Author: Ellen Hathaway
Lawrence Considering Affordable Housing Proposals
Lawrence made headlines recently for a proposal being considered by the city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board. Voters in Lawrence last…
New Study Suggests that Tax Increases and Worker’s Compensation Impact Kansas Economy
The annual Rich States, Poor States reports from the American Legislative Exchange Council came out this week. Kansas slipped in…
Bill Allows Farm Bureau to Offer Health Plans
One of the last bills to pass through the Kansas Legislature before the recess for the spring break could give…
Study: KPERS Funding Relies on High Returns
State pensions funding is one of those topics that no one pays attention to until there is not any. Yet,…
Bonds, Tax Burdens and Wichita’s New Stadium
The Wichita City Council gave the go-ahead to private development of a new $75 million stadium to house the relocating…
Tax credit scholarships proposed for higher education
Representative Brandon Whipple (D-Wichita) is behind HB 2409, which would allow for tax credit scholarships to cover higher education, such as…
Effectiveness of incentives called into question
Incentives, also called taxpayer-funded subsidies, are ubiquitous in state and local government economic development efforts. The majority of incentives given…
Changes considered for workers compensation laws
Two bills being considered in the Kansas Legislature are proposing significant changes to the Workers Compensation Laws in the state.…
Push for more computer science in Kansas classrooms
The Kansas Department of Education is revamping computer science education standards and in doing so, hopes to meet the workforce…
Are subsidies the ‘fix’ for economic challenges?
Government subsidies for a small portion of employers is the preferred attempt at economic development among many elected and economic…
NCTQ: Better teacher prep programs would produce more effective teachers
For every four elementary teacher candidates, only two will demonstrate a reasonable grasp of the content they will teach. The…
Johnson County legislator wants to repeal Right-to-Work
Right-to-Work provisions in the Kansas constitution give workers the right to decide whether to join a union and pay dues,…
Cities want to regulate placement of political signs
Political signs are ubiquitous during election seasons. For some an eye-sore, others a treasured first amendment right. A bill in…
Legislator wants to force banks to make subprime loans
Remember the subprime loan fiasco associated with the 2008 housing crisis and the resultant economic recession? HB 2254 submitted by…
Cato: Spending more on schools doesn’t improve achievement
A recent study from Cato Institute contradicts two common beliefs about the Kansas education system. The authors of a 50-state…
$15 Minimum wage proposed for Kansas
Kansas House Bill 2022 proposes to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour in Kansas by 2021. The bill…