an anti-discrimination bill. Rep. Mike Amyx, a Lawrence Democrat, along with other lawmakers, said the change was a good idea. “I think it allows for ordinances that have been worked long and hard […]
Cargill meatpacking plant in Kansas part of federal investigation into illegal child labor
TOPEKA — Federal authorities have fined a cleaning company nearly $400,000 for illegally employing minors and making them work in dangerous conditions at a Dodge City meatpacking plant. The fine was tied to a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that involved at least 102 children, ages 13-17, at meatpacking plants owned by multiple companies in […]
Kansas House passes juvenile justice reform bill creating more youth oversight
TOPEKA — Kansas officials have high hopes for a proposed program that would patch up flaws within the state’s juvenile justice system, creating more resources and oversight for at-risk youths. House Bill 2021 would require the Department of Corrections and the Department for Children and Families to coordinate risk and needs assessments for at-risk children. […]
Kansas parental rights legislation folded into unrelated bill
TOPEKA — A modified form of parental rights legislation would require school districts to create an online portal for parents and publish district curriculum yearly. The legislation was advanced during a Wednesday K-12 Education Budget Committee hearing, despite questions from committee lawmakers. The legislation was added as an amendment to House Bill 2271, a separate […]
‘I was paralyzed’: Kansas advocate urges lawmakers to add protections against date rape drug
TOPEKA — In the mid ’90s, Paula Mitchell was celebrating a college basketball win at a party hosted by one of the players. As the designated driver for her friends, she was sticking to Dr. Pepper, but she started to feel sick after she was given another soda by a basketball player. “I get halfway […]
Critics call proposed Kansas ‘women’s bill of rights’ sexist, transphobic
TOPEKA — Lawmakers unrolled a new bill that would bar transgender women from female-only spaces under the assumption that biological women tend to be naturally weaker and more vulnerable to violence than men. Senate Bill 180 was given about 30 minutes of discussion at Wednesday’s Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee hearing, a time frame […]
Kansas lawmaker questions fairness of flat tax plan that would benefit state’s top earners
TOPEKA — Lawmakers on Tuesday debated the merits of a flat tax proposal that would lower revenues by an estimated $1.5 billion annually and disproportionately benefit the state’s wealthiest residents. Rep. Christina Haswood, a Lawrence Democrat, questioned during a House committee hearing why the Legislature should favor the flat tax over more equitable tax cut […]