(AP) – A Topeka man with a prior drug conviction is going to federal prison 30 years for trafficking in methamphetamine.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says 31-year-old James Justin Woods was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Topeka.

A U.S. District Court jury convicted Woods in December of one count each of conspiracy and distributing methamphetamine. He also had a 2004 felony conviction in state court for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute.

Prosecutors said Woods was part a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Topeka area from December 2010 to June 2011 in the Topeka area.

Investigators monitored Woods with intercepted phone calls and other surveillance techniques as he set up meetings with buyers and sold drugs for money.

Topeka – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed 31 bills into law Tuesday, bringing the total number of bills signed by the governor during the 2013 Legislative Session to 107. He also has vetoed one bill.

· SB 23 makes a number of changes related to school finance and reporting, continuing the statewide 20 mill levy for K-12 school finance and modifing reporting requirements in the Kansas Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Act.

· SB 16 creates the Kansas Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (Kansas RICO Act) and amends the criminal street gangs definitions statute.

· Sub. for SB 57 creates new law regarding penalties and testing for chronic wasting disease and amends laws regarding the National Poultry Improvement Plan and possessing domesticated deer.

· House Sub. for SB 83 amends state tax policy, including clarifying state tax policies enacted 2012 and reduces property tax assessment on watercraft from 30% to 11.5% beginning in tax year 2014.

· SB 88 increases the Children’s Advocacy Center Fund fee paid by defendants convicted of certain crimes involving child victims from $100 to $400.

· SB 96 allows a county with multiple vehicle registration facilities to charge a fee for each vehicle registration or renewal in an amount not to exceed $5.

· SB 102 establishes the Second Amendment Protection Act.

· SB 111 designates the first Wednesday of February as “Native American Legislative Day at the Capitol” and changes the title of “American Indian Day” to “Native American Day,” which continues to be recognized on the fourth Saturday of September.

· SB 122 makes it illegal to disclose the name of a voter who has cast a provisional or regular ballot, except as ordered by a court in an election contest.

· SB 124 amends the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act.

· SB 129 removes the residential mortgage interest rate floating cap and provides a rate that could not exceed 15.0 percent per annum, unless otherwise specifically authorized by law.

· SB 149 authorizes drug screening of applicants or recipients of cash assistance programs or employment security benefits whenever there is a reasonable suspicion the person is using a controlled substance and provides persons who test positive access to substance abuse treatment program and a job skills program.

· SB 164 allows the Kansas Department of Revenue to contract out motor vehicle services such as issuing certificates of title, driver’s licenses and division-issued identification cards as well as collecting personal property taxes.

· SB 168 amends law relating to the protection of farmland and agricultural activities from certain nuisance actions.

· SB 187 amends workers compensation laws including replaces the Workers Compensation Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Nominating and Review Committee and the Workers Compensation Board Nominating Committee with a new entity named the Workers Compensation and Employment Security Boards Nominating Committee.

· S Sub for HB 2011 authorizes higher educational institution license plates for motorcycles that are available for passenger vehicles and small trucks.

· Sub HB 2017 amends provisions of the Kansas Code of Criminal Procedure concerning appeals of municipal court and district magistrate judgments, search warrants, and reporting of pornographic materials seized or documented as evidence.

· HB 2025 renames the Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services as the Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee, increases committee membership and expands the committee’s scope, including oversight of KanCare.

· HB 2033 uniforms state law for knives, including prohibiting local governments from regulating them and allowing carrying specific types of pocket knives and switchblade knives.

· Senate Sub. for HB 2043 clarifies that the Attorney General represents the State in “any and all” actions in the Kansas Supreme Court, Kansas Court of Appeals, and in all federal courts in which the state is interested or a party.

· HB 2069 prohibits cities, counties, and local government units from using ordinances, resolutions, or law to require private employers to provide leave, benefits and higher compensation.

· HB 2078 enacts new law and amends existing requirements for licensing bodies and licensure for military service members, and amends prior law regarding military experience for the licensing of practical nurses and emergency medical technicians.

· HB 2093 amends the law concerning crimes and criminal procedure, on topics including DNA testing, felony murder, computer crimes, and identity theft and identity fraud.

· Sub. for HB 2105 revises provisions of employment security laws pertaining to contributions paid by employers, eligibility for unemployment benefits, and the administration of the unemployment system by the Kansas Department of Labor.

· HB 2107 creates the Electronic Notice and Document Act; amends a provision in the Insurance Code requiring notification to policyholders of adverse underwriting decisions and refunds, increases the maximum lifetime benefit for individuals in the State High Risk Pool, amends existing law regarding dividends for mutual insurance companies organized to provide health care provider liability insurance, and enacts the Mandate Lite Health Benefit Plan Act.

· HB 2109 creates the Children’s Internet Protection Act, requiring technology protection measures be implemented and enforced at both the school district and public library levels.

· HB 2128 provides that a public agency is not required to disclose records of a utility concerning information about cyber security threats, attacks, or general attempts to attack utility operations.

· HB 2139 abolishes the Canceled Warrants Payment Fund and transfers all balances accrued from unpaid canceled warrants to the State General Fund and deletes the five-year limitation for taxpayers to claim funds from a canceled State check.

· Senate Sub. for HB 2150 revises the size and responsibilities for the Kansas Employment First Oversight Commission.

· HB 2164 reforms state grand jury law.

· HB 2349 requires the Legislative Division of Post Audit to conduct three school district efficiency audits each fiscal year.

(AP) – A former McPherson College football player has been acquitted in last fall’s death of a player from a rival school.

A jury deliberated less than two hours Tuesday before finding 20-year-old Alton Franklin not guilty of second-degree murder. Franklin was quickly freed from the McPherson County jail, where he’d been held since September.

Franklin was accused of beating 26-year-old Tabor College defensive lineman Brandon Brown, who was found unconscious outside a party in McPherson last Sept. 16. Brown died six days later from blunt-force head trauma, with alcohol poisoning as a contributing factor.

Two witnesses testified they saw Franklin hit Brown. But the defense said there was no evidence that Franklin had struck anyone.

Franklin’s co-defendant, former McPherson player DeQuinte Flournoy, pleaded no contest earlier to aggravated battery.