The Kansas legislative session begins Jan. 13 with a slate of newly elected officials — including more Republicans in both the House and Senate.

Two Republican senators-elect, Brad Starnes of Manhattan and Jeff Klemp of Leavenworth County, talk about why voters favored them over Democratic incumbents in the election and their plans for the upcoming legislative session.

New Republican Kanas senators on beating Democrats and session plans

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a discussion with editor in chief Sherman Smith, senior reporter Tim Carpenter and reporter Anna Kaminski on what to expect in the annual legislative session that begins Jan. 13.

What to expect in the 2025 Kansas legislative session

The State of Kansas requires local counties to provide an array of services, from health and safety to road maintenance and administering elections. But lawmakers at the Statehouse are applying scrutiny to counties for the property taxes that largely pay for those services.

Bruce Chladny, executive director of the Kansas Association of Counties, and Jay Hall, the association's deputy director and general counsel, talk about the tension between state and local governments.

Kansas Association of Counties on paying for essential services

At the end of six weeks worth of session, the Kansas Legislature is barreling ahead at high speed with each chamber passing a bevy of bills. Kansas Reflector staff take stock of where legislators have ended up with a compressed schedule and tensions flaring.

Kansas Reflector staff take stock of legislative action, tensions

Freshman Sen. Patrick Schmidt, a Topeka Democrat, talks about property tax relief, gerrymandering, misplaced priorities, conflicts of interest, and this year's condensed session schedule.

A Kansas Senate newbie's perspective of this year's session

Chris Koliba, a public administration professor at the University of Kansas, is concerned academic standards don't forcefully answer growing threats to core democratic ideals.

Kansas professor warns of 'democratic backsliding'

Rep. Alexis Simmons, a Topeka Democrat, joins former Kansas Republican Party executive director Kris Van Meteren to outline their reservations about a bill that would simultaneously double campaign contribution limits for Kansas Legislature and statewide office positions while also removing caps on donations to county, district or state party committees.

Kansas Republican and Democrat share concern with lifting donation limits

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone, reporter Anna Kaminski and editor in chief Sherman Smith talk about three recent examples where lawmakers have hidden their work from public scrutiny or directed animus toward journalists.

Kansas legislators hide from public scrutiny

Reagan Herrman, a 15-year-old Emporia resident, survived an episode of cardiac arrest during a 2023 basketball game when trained personnel made use of an automated external defibrillator that restarted her heart. She advocates for cardiac emergency planning in public schools and funding for districts to acquire AED equipment and training.

Emporia teen working to bring lifesaving care to Kansas peers

Former state health secretary Lee Norman looks back five years to contemplate what was learned and lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Kansas learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

The Kansas Reflector Podcast, hosted by senior reporter Tim Carpenter, presents voices from the people and politics of Kansas.

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