Kansas Legislature

Many pension-holding public employees in Kansas haven't seen cost-of-living adjustments in decades. Without lawmakers' support, years of higher inflation mean many retirees are seeing the value of their payments vanish. Plus: Climate change is making farming riskier and crop insurance more expensive.

Thousands of retired public employees in Kansas have never seen an increase to their pension pay, and inflation is eating away the value of those payments. Advocates argue the Legislature owes them a boost.

Legal sports betting in Kansas came with mobile casinos that offer easy access to place wagers online. Experts say that also comes with a higher risk of addiction.

When Kansas lawmakers legalized sports betting, they seemingly gave lobbyists for casinos everything they wanted. That includes tax exemptions on promotional bets that are aimed at getting bettors hooked.

Since the beginning of last year, a Kansas tax subsidy law known as APEX has allowed the state to use incentives to lure big companies like Panasonic and Integra. But the law may not be extended any longer, putting big development deals in jeopardy.

Lawrence, Kansas, will defy the state’s new requirement to force people to use gender-specific areas, such as restrooms, that don't align with their gender identity. The unanimous vote comes just a few months after the Kansas City Council made a similar declaration.

Luring Panasonic to Kansas with $830 million of incentives was considered a major victory for the state. But as the company builds its $4 billion plant in De Soto, it’s unclear if state lawmakers will even allow another mega-project package.

New laws that went into effect this month in Kansas could have a significant impact on the lives of residents. But some may still face the scrutiny of a court challenge.

The month the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Kansans made $194 million in wagers. Yet the state only got $1,134 in revenue. That's because of how Kansas' new sports betting law is structured, which lets casinos write off significant promotional expenses.

A new Kansas law is set to take effect July 1 that ties the state’s legal definitions of male, female, man and woman to a person’s sex assigned at birth. Roeland Park's new policy specifies that city employees can use restrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity.

The structure of tax laws set for sports betting in Kansas let casinos write off significant promotional expenses, including their "free" wagers.

A plan to provide most Kansas state employees a 5% raise costs about $11 million more than expected and is creating a potential for state agencies to shut down next year.