Morgan Chilson

The Kansas Legislature approved a provision to clamp down on public school protests by requiring students to receive parental permission before participating, and hitting districts with penalties as high as $100,000 per day for failing to enforce restrictions.

The Kansas House and Senate both voted by a two-thirds majority to put the "Kansas Intellectual Rights and Knowledge Act" into law. The bill addresses free speech on college campuses and honors Kirk, a political activist killed by a gunman in September while speaking at a college event.

Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto to force the bill into law. Republican leaders say it's intended to prevent "radical protesters" from interfering with law enforcement or ICE actions. But press advocates say it's unconstitutional.

The Kansas Supreme Court determined in 2019 that the state's constitution protects abortion because it protects a woman's right to personal autonomy.

The state will use candy and soda definitions that are already set in its food and sales tax laws.

Two transgender men from Lawrence filed a lawsuit last week to stop the new Kansas law from taking effect. Hundreds of transgender residents were told their IDs are immediately invalid and must be replaced.

A new Kansas law, passed by Republican lawmakers over the governor's veto, requires that people using private facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms must use the facility that matches their biological sex at birth. Texas recently implemented a similar law, but vague guidelines for investigating complaints are sparking frustration.

House Bill 2352 adds ordained ministers to a list including social workers, doctors, emergency medical workers and others to the list of those required to report physical, mental or emotional abuse of children.

The state of Kansas will likely pay between $3-4 billion in taxpayer money to move the Kansas City Chiefs across state lines. While the new stadium will definitely generate new economic activity, the project's success may depend on local cities participating in the STAR bond district.

CoreCivic applied this week to receive a special use permit from Leavenworth to reopen its prison as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee center, called the Midwest Regional Reception Center. A federal judge previously called CoreCivic's facility “an absolute hell hole.”