Tag: Kansas Legislature

Confusing property tax question on the ballot in Paola
As the November 4 general election approaches, voters in Paola are being asked to vote on a ballot question that…

Report takes aim at unlicensed childcare providers, Rep. Tarwater defends new state law
The number of children who died in licensed child care facilities is nearly the same as the number who died…

State senator pushes for oversight of rural health care funds in potential special session
Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi wants a potential special session to include discussion on how to handle federal rural health…

Kansas ACT scores, college-readiness hit new lows
ACT scores for 2025 were released this week, showing yet another decline and hitting a new all-time low. The composite…

LPA finds large inconsistencies in HPIP tax-credit program
A recent report by the Kansas Division of Legislative Post Audit found it was impossible to determine how many tax…

Kansas Commerce Dept: approve projects, then learn if they’re viable
When the Colby City Council met to discuss a new STAR bond project on Oct. 7, 2025, they had to…

Montgomery County Commission appears to retaliate against clerk over RNR hearing fiasco
Montgomery County Commissioners seem to be taking retaliatory action against Montgomery County Clerk Ami Standridge in the county’s revised budget,…

Des Moines school superintendent was an illegal alien registered to vote as Democrat in Maryland
Contrary to the law — and claims that non-citizens and illegal immigrants cannot vote — it appears the former Des…

KSDE, State Board of Education ignore state literacy law
You might think that the State Board of Education would be laser-focused on addressing the serious literacy problem in Kansas.…

Kansas Supreme Court upholds 2021 religious exemption law
The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld a 2021 law shielding workers who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine over religious…

Legislators hear property tax issues: land value manipulation, businesses fleeing Kansas and voter demands for reform
The Kansas Constitution (Article 11, Section 1) stipulates that “the legislature shall provide for a uniform and equal basis of…

Park City STAR Bond project hits snag
In April of 2025, the Wichita Eagle reported the roughly $500 million “Champtown” development in Park City was “full speed…

Kansas could lose $10.4 million in SNAP funding per quarter if it fails to turn over enrollment data to feds
The federal government has formally warned the State of Kansas that continuing to refuse to comply with data requests will result…

State overpaid Medicaid reimbursements to school districts by $11 million since 2016
Explaining it away as a “perfect storm” of “staff turnovers,” Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek on…

Attorney General Kobach says Kelly has no authority to join lawsuit against President Trump
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has moved to block Kansas Governor Laura Kelly from joining a lawsuit against the Trump…

Johnson County, Overland Park plan big tax increases while sitting on millions in reserves
Despite hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, Johnson County Commissioners are planning to raise property taxes by 6.5% next…

Search for answers in 25-year-old cold case in woman’s disappearance stymied by Kansas law
Roughly 25 years ago, Jennifer Lancaster and her two young daughters left her mother’s house in Topeka, Kansas. They were…

Speaker Hawkins accuses Kelly administration of covering up fraud in SNAP program
Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins issued a press release accusing the Laura Kelly Administration of a cover-up of…

Over 150,000 Kansas students have a limited ability to read says state assessment
More than 150,000 Kansas K-12 students will have a difficult time reading this story. Not because of the subject matter,…

Audit: faulty free lunch eligibility by school officials cost taxpayers at least $38 million
Kansas, like many states, uses the number of students receiving free lunches to determine at-risk state funding for each district,…

Kansas Attorney General releases new guidance on KOMA, KORA changes
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has released new guidance on the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) and the Kansas Open…

Kansas receives “F” grade on Parent Power Index
In the three years since the Sentinel last reported on the Center for Educational Reform’s Parent Power Index, Kansas has…

Kansas to call timeout with clock ticking on STAR Bond deadline as Chiefs request extension to continue negotiation
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson has called a meeting of the state’s Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) for July 7th to…

Evergy seeking new rate hikes that would total more than 33% since 2022
If the Kansas Corporation Commission approves several rate increases Evergy is requesting, Evergy Kansas Central customers will find their electric…
