Gannon Explained
On Friday, March 7, the Supreme Court of Kansas returned a ruling on Luke Gannon v. State of Kansas, the school finance ruling we've been waiting on all session. At stake was the funding of public schools in Kansas. The decision handed down was variously described as "nuanced," and "complicated," and if you've read all 110 pages, you probably agree. To make matters worse, parties from both sides crowed about this being a great decision for, variously, education, students, and the State.
So, what really happened? What does the decision really say?
Well, you know, it's nuanced. And complicated.
Here are the basics.
Read moreACTION ALERT! Education under assault
ACTION ALERT: Two Bills/One Phone Call to Senate Ways and Means Committee.
- Call Dee Heideman, Committee Assistant at
- 785-296-3775 and ask that your voice be shared with the committee chair:
- Oppose SB305 and
- Support SB277
Legislative Update
Week seven in the Kansas legislature marks the end of – turnaround week – round one of a process that essentially determines which bills will be considered for the remainder of the session. Among the bills that did not survive this 2014 session are the: anti-fluoridated water HB2372, surrogacy ban SB302, ban on city provision of broadband SB304, and ban on the incompatibility divorce clause HB2604.
Your calls, emails and activity on social media HAVE made a difference – if not eliminating problematic bills, at least softening or slowing some down.
Unfortunately, some productive bills and amendments did not make it out of committee, but we applaud those legislative efforts, such as the bills Requiring Court of Appeals Applicant Information Made Public (SB252) and the Kansas Protection against Voter Suppression (SB253/HB2428).
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Week five in the Kansas legislature closes the door for individual representatives to introduce bills in all but about a dozen committees. This lessens the opportunity for an individual’s extreme personal agenda but allows for the continued flow of irresponsible legislation through select committees. This Legislative Update begins with a brief overview of current happenings.
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A significant portion of the bills through this third week of the 2014 Kansas legislative session can be characterized as extreme or fiscally irresponsible. This Legislative Update starts with the Religious Freedom Marriage bill, coming up for a committee vote this Tues, Feb 4. Click on the Act Now button to send an email and weigh in on the issue.
Read moreLegislative Update
- insights on State of the State
- short-list of issues we will be watching this session
- legislative committee activity