Kansas Legislature

The call for an outright ban departs from the agenda of Republican leaders in the Legislature and efforts by Kansans for Life.

Kansas Republicans are considering the removal of a three-day grace period for returning ballots by mail and creating runoff elections for statewide races. Democrats and voter turnout advocates say they are voter suppression efforts.

With Senate Bill 65, Kansas joins several states where abortion opponents want to give local governments the authority to restrict or ban abortion.

Water committee members are still taking in information about the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer, sedimentation crisis at the state’s reservoirs, and poor water quality in some areas of the state.

A landslide vote last year kept abortion legal in Kansas, but now the fight continues in the Statehouse — where abortion opponents have already introduced legislation that would further restrict access.

Kansas has more than $2 billion in budget surplus. The Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly may use the 2023 session to spar over how that money can be used through tax cuts and government spending, among other political issues.

Despite Democrats flipping three Kansas House seats in Johnson County — the state’s most populated area — Republican strength in rural communities remains as strong as ever. That gives rural lawmakers more say in important budget and policy-making discussions.

The road to even partial legalization of marijuana has been a long and rocky one. Last session, the Kansas House approved a medical marijuana bill, while a Senate proposal died in committee.

The proposed amendment failed by less than 10,000 votes in the initial ballot count. It would have allowed the Kansas Legislature to take away some policy-making capabilities from the governor's administration.

Supermajorities in the House and Senate mean Republicans have greater opportunity to block or impose laws on taxation, abortion, education, budgets, guns, medical or recreational marijuana and health care, including Kelly’s quest to expand eligibility for Medicaid.