Kansas Lawmakers Allow Veto of Tax Relief Measure to Stand
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's veto of a Republican tax relief bill will stand because GOP lawmakers did not attempt to override it. The Republican-controlled Legislature adjourned Friday for its annual spring break without an override attempt. The deadline for trying to override will pass before lawmakers reconvene May 1. The bill was designed to prevent individuals and businesses from paying more in state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017. Republican leaders said it would have prevented an unlegislated tax increase. Kelly and fellow Democrats said the bill was fiscally reckless. Republicans hold the two-thirds majorities needed in both chambers to override a veto but at least a few GOP lawmakers were expected to vote against overturning Kelly's action, making an attempt futile.
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Democrat Seeks Debate on Medicaid Expansion in Kansas Senate
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Senate's top Democrat is trying to force the chamber to debate Medicaid expansion. Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka notified the Senate on Friday that he will try to pull a Medicaid expansion bill out of committee. Hensley made the move just before lawmakers adjourned for an annual spring break. Senators will vote on the matter when lawmakers reconvene May 1. Hensley will need 24 of 40 votes to succeed. The bill contains a modified version of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's proposal to expand state Medicaid health coverage to as many as 150,000 more people. The House approved it last month. Top Senate Republicans oppose Medicaid expansion and argue that it will prove too expensive even with the federal government's promise to cover most of the cost.
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Kansas Lawmakers Approve Mandating Notice on Abortion 'Reversal'
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have approved a measure that would require abortion providers to tell patients that medication abortions can be reversed after they take the first of two pills. The votes Friday were 85-35 in the House and 26-11 in the Senate. The bill goes to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. She is an abortion-rights supporter and has questioned whether the bill is based on sound science. The bill deals with medication abortions involving RU-486. It would require abortion providers to inform patients that RU-486 isn't always effective in ending a pregnancy, so that a medication abortion can be reversed. Supporters said the bill ensures that women have the information so they can continue their pregnancies if they change their minds. Critics say it requires providers to distribute questionable information.
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School District Attorney: Kansas School Aid Plan is Inadequate
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An attorney representing four school districts suing Kansas says an education funding plan approved by lawmakers isn't adequate. Attorney John Robb predicted that the Kansas Supreme Court will reject Governor Laura Kelly's plan for an education funding increase of roughly $90 million a year. Robb said it doesn't provide enough new money for public education after the 2019-20 school year. The House approved the plan, 76-47, and the Senate passed it, 31-8, to send the measure to Kelly. The four school districts sued the state in 2010. The Supreme Court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases wasn't sufficient because it hadn't accounted for inflation. Robb said of the plan: "The math just doesn't do it."
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Kansas Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Farm Bureau Health Plan
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas pressed ahead Friday with allowing the state Farm Bureau to offer health coverage to members that doesn't satisfy the Affordable Care Act, a state-level effort to circumvent an Obama-era law President Donald Trump wants to replace. The Kansas House approved an insurance bill on an 84-39 vote that includes provisions to exempt health coverage offered by the Farm Bureau from state insurance regulation, anticipating that the nonprofit group could offer lower-cost products to thousands of individuals and families. The Senate approved the bill Thursday on a 28-12 vote, so it goes next to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The bill had overwhelming support from GOP legislators and faced strong opposition from Democrats, but Kelly hasn't taken a public position on it. The Kansas proposal is patterned after a Tennessee law in place for decades, and an Iowa enacted a law last year.
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KBI Investigating Marshall County Clerk's Office
MARYSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents served search warrants at several locations in Marysville, including at the Marshall County Clerk's Office. KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood told The Topeka Capital-Journal the warrants were related to an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged conduct by an employee of the clerk's office. She said more information would be released if the investigation leads to an arrest or charges. Additional details weren't immediately released.
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Wichita Man Gets Life in Prison for Drug Deal Death
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Wichita man has been sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a man during a marijuana deal. KAKE-TV reports Mark Holley III was convicted in January of first-degree murder and six other charges in the April 2017 shooting death of 18-year-old D'Shaun Smith. Holley will be eligible for parole after 25 years. District Judge Stephen Ternes added more than 10 years to be served after Holley completes the life sentence. Investigators believe Smith and a woman met Holley to buy marijuana. Instead, Holley tried to rob them and shot Smith, who died in his car.
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Pipeline Opponents Ask Judge to Strike Down Trump's Permit
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Opponents of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline asked a federal court Friday in a lawsuit to declare President Donald Trump acted illegally when he issued a new permit for the project in a bid to get around an earlier court ruling. In November, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ruled that the Trump administration did not fully consider potential oil spills and other impacts when it approved the pipeline in 2017. Trump's new permit, issued last week, is intended to circumvent that ruling and kick-start the proposal to ship crude oil from the tar sands of western Canada though Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma to U.S. refineries on the Texas coast. White House officials have said the presidential permit is immune from court review. But legal experts say that's an open question, and that the case could further test the limits of Trump's use of presidential power to get his way.
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Midwest Governors Demand More Control over Waterways
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The governors of three Midwest states ravaged by March flooding say they will pushing for more control over management of the Missouri River that borders their states. Management of the dams and levees along the river falls to officials of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, who met with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Missouri Governor Mike Parson in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The three governors, all Republicans, questioned a shift by the Corps in 2004 to no longer prioritize flood control along the river over other goals, such as maintaining fish and wildlife habitat. Asked whether the Corps indicated it would or could cede some river management decisions to the states, Parson replied, "Well, they listened." The governors said they plan to work together for that change, even if it means petitioning Congress to give states more authority in river management. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has been slated to attend Wednesday's meeting, but ran into travel problems that required her to back out.
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KJ Lawson Decides to Leave Kansas as Graduate Transfer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas forward K.J. Lawson says he plans to transfer for the second time, this time as a graduate transfer. That would leave him with two years of college basketball eligibility remaining. Lawson and his brother, All-Big 12 forward Dedric Lawson, sat out last season after transferring from Memphis. K.J. Lawson appeared in 35 games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds. He appeared in 42 games and averaged 11.5 points and seven rebounds while at Memphis. His decision on Friday could be a sign that Dedric Lawson is planning to declare for the NBA draft a year early. Dedric Lawson averaged 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds last season. Earlier this week, point guard Charlie Moore announced he would be transferring from Kansas.
