Kansas budget

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly laid out her Kansas spending priorities in a budget plan presented to the Republican-led Legislature Thursday.

One notable inclusion is the extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, which advocates hope will reduce pregnancy-related complications. But the budget does not include school funding, which lawmakers are still debating.

Kansans can expect lawmakers to address some contentious issues including COVID-19 policies and Critical Race Theory.

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's call to eliminate the state's grocery tax comes just days after her likely opponent in next year's election did the same.

Governor instead working on motivating Kansans to take advantage of state's plentiful supply of vaccines.

Kansas lawmakers flexed their veto-override power while Missouri Republicans saw a split in ranks over Medicaid.

A veto override saved substantial tax cuts, and the age for concealed carry is lower.

To fix the state's coronavirus-related budget issues, Gov. Laura Kelly stripped a $9 million increase for organizations that help people with intellectual and physical disabilities. She's also targeting millions from a juvenile justice program.

Ahead of contract talks with the union, the Shawnee Mission School District has unveiled a plan to address workload concerns by hiring more middle and high school teachers.

In Shawnee Mission Schools, for instance, what is currently projected to be a $7 million surplus could end up being at least a $13 million deficit.

There’s an estimated $650 million budget deficit in Kansas for the fiscal year that starts July 1. It’s up to lawmakers and the governor to fix the financial situation, and it could take wide-ranging budget cuts.

Kansas will have to plug a $1.3 billion budget shortfall between now and June 2021, but the state will have to be careful about where it makes cuts.