Kansas Legislature

Transgender Kansans are living in fear and confusion under a new state law that declares some IDs invalid, and restrict their use of bathrooms. Some want to leave the state, and some national groups are helping people flee.

One Kansas bill earned bipartisan support for encouraging easier processes for building “middle housing." But another would ban cities and towns from passing laws that require landlords to accept federal housing vouchers.

Current law prohibits sexual relations between a student and a “teacher or other person of authority." But the law doesn't currently apply to school resource officers, nurses, bus drivers or other contracted employees.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed a bipartisan law requiring students to store their phones in a secure, inaccessible location until dismissal. It's part of a recent push to reconsider the effects of devices on the developing minds of kids.

The Alliance Defending Freedom is behind a legislation known as the CARE Act, moving through a number of statehouses. Other states are trying to crack down on anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, accusing them of deceptive practices.

For many people, artificial intelligence and chatbots have become a part of daily life. That includes some Kansas lawmakers, who are using chatbots to help keep track of bills or gather information in a fast-paced legislative session — since they have no guidelines for responsible use of AI.

A bill to make diagnostic mammograms free for anyone with insurance in Kansas has stalled. Democrats say it's because the legislation was championed by Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, who happens to be running against the Senate president in the GOP governor primary.

The Kansas News Service interviewed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about their use of AI chatbots in the legislative process. There are no restrictions on lawmakers using ChatGPT, Claude and other services.

The bill would require school districts to verify the income of students who qualify for free school lunches. That number determines how much more funding Kansas school districts can receive to serve academically at-risk students.

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

Kansas lawmakers are considering restricting student protests after high schoolers organized walkouts across the state in protest of immigration enforcement. We’ll hear from three students about their experience. Plus: We'll go inside the Greenhouse Print Space, a Kansas City studio keeping hundreds of years of printmaking technology alive.

A Kansas law forced a foster family to decide between asking their adopted son to move out when he turned 18, or send four younger boys out of their foster home. State lawmakers are considering a bill to make sure other foster families are not forced to make the same impossible choice.