Takeaways: Kansas lawmakers may have the votes to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. A bill failed last year when a handful of Republicans voted against their party. This year’s bill is different, but it has the same goal.  Conservative Kansas lawmakers couldn’t ban gender-affirming care for transgender children last year after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill and Republicans fell short on an override vote. This year, they’ve passed a more restrictive ban and run into another veto from Kelly. Yet a veto override that would outlaw puberty blockers, hormone tre ..read more

Takeaways: State motor fuel tax revenue has dropped by 27% in Kansas since 2002 because of increasing fuel efficiency of cars, giving the state less money for street repairs. States are experimenting with different ways of collecting taxes from fuel-efficient cars and electric vehicles, such as road-usage charges and extra registration fees. Wichita is gaining more lane miles of roads and highways, funded by the federal government. That makes it more expensive for the state and local governments to repair roads and potholes. The signs of springtime are among us: The smell of new flowers ..read more

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter has strong opinions about how the county should spend the windfall it expects from legal settlements with opioid makers, distributors and retailers. “It has to be spent,” he said, “for recovery, rehab, that type of stuff.” Law enforcement, Easter said, should not be getting any of it. As local governments across the country begin spending millions in payouts from the opioid settlements, that’s the choice they  face. Should they allocate more money to help police and sheriff’s departments track down drugs in an attempt to choke off the supply? Or should ..read more

Union nurses ratified contracts with two Wichita hospitals this week, averting a third strike in less than a year and beating the odds against new unions getting first-time contracts at all. Nearly 1,000 registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi’s St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals voted to ratify two-year contracts. The union said the deals include safer staffing levels, improved safety for patients and a bump in pay for nurses. The union said the contract will give nurses an average salary increase of 14%, with some getting a raise of more than 50%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reporte ..read more

Takeaways: Kansas Republicans have a supermajority and could override every veto on a party line vote Not every bill has a clear chance to become law Bills that survive a veto override will likely do so by a few votes  Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of bills that would restrict gender-affirming care for children and abortion rights are setting up override votes that will test the unity of conservatives in the Legislature.  One part of the Kansas legislative session ended in the early morning hours of April 6. Legislators take a break of a few weeks so the governor can veto bills or s ..read more

Takeaways: Judge Marilyn Wilder made a rare ruling based on the conclusion a child’s bond with a foster family outweighed expert opinion in an adoption case.  The child’s biological grandmother contends that private foster care agencies and courts lack supervision, worsened by chronic communication breakdowns.  Public officials have limited control over foster care contractors because of their status as non-state employees. Mindy Mathes was thrilled when a foster agency picked her and her husband to adopt their granddaughter. The girl had been weathering the chaos of the Kansas ..read more

Takeaways:  State lawmakers passed dozens of bills in the final weeks of session.  Kansas lawmakers passed another tax cut, a top priority for the Republican-controlled Legislature.   Some bills are likely to be vetoed, setting up veto fights in the upcoming weeks.   Kansas lawmakers approved new tax cuts, bans on gender-affirming cares and some new crimes this year.  The Republican-controlled Legislature can expect Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to veto some of the most controversial bills, setting up override votes.  Legislators finished the regular ..read more

If Kansas bans gender-affirming care for minors, Kansas City families with transgender children will be hundreds of miles from a doctor who could help them. Kansas lawmakers stand poised to follow a conservative playbook that 24 states, including Missouri, already have used to outlaw treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The Kansas Legislature passed a bill last week that would ban gender care for people younger than 18 and bar transgender youth already receiving treatment from continuing  it in the state. Gov. Laura Kelly is expected to veto the legislation, but an overr ..read more

Boeing wants a reunion with a corporate relative that’s drifted away. Spirit AeroSystems, once a Boeing subsidiary, split off from the aircraft manufacturing behemoth nearly 20 years ago. But they’ve continued to partner and now find their fates and reputations intertwined over the safety of a flagship jetliner they built together. Pressure to reexamine their relationship came to a head in January after a door plug blew out midflight on a Boeing 737 Max jetliner. The door plug was missing bolts, but a preliminary report didn’t determine whether Spirit or Boeing was responsible. Boeing announc ..read more

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