Kobach "Seriously Considering" Running for U.S. Senate Seat
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is considering running for the U.S. Senate in 2020. He told The Associated Press on Friday: "I am seriously considering it." Four-term Republican Senator Pat Roberts announced earlier this month that he would not seek re-election. Kobach said he does not have a timetable for deciding whether to seek the GOP nomination. Kobach is out of political office after eight years as Kansas secretary of state after losing the governor's race last year. Kobach has been a vocal ally of President Donald Trump and had Trump's endorsement. State Treasurer Jake LaTurner already is running for Roberts' seat. Other Republicans who've expressed an interest include western Kansas congressman Roger Marshall, former Governor Jeff Colyer, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle.
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Key Part of Governor Kelly's Budget Plan Appears Doomed
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A key part of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's budget plan appears doomed, creating potential trouble for her proposals to boost education funding and expand Medicaid. Opposition hardened swiftly Friday, a day after the Democratic governor proposed cutting the state's annual payments to its pension system for teachers and government workers. The move would free up $145 million during the budget year that begins in July to allow Kelly to increase spending on public schools, expand Medicaid health coverage for the needy, finance other initiatives and maintain healthy cash reserves. The pension system's board of trustees voted unanimously Friday to condemn the proposal. Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature also have criticized it. Budget Director Larry Campbell said that the proposal makes pension payments more manageable without endangering retirees' benefits.
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Kobach Finishes Legal Education Ordered by Judge
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has told a federal judge he's completed extra legal education that she required of him as a sanction in a voting rights lawsuit. Kobach filed documents Friday in federal court showing he finished a six-hour course called "Civil Trial: Everything You Need to Know" on January 4th. The course included one hour on ethics. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ordered the extra education last year over what she concluded were violations of disclosure-of-evidence rules. Kobach had until June 30 to complete it. Kobach said Friday he was being held responsible for his legal team's actions, not personal conduct. The lawsuit challenged a Kansas law defended by Kobach that required new voters show proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering. Robinson struck it down.
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New Secretary of State Reviewing Voter Database Program
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The future of a much-criticized database that checks if voters are illegally registering in multiple states is up in the air now that former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach no longer holds that office. A spokeswoman for Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said Friday the office is reviewing Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program and consulting with other member states. Spokeswoman Katie Koupal says no formal decision has been made either way about whether to keep the program. Crosscheck compares voter registration lists among participating states to look for duplicates. The program is aimed at cleaning voter records and preventing voter fraud, but has drawn criticism for its high error rate and lax security. The program was started in 2005 and had only four participants when Kobach took office in 2011. By 2017, 30 states were participating.
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Kansas Teen Charged with Attempted Murder
SMITH CENTER, Kan. (AP) — A 15-year-old Kansas boy who was injured in a confrontation with law enforcement officers last month has been arrested in Salina. Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents served an arrest warrant Thursday at Saint Francis Community Services in Salina, where the teenager has been held since he was released from a hospital in Kearney, Nebraska. The warrant includes charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. He was taken to the Sedgwick County juvenile detention center. The KBI said in a news release that additional charges are possible. The boy was shot and wounded December 15th after he allegedly attacked a 66-year-old woman in Smith County and fled on horseback. Authorities say he was shot when he fired at Kansas Highway Patrol troopers. No officers were hurt.
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Davids: Reopening Government is Top Priority
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Newly elected Democratic Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids says her top priority is reopening the government. In a speech Friday at a Kansas City, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce forum, Davids called the partial government shutdown "completely unacceptable." There are nearly 19,000 federal employees in the Kansas City area, where her district is located. Davids says she would push for back wages for furloughed government workers as well as low-wage contractors. President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday guaranteeing back pay for federal workers, but the law does not cover federal contractors. Davids also announced she is opening a second office in Wyandotte County. She also is maintaining the office in Johnson County's Overland Park that had housed former 3rd District U.S. Representative Kevin Yoder's staff.
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Kansas Electricity Costs More than Other States
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A report says Kansas customers are paying more for electricity than in neighboring states because of investments in coal and wind power. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Kansas Corporation Commission recently presented its analysis of electricity rates to lawmakers. The commission found that utilities Westar Energy and Kansas City Power & Light spent billions of dollars over the last decade on coal-fired power plants in Kansas. They also spent millions of dollars complying with a now-repealed state rule for 20 percent of energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. Commission Chief Accountant Justin Grady says Kansas decided to invest in coal when it was cheaper than gas, but the price of natural gas has since dropped. The state Senate Utilities Committee plans to discuss the report next week.
