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During a heated Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Mark Warner described the actions of the nation's top intelligence officials as "sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior.

Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoes a GOP-backed tax cutting bill, aid to crisis pregnancy centers and a measure that would have reduced the power of public health officials during a pandemic... plus, residents in central Kansas object to a massive solar farm proposed near Cheyenne Bottoms wildlife area. Those stories and more... here.

The Senate Banking Committee grills top regulators and several of the nation's largest lenders about problems with sub-prime mortgages — and what regulators did and did not do to address them. About 14 percent of outstanding subprime loans are now delinquent by 30 days or more.

House Speaker Mike O'Neal (left, R-Hutchinson) and Minority Leader Paul Davis (D-Lawrence) during a committee meeting. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)A Kansas House Committee has approved a map that redraws districts for the Kansas Senate. Opponents of the new map say it was drawn to help conservative challengers defeat moderate members of the Senate. Representative Paul Davis, of Lawrence, is the top Democrat in the House. He opposes the new Senate map and thinks lawmakers should follow the long tradition of allowing each chamber to redraw its own map. 00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7ad760000House leaders claim the map the Senate had drawn for itself had problems and protected moderate Republicans from challengers. House Speaker Mike O’Neal supported the map that passed out of the House committee. 00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7ad760001The full House will now consider the redistricting plan.

Kansas senators debate a bill last month. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)It’s about a month into the 2013 legislative session, but the top Democrat in the House is questioning if lawmakers will be able to wrap up in 80 days as planned. Representative Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, says legislators will soon need to decide if they’ll support the governor’s tax proposal or perhaps create their own proposal.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7bac60000Davis says the budget writing process will take time, and what lawmakers do with taxes will affect the budget process. But House Speaker Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican, believes they’ll meet the 80 days deadline. Speaking on Friday, he said they knew big issues would be on the table when they set the 80 day goal.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7bac60001The normal length for the legislative session is 90 days.

Kris Kobach during his victory speech this week. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he’ll keep pushing for the power to prosecute voter fraud cases. Kobach won reelection this week and says this will be his top legislative priority. His proposal would give the secretary of state and attorney general the power to pursue cases such as double voting. That task now falls to local prosecutors.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7d2b10000 “Right now there’s no statewide officials who can go after this double voting that still occurs. When it falls to the counties, most county attorneys don’t have the time or the resources to do it, so they need help from the state,” says Kobach. An association representing local prosecutors opposed a previous effort to give Kobach the power to prosecute, saying they have the situation under control. Kobach has championed several measures in recent years that he says combat voter fraud.

Kansas Senate hearings begin tomorrow (TUE) on Governor Sam Brownback’s nominee for the state Court of Appeals. Brownback chose his office’s top attorney, Caleb Stegall, to fill the seat on the second-highest court in Kansas. This is the first appointment under a new system in which the governor chooses nominees for the Kansas Court of Appeals, who then must be confirmed by the state Senate. Republican Jeff King of Independence chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. He told KPR last month that the proceedings will begin with a quick refresher on the new selection process.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c3d90000 The special session was called to fix the state’s Hard 50 sentencing law for convicted murderers. That law was called into question after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But the state Constitution requires appointments to be considered during the special session, as well.

The Kansas House chamber (photo by Stephen Koranda)The Kansas House today (WED) rejected a proposal by Democrats aimed at reducing the property taxes paid by Kansans. The plan would have distributed $45 million in state tax dollars over the next two years to local governments. That money would be used by local governments to reduce property taxes. The top Democrat in the chamber, Paul Davis from Lawrence, said Lawmakers usually spend their time debating other types of tax cuts.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7bd950000The chamber voted to reject the measure 73-48. Representative Steve Brunk, a Republican from Wichita, said the plan just redistributes state tax dollars.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7bd950001The amendment came during debate on a bill that would require a public vote for some types of local property tax increases. The chamber voted to advance the underlying bill.

The Kansas House and Senate have approved a 14 billion dollar budget for the coming fiscal year. The 69-55 vote came early this (FRI) morning. It followed the 28-11 vote in the Senate late last night (THUR). The package would erase a nearly 500 million dollar budget shortfall, and create a 50 million dollar reserve. Democrats say the spending cuts will hurt schools, the elderly and Kansans who rely on social services. Paul Davis, of Lawrence, is the top Democrat in the House. He wanted a smaller reserve fund, in exchange for fewer spending cuts.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa797c90000GOP conservatives in the House criticized the bill, saying it still spends more than Kansas can afford. John Rubin is a Shawnee Republican. He told the House that he was elected to cut state spending.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa797c90001The budget plan is now on the desk of Governor Sam Brownback, who will likely line item veto some spending measures.

Q: Inside the rotunda at the Kansas Statehouse, you'll find a replica of the massive chandelier that once hung from the capitol dome. What happened to the…