Category: Kansas Legislature

Kansas Republicans introduce map to divide KC metro, place Lawrence in 1st District

by Tim Carpenter and Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Republicans in the Senate and House unveiled a new congressional map Tuesday that would slice the Kansas City metro area in half and move Lawrence into the deeply conservative district that stretches to the Colorado border.

Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, defended the new boundaries, which would weaken Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ chances of re-election, over objections by Democrats who accused Republicans of gerrymandering. Masterson said Davids and the three Republicans who represent Kansas in Congress would all retain their seats in the new districts, based on 2020 election results.

He rejected the assertion that splitting Wyandotte County — with the southern part remaining in Davids’ 3rd District and the northern part joining Topeka and rural areas of the eastern third of the state in the 2nd District — will result in a court battle.

“No matter what map we draw, how you draw it, there’s gonna be some interest group not happy, and there’ll probably be litigation that has zero effect on that,” Masterson said.

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, said Republicans ignored the feedback given to lawmakers during town halls last year when residents asked them to keep the Greater Kansas City metro area in the same district. She said the map won’t “pass muster” because of the way it divides minority groups.

The revised 2nd District looks like “a salamander,” she said.

“I would expect it to be challenged,” Sykes said. “It looks like it has been gerrymandered.”

Republicans dubbed their map “Ad Astra,” a reference to the state’s motto. Sykes introduced a competing plan called “United” that slightly adjusts current districts to account for rural-to-urban population shifts.

The House and Senate redistricting committees both plan to take action on Thursday to choose a map.

A map proposed by Republicans in the House and Senate would place Lawrence in the 1st District, which stretches to the Colorado border, and split Wyandotte County between 2nd and 3rd districts. (Submitted)

Kansas Republicans have made no secret of a desire to undermine re-election prospects of Davids, a Democrat serving the 3rd District in Wyandotte and Johnson counties, and to reinforce the campaign of GOP challenger Amanda Adkins. At the same time, Republicans don’t want to meaningfully influence the re-election challenges faced by U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann of the 1st District, Jake LaTurner of the 2nd District and Ron Estes of the 4th District.

Democrats, while a minority party in the House and Senate, want to do the opposite. Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, has veto authority over maps adopted by the Legislature for the U.S. House, Kansas House, Kansas Senate and Kansas State Board of Education. The GOP-led House and Senate could override a veto by the governor.

State Rep. Chris Croft, an Overland Park Republican and chairman of the House Redistricting Committee, said the Ad Astra proposal would leave the state with four districts with exactly the same populations — 734,470 — based on the 2020 census.

“What I really like about what you got today is there’s a big variety out there for us to really dig into and see what the best options are for the state,” Croft said.

In 2012, the Legislature failed to complete the mapping project. The job was assumed by federal judges who quickly compiled the maps relied upon in elections for the past decade. The new set would control boundaries through 2032, and must reflect the dramatic population growth in Johnson County and loss of residents in dozens of rural counties.

State Rep. Tom Burroughs, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, introduced a map that would leave Wyandotte and Johnson counties united in the 3rd District. The 2nd District would become concentrated in northeast Kansas in his “Buffalo 2” map, while the 1st District would reach into southeast Kansas.

He said the Legislature should produce maps that kept together so-called communities of interest, such as urban residents in Wyandotte County and rural Kansans in rural communities.

“Those concerns have been expressed to us in thousands of pages of testimony,” Burroughs said. “The advantage of my map is that he meets the population variances and it keeps the metropolitan Wyandotte-Johnson counties together.”

A map, which was formally introduced by Croft and Sykes, was developed by the Kansas League of Women Voters and was consistent with the map proposed by Burroughs.

Another map was introduced by state Rep. Kyle Hoffman, R-Coldwater, that was a slight modification of the congressional map approved by the Kansas House in 2012. It was never implemented, but it would have placed Wyandotte County inside the agrarian 1st District.

Hoffman said he voted for that map a decade ago, but wasn’t certain he would still hold to that perspective. He said the previous incarnation was made available for comparison sake as the Legislature went through the process of compiling updated maps.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com,may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/18/kansas-republicans-introduce-map-to-divide-kc-metro-place-lawrence-in-1st-district/

Kansas lawmakers, officials march in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., call for unity

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. March around the statehouse elicited talk of unity and self-reflection to weather hard times, like the pandemic. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — In anticipation of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Kansas lawmakers, civil rights advocates and other government officials spoke Thursday of unity among Kansans as a key to weathering challenging times and making positive progress as a state.

Gov. Laura Kelly pointed to the acts of selflessness and teamwork displayed over the COVID-19 pandemic, from front-line health care workers to teachers to spiritual leaders, to show how the principles King held remain prevalent in Kansas today. She said the state’s elected leaders must not only heed that same call to service but work to set an example for all others.

“We can all do more to make our communities better. We can all do more to make each other better,” Kelly said. “We can truly make a difference when we take Dr. King’s lead and choose to stand together in solidarity, mutual respect and commitment to making the world a better place.”

State legislators, members of the governor’s cabinet, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and members of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission were among those who joined Kelly in the annual march around the statehouse to honor King.

Following the march, Kelly proclaimed Jan. 17, 2022, as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Kansas. (King was born on Jan. 15, but the day is observed as a holiday on the third Monday in January because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.)

Last year, the march took place online to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Stacey Knoell, executive director of the African American Affairs Commission, said King’s words and efforts still ring loud and true today, making the effort to continue his legacy paramount. While toned down or better hidden, many of the same issues of the 1960s remain, she said.

“Mark Twain said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Well today we’re living through a time that certainly rhymes with the turbulence of the 1960s,” Knoell said. “We’re still fighting voter suppression; we’re still fighting for fair redistricting and we’re still fighting for human rights and dignity.”

The greatest gift provided by King was hope, Knoell said, adding that hope remains inside of all who heed his words and follow his example.

Beryl New, chair of the African American Affairs Commission, asked Kansans to look inside themselves and ask questions of their thoughts, opinions and actions. Self-reflection will open a path to creating a better Kansas, she said.

“When we do all of these, Kansas, America, the world will be closer to the vision of the dream that Dr. King had when he looked forward to the day, all God’s children, Black and white, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, can join hands and sing the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last,’ ” New said.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/13/kansas-lawmakers-officials-march-in-honor-of-martin-luther-king-jr-call-for-unity/

Kansas Legislature kicks off 2022 session as coronavirus, election-year politics flare

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The 2022 Legislature convened Monday in Topeka to begin policymaking with election-year politics looming large and coronavirus-related legislation, as well as redistricting, front and center over the coming months.

The 125 representatives and 40 senators will begin committee deliberations this week, hoping to pass legislation Gov. Laura Kelly sees fit to sign. As Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers, expect debate on tightening election laws and renewed efforts to undercut vaccine mandates.

Rep. Susan Concannon, a Beloit Republican and chairwoman of the House Children and Seniors Committee, said there is a great deal of excitement around working with a budget surplus, something past legislatures often lacked.

“Figuring out where the gaps are in Kansas and where, what and how we can best use that money is a good problem to have,” Concannon said. “I’m looking forward to coming here and passing the budget … and we’ve got some child welfare issues that I’m interested in that I’ve kind of focused on this session.”

State economists projected in November a $2.9 billion surplus, which could grow if tax revenues exceed expectations. Last week, the governor announced Kansas exceeded December estimates for total tax collections by $64.5 million.

In 2021, legislators introduced more than 700 bills and passed more than 100 of them after debate in both chambers and approval from the governor. Leftover legislation, like medical marijuana, will carry over to this year.

Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Louisburg Republican and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said the committee she oversees will spend the first few weeks cleaning up past legislation and working on unfinished business from 2021.

“We’re going to look at the numbers as far as what’s happening with enrollment in K-12, as well as the college level,” Baumgardner said. “Next week, my hope is that we’ll have the trailer bill for the Promise Act, to resolve some issues that came up separately, and we’ll start working through the other bills, some of the issues that came up in the interim education meetings and some bills that are left over from last year.”

The Kansas Promise Scholarship Act, which passed the Senate and House, would provide post-secondary educational scholarships for certain two-year associate degrees and technical education programs.

Another looming education issue is critical race theory, even though state and local school boards have repeatedly told legislators that no K-12 school in the state teaches the college-level academic body of work. Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, said she was looking forward to finally debating the issue.

Faust-Goudeau also pointed to other issues demanding immediate attention from legislators.

“People are still struggling to pay their bills due to loss of jobs with COVID, and I’m especially excited to be back here so we can get a better handle on unemployment issues because I’m still getting phone calls and email and still helping those get in touch with the Department of Labor regarding that issue,” Faust-Goudeau said.

Rep. Boog Highberger, a Lawrence Democrat, was less optimistic about the passage of potential legislation that benefits all Kansans but hoped lawmakers could come together on issues like criminal justice reform and efforts to get rid of the food sales tax. He expressed concern with the potential for partisan politics in the redistricting process.

“I think (the legislative session) is going to be a train wreck, and I think it’s going to be highly partisan,” Highberger said. “I want (Kansans) to ask our legislators to be pragmatic rather than ideological and to try to do what’s right, whether it fits your exact preconceptions or not.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/01/10/kansas-legislature-kicks-off-2022-session-as-coronavirus-election-year-politics-flare/.