Kansas Republican Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto of Income Tax Cut Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas could see future income tax cuts based on the state’s financial health. The Kansas News Service reports that Republican lawmakers voted to override a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. Most Kansans pay above 5% on their state income taxes. The new law could eventually reduce all income tax brackets in Kansas to the same rate of 4%. The cuts would trigger based on the balance in the state’s rainy day fund. The law also would provide potential cuts for banks and corporations.
Republican Senator Caryn Tyson believes the law will limit the size of the state government and return money to taxpayers. “I can’t understand why anybody would veto this or not support this effort and stop our government growth,” she said. Democrats say the income tax cuts are too costly. They argue the cuts disproportionately benefit wealthy people.
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Kansas Governor Signs State Budget, Despite Long-Term Concerns
UNDATED (KNS) – Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly approved a state budget Wednesday, but she criticized lawmakers for creating a long-term deficit. The Kansas News Service reports that Kelly praised the budget for meeting requirements to fully fund Kansas public schools. But she said lawmakers should do more to invest in teacher training and special education. The governor says she’s happy to see investments in workforce development, water resources and higher education. But she warned that the Legislature’s speedy schedule will mean passing the budget before they have a complete financial picture of the months ahead. Lawmakers are back in Topeka for the veto session where they’ll wrap up the last of their business.
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Kansas House Puts Some Spending Back into State Budget Following Gubernatorial Vetoes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas House members on Friday re-added spending into the state budget after Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tried to veto certain items. One of the more controversial items is $3 million for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. The Kansas News Service reports that Republican leaders bundled several vetoes together rather than letting lawmakers vote on each one individually. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says the Republican-led budget will leave the state hundreds of millions of dollars in the hole in future years. Democratic Representative Henry Helgerson echoed that sentiment. “No business in this state would be successful if they keep spending money the way we are, with the receipts that we have. And we’re going to have a downturn in the economy," Helgerson said. Republicans created their own budget this year instead of building it based on the governor’s recommendations. The Senate had already voted to override the vetoes.
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Kansas GOP Lawmakers Override Vetoes Pertaining to Fetus Tax Exemption, Fetal Development Education
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have voted to override Governor Laura Kelly’s vetoes of bills that create tax exemptions for fetuses and mandate fetal development education in some public schools. The Kansas News Service reports that the legislation will take effect this summer. One of the bills provides tax exemptions for the parent of a fetus 20 weeks and older. It also allows pregnant women to ask fathers to pay child support during pregnancy. Republicans and anti-abortion groups say it’s an effort to support pregnant women, but reproductive rights groups say it’s an attempt to give fetuses the same legal rights as women. The other bill mandates showing high-definition fetal development videos in biology and sex education classes, starting as early as kindergarten. Democrats oppose the bills and have described both as efforts to advance an anti-abortion agenda.
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SNAP Bill Veto Override Hinges on Kansas House Votes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas House will decide whether the state should ask the federal government to stop covering certain sugary foods with food stamps. The Kansas News Service reports that House Republicans need to flip nearly 20 votes to join the Senate and override a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The federal government has previously rejected similar requests by other states to ban the purchase of candy and soda with food stamps. But some in President Donald Trump’s administration support the idea. Republican Senator Renee Erickson says the bill aims to promote healthy eating, adding that “...allowing the purchase of sugar-sweetened soda beverages and candy, with minimal nutritional value, with federal dollars, is harmful for low-income families.” Democrats argue the state should instead focus on improving access to healthy, fresh foods.
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Kansas GOP Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto of Bill Concerning LGBTQ Foster Children
UNDATED (KNS) – LGBTQ foster children in Kansas may lose protections from being placed with families who hold religious beliefs that conflict with the child’s gender identity or sexuality. That’s after a bill constraining the Department for Children and Families passed despite a veto by the governor. The Kansas News Service reports that Republicans mustered two-thirds majorities to override the veto. Supporters say the bill also allows a child’s religion to factor into placement decisions. But Representative Mark Schreiber, the only Republican to vote against the bill, said it will do more harm than good. “I think foster children have a tough situation already and I think you'd want to place them in a home that would you know, nurture them and you know, love them for who they are,” he explained. The law will take effect as soon as next week.
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NWS Ends Translation Services for Weather Alerts and Research
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – The National Weather Service is no longer providing foreign language translations as severe weather season approaches in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that the National Weather Service said it has paused the translations because its contract with the translation provider has ended. This comes as the Trump administration is seeking to slash spending in federal agencies. The weather service hired the company in 2023 to use artificial intelligence to provide translations. In some southwest Kansas counties, nearly half of the households speak languages other than English at home. The translations offered critical weather information in languages often spoken in parts of Kansas like Spanish and Vietnamese.
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Advocates Work to Aid Families of People Detained by ICE Agents
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – In the wake of arrests made by federal immigration agents in southwest Kansas this week, advocates are trying to offer services to affected families. President Donald Trump promised deportations of people in the country without legal status. The Kansas News Service reports that voting and immigrant rights advocacy group, New Frontiers, has launched a hotline to confirm federal agent sightings and cut down on misinformation spreading. Kathleen Alonso, an advocate for New Frontiers, says the group is helping families with issues like who has legal responsibility for their kids. She urged people at risk of deportation to determine “...who has the legal authority to make decisions over your children if you are detained, making sure folks have a plan and can go out with dignity and grace.” Alonso says one family had both parents detained this week. The issue is complicated by mixed status families, where some members are U.S. citizens while others are not.
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Chocolate Prices on the Rise Due to Cocoa Cost Increases
UNDATED (HPM) – Shoppers can expect to pay more for chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies this year. Harvest Public Media reports that it's linked to cocoa prices skyrocketing over the past few years. Most cocoa is produced in West Africa and climate change has brought excessive heat to the area, limiting the crop’s production. David Ortega, a Michigan State University food economist and professor, says this has contributed to higher input costs for chocolate producers, and higher prices for consumers. “We haven't seen this level of price increase in the sort of the global price of cocoa going back to even the early 1990s. We're sort of an uncharted territory here,” Ortega added. He says people still tend to buy chocolate during tough economic times because it’s an affordable luxury, but recent tariffs could make chocolate products even more expensive.
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Kansas City Area Realtor Indicted for Tax Evasion; Stealing from COVID-19 Loan Program
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) - A federal grand jury in Kansas City has returned an indictment charging a Kansas real estate agent with tax evasion and wire fraud. The indictment alleges that Michelle O’Connor, of Louisburg, owned and operated a real estate company in the Kansas City metro. Prosecutors accuse O’Connor of filing fraudulent federal income tax returns, claiming tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses as charitable deductions to a purported church that she and her husband created.
Prosecutors also accuse O'Connor of filing three false bankruptcy petitions and submitting fraudulent applications for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The loans were sought on behalf of her real estate business and seven other companies she allegedly created for the purpose of applying for the loans. Prosecutors say she received nearly $300,000 in federal loans and used the money for personal expenses and to purchase cryptocurrency. In addition, the IRS says O’Connor owes nearly $500,000 in taxes, penalties, and interest. If convicted of all the charges, O'Connor is facing up to 25 years in prison.
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Kansas Police: 2-Year-Old in Critical Condition After Apparent Meth Overdose, Woman Charged
MIAMI COUNTY, Kan. (KMBC) - A 2-year-old Miami County girl has been hospitalized in critical condition after ingesting an unknown amount of methamphetamine. Police in Osawatomie responded to a residence (at 520 Pacific Avenue) late Tuesday night after receiving a report of a toddler in distress. Officers were told the girl was having a seizure because she had ingested meth. KMBC TV reports that police found the child in critical condition. The girl was rushed to Children's Mercy Hospital in Johnson County. Marijuana, drug paraphernalia and meth paraphernalia were discovered inside the home. Police arrested 34-year-old Jacci Marie Hays, who now faces a variety of charges, including child endangerment and drug possession.
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Kansas Measles Outbreak Expands
UNDATED (KNS) – A measles outbreak in southwest and south central Kansas has grown significantly in the last week. State health officials recorded 8 more cases this week, bringing the total number this year to 32. Eight counties have recorded cases. Data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows the majority of cases are among unvaccinated children, some of whom are too young to get vaccinated. One patient has been hospitalized. Measles is highly contagious and in serious cases, can lead to hospitalization or death. Other states, like Texas and New Mexico, have much larger outbreaks.
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Police: Kansas 9-Year-Old Caught Driving Parents' Truck to School After Missing the Bus
MAIZE, Kan. (FOX News) - A 9-year-old Kansas boy missed the bus to school. So, he took matters into his own hands and drove his parents' truck to school. A concerned citizen in Maize called police Wednesday morning about a driver who appeared to be too young to be driving. Police later caught up with the white Chevy pickup truck and the child driver in the school parking lot. FOX News reports that the boy had driven the truck from his home to his elementary school, which was roughly a three-mile drive.
The boy told officers that he missed the bus and his dad was already at work and his mom was out of town so he took the truck to make sure he didn't miss school. Police say the child did a much better job parking than most people. They did not issue any citations but said the boy was likely in tons of trouble with his parents and that they would let his parents determine how to handle the situation.
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Man Charged After Being Found in 9-Year-Old's Bedroom in Lee's Summit
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (KMBC) — Authorities in the Kansas City area are investigating after a stranger was found inside the bedroom of a 9-year-old girl. Police in Lee's Summit say they responded to a home (in the 1100 block of SE 11th Street) around 11 pm Wednesday on reports of a burglary. KMBC TV reports that a man who lived in the home told police he and his wife heard a noise down the hall and went to check it out. The father found an unknown man in his daughter's bedroom and proceeded to strike him several times. The father physically detained the man until officers arrived. That man, later identified as 42-year-old Robert M. McDowell, told police he broke in through a back door. He also told officers that he tried to break into several homes that night and that he had taken methamphetamine three days earlier. A search of McDowell's phone revealed images of apparent child sexual abuse. He's now been charged with first-degree burglary and two counts of possessing child pornography.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).