Kansas lawmakers have a lot of pressing issues to deal with. There’s the projected budget deficit. And the school finance and Medicaid expansion controversies. But “dress-code-gate” is dominating hall talk at the Statehouse this week. Senator Mitch Holmes, the chairman of the Senate Ethics and Election Committee, wants to discourage women in the Statehouse from dressing provocatively. So, this week the St. John Republican imposed a dress code that urges them not to wear “distracting” miniskirts and blouses with plunging necklines. Not surprisingly, he’s getting strong push back from several of his female colleagues, including Senator Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat.
Holmes says he doesn’t really want to enforce the dress code. Instead, he wants women to self-regulate their appearance before showing up at committee meetings.
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Story from Jim McLean, of the KHI News Service in Topeka.
