Technically the last day of the regular session is on Friday, but we hear leadership in both chambers would like to adjourn today. That means they could work through the night and possibly into the early morning hours (which I guess is technically Friday). This is famously referred to as #kslegafterdark. Legislators get tired and arms are twisted.
NOW is a critical time for them to hear from constituents.
As far as I’ve heard, the legislature has yet to take final action on any of the items below. Just click the links and send the emails as soon as you can.
I’m going to put the email links (look for ✅ TAKE ACTION) up front and you can read the details for each further down.
The links under Election Bills and Immigrant Rights are from Loud Light. They will automatically send the email to your Representative and Senator after you enter your address.
For the two Education Bill email links, you will need to add those email addresses yourself.
Find your state level House Representative and Senator at Findyourleg.billbee.ai.
The election conference committee, led by Rep. Pat Proctor (running for Secretary of State 👎) and Sen. Mike Thompson, has been busy all week shoving bills we thought were dead or that have not had hearings in one chamber or another, into mega bills. This is never a good way to legislate and is essentially Rep. Proctor’s way of trying to overhaul Kanas elections (in a bad way) before he leaves the legislature.
✅ TAKE ACTION: Use this link to automatically send an email to your state rep and state senator asking them to oppose these election bills.
Please try to use your own words
I might suggest changing the subject of the email to Vote No on Election Bills
✅ TAKE ACTION: Please consider donating to Jennifer Day’s campaign for Secretary of State. We need her to win that race! Kansas will be in trouble if Pat Proctor wins.
For efficiency purposes, I’m sharing content from Loud Light’s action alert for this issue.
Extremist lawmakers in the Kansas House and Senate are trying to cram through two anti-immigrant bills using shady procedures:
S Sub for HB 2372: A gut-and-go mega-bill that would allow county sheriffs to hold undocumented people in jails without a warrant signed by a judge and expand qualified immunity for untrained ICE agents, making it harder for Kansans to take them to court.
SB 254: revived a ban on in-state tuition for undocumented students.
✅ TAKE ACTION: Use this link to automatically send an email to your state rep and state senator asking them to oppose these harmful bills
Please try to use your own words
I might suggest changing the subject of the email to Vote No on HB 2372 & SB 254
📌 BUDGET BILL (SB 181): Includes no meaningful increase to special education funding and includes a number of other unfunded or (not adequately funded) mandates.
✅ TAKE ACTION: Use this link to send an email to your state representative and senator asking them to vote no on this budget that does not adequately support public schools.
Follow the instructions below before hitting send:
TO: Add your state Representative’s and Senator’s email addresses
Add a greeting: Dear Senator [last name] and Representative [last name],
Use your own words: If possible, make your email unique
Sign your name and address so they know you are a constituent
If the link doesn’t work for you, use the Copy & Paste version at the end of the Substack newsletter.
📌 VOUCHER BILL (SB 361): Would opt Kansas into the new federal level voucher program.
✅ TAKE ACTION: Use this link to tell your state representative and senator to vote no on SB 361. Keep public dollars with public schools.
Follow the instructions below before hitting send:
TO: Add your state Representative’s and Senator’s email addresses
Add a greeting: Dear Senator [last name] and Representative [last name],
Use your own words: If possible, make your email unique
Sign your name and address so they know you are a constituent
If the link doesn’t work for you, use the Copy & Paste version at the end of the Substack newsletter.
📌 SB 181 BUDGET BILL — Vote NO
Special education continues to be significantly underfunded, undermining the education of all Kansas kids as districts shift funds from general education to cover the SpEd shortfall from the legislature. SB 181 falls short in a number of ways:
Includes a SpEd increase of just $6 million; far short of the $145 requested by the State Board of Education or the $25 million needed just to keep funding at current levels; legislature is currently funding excess costs at around 65% versus the mandated 92%
After the Senate cut the $16 million budgeted for the very successful Mental Healthy Intervention Team (MHIT) program, the conference committee added $10 million back; still short of what is needed
teacher mentoring, professional development, and Blue Print for Literacy programs continue to be unfunded
This is just a sampling of the expectations for Kansas schools that are underfunded (or not funded) by the legislature.
📌 SB 361 — VOUCHER SNEAK ATTACK
Coming out of conference committee, this bill now includes:
a fix for open enrollment for foreign exchange students (its original intent)
section 1 of HB 2468 (voucher bill) that opts Kansas into the federal voucher program
This was a strange occurrence as HB 2468 that includes the opt-in to the federal program and a $5 million expansion to the Kansas voucher program, is sitting on Governor Kelly’s desk. This seems to be an attempt to push through the federal opt-in if the Governor vetoes HB 2468.
You might remember that the federal program provides scholarships to subsidize the private school tuition for students from families with incomes as high as $315,000 (in Johnson County). Donors to the program receive a dollar for dollar 100% return on their contribution in the form a tax credit; a direct reduction of their taxes owed. Tax credits are significantly more beneficial than the tax deduction treatment for typical charitable donations.
For efficiency’s sake, much of what I’m sharing below is from Loud Light’s action alert.
In the final days of the legislative session, Rep. Pat Proctor is attempting a total overhaul of Kansas election law. He shared his plans to “chip away at early voting in a leaked video. This is his last chance to enact his election ideas (that typically restrict the right to vote) before he is no longer serving in the legislature. He is running for Secretary of State in November, which would put him in charge of our elections—a bad idea!
These are some of the bills he is trying to push through on the last day of the session:
HB 2760- Overhauling Early Voting: cuts early voting to under a week, cuts five days from voter registration, and moves up mail ballot application deadlines—adding about two weeks of new restrictions in the month before the election.
HB 2437- Overhauling Voter Registration: County election offices would have to reject some voter registration forms, including ones they’re required to accept by federal law, without telling the voter.
HB 2569- Overhauling the Constitutional Protections to Vote: takes away people’s right to challenge election laws in their own community by forcing them to file in Shawnee County, and could end mail voting for thousands if a court finds the state denied citizens right to due process to fix ballot issues.
HB 2587- Overhauling Voter ID: would make state IDs, like driver’s licenses, follow stricter rules than REAL ID by requiring documents to prove citizenship, which would be listed on your ID. There is no plan for implementation or cost to the taxpayer. It could also put legal residents who aren’t citizens at risk whenever they have to show their ID.
Again, I’m sharing content from Loud Light’s Action Alert:
S Sub for HB 2372 gives federal officers with minimal training the same qualified immunity as a fully trained police officer: The Department of Homeland Security has hired over 12,000 new agents and in an effort to increase immigration enforcement, reduced training for new agents to about 6 weeks. In comparison, most Kansas law enforcement officers must complete a minimum of 5 months of training.
S Sub for HB 2372 is big government overreach and forces Kansans to foot the bill for the actions of untrained federal agents: Kansans and their elected officials know their communities and are the best judges of their needs. We have a separation between local and federal agents for a reason and our towns should not have to foot the bill for federal enforcement when ICE already holds the title as the highest funded federal law enforcement agency. Our local sheriffs should not be given a blanket mandate to hold undocumented individuals without valid judicial warrants for indefinite periods of time. Doing so serves only to open the door to potential abuse and mistreatment.
SB 254 // Undocumented students don’t receive public benefits/grants to attend school: Current state policy only gives them a chance to pay full price by offering in-state tuition for undocumented students (including DACA recipients); these students do not receive public (federal or state) grants and scholarships–or even subsidized student loans. The arguments presented by Kris Kobach are not set precedent and shouldn’t justify getting rid of in-state tuition for Kansas students.
➡️ EDUCATION BUDGET BILL
TO: Your state Representative’s and Senator’s email addresses
SUBJECT: Please Vote No on the Budget Bill (SB 181)
BODY:
Dear Senator [last name] and Representative [last name],
Please oppose any budget bill that does not include a meaningful increase in special education funding. The $6 million included in the budget is taking us backwards. An increase of $25 million is needed just to keep funding at current levels. The state is mandated to provide 92% of excess special education costs, yet the legislature is currently only funding around 65%.
Please support Kansas kids and relieve pressure on local property taxes by opposing this bill. Force budget committee members to come up with a budget that includes more special education funding. Districts have been forced to max out their local option budgets and take funds from general education (impacting all kids) to cover the shortfall from the state.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
➡️ VOUCHER BILLS
TO: Your state Representative’s and Senator’s email addresses
SUBJECT: Vote No on SB 361 — No Federal Voucher Program
BODY:
Dear Senator [last name] and Representative [last name],
Please vote no on SB 361 that would opt Kansas into the federal tax credit scholarship program that sends public funds via tax credits to private schools. There are no guidelines, guardrails, or funding caps on this new federal program. Families making up to $315,000 (in Johnson County) can receive scholarships to subsidize tuition for their kids already attending a private school.
Say no to this program and tell the federal government to instead use our tax dollars to fund special education at the required levels.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
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