Kansas Tax Revenues Exceed June Expectations
UNDATED (KNS) – The state of Kansas collected just over $1 billion dollars in tax revenue last month, which is more than 7 percent above estimates. The Kansas News Service reports that collections in June were about 3 percent higher than the same time last year. That mostly stems from individual income tax collections being higher than estimated. Tax collections have outpaced predictions each month since April. The state also brought in about a quarter-billion dollars more than expected this past fiscal year. But Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says the Legislature’s budget could still leave the state nearly $400 million in the red by 2029. Republicans say they’ll cut more spending to maintain the state’s finances.
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Kansas Volunteer Fire Departments Face Funding Crunch
UNDATED (KWCH) — Volunteer fire departments in Kansas are facing a big drop in funding now that President Trump’s budget bill has been signed into law. As KWCH reports, volunteer departments rely on federal grants to pay for equipment including hoses and protective gear and sometimes even new trucks. But those grant programs have now been put on hold. And the Kansas Forest Service says it’s not clear when or even if they will resume.
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Kansas Board of Education Votes to Raise Its Pay
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Members of the state board of education have voted to give themselves a raise, putting their salaries on par with state lawmakers. The current average annual lawmaker salary is $43,000, with a 4.4% increase budgeted for next year. The Kansas Reflector reports that board members’ salaries have historically been tied to lawmakers’ salaries. But when lawmakers doubled their pay this year, they left the board of education behind. In a 9-1 vote on Tuesday, the board approved $126,000 in spending to make their salaries commensurate with lawmakers beginning next year.
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June Tax Collections in Kansas Exceed Estimate
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The state of Kansas collected $1.06 billion in taxes in June, about 7.4% above the estimate, and 2.4% higher than June 2024. Governor Laura Kelly’s office released the monthly tax collection figures on Wednesday. Although tax revenue was stronger than expected, the Democratic governor warned that the budget passed by the Republican-controlled legislature could put the state in the red by 2029 and deplete the rainy-day fund.
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KSDE Advising Districts on Adapting to Possible Federal Funding Losses
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas school districts are grappling with a sudden freeze on $45 million in federal funding. The Kansas News Service reports that schools do not know if they’ll receive the money, including $16 million for professional development and $8 million for after-school programs. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson says his department is holding meetings with districts to help them decide which programs to keep to meet state requirements. “It's the uncertainty coupled with the loss of money...that I think is causing a lot of consternation,” Watson explained. President Donald Trump’s administration says it’s reviewing the grants to make sure schools will not use them to promote left-wing ideas.
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Bidding War for Chiefs & Royals Could Hinge on Attendance Numbers
UNDATED (The Beacon) – The Kansas City Royals routinely sell more than twice as many regular season tickets as the Chiefs, who play far fewer games. The Beacon reports that there are questions about whether that difference in attendance should be a major factor as Kansas and Missouri bid for new stadium projects. Attendance is important because Kansas and Missouri are bidding for the Chiefs and Royals, and proposed funding plans depend on economic activity at the stadium. But economist J.C. Bradbury with Kennesaw State University says new stadiums don’t generate enough economic growth — they just shift money that would otherwise be spent elsewhere. “I can’t say this emphatically enough...people keep making this mistake and I’m almost tired of talking about it, but there isn’t any extra economic benefit from baseball because more people are going to baseball games,” Bradbury explained. Although the Royals draw more fans than the Chiefs, boosters say a football stadium could hold major concerts, Super Bowls or Final Four basketball games. But Bradbury says that still doesn’t do enough because those events just aren’t that frequent.
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Vicki Schmidt Enters Republican Primary Race for Governor
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas insurance commissioner Vicki Schmidt has entered the crowded Republican primary race for governor. The Kansas News Service reports that Schmidt joins a growing pool of 2026 GOP candidates that includes former Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Scott Schwab. A pharmacist by training, Schmidt spent 14 years as a Kansas Senator and has served as insurance commissioner since 2019. In her announcement video, Schmidt points to her experience in health policy as a provider, politician and patient. “The biggest challenge of my life: beating breast cancer. It was scary and humbling,” she said. During her time as a lawmaker, Schmidt says she helped improve insurance coverage for children with autism.
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Measles Cases Continue to Increase in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) — Measles cases are on the rise in Kansas. In the last week, the state health department recorded four additional cases, bringing the total to 87. Most of the cases are in southwest Kansas, but some are in the Wichita and Hutchinson areas. Measles is highly contagious. State health officials are warning the public of a potential exposure at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita in the hospital’s fifth-floor pediatric unit. People who were in that unit July 1st to July 3rd could have been exposed. The state is asking people who might have been exposed to watch for symptoms for three weeks.
Stephen Lauer is a pediatrician for the University of Kansas Medical System. In a video shared by KU, Lauer said it’s important to know whether there are measles cases in your area. That’s because the virus has a long incubation period. “By the time you hear about a case, it’s been in the population, that local population, for at least a week. Maybe two,” Lauer explained. He said the best way to protect against measles is to get vaccinated.
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Food Program Advocates Have Concerns About States Taking on More SNAP Costs
UNDATED (HPM) – States will soon have to pay millions of dollars more for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under the massive federal spending legislation that passed last week. Harvest Public Media reports that food advocates worry it could lower the number of people receiving the food benefit. The new law will make states responsible for a larger portion of SNAP administrative costs next year, and will add additional costs if their program’s error rate reaches 6%. Error rates are over- or under- payments to recipients, not fraud. Luke Elzinga, with the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Food Pantry Network, says states will have to do more with fewer resources. “I think that's a real concern of what are the unintended consequences of states putting so much focus on this payment error rate, you know, because they could be on the hook for tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars,” Elzinga cautioned. Some lawmakers say the measure cuts waste and fraud, but food advocates say the changes will harm those who rely on SNAP benefits.
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Kansas Supreme Court: Obscured License Plate Not Sufficient Grounds for Stop
TOPEKA (Kansas Reflector) — The Kansas Supreme Court has overturned a drug case, saying a partially obscured license plate was not sufficient grounds to warrant a traffic stop. The Kansas Reflector reports the case stems from a March 2021 traffic stop in Geary County. A Geary County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a motorist on Interstate 70 near Junction City because part of the word “Illinois” on the car’s license plate was obscured by the license plate frame.
The deputy testified the motorist appeared “extremely nervous,” was breathing deeply, and said he was lost. The deputy decided that was enough to call in a drug-sniffing dog. A subsequent search uncovered more than two pounds of methamphetamine. The Supreme Court’s ruling vacates the motorist’s convictions and sends the case back to a lower court to determine whether the deputy had “constitutionally valid grounds for making the stop and seizure.”
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Kansas Schools Get Some Federal Funds, Lose Some Federal Funds
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT/WIBW) — Good news and bad news for Kansas schools this week: The state Department of Education announced Tuesday it has regained access to millions of dollars in COVID recovery funding that the federal government had pulled back earlier this year. But at the same time, the federal government is withholding millions in funds meant to educate the children of migrant workers and those who are learning English.
KSNT reports the COVID money was earmarked for addressing learning problems caused by the pandemic. Meanwhile, WIBW-TV reports the federal Department of Education says it’s pausing the money for migrant education while it “reviews” the program. Kansas education officials say that decision will hit rural schools especially hard.
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KCC Allows Evergy to Recoup More than $1 Billion Spent on New Facilities
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) — The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved settlement agreements involving the utility company Evergy. The KCC will allow the company to recover the cost of building three new facilities: a solar facility in Douglas County, a natural gas plant in Reno County and another gas plant in Sumner County. The Douglas County solar facility, called Kansas Sky, is expected to cost nearly $230 million to build.
KCTV reports that the new natural gas plant in Reno County will cost more than $800 million. The gas plant in Sumner County is expected to cost almost as much. Under the plan, Evergy will be allowed to recoup from customers the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the new facilities. But the KCC also warned the company to pace itself when requesting rate hikes. The settlements will not immediately affect rates. No costs will be added until Evergy files a subsequent rate case. The KCC says the three projects are in the public's interest and it expects the agreement to result in just and reasonable rates.
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Heat Burst Reported in Western Kansas
SUBLETTE, Kan. (KSNW) — It's hot all across the state. But the National Weather Service in Dodge City says one western Kansas community experienced a heat burst early Wednesday morning. KSNW TV reports that the heat burst happened around 3 a.m. in Sublette, in Haskell County. That's where the temperature suddenly jumped nearly 20 degrees from 67° to 86°. It happened as a thunderstorm was moving south through the area.
Forecasters say heat bursts are relatively rare. These nighttime events create gusty winds, a sharp increase in temperature, and a rapid drop in dew point. They are caused by dissipating thunderstorms. While uncommon, other cases of a heat burst in Kansas have been documented in Wichita, in 2011, and in Emporia, in 2008.
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