In rush to finish early, Kansas lawmakers jettison public input and risk poorly crafted bills • Kansas Reflector Democrats and advocates warn that the fast pace of the legislative session leads to shoddy bills and budget problems.

In rush to finish early, Kansas lawmakers jettison public input and risk poorly crafted bills | via @crazeywriter.bsky.social, @journalist-sherman.bsky.social, @kansascarpenter.bsky.social and @gracefromkansas.bsky.social #ksleg

Four Kansas school districts violate federal law with gender-inclusive policies • Kansas Reflector The U.S. Department of Education told four Kansas school districts on Friday their gender-inclusive policies violate federal student protections.

A U.S. Department of Education official said Kansas City, Kansas Public School District, Olathe Public Schools, Shawnee Mission School District and Topeka Public Schools “have allowed ‘gender ideology’ to run amok in their schools.” #ksleg kansasreflector.com/briefs/four-...

Justice Sotomayor apologizes for 'hurtful comments' about Kavanaugh at Kansas event • Kansas Reflector U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor formally apologized for critiquing a colleague while speaking in Kansas last week, admitting her remarks were “inappropriate” and “hurtful.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor apologized after insinuating fellow Justice Brett Kavanaugh didn’t know working class people and, therefore, couldn’t understand the ramifications of his decision in a pivotal immigration case. kansasreflector.com/2026/04/16/j...

Kansas lawmakers lean on rule against 'impugning motives,' stifling criticism • Kansas Reflector Republicans have leveraged the written and unwritten rules — including one against impugning motives — that govern conduct, and silence dissent.

Kansas legislators aren’t supposed to attack each others’ motives during debate, but a niche procedural rule has become a tool for the Republican supermajority. #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/2026/04/14/k...

Pam Bondi out as Trump’s attorney general WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving the Department of Justice and will be replaced for now by President Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, the president announced Thursday.“...

JUST IN from @ashleymurray.bsky.social

Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving the Department of Justice and will be replaced for now by President Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, the president announced Thursday.

www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pam-...

Kansas creates new sports authority to oversee multibillion dollar stadium deal for Chiefs • Kansas Reflector The agreement between the Kansas City Chiefs and the state of Kansas to build a new $3 billion domed football stadium, headquarters, training facility and entertainment district could be the largest s...

One Kansas legislator said the deal will live in infamy and become a euphemism for disagreeable legislation of the future. #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/2026/04/01/k...

Hours after Kansas governor rejects pregnancy center protections, Legislature overrides her veto • Kansas Reflector Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a partisan, anti-abortion bill that offered protections to crisis pregnancy centers, which can function as alternatives to abortion clinics.

UPDATE: Hours after Kansas governor rejects pregnancy center protections, Legislature overrides her veto #ksleg

kansasreflector.com/briefs/hours...

Kansas governor vetoes protections for pregnancy centers driven by anti-abortion groups • Kansas Reflector Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a partisan, anti-abortion bill that offered protections to crisis pregnancy centers, which can function as alternatives to abortion clinics.

Gov. Kelly said Kansans have been clear. They don’t want the government involved in private medical decisions, she said in a Friday announcement. #ksleg

kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansa...

Kansas Legislature passes package of elections bills that alter voting processes • Kansas Reflector Kansas Republicans passed a package of legislation that purports to bolster election integrity but evoked warnings from Democrats of potential voter suppression.

“Newsflash, that’s against the law.” #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/2026/03/27/k...

Kansas Legislature overrides governor’s veto of tax breaks for nontraditional health plan users • Kansas Reflector Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill that would provide income tax deductions for Kansans enrolled in health care sharing ministries plans.

The Legislature overrode the governor's veto on health care sharing ministries plans, so people enrolled in these nonprofit plans to share medical costs will get a tax deduction. Thanks to @anna-writes.bsky.social for updating this story!

kansasreflector.com/2026/03/27/k...

Taiwanese diplomat affirms its U.S. ties, warns of Chinese pursuit for global dominance • Kansas Reflector Taiwan’s ambassador to the United States warned China is prepared to replace the U.S. as a leading global power.

“Their goal is to replace you as a preeminent power in the world,” said Ambassador Alexander Tah-ray Yui, speculating on China's global ambitions during a speech in Kansas.
kansasreflector.com/2026/03/26/t...

Fierce blowback to parole decision in 1978 murder case could uproot Kansas’ system • Kansas Reflector Jimmie Nelms was caught on a dead-end road.He rammed his 1973 white Mercury Marquis through a metal gate and a wire fence into a pasture, then head-on into a Kansas Highway Patrol car that had been ta...

Fierce blowback to parole decision in 1978 murder case could uproot Kansas’ system | via @anna-writes.bsky.social #ksleg

Kansas Legislature allows cities and counties to give no-bid contracts for projects up to $100K • Kansas Reflector Local Kansas governments could award pricier construction contracts to select businesses under a bill that seeks to raise the ceiling for mandatory public bidding processes.

The Kansas Legislature passed a bill allowing certain no-bid county construction projects #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansa...

Fierce blowback to parole decision in 1978 murder case could uproot Kansas’ system • Kansas Reflector Jimmie Nelms was caught on a dead-end road.He rammed his 1973 white Mercury Marquis through a metal gate and a wire fence into a pasture, then head-on into a Kansas Highway Patrol car that had been ta...

“People frequently say to the board, ‘I would hate to be the ones having to make these decisions.’ ‘I would hate to be in your shoes.’ Because with every decision comes criticism and dissatisfaction from someone.” #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/03/23/f...

Kansas high schoolers could be required to take American citizenship test to graduate • Kansas Reflector In what founding document does the phrase “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” appear? Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War? Why do U.S. representatives serve shorter terms th...

A bill that mandates teaching Kansas students about the dangers of communism, socialism and fascism, also requires high school freshmen to take a 100-question civics test inspired by the one taken during the American citizenship process in order to graduate.
kansasreflector.com/2026/03/18/k...

Students raise concerns over Kansas Senate bill that limits First Amendment right to protest • Kansas Reflector Kansas high school students worry their First Amendment rights could be violated under a new Senate bill, with many students saying they won’t be able to make their voices heard in school if protests ...

Students are standing up for their First Amendment rights.

kansasreflector.com/2026/03/16/s...

Kansas House, Senate trade blows on promised property tax relief • Kansas Reflector The Kansas House and Senate went tit-for-tat last week, rebuffing each other’s property tax relief proposals, which have been billed this legislative session as making good on old promises to alleviat...

The Kansas House and Senate went tit-for-tat last week, rebuffing each other’s property tax relief proposals #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/03/17/k...

Kansas City entrepreneur prioritizes passion, decency in campaign for U.S. Senate • Kansas Reflector A Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate said he realized how broken modern systems are when he began planning a total revamp of a fading shopping center in Kansas City, Kansas.

Erik Murray on the KR pod: “We are often divided between urban and rural, between rich and poor, between black and white. There are so many different ways that people try to divide us, but our core values, as Kansans, I believe, are largely aligned.” #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/03/16/k...

Kansas property tax system is akin to 'Titanic that's hit the iceberg,' lawmaker says • Kansas Reflector Kansas legislators’ lineup of property tax relief legislation could eviscerate state and local tax bases, but some see the proposals as course correction, making up for years of rising property taxes.

Sen. Mike Murphy said Kansas property taxes are like the sinking Titanic. “We can rearrange the deck chairs. We can ask the band director to play a little bit peppier song, but I don’t think it’s going to — we’re not going to be able to fix it,” he said. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/03/11/k...

Kansas tribe competes for ownership of former boarding school to cement Native perspectives • Kansas Reflector Kansas acquired land nearly a century ago that is home to some of the state’s oldest buildings, but the state now faces an ownership challenge from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, raising question...

A former Native American boarding school historical site represents "painful memories" as a tribe attempts to obtain ownership from the state of Kansas. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/03/09/k...

Kansas 'lemonade stand law' could boost kid businesses with tax, licensing exemptions • Kansas Reflector Melody Ellis started her first business at 4 years old, and while juggling an art business and an artisan lemonade stand, she said she is working on her third.

Kansas ‘lemonade stand law’ could boost kid businesses with tax breaks and licensing exemptions #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/03/06/k...

Former Kansas Supreme Court chief justice to retire March 28 • Kansas Reflector Kansas Supreme Court Justice Marla Luckert will retire later this month, an announcement from the court said.

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert saw the court through a pandemic, technology woes and a cyber attack, and her court issued landmark decisions on education funding, voting rights, abortion and the death penalty. She will retire this month. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/briefs/forme...

Kansas cell phone ban applying to both public and private schools clears House  • Kansas Reflector Cell phones are one step closer to disappearing from Kansas classrooms after the House passed a bill that would require a daytime device ban to public and private schools.

Social connection, phone addiction and parental choice came into play in an hours-long debate Monday that saw Republicans and Democrats crossing the aisle to ultimately support a bill that would apply to public and private schools. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/17/k...

Kansas Democratic governor plans to attend White House meeting • Kansas Reflector Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly plans to attend a business meeting at the White House next week, which comes after President Donald Trump flip-flopped on invitations and Democrats promised to boycott.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly plans to attend a business meeting at the White House next week, which comes after President Donald Trump flip-flopped on invitations and Democrats promised to boycott. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/13/k...

Kansas Senate passes bill scrutinizing free lunch families, dodging challenges from some Republicans • Kansas Reflector TOPEKA – A contingent of Kansas Republicans narrowly advanced a bill that would increase scrutiny of households that qualify for free and reduced lunch, but it fielded pushback from Democrats and fell...

One Kansas Republican said during a debate Wednesday that his colleagues were overreaching in their attempt to make schools ask for legislative approval to participate in a federal free meal program. #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/2026/02/12/k...

Trump confirms in a social media post Wednesday that he personally excluded Gov. Polis of Colorado and one other Dem governor from White House events around an upcoming National Governors Association meeting in DC. He ties the snub to Tina Peters' incarceration.

Kansas lawmakers debate right-wing activist’s legacy as Charlie Kirk day resolution advances • Kansas Reflector TOPEKA — Kansas Republicans preliminarily approved a symbolic resolution honoring the late conservative figure Charlie Kirk following an hourlong debate with Democrats on the House floor in a war of w...

Rep. Ford Carr, D-Wichita, inserted Malcolm X into a Charlie Kirk remembrance resolution, but Rs voted against it.

“I think that vote clearly represents the driving force behind this, and it has absolutely nothing to do with freedom of speech," he said. #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/2026/02/09/k...

Kansas Supreme Court justice champions solutions to rural attorney shortage • Kansas Reflector Kansas Supreme Court justices heard from judges around the state who were having difficulty appointing attorneys to criminal cases, where representation is a Constitutional guarantee.

Access to justice is a larger issue, said Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall, because even if attorney numbers improve in rural Kansas, not everyone can afford them. #ksleg
kansasreflector.com/2026/02/09/k...

Trans Kansans and allies use Statehouse restrooms in act of 'malicious compliance'  • Kansas Reflector For many trans Kansans and allied activists, Friday wasn’t their first time in the state Capitol building in Topeka.Years of commitment to the cause led to the day’s event, which organizers called a “...

Republican legislators don’t want men in women’s bathrooms and women in men’s bathrooms, said Jaelynn Abegg, a trans woman who organized what some called a "pee-in" at the Kansas Statehouse.

“So we’re going to give it to them,” she said.
#ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/06/t...

Federal judge denies Kansas officials’ attempt to toss challenge to ballot advocacy • Kansas Reflector A federal judge in Kansas declined to dismiss an advocacy organization’s lawsuit against Attorney General Kris Kobach and state ethics officials, who the judge said provided “neither good reason nor a...

Federal judge says Kansas officials provided “neither good reason nor any reason at all” for ask to dismiss lawsuit challenging foreign funding law. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/06/f...