Kansas Politics & News
Kansas politics from The Daily Signal, featuring coverage of state legislation, education policy, fiscal conservatism, and the Sunflower State’s tradition of limited government principles.
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EXCLUSIVE: University of Kansas Might Be Circumventing Anti-DEI Law
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A medical watchdog thinks the University of Kansas’ medical school is engaging in “zombie DEI” initiatives, even though diversity, equity, and inclusion projects are banned by state and federal law. “Rebranding DEI as ‘health equity’ or other such terms is a clear effort to skirt state law in the name of…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor to Stop ‘Sex-Change’ Treatments on Children
The Kansas Legislature moved to outlaw “transgender” medical interventions for minors when it voted to override Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the Help Not Harm Act on Feb. 18. The Republican-led House voted 85-34 along party lines to override the governor’s veto, and the Senate sent the bill through 31-9, also along party…Moira Gleason -
Kansas Universities Spent $45 Million on DEI. Lawmakers Want to Know What They Paid For.
Kansas university officials have spent millions of dollars on diversity, equity, and inclusion, in what appears to be just a jobs program for DEI staff. A state auditor could not determine what DEI means at state universities or what DEI programs produce, and Kansas lawmakers made a proactive decision to reinforce civil rights laws and…Jonathan Butcher -
Missouri, Kansas Lawsuits Remind Biden That Student Loans Remain Congress’ Prerogative
In a lawsuit filed on Monday, Missouri invites the federal courts to recognize that President Joe Biden’s preoccupation with canceling student loans is part of a pattern. Like Biden’s effort to impose an eviction moratorium and a vaccine mandate, and his efforts to alter the composition of the nation’s population and its power supply, Biden’s…Jack Fitzhenry -
Flipping Kansas Blue? Governor Struck Deal With Left-Wing Groups Likely to Drive Up Democrat Vote
Well before President Joe Biden’s executive order pushing federal agencies to meddle in elections, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly worked with the group that orchestrated the president’s strategy. Kelly, a Democrat, began negotiating a deal in 2019 with New York-based liberal advocacy group Demos. A year later, in December 2020, Devos would draft the parameters of…Fred Lucas -
Kansas Legal Battle Gets to the Heart of How Transgenderism Aims to Redefine Reality
In the lead-up to the Civil War, pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers rushed to Kansas to determine whether the Sunflower State would enshrine the "peculiar institution," releasing a bloodletting that foreshadowed the larger war to come. This year, Kansas finds itself in the middle of a similarly ideological battle, a focal point in a debate about…Tyler O’Neil -
Kansas Law School Silent After Diversity Committee Demonizes Christian Law Firm, Spurring Top State Judge to Resign
A justice on the Kansas Supreme Court resigned from his teaching position at the University of Kansas School of Law after an administrator tried to convince students to cancel an event featuring a senior lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and a school diversity committee condemned that Christian legal organization as a purveyor of "hate…Tyler O’Neil -
Kansas Voters Reject Removing ‘Right’ to Abortion From State Constitution
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—The voters of Kansas have decided: Their state constitution does provide a right to abortion. “It’s a great day for Kansans,” state Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Democrat, told The Daily Signal after voters rejected a pro-life ballot question in results late Tuesday night. “I think we just need everyone who was…Virginia Allen -
Is Kansas a Pro-Life or Pro-Choice State? Voters Will Decide
Kansans are headed to the polls Tuesday to decide how their state will address the issue of abortion. Voters are asked to vote yes or no on an amendment to the Kansas Constitution, known as Value Them Both, that says no “right to abortion” exists in the state. “The Value Them Both amendment has…Virginia Allen -
Kansas Town Reverses Decision, Will Keep ‘In God We Trust’ on Police Cars
The small city of Haven, Kansas, was bustling Monday evening as residents and journalists gathered for a City Council meeting. On May 3, council members hastily voted to remove the “In God We Trust” decals from police vehicles. But the residents responded to this move with great resistance. Mayor Adam Wright said he received more than 100 emails from…Family Research Council -
City in Kansas to Remove ‘In God We Trust’ From Police Cars
Last week, during a City Council meeting in Haven, Kansas, council members voted on removing the “In God We Trust” decals from police vehicles. Council member Sandra Williams introduced the measure by emphasizing that she did not think the police department was the proper forum to be talking about God. After a brief discussion, Williams made a…Family Research Council -
Add Kansas to the Growing List of States Banning Sanctuary Cities
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a bill prohibiting cities and counties from enacting “sanctuary” policies or ordinances for illegal aliens. Considering the deadly and destructive outcomes we constantly see in sanctuary cities, now is the time for other states to join Kansas. And the fact that Kansas isn’t a border state shows how deeply…Erin Dwinell -
Kansas Weighs Protecting Rights of Children, Families in Education
Special-interest groups don’t want parents to know when a student in Kansas public schools “identifies as” a gender not aligned with his or her biological sex. And school officials are prepared to keep this information from families, even when it involves children who are minors. Now, Kansas lawmakers are considering a proposal to create a…Jonathan Butcher -
Judge Blocks Kansas From Limiting Attendance at Religious Services
A federal judge blocked Kansas from limiting attendance at religious services during the coronavirus pandemic Saturday. Wichita U.S. District Judge John Broomes blocked an order from Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, limiting attendance at religious services to 10 people or fewer. Broomes’ ruling prevents Kelly’s enforcement of the order as long as pastors and congregations observe…Mary Margaret Olohan -
University of Kansas Flies Defaced Flag in the Name of Art
The University of Kansas flew a defaced American flag in the name of art, according to students on Tuesday. Ian Ballinger, a student at the university, found the flag outside Spooner Hall on Tuesday. After talking to school administrators, he discovered the flag was first installed on July 4. “Frankly, I think it is an…Neetu Chandak -
Judge Strikes Down Kansas ‘Show Me Your Papers’ Voter ID Law
A federal judge in Kansas City struck down a state law Monday requiring Kansas voters to show proof of citizenship before casting ballots. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson, a George W. Bush appointee, found the statute unlawfully burdens ballot access for eligible voters, in violation of the National Voter Registration Act and the Constitution. “The court determines…Kevin Daley -
Kansas Republicans Are Standing Up to Transgender Lies, Protecting Kids From Harm
In 1856, a new political party held its convention in Philadelphia. They called themselves “Republicans.” As violent skirmishes in “bleeding Kansas” foreshadowed civil war, the delegates took their stand, resolving that “it is both the right and the imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the territories those twin relics of barbarism—polygamy, and slavery.” This…Eric Teetsel -
Kansas Republican’s Narrow Win Serves as Warning for GOP
Republican Ron Estes won a seat in Kansas’ 4th District on Tuesday that was vacated when President Donald Trump appointed Rep. Mike Pompeo to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Estes will takes the seat Pompeo held in the House of Representatives since 2011 before joining the CIA in January. Estes, Kansas’ state…Rachel del Guidice -
Kansas Almost Voted to Expand Medicaid. What Other States Should Learn From This Near-Mistake.
To expand Medicaid or to not expand Medicaid? That’s still the question facing lawmakers in Kansas and 18 other states. Though the Kansas Legislature voted for expansion last week, Gov. Sam Brownback promptly vetoed the measure. Legislators then tried to override the veto early this week, but fell three votes short of the two-thirds threshold…Drew Gonshorowski -
Kansas City Bombing Scheme Becomes First Terror Plot of 2017
The FBI arrested Robert Lorenzo Hester on Feb. 17 and charged him with planning bombings in Kansas City, Missouri. The FBI said Hester, of Columbia, Missouri, plotted with undercover agents to use pipe bombs, some fitted with nails for maximum damage, to attack a train station and nearby buses. This was the 94th confirmed Islamist-inspired terror…Riley Walters