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Tax council points to billion dollar hole in Kansas budget outlook, providing cover for possible veto
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly’s financial advisers poured cold water on a tax plan passed by the Legislature, saying it would contribute to a billion-dollar deficit in the next fiscal year. The tenuous financial forecast reflects a package of tax reforms that add up to a $285 million reduction in annual state revenue, an unexpected […]
Senators forge bipartisan deal to aid Kansas businesses impacted by pandemic
TOPEKA — A new Senate plan would redirect a portion of federal COVID-19 aid from the state and counties to small businesses impacted by public health orders during the pandemic. The bipartisan compromise between Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican, and Sen. Tom Holland, a Baldwin City Democrat, emerged during a committee hearing Tuesday. The […]
‘We’ve got to do something’: Senate moves forward with plan for oversight of Kansas foster care system
TOPEKA — Sen. Molly Baumgardner says the first call she received as an elected senator was about the foster care system in Kansas. The Republican from Louisburg recalls reading newspaper reports before she was elected that detailed “horrific” neglect and abuse of Kansas children. Seven years later, those stories are still being reported. “What bothers […]
Kansas GOP-controlled legislative council spikes Kelly’s refreshed mask mandate
Kansas Senate president considers Gov. Kelly's reissuance of mask mandate an April Fool's joke; Legislature intends to spike her order.
Kansas Senate passes bill requiring civics test for high schoolers
TOPEKA — Sen. Pat Pettey raised concerns during Senate debate Wednesday with jettisoning “what really works to help students learn” in favor of requiring high schoolers to pass a 60-question civics test before they receive a diploma. Pettey, a Democrat and retired teacher from Kansas City, lectured Ellinwood Republican Sen. Alicia Straub about the Kansas […]
Kansas foster care provider to repay $9.4M in unused tax dollars
TOPEKA — Saint Francis Ministries has agreed to repay $9.4 million in Kansas tax dollars that weren’t spent in Kansas, the Department for Children and Families announced Tuesday. The money comes from a grant paid by DCF between October 2019 and February 2021, when the grant was revised. Tuesday’s announcement follows months of revelations about […]
Senate panel advances plan to install child advocate under Kansas attorney general
TOPEKA — A Senate panel advanced legislation Monday that would install a child advocate in the Kansas Attorney General’s Office to investigate and report on problems in the foster care system. Republicans on the committee revised the plan in an attempt to address concerns raised about turning the position into a hyper-political tool in next […]
Topeka group uses Children’s Cabinet grant to launch academy in child care desert
TOPEKA — Nikki Ramirez-Jennings wants to transform the reputation of a southeast Topeka community known to outsiders for its crime and poverty. She knows what people say about the Hi-Crest neighborhood, with nicknames like the Dirty South and Felony Acres. News media rarely focus on the good things that happen here. And she knows what […]
Kansas Attorney General’s Office scoffs at ACLU’s ‘grossly exaggerated’ fee request for voter rights case
TOPEKA — The Kansas Attorney General’s Office says attorneys involved in the American Civil Liberties Union’s five-year legal battle over voter rights in Kansas are asking to be repaid for “grossly excessive” fees. The dispute over a proposed $4 million price tag comes from the state’s defense of an unconstitutional law that required residents to […]
Court record shows Kansas Senate majority leader drove 90 mph in wrong direction while drunk
TOPEKA — Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop was charged Friday with drunk driving and felony fleeing from police while traveling 90 mph in the wrong direction on Interstate 70 in Topeka. The complaint filed in district court by the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office indicates the early morning escapade on March 16 ended after Suellentrop […]
Kansas makes COVID-19 vaccines available to all adults starting next week
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly announced Friday the state will make COVID-19 vaccines available to all adults starting next week. The accelerated rollout comes just days after the state opened up vaccines to critical workers and individuals with health conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus. This policy shift reflects an expected increase in […]
Push for oversight of Kansas foster care system plows into partisan minefield
TOPEKA — Senate President Ty Masterson stated the obvious Tuesday for senators considering legislation to create an Office of the Child Advocate that would investigate and report on problems in the foster care system. Those problems, Masterson told the Senate Judiciary Committee, exist under every governor regardless of political affiliation. The system needs independent oversight, […]