Senate, House negotiators blend K-12 reform, $1 billion tax hike

Negotiators in the Kansas Legislature working on a new school-finance formula moved Sunday to finalize complexities of that court-ordered funding revamp and wedged a controversial $1 billion tax increase into the bill in hopes of bringing the session to an abrupt end. TOPEKA - Negotiators in the Kansas Legislature working on a new school-finance formula moved Sunday to finalize complexities of that court-ordered funding revamp and wedged a controversial $1 billion tax increase into the bill in hopes of bringing the session to an abrupt end.

Western Kansas program will help immigrants navigate driving exams

Kansas is launching a project to help immigrants in one meatpacking town get driver's licenses, by offering them free translators when they take their exams. Meatpacking plants, the largest employers in western Kansas, have drawn a diverse population to the region, but the state offers exams only in English or Spanish.

Kansas program to help immigrants navigate driving exams

In this Feb. 3, 2017, file photo, Ifrah Ahmed, left, and Mursal Naleye stand outside a new walk-in clinic in Garden City, Kan. Kansas is launching a project to help immigrants in the meatpacking town get driver's licenses by offering them free translators when they take their exams.

Ag Business Council Of KC, Agri-Pulse Announce Ag Outlook Forum

PULSE ANNOUNCE AG OUTLOOK FORUM May 22, 2017 Source: joint organization news release The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse Communications announce plans to present an Ag Outlook Forum on September 28th in Kansas City. This year has already proven to be very challenging for farmers, agribusiness and rural America.

Kansas House moves to cut food sales tax, abolish short list of exemptions

The Kansas House voted to alter an innocuous bill Friday with amendments deleting approximately $60 million in sales tax exemptions July 1 and putting in motion the process of slicing the state's sales tax on food by 1 cent on the dollar in 2020. TOPEKA - The Kansas House voted to alter an innocuous bill Friday with amendments deleting approximately $60 million in sales tax exemptions July 1 and putting in motion the process of slicing the state's sales tax on food by 1 cent on the dollar in 2020.

Republicans’ narrow win for Kansas seat emboldens Democrats

In this April 1, 2017 file photo, Republican GOP congressional candidate in the 4th district Ron Estes votes with his wife Susan Estes at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan. Republicans escaped a special House election in Kansas with a single-digit victory in a district where they have romped in the past, an early warning sign for the GOP at the start of Donald Trump's presidency.

Senate shoots down flat tax proposal with nearly unanimous – no’ vote

During Senate debate Thursday on a bill to turn Kansas into a flat-tax state, Sen. Tom Holland, D- Baldwin City, said said the flat tax would be nothing more than a policy win for Brownback, with no solutions for Kansas' budget. Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker speaking during debate on a bill to turn Kansas into a flat-tax state, described the proposal as the "closest thing I've seen to a fair tax code in the state of Kansas."

Flat tax proposal unpopular with think tanks, interest groups

Think tanks and interest groups across the political spectrum denounced a flat tax bill that failed in the Senate on Thursday and had been endorsed by Gov. Sam Brownback and Senate leaders. TOPEKA - Think tanks and interest groups across the political spectrum denounced a flat tax bill that failed in the Senate on Thursday and had been endorsed by Gov. Sam Brownback and Senate leaders.

Cuba Ventures Corp signs exclusive agreement with Tyrval for Cuba hotel industry sales

Cuba Ventures Corp. is pleased to announce that the company's CEO Steve Marshall has signed an exclusive agreement with Tyrval, a world supplier to the hotel and hospitality industry. Republican Senator for Kansas Jerry Moran introduces legislation to lift the Cuban embargo.

The Latest: 1 of 3 Texas wildfires 100 percent contained

Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closur... . Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shaylor and Linda Nimmo Monday, March 6, 2017, inside an evacuation center at the Kansa... .

Kansas tries to discern Washington’s direction on Medicaid

As the nation's governors wrapped a weekend of meetings with each other and President Donald Trump that included discussions about healthcare, Kansas is attempting to discern what direction Washington will go. A group of Republican governors is pushing a plan that would change Medicaid - which provides healthcare to poor, elderly and disabled individuals - from an open-ended federal entitlement to a program designed by each state within a financial limit.

In warning shot, Moody’s calls Brownback veto of tax bill a – credit negative’

After announcing he would veto the tax bill sent to him by the legislature, Gov. Sam Brownback officially signed the veto, in his ceremonial office Wednesday, February 22, 2017, as he stood in front of the assembled media. Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of tax legislation represents a "credit negative" to Kansas, a ratings agency said Monday - a label that amounts to a warning shot for the fiscally challenged state.