Kansas Senate

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.

Republican lawmakers in Kansas have been religion to justify anti-LGBTQ bills, anti-abortion laws and funding for private education vouchers in the state. The Kansas Reflector took a deep dive into the influence of religious beliefs on state politics.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has seen some of her vetoes of culture wars legislation and others overridden by conservative Republicans who control the Kansas Legislature.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly survived override attempts on several high-profile bills, even as Republicans pushed to reverse her vetoes on other legislation.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a plan for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax relief over her objection to a dramatic shift to a flat income tax rate. But her veto also halts two tax-relief proposals she championed.

The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature passed a bill into law that bans transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women’s sports. The lawmakers had failed twice in past years to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

The House tax package slims down the cost to the state to roughly $500 million a year while providing relief in several different areas. The plan competes with the Senate’s proposals that would reduce state revenue by more than $1 billion.

Gov. Laura Kelly rejecting the bill sets up a showdown with the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature. The original vote on the bill fell two votes shy of a veto-proof majority.

The Kansas Senate has passed several GOP-backed bills that would lower the state’s tax revenue by more than a billion dollars. But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has already expressed skepticism.

Judge Philip Journey of Sedgwick County regularly hears domestic violence cases. He decided to propose a set of bills to the Kansas legislature that he believes would reduce these incidents and help victims.

The Kansas Senate approved a sweeping proposal that would eliminate tax brackets and create one flat income tax rate of 4.75%. But could the plan actually mean a tax increase for lower income Kansans?

The bills would prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming care to children, ban transgender girls from girls' sports and legally define sex as the sex a person is assigned at birth.