Governor Sam Brownback during a ceremony annoucing the special session. Joining him were law enforcement officials including the attorney general and Wyandotte County district attorney. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Governor Sam Brownback this week called a special session of the Kansas Legislature for early next month. The purpose is to re-write the state’s so-called Hard 50 sentencing law, which allows judges to sentence convicted murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years. The U.S. Supreme Court recently invalidated sentencing laws like the one in Kansas. The state attorney general discovered the problem and requested the governor call the special session. KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports on some of the issues surrounding the session, which starts September 3 rd.
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Governor Sam Brownback is taking steps to keep lawmakers on track during a special legislative session next month. While the special session is called for a specific reason, legislators could try to bring up additional bills. The session was called to fix the so-called Hard 50 sentencing law. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated sentencing laws like the one in Kansas. Brownback has set both a starting and ending time for the special session, and he’s contacted legislators about keeping the session to only the topic at hand.
The session starts September 3. It’s scheduled to last for three days.