By Grace Hills TOPEKA — More money could be flowing to the Kansas Water Plan under a new House bill, expanding the impact of a popular 2023 law aimed at addressing the growing water crisis. Republicans, Democrats and proponents pointed to Kansas’ lack of funding for water projects and asked lawmakers to pass the bill Tuesday before the House Water Committee. There were no opponents. The 2023 law established the Water Projects Grant Fund and the Water Technical Assistance Fund, two funds that help municipalities build and maintain water infrastructure. House Bill 2558 would expand annual funding for the Kansas Water Plan from $35…
Author: Kansas Reflector
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — CoreCivic argued Tuesday for the right to begin holding prisoners in its closed Leavenworth facility, even as the company is working through a local permit process that could make the court case irrelevant. CoreCivic challenged an injunction in the Kansas Court of Appeals that was made last year by the Leavenworth County District Court. The injunction kept the private prison from taking detainees from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while CoreCivic and the City of Leavenworth fought in court about reopening the company’s prison facility. Complicating the issue, the two are now working through the…
By Grace Hills TOPEKA — The Kansas bill that would have required kindergarteners to be potty trained before starting school stalled in committee. House Education Committee chairwoman Rep. Susan Estes, a Republican from Wichita, declined to bring the bill up for debate Wednesday. She said she wanted to give school districts more time to find a solution. “I do think there are some very legitimate concerns,” Estes said. “Parents needing support if they are going through this. But also, how do we make sure that everything is being done in a way that is safe for the educator as well as the…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Panasonic’s Kansas battery plant will ramp up to 50% of its production capacity in the next few months, a company executive said Monday. Kristen Walters, Panasonic Energy vice president of human resources, said the company is starting two new production lines at its De Soto plant, adding to two lines already in operation. Construction has begun on the second wing of the lithium-ion battery cell plant, and two of the wing’s four lines will be in operation in 2027, Walters said in a virtual interview. The plant opened in July amidst concerns political changes would affect…
Contender Vicki Schmidt skips debate to protest mandatory $10,000 payment to state party By Tim Carpenter WICHITA — Six Republican candidates for Kansas governor stepped onto the debate stage Friday intent on finding separation from their rivals despite unanimity on key issues of abortion, marijuana, judicial bias and praise for President Donald Trump. The goal of offering voters a distinct vision of themselves at the event sponsored by the Kansas Republican Party surfaced quickly as Charlotte O’Hara, a former Johnson County commissioner and Kansas House member, launched into an opening statement that sought to undercut a couple of her peers.…
By Anna Kaminski TOPEKA — In Vicki Schumacher’s nutrition services office at Wichita Public Schools, staff spend roughly two hours verifying one free lunch application from start to finish. Under proposed legislation, the office could see its work increase twentyfold. Current federal law requires schools to verify free and reduced lunch eligibility for a random sample amounting to 3% or 3,000 of recipients — whichever is less — but a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Doug Shane requires verifying the gross household income of every student who receives a free lunch. For Schumacher, who supervises the financial and technical aspects…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Real estate investors buying residential buildings in Kansas could be charged a penalty for paying off their mortgages early under proposed changes to the Kansas Contracts and Promises statute. The statute currently bars lenders from charging prepayment penalties on “any home loan” paid off after six months from the day the loan was taken out, the House Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee heard Monday. It doesn’t specify whether those loans are for individual homeowners or for real estate investors buying properties to rent or lease. House Bill 2497 would add language that allows lenders to charge prepayment…
By Sherman Smith TOPEKA — A Senate committee endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that would cap annual increases to appraised property values at 3%, and roll back the clock to 2022 assessments. Republicans on the Senate tax committee said during debate Wednesday that the cap was just part of the solution for easing the property tax burden on homeowners. “We all know that this constitutional amendment will not lower property tax, right? said Sen. Stephen Owens, R-Hesston. “And I want to be clear, we put that out there, will not lower it. May slow the growth, but it will not…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — A Kansas City Chiefs attorney told legislators Wednesday that projections show STAR bonds financing the team’s stadium deal will be paid off 10 to 15 years earlier than the expected 30-year term, upping economic benefits for the state. Korb Maxwell, a Chiefs attorney, told legislators the planned $3 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development in Wyandotte County, and a $300 million Chiefs headquarters and training facility in Johnson County, will add to the state coffers earlier than expected. He addressed a joint meeting of the Senate and House commerce committees, where legislators put him on…
By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius stepped forward Wednesday to endorse state Sen. Ethan Corson’s campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor. The August primary has evolved into a contest between Corson, of Fairway, and state Sen. Cindy Holscher, of Overland Park. Sebelius, who was the state’s Democratic governor from 2003 to 2009, stepped down to accept appointment as secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. She served five years in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama. Sebelius said her endorsement of Corson reflected appreciation for his bipartisan record, leadership, focus on helping…