Anna Kaminski

Trans Kansans and allies use Statehouse restrooms in act of 'malicious compliance'  • Kansas Reflector For many trans Kansans and allied activists, Friday wasn’t their first time in the state Capitol building in Topeka.Years of commitment to the cause led to the day’s event, which organizers called a “...

Republican legislators don’t want men in women’s bathrooms and women in men’s bathrooms, said Jaelynn Abegg, a trans woman who organized what some called a "pee-in" at the Kansas Statehouse.

“So we’re going to give it to them,” she said.
#ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/06/t...

Federal judge denies Kansas officials’ attempt to toss challenge to ballot advocacy • Kansas Reflector A federal judge in Kansas declined to dismiss an advocacy organization’s lawsuit against Attorney General Kris Kobach and state ethics officials, who the judge said provided “neither good reason nor a...

Federal judge says Kansas officials provided “neither good reason nor any reason at all” for ask to dismiss lawsuit challenging foreign funding law. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/06/f...

Kansas lawmakers weigh where authority lies in 11-year water dispute • Kansas Reflector Lawmakers are attempting to resolve a water dispute between two Kansas cities and a neighboring county that has spawned three lawsuits, one administrative case and, most recently, a piece of proposed ...

The latest on the water transfer dispute between Hays, Russell and Edwards County brought up questions about who truly owns water in Kansas and how much authority local governments can exercise. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/02/04/k...

Kansas GOP House members renew attacks on DEI, CRT at public universities • Kansas Reflector Critics of DEI launch a broadside against curriculum at Kansas public colleges and universities by pressing for passage of a mandate-laden bill.

Kansas House committee dives into public university curriculum to block DEI. kansasreflector.com/2026/02/04/k... @kansascarpenter.bsky.social

Kansas schools could be required to verify family income for every student receiving free lunch • Kansas Reflector Current federal law requires schools to verify free and reduced lunch eligibility for 3% of recipients, but a proposed bill would require them to verify every student.

“It would turn the focus of our office into an auditing firm rather than feeding children,” said Vicki Schumacher, a supervisor for Wichita Public Schools’ nutrition services. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/30/k...

Kansas leaders use annual rally to cast courts as major hurdle in anti-abortion fight • Kansas Reflector More than 19,000 naked baby dolls at varying stages of fetal development were splayed on tables Wednesday in the heart of the Kansas Statehouse.

Kansas leaders use annual rally to cast courts as major hurdle in anti-abortion fight | via @anna-writes.bsky.social #ksleg

Federal public defenders prepare for partial shutdown as Democrats threaten no-votes • Kansas Reflector Federal public defenders who went months without pay last year are facing more financial pressure as another government shutdown looms following state-sanctioned violence in Minneapolis and across the...

Federal public defenders' funding became an urgent priority for the judiciary after missed payments to attorneys and court services last year. It is now linked to U.S. Senate Democrats' protest against ICE agent violence, as they threaten stalling appropriations.
kansasreflector.com/2026/01/28/f...

Kansas bill seeks to roll back juvenile justice reforms, favoring stiffer detention sentences • Kansas Reflector Proposed legislation in Kansas cracks open state guidelines to allow courts to sentence any kid deemed an offender to juvenile prison, reversing a decade-old effort to treat youth incarceration as a l...

“Eventually, kids who were adjudicated of things like disorderly conduct were pushed deeper into the system because of some of the statutes that we had.” #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/26/k...

Kansas foster children’s voices muted as court advocates take on hundreds of cases each • Kansas Reflector Kansas foster children rarely interact with their court-appointed advocates, and their voices have become muted, a statewide report said.

Kansas lawmakers are having the same conversation about systemic problems with foster children's court-appointed advocates as they did 25 years ago. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/21/k...

KBI director urges mandatory background checks for school employees to fill public safety gaps • Kansas Reflector Tony Mattivi, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, described a high school wrestling coach, a paraprofessional, a speech pathologist and a bus driver who all had at least two things in comm...

KBI director: “I believe the public would be stunned to know how many people may come in contact with their child...during a school day who have not been subject to mandatory fingerprint-based criminal history and background checks.” #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/21/k...

Kansas City-area Democrat attempts bill takeover to insert anti-ICE provision • Kansas Reflector U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent activity in Kansas City and across the United States inspired a Democratic state legislator to attempt to hijack a Republican’s bill to read ICE “shall h...

“We need to stand up,” said Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/15/k...

Kansas House Speaker touts Republican supermajority's 'people-first agenda' • Kansas Reflector Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins underscored the force of the Republican supermajority and its 2025 policy wins in his response to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s final State of the State address.

Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins underscored the force of the Republican supermajority and its 2025 policy wins in his rebuttal to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's State of the State speech. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/13/k...

Kansas Supreme Court chief justice pleads for investments in specialty courts, rural attorneys • Kansas Reflector Eric Rosen, chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court, asks legislators to add funding for specialty courts and to bring more lawyers to rural Kansas.

Kansas Supreme Court chief justice pleads for investments in specialty courts, rural attorneys | via @kansascarpenter.bsky.social #ksleg

Kansas Legislature jolts to life with newcomers and generation of new policy agendas • Kansas Reflector The 2026 session of the Kansas Legislature opens with the complex and routine, including nuances of policy agendas and figuring out statehouse seating charts.

Kansas Legislature jolts to life with newcomers and generation of new policy agendas #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2026/01/12/k...

Sports stadium deals hand ever more taxpayer money to billionaires • Stateline Two recent stadium deals have set separate records for taxpayer giveaways to sports teams. They serve as further evidence that public officials are uninterested in curbing subsidies for billionaire team owners, despite decades of research suggesting stadiums are a wasteful use of limited tax dollars.

Decades of research has found stadium subsidies are a poor use of public dollars, but officials continue to send more and more taxpayer funds to billionaire team owners.

https://stateline.org/2026/01/12/sports-stadium-deals-hand-ever-more-taxpayer-money-to-billionaires/

Kansas wild turkeys, plagued by years of population decline, subject of conservation funding • Kansas Reflector The consistent, dramatic decline in Kansas’ wild turkey population prompted the state in 2023 to forbid hunting them in the fall.

Kansas wild turkeys, plagued by years of population decline, subject of conservation funding kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansa...

Kansas Senate minority leader challenges GOP House speaker for state insurance commissioner • Kansas Reflector Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes will run for state insurance commissioner, vowing to decline any campaign contributions from the insurance industry.

Kansas Senate minority leader challenges GOP House speaker for state insurance commissioner #ksleg kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansa...

The journalist jargon term for this kind of scrum is a "gaggle," and as far as gaggles go, this is impressive. Photo by @anna-writes.bsky.social #ksleg

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly: "Take heed. Kansas is not a flyover state. We are a touchdown state." #ksleg

Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca to me on the Chiefs:

“Honestly, at this point they’re like a bad ex-girlfriend. They won’t go away. And so the reality that they want to try and go play second fiddle in Kansas and try and lure a deal that’s not written down on paper, good luck to them..."

Kansas to build Chiefs stadium with STAR bonds in deal approved by lawmakers • Kansas Reflector Kansas legislative leadership voted unanimously Monday to issue STAR bonds to build a football stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs, following a short meeting behind closed doors.

Kansas to build Chiefs stadium with STAR bonds in deal approved by lawmakers kansasreflector.com/2025/12/22/k...

A screen shows the Kansas flag and the Kansas City Chiefs logo. In front of the screen is a wooden podium bearing the state seal.

I am in Topeka at the Docking State Office Building waiting for an official decision between Kansas and a professional sports team #ksleg

Kansas efficiency committee targets DEI curricula in college classrooms • Kansas Reflector Rep. Kristey Williams opened a Tuesday hearing by stating her intention to promote educational excellence, “review and highlight anything that may have been a deterrent to that” and examine whether DE...

Kansas efficiency committee targets DEI curricula in college classrooms | via @anna-writes.bsky.social #ksleg

Senate Republicans reject Trump's plea for gerrymandered maps • Indiana Capital Chronicle The Republican-dominated Indiana Senate voted 19-31 on Thursday against redrawing the state’s congressional districts — spurning months of demands from President Donald Trump. The final outcome…

Senate Republicans reject Trump's plea for gerrymandered maps

indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/11/s...

Donate • Kansas Reflector

If we’ve succeeded in keeping you informed, we hope you’ll consider making a donation today. This Giving Tuesday, can we count on you? kansasreflector.com/donate/?oa_r...

Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret • Kansas Reflector A handful of county-level officials who were involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 will pay a cumulative $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor.

Breaking: Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret kansasreflector.com/2025/11/11/m...

Kansas tribes navigate future water problems without representation on statewide task force • Kansas Reflector Joseph Rupnick, chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Council, is disappointed that the recently formed Kansas water task force does not include any Native American representation.

Kansas tribes navigate future water problems without representation on statewide task force | via @anna-writes.bsky.social #ksleg

Kansas has amassed a $26 million fund from sports gambling revenue to help woo Chiefs, Royals • Kansas Reflector Kansas has been quietly building a pot of more than $26 million that can be used for attracting professional sports teams to the state, giving the state an edge in its “border war” with Missouri.

Kansas has been quietly building a pot of more than $26 million that can be used for attracting professional sports teams to the state, giving the state an edge in its “border war” with Missouri. #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2025/10/03/k...

The federal government started shutting down early Wednesday after Congress failed to approve a funding bill before the beginning of the new fiscal year.

via @jennifershutt.bsky.social @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fede...