The Kansas House has passed a bill that restricts one type of political fundraising used by public employee unions. The bill would ban public sector unions from making automatic withdrawals from employee paychecks for political purposes.
The measure passed the House on a 68-56 vote.
Under current law, public employees can voluntarily donate to their union’s political advocacy fund out of their paycheck. Supporters of the bill say it keeps workers from being pressured into making the contributions.
A bill in the Kansas House would limit the bargaining rights of teachers in the state. Supporters of the measure want administrators to have more flexibility to hire, fire and assign teachers.
The CEO of General Motors will announce details of a major expansion at its Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is slated address education, mental health, and Medicaid in his State of the State address this evening. City leaders in Kansas City will host several public meetings this week, aimed at strengthening arts and culture in the region.
A Kansas House committee has passed a bill that would stop public unions from making automatic paycheck deductions used for political advocacy. Currently, union members can agree to deductions from their paychecks that are used for political purposes.
The bill brought up heated debate in the House Commerce Committee. Opponents of the bill say it takes away an option for public employees to make political contributions.
More than 1,000 anti-abortion advocates gathered at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka to mark the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal in the country.
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has proposed more income tax cuts in Kansas over the coming years. And to help pay for that, he wants to make permanent part of a temporary sales tax increase that is set to expire later this year. He's also suggested eliminating some tax deductions, like the home mortgage deduction.
There is now a conservative majority in both the House and Senate, and some lawmakers may try to find additional cuts to state spending instead of using the sales tax and tax deductions to help pay for an income tax cut.
A wind energy tax credit is set to expire at the end of this year, but Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is still holding out hope that lawmakers in Washington will extend the credit.
Political strategists, journalists and presidential campaign staff are on the University of Kansas campus to reflect on the 2012 election. Campaign staff for both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama talked about the race during a roundtable discussion at the Dole Institute of Politics.
