TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature (all times local):
4:20 a.m.
The Kansas Legislature is out of session until June 1, and its leaders hope lawmakers have finished their business for the year.
The House adjourned shortly after 1 a.m. Monday, and the Senate followed at about 3:30 a.m. Their session June 1 is supposed to be only a brief adjournment ceremony.
But the Kansas Supreme Court is reviewing changes lawmakers made in March to how the state distributes more than $4 billion a year in aid to its 286 school districts.
The court said in February that Kansas was shorting poor districts on aid and ordered a fix by June 30. The justices hear arguments about the Legislature’s work on May 10.
Lawmakers have extra time: They’ve been in session only 73 days out of the normal 90 scheduled.
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3:30 a.m.
Kansas legislators have approved a plan for balancing the state budget that gives Republican Gov. Sam Brownback broad discretion to make spending cuts.
The Senate approved the measure on a 22-18 vote early Monday morning. The measure initially was failing, but several GOP senators switched their votes. The House approved the plan earlier Monday morning, 63-59.
The state faces projected shortfalls totaling more than $290 million in its current budget and in the one for the next fiscal year beginning July 1.
The plan assumes Brownback follows through on plans to cut higher education spending and delay major highway projects.
Brownback also would have to make up to $92 million in as-yet-unspecified spending cuts during the next fiscal year but would be barred from touching aid to public schools.
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Kansas legislators have approved a bill aimed at changing welfare policies and reducing prescription costs within the state’s Medicaid program.
The Senate approved the measure early Monday morning on a 27-13 vote after the House passed it Sunday night, 79-43. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
GOP leaders saw the measure as crucial to resolving budget issues because it would reduce the state’s costs in providing health coverage to poor and disabled residents by nearly $11 million a year.
It would allow Medicaid to use so-called step therapy with prescriptions and require participants to try a less expensive drug before being allowed to get a more expensive one.
The measure also would reduce the lifetime limit for cash assistance to 24 months from 36 months.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a woman has been stabbed to death in Wichita during a parking spot dispute.
KSNW-TV reports that the stabbing happened Saturday night in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
Wichita Police Sgt. Brian Sigman says the 23-year-old victim was sitting in a car with four other women with the driver’s door open. Another driver wanted her to close the door so he could pull into an adjacent parking space and is accused of stabbing her when she refused. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Sgt. Joe Kennedy says another woman received treatment after she was stabbed in the arm.
The suspect has been booked into jail. Kennedy says he had injuries from the fight.
HUTCHINSON -A Kansas man wanted by police and arrested on a warrant but also faces new charges was ordered to prison on Friday.
Jeremy Frischenmeyer, 34, Hutchinson was wanted on the warrant for violating his community corrections on a conviction involving felony drug charges.
Judge Trish Rose ordered the three year and four month sentence served, according to Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell.
But, Frischenmeyer has other charges pending.
In one case, he is charged with felony interference with law enforcement. The state alleges that he resisted or opposed officer Dustin Green, who attempted to serve the warrants.
They allege in mid March, he refused to come out of a house and fled from officers.
The other case filed is for a charge of felony flee and elude with five or more moving violations.
The state alleges that on March 14, he fled officers or attempted to elude them when given a visual or audible signal to halt.
Law enforcement authorities located and arrested him at a home in the 500 Block of East C Avenue on April 1, according to Hutchinson Police.
The two cases are pending a preliminary hearing.
Frischenmeyer was also arrested for warrants in Saline and Gray Counties.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators tackled issued that included abortion and preventing cities and counties from regulating artery-clogging restaurant meals or sugary snacks as the worked on balancing the state’s next budget.
Legislators passed and sent Gov. Sam Brownback multiple other measures Sunday before adjourning early Monday morning.
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ANTI-ABORTION MEASURES
Two anti-abortion proposals won approval from legislators. They’re likely to become law: Brownback is a strong abortion opponent who has signed every piece of anti-abortion legislation sent to him since he took office in January 2011.
One measure approved Sunday night explicitly prohibits midwives from performing abortions or administering abortion-inducing drugs. The proposal was part of a comprehensive health care regulation bill that included new rules for acupuncture.
The Senate’s vote was 40-0, and the House passed it, 115-7.
The other measure makes permanent an annual budget policy in place since 2011 that prevents the state from providing federal family planning dollars to Planned Parenthood. The funds are used to cover the costs of non-abortion services for poor patients.
The votes on the bill were 87-34 in the House and 32-8 in the House.
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LOCAL CONTROL?
Kansas legislators are trying to prevent cities in counties from regulating work schedules at private businesses and popular but unhealthy foods.
The votes on a bill limiting local officials’ power were 32-6 in the Senate and 76-45 in the House.
The bill also would block cities and counties from imposing food labeling requirements or limiting the sale of food products.
The measure would prohibit cities and counties from setting regulations that affect the schedules of workers for private employers unless the restrictions are required by federal law. The measure would void existing local rules.
Business groups argued that such policies should be consistent statewide. Critics said lawmakers shouldn’t attack cites’ and counties’ control over local affairs.
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BIOSCIENCE AUTHORITY
Kansas legislators authorized selling off the assets of the Kansas Bioscience Authority a dozen years after creating it to nurture emerging biotechnology companies.
A bill allowing the sale passed the Senate unanimously and the House, 89-32. Brownback pushed for the sale.
The bill was a key companion to the budget-balancing plan because Brownback believes the sale will raise $25 million.
When lawmakers established the authority in 2004, they viewed its creation as a major economic development initiative.
But Brownback and some lawmakers thought it ultimately had only a mixed record. They also argued its activities could be better handled by private companies.
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HIGHWAY PATROL HELPED
Kansas legislators approved an increase in vehicle registration fees to provide extra funds for the state Highway Patrol to hire additional troopers.
The votes on the bills were 92-27 in the House and 36-4 in the Senate.
The bill also includes another fee increase to provide additional funds for a center in Hutchinson that trains law enforcement officers.
Vehicle registration fees would increase a total of $3.25. Most vehicle owners now pay $35.
A $2 increase would raise $5.4 million a year for the patrol so it could hire an additional 75 troopers. Thirty-five of the state’s 105 counties have no assigned trooper.
An additional $1.25 fee increase would raise $3.4 million annually for the training center.
Kansas Senate District map Google image via Kansas Bar Association (Click to Enlarge)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Six years before it has to be done, state and federal officials are already talking about redistricting of congressional and legislative districts.
The new maps for political districts aren’t due in Kansas until 2022. But officials from the U.S. Census Bureau met with the state Legislature’s research department last week to discuss the process they’ll use. They also were getting familiar with data and computer software that will be used for redistricting.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the next census will be in 2020 and states have two years after that to draw new political maps.
Michael Ratcliff, an official with the census bureau, says the federal government wants to get geographic information and software to states as early as possible to help state officials begin planning.
SEATTLE (AP) — Eric Hosmer homered, Ian Kennedy took a shutout into the sixth inning, and the Kansas City Royals ended a long scoreless streak and a five-game skid with a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
Lorenzo Cain had an RBI single and scored a run, Alex Escobar had three hits and also scored for the Royals, who had been shut out in the first two games of this series.
Kennedy gave up four hits and struck out six in five-plus innings. He loading the bases in the sixth on two singles and a walk. Danny Duffy got two quick outs before Chris Iannetta hit a run-scoring single. However, Jarrod Dyson easily threw out Robinson Cano at home trying to score a second run.
Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Taijuan Walker (2-1) gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings for Seattle.
JEFFERSON COUNTY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 4:30 p.m. on Sunday in Jefferson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford passenger car driven by William N. Willits, 46, Lawrence, was northbound on Wellman Road four miles southwest of McLouth.
The vehicle hit a bicycle ridden by Frank L. Dorsey, 46, Lawrence, and left the scene.
Dorsey was transported to Stormont Vail.
Willits was not injured.
No additional details were released. The accident remains under investigation.
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate an advertising technique that uses mobile phone data to learn about people who pass by billboards.
An outdoor advertising company, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, says it works with partner companies to match aggregated location data. It can then cater ads to specific consumers based on the demographics of passers-by and determine if the people eventually end up at the advertiser’s stores.
The company uses aggregated data from partners, including AT&T. It says individual consumers cannot be identified.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, wants the FTC to investigate whether it is a deceptive trade practice because he says most people don’t realize their location data is being monitored.
Neither Clear Channel nor the FTC immediately responded to requests for comment.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence school officials say it’s unlikely the district will ban displays of the Confederate flag.
An advisory committee told students seeking the ban that broadening the district’s existing discrimination and harassment policy to include symbols would accomplish the same goal as banning the flag.
Some students began asking for the ban after a student flew a Confederate flag from his pickup truck on school grounds in January.
The Lawrence Journal World reports the committee members say broadening the current discrimination policy would also reduce the risk of the school district being sued by students claiming their free speech rights were being violated.
The discrimination policy currently bans written, verbal or physical discrimination and harassment.
The advisory committee will meet again Tuesday to begin drafting a new policy.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Texas man accused of helping a lottery computer manager in Iowa collect jackpots from rigged lottery games has given up an extradition fight to face charges in Iowa.
Assistant Iowa Attorney General Rob Sand says Robert Rhodes, of Sugar Land, Texas, reported to the Polk County jail Thursday to face lottery fraud charges filed last year. Rhodes was booked and released on bond.
He’s a friend of former Multi-State Lottery Association technology manager Eddie Tipton, convicted last year for manipulating Iowa Hot Lotto computers. Prosecutors allege Rhodes helped Tipton attempt to redeem the winning ticket.
Prosecutors say Tipton used his access to random number generators to fix jackpots in Kansas, Colorado, Wisconsin and Oklahoma and worked with associates to play winning numbers and collect prizes.
A message was left Thursday seeking comment from Rhodes’ attorney.
Tipton is scheduled for trial in July on conspiracy charges for allegedly fixing other lottery games, including one in Wisconsin
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Court of Appeals says a hospital can deny unemployment benefits to a former employee who objected to receiving a flu vaccine.
The appeals panel affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing the case of Debra Rhodenbaugh, who had been an emergency department clerk at McPherson Hospital. In 2013, she objected to getting vaccinated after the hospital announced employees would be required to receive a flu vaccination.
She was later fired and applied for unemployment benefits, which the hospital fought, saying she wasn’t eligible.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the appeals panel said Rhodenbaugh had a duty to the hospital to either get the vaccination or meet the applicable exemptions. The ruling said Rhodenbaugh’s failure to comply amounted to job-related misconduct “and thus disqualified her for unemployment benefits.”
Global manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment AGCO has announced its best performing dealers for 2015, naming Hays-based Lang Diesel Inc. top five in overall sales out of all North American dealerships.
The Lang family founded LDI in 1988 and since has led the company to top ten rankings for the last 16 years, now in the fifth place spot.
“Winning this award is a direct result of the continuous hard work carried out by our team in the past year to improve our relationships with our customers,” said LDI President Brian Lang. “We have a very talented team who continues to bring passion and innovation to LDI on a daily basis. It is an honor to see their hard work recognized by our industry peers.”
Brian Lang and his son Brent, general manager, accepted the award at AGCO’s annual dealer meeting last month. They say watching LDI’s continued growth and serving an increasing number of customers across the state have been even more rewarding.
“We opened as a small Hays repair shop in 1988 and started offering AGCO’s Gleaner combines in 1993. By 1998, we were the top-selling Gleaner dealer in North America and have been ever since,” Brian said. “We now offer a full line of AGCO equipment and have expanded to 12 locations across Kansas to better serve our surrounding communities.”
While the family-owned business has grown to a large-scale level, LDI’s focus on quality and commitment is key to its foundation and vision for the future.
“Brian had a strong service minded background from the start,” Brent said. “Those principles that initially shaped the heart of his business are still a strong consideration in every part of our company.”
The Lang family plans to keep LDI’s growth moving into the future by expanding its reach and discovering ways to help even more people. LDI would like to thank customers for their continued support because without it, LDI’s success would not be possible.
“As we work to continue being a top AGCO dealer, our goal will always be to give customers the best experience possible,” Brian stated.