WASHINGTON (AP) – A House panel has unveiled a $578.6 billion spending plan that includes a pay raise for military men and women, money to continue building the aircraft that protects ground troops and funds to fight terrorism.

A House appropriations subcommittee on defense will consider the measure tomorrow.

The bill covers the core defense budget plus $88.4 billion for a war-fighting fund that finances military operations in Afghanistan, the Mideast and elsewhere.

It also provides money for a 2.3 percent pay raise for military men and women. That’s a bigger bump than the 1.3 percent the White House requested. The measure also provides money to maintain 100 percent of troop housing costs, and guarantees the A-10 Warthog remains available to protect ground troops with close air support.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure to create a nationwide alert system to help catch anyone who hurts, kills or makes credible threats against police officers.

The new system would be similar to the Amber Alerts used to find abducted children.

The bill is named for New York City police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were shot in Brooklyn days before Christmas by a man who later killed himself. Families of the slain officers were on hand to see Obama sign the bill in the Oval Office.

Obama says it’s important for communities to do everything possible to ensure the safety of police officers. He says the alerts could help warn officers when there is an active threat against them.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The chairmen of the Kansas House and Senate budget committees don’t expect lawmakers to rethink the spending recommendations they’ve been developing.

Republican Sen. Ty Masterson of Andover and GOP Rep. Ron Ryckman Jr. of Olathe said Tuesday that they believe most details have been settled for the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Legislative researchers estimate that House and Senate budget negotiators are on track to draft a budget that requires about $6.4 billion in state tax revenues. Spending financed with those tax dollars would grow about 3 percent.

Lawmakers then would have to raise taxes $406 million to balance the budget.

Masterson said budget negotiators may trim their spending proposals between $20 million and $30 million. Ryckman said he sees only minor tweaks coming.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a compromise on regulations that ride-hailing company Uber says will allow it to stay in the state.

The Senate passed the legislation 37-0 on Tuesday after the House approved it 119-3 earlier in the day.

Uber announced in early May that it had ceased operations in Kansas after the Legislature overrode the governor’s veto on regulations the company opposed.

Under the new measure, Uber and other ride-hailing companies could do private background checks on their subcontracted drivers under the bill. But they could face lawsuits from the attorney general if drivers were found to be operating with a criminal background.

The compromise will now go to the governor. Republican Sen. Jeff Longbine says he believes the governor will sign it.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a compromise on regulations that ride-hailing company Uber has said would allow it to stay in the state.

The House passed the legislation in a 119-3 vote Tuesday.

Uber announced in early May that it had ceased operations in Kansas after the Legislature overrode the governor’s veto on regulations the company opposed.

Under the new measure, Uber and other ride-hailing companies could do private background checks on their subcontracted drivers under the bill. But they could face lawsuits from the attorney general if drivers were found to be operating with a criminal background.

Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce says he expects the Senate will vote on the measure later Tuesday. That would send the compromise to the governor to sign.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state has temporarily taken over a Topeka nursing home after its owners couldn’t make payroll and no one else stepped forward to run it.

Officials with the Kansas Department on Aging and Disability Services met Monday with residents of the Washburn Community Care Center and their families. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the 26 residents have 60 days to relocate.

Agency official Joe Ewert said the state intervened after the operator, Deseret Health Group, said it was financially insolvent and couldn’t make payroll. He said a new operator agreed to take over a Deseret facility in Wichita.

Attempts to reach officials at the company’s Utah headquarters were unsuccessful Tuesday. Telephone calls went unanswered. Besides the Utah and Kansas facilities, Desert also operated in Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming.

DODGE CITY -After much discussion and a 6-5 vote, the Kansas State fair Board approved implementing some type of smoking restrictions at the fair grounds starting in 2016.

General Manager Denny Stoecklein said the board had a very long discussion about the pros and cons of such restrictions.

Eventually it was narrowly approved that in two years there will be smoking in designated areas only.

The board will discuss where and how that plan will be implemented in the future.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the board also approved the development of a master plan for renovations to the fair grounds.

Several buildings on the fair grounds are in need of either replacing or repair.

No timeline was given for when the Master plans would be in place.

KHI News

The March of Dimes Greater Kansas Chapter, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Amerigroup Foundation, recently launched a “Becoming a Mom” website portal designed to increase access to prenatal education for Kansas women.

It is part of the “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait” initiative, focused on clinical care collaboration and prenatal care education.

As part of that initiative, the “Becoming a Mom” program increases access to quality prenatal care in high-risk populations. It is designed to improve birth outcomes for low-income women and to address birth disparities among some racial and ethnic populations.

KDHE has expanded the “Becoming a Mom” program to additional Kansas communities through a new $20,000 grant from Amerigroup Foundation.

Kansas counties currently implementing the “Becoming a Mom” program are Saline, Geary, Riley, Pottawatomie, Crawford, Wyandotte, Reno and Lyon. “

One in nine babies in Kansas is born prematurely. A recent Kansas Department of Health and Environment report outlining premature birth rates in the state has highlighted specific, at-risk populations,” said Jennifer Robinson, state director of communications for the Kansas March of Dimes.

“The March of Dimes mission is to give all Kansas babies a stronger, healthier start in life. We have made great strides in reducing the premature birth rate, but there is still work to be done.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill designed to revive a dog and horse racing park in Kansas City, Kansas, with slot machines has stalled in the Kansas House.

Speaker Ray Merrick assigned the measure to the House Calendar and Printing Committee after the Senate approved it last week.

Committee Chairman and House Majority Leader Jene Vickrey said Tuesday that he’s not sure the panel will meet again this year.

The bill would help The Woodlands in Kansas City, Kansas. It closed in 2008.

A 2007 law allowed slots at dog and horse tracks but said the state would claim 40 percent of the net revenues. Track owners have said the state’s share is too high for slots to be profitable.

The bill would decrease the state’s share to 22 percent for The Woodlands.