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POLITICS
Dodge City Daily Globe
6 Feb, 2019
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Recipient of no-bid IT contracts fails to meet deadline on Kansas tax processing system
The company awarded no-bid technology contracts by the Kansas Department of Revenue amid a push to privatize government operations failed in October to deliver functional software for processing tax returns and prompted the state to rely on existing older technology, the new department secretary said Tuesday.
Kansas Gas customers’ rates go up $2.40 monthly, on average

Kansas Gas Service residential customers will see their bills go up an average of $2.40 per month beginning in January after regulators approved a settlement agreement Tuesday.

House bill would raise phone fees 43 cents to pay for 911 upgrade in Kansas

A council overseeing 911 systems across the state says higher fees attached to phone bill are needed to support a critical upgrade to new technology.

Cancer survivors support raising tobacco use age limit to 21, expanding access to Kansas Medicaid

Stephanie Barr spoke from the heart about health reform Tuesday as a cancer survivor who was around cigarette smoke in her youth.

Kansas Senate advances plan to pay $115M to KPERS

The Senate on Monday advanced legislation to transfer $115 million to the state pension fund despite objections from Democrats who prefer to wait until other budget areas are considered.

Retiree coalition asks Kansas Legislature, governor for cost-of-living adjustment

A coalition of government retirees rallied for support Monday of a cost-of-living adjustment for participants in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

55 Kansas lawmakers sponsor bill to ban LGBT discrimination

A bill introduced Monday would ban discrimination in the private sector on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Kansas House legislation broadens reach of substance abuse treatment

The House's corrections committee voted to advance legislation Monday expanding a substance abuse treatment program to people convicted of felony distribution of controlled substances and to raise the felony threshold for a property crime.

Voting machine demo for Kansas county draws crowd of voters

It might look like a big black trash can, but in actuality it's a $5,700 machine to scan and tabulate paper ballots from 40-year-old voting machine manufacturer Election Systems and Software.

Capitol Insider podcast: Policymakers in ‘denial’ about depth of farm recession

Kansas Farmers Union president Donn Teske runs a cow-calf operation in Kansas where signs of financial trouble etch faces of men and women engaged from the ground up in the nation's food system.

Competing interests coming into play on Kansas sports wagering legislation

Tipoff of the battle for control of legalized sports betting in Kansas revealed an eagerness of casinos, bars, retailers and leagues for a piece of the action.

Kansas lawmakers learn pains for homes on the range

Kansas lawmakers interested in revitalizing rural communities across the state are gathering input about challenges faced in sparsely populated areas and what state government can do to help.

Kansas’ tax-supported debt mushrooms by 40 percent in past four years

Kansas state government's affinity for piling on public debt expanded by 40 percent during the past four years as lawmakers borrowed $1 billion to bolster an underfunded pension system and sold $400 million in bonds to pay for basic highway maintenance, state officials said.

Juvenile justice reformers request return of $6M diverted to Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Former state Sen. Greg Smith pleaded with a Senate budget committee for restoration of $6 million transferred to the state's health department from an account established to finance programs capable of reducing incarceration of juveniles.

Kansas A.G. appeals Shawnee County District Court decision stalling telemedicine abortion ban

Attorney General Derek Schmidt last week moved to appeal a district court judge's ruling on telemedicine abortions that intertwined three state laws enacted years apart and a pair of lawsuits filed by different plaintiffs.

Kansas tax revenue in January slips $100 million below collections one year ago

Gov. Laura Kelly and the administration's revenue secretary last week waved yellow flags to caution legislators against rushing to spend down the state

Sen. Anthony Hensley: Senate President Susan Wagle should take own advice, not squander surplus

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley last week suggested his Republican rival should follow her own advice.

Kansas House Democrat offers bill expanding background checks on private gun purchases

An Overland Park Democrat filed a bill in the Kansas House to require background checks on customers involved in private firearm purchases.

Group seeks shared parenting time in Kansas divorces

Advocates for family court reform are calling on lawmakers to pass a bill that would make equally shared parenting time the standard in divorce settlements.

Kansas corporations line up for majority of Senate panel’s $191 million in tax breaks

A special Senate committee voting on party lines last week passed a bill crafted by Republican lawmakers and corporate lobbyists to deliver an estimated $191 million in state income tax relief to businesses and individuals.

State of Kansas employees shift dramatically from classified to unclassified status

The state's workforce has seen noticeable changes in recent years, with the number of unclassified employees in the executive branch exceeding the number of classified employees in 2018.

Court orders Kansas elections officer to disclose records on dismissed ballots

A Johnson County District Court judge ruled last week in favor of a voting rights advocate seeking records about hundreds of ballots that were tossed in the August primary.

House panel endorses bill striking prosecution power of Kansas secretary of state

A House committee approved legislation last week to eliminate the Kansas secretary of state's authority to prosecute alleged election crime and refer evidence of potential crimes to county prosecutors or the attorney general.

Kansas Senate Democrats probe business savings in windfall tax reform

Democratic senators grilled proponents of corporate tax reform last week in a quest to unveil the names of companies that will benefit from proposed legislation and how much money is at stake.

Kansas Senate panel votes to pay $115 million debt owed to state pension system

The Kansas Senate's budget committee voted last week to earmark $115 million to make up for a missed payment three years ago to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

Bill inspired by high-speed chase in Topeka would remove liability for police

Legislation introduced by the Kansas League of Municipalities would strike from state law a requirement for police officers engaged in a high-speed chase to drive with regard for others' safety.

New Kansas corrections secretary says transfers, double-bunking factors in recent prison riots

The new secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections said last week questionable transfer of inmates among prison facilities and crowded living conditions fueled riots in 2017 and 2018, and he pointed to a design flaw at the private prison under construction at Lansing.

‘Don’t let hateful words define you’: Students rally for equality at Kansas Statehouse

One of the state's first two openly gay legislators told students gathered at an equality rally last week at the Statehouse to demand respect.