Kansas Legislature

Is 70 too slow? Some in the Statehouse think so. Friday the House passed a bill that will increase the speed limit from 70 to 75 on divided highways. But some in law enforcement say faster speeds will lead to more dangerous roads. "When there's been an adjustment in speed," says Gary Warner of the Kansas Highway Patrol, "we've seen an increase in the number of crashes. " The law still needs to pass the Senate before the speed limit is increased

Wichita's teachers' union says the profession has a reached a crisis point. Those words are in a letter to members this week that says teachers are under attack in the Kansas legislature. The letter from United Teachers of Wichita encourages teachers to become more involved. It points out several issues, including a bill that would prohibit labor unions in Kansas from using membership dues to engage in political activity. The letter is also critical of the school board's proposal to teachers for their next contract.

Email Lauren: lseabrook@kwch.com Like Lauren on Facebook: Lauren on Facebook Follow Lauen on Twitter: twitter.com/goseabrook Lauren Seabrook comes to KWCH from Topeka where she worked as Evening Anchor and Reporter for Kansas First News. She started at KTKA in 2009 and joined KSNT and KTMJ during a merge in 2011. Lauren is a native Oklahoman and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in May 2009. While attending UCO, Lauren anchored, reported and produced for NewsCentral, a local cable news affiliate.

Email Kim at:  kwilhelm@kwch.com Like Kim on Facebook:  Wilhelm12 Follow Kim on Twitter: @kwch_kimw Kim currently serves as Managing Editor where she oversees the largest team of reporters in Kansas. She also heads up the FactFinder 12 Investigators. She was born in Seoul, South Korea and was adopted when she was one year-old. She grew up in the huge metropolitan city of Boelus, Nebraska (population 221) and attended Hastings College where she earned a communications degree.

KDOT crews will start making repairs on K-96 from Greenwich Road to U.S. 54 beginning Wednesday, June 13th. The project will involve single lane and occasional ramp closurs Sunday-Friday nights from 6:30 pm to 7:30 am, plus extended work hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Speed limits in the work zone will be reduced to 50 miles per hour. The work is part of T-Works, an $8-billion, 10-year project approved by the 2010 Kansas legislature.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued an Executive Reorganization Order today that shifts the Kansas Health Policy Authority into the Division of Health Care Finance within the Department of Health and Environment. Governor Brownback said this reorganization order will save the State of Kansas $3 million in administrative costs in the next fiscal year. Under the direction of Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. and KDHE Secretary Dr. Bob Moser, the Division of Health Care Finance will be involved in redesigning Medicaid in the State of Kansas.

By Eyewitness News (TOPEKA, Kan.) Kansans now have a new option to find out what is happening with the state's legislature. Anyone with questions can now send text messages to the Legislative Reference Desk in the State Library.  Questions are answered by experienced reference librarians. Questions can be texted to (785) 256-0733.  You can also call the hotline with your questions, that number is 1-800-432-3924.  Legislative Reference answers questions concerning general and specific information on the Kansas Legislature including bill introduction, sponsorship, amendments, status, history and information related to other legislative action and issues.

A state lawmaker is sentenced for driving under the influence. Wichita Representative Phil Hermanson plead no contest to DUI in May. Today, Hermanson was sentenced to 1 year probation, fined $500, and ordered to pay $1,356 in court fees. He was also ordered to go through the WIP program attend a DUI victim panel, and submit to random alcohol/drug testing. This comes after Hermanson got into an accident last November near 47th St. S. & Broadway in Wichita.

Jean Schodorf is a private citizen now but she says she's had enough of the Republican Party.  That's why she decided to switch. "I know it's the right choice," Schodorf says of her decision to become a Democrat.  "I believe a long time ago the Republican Party lost touch with the people. " Schodorf represented the Republican Party for 12 years in the Kansas Legislature.   She was voted out in the 2012 Republican primary after she lost to Wichita City Council member Michael O'Donnell.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - On his first full day in office, Gov. Mark Parkinson is confronting the state's budget crisis and promising a mix of modest spending cuts and steps to boost revenues to eliminate a projected deficit. The Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled Legislature must close a projected $328 million gap in the $13 billion budget approved last month for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Legislators returned to Topeka today from a three-week break, reconvening their annual session to wrap up business for the year.

Email Lauren: lseabrook@kwch.com Like Lauren on Facebook: Lauren on Facebook Follow Lauen on Twitter: twitter.com/goseabrook Lauren Seabrook comes to KWCH from Topeka where she worked as Evening Anchor and Reporter for Kansas First News. She started at KTKA in 2009 and joined KSNT and KTMJ during a merge in 2011. Lauren is a native Oklahoman and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in May 2009. While attending UCO, Lauren anchored, reported and produced for NewsCentral, a local cable news affiliate.

Jean Schodorf is a private citizen now but she says she's had enough of the Republican Party.  That's why she decided to switch. "I know it's the right choice," Schodorf says of her decision to become a Democrat.  "I believe a long time ago the Republican Party lost touch with the people. " Schodorf represented the Republican Party for 12 years in the Kansas Legislature.   She was voted out in the 2012 Republican primary after she lost to Wichita City Council member Michael O'Donnell.

Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer is among hundreds of elected officials attending this week's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mayor Brewer spoke to Eyewitness News from the floor of the Time Warner Cable Arena early Tuesday evening. While he's looking forward to hearing from President Obama on Thursday, Mayor Brewer says he's talking and listening to mayors from around the country. "They are saying the exact same thing. They want new jobs for their community.

President Barack Obama signed a bill into law Monday that prohibits protests within 300 feet of military funerals two hours before and after services. "The graves of our veterans are hallowed ground," said President Obama. "And obviously we all defend our Constitution and the First Amendment and free speech, but we also believe that when men and women die in the service of their country and are laid to rest, it should be done with the utmost honor and respect. " Although not mentioning it by name, the law seeks to limit protests by Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church.

Email Kim at:  kwilhelm@kwch.com Like Kim on Facebook:  Wilhelm12 Follow Kim on Twitter: @kwch_kimw Kim currently serves as Managing Editor where she oversees the largest team of reporters in Kansas. She also heads up the FactFinder 12 Investigators. She was born in Seoul, South Korea and was adopted when she was one year-old. She grew up in the huge metropolitan city of Boelus, Nebraska (population 221) and attended Hastings College where she earned a communications degree.

KDOT crews will start making repairs on K-96 from Greenwich Road to U.S. 54 beginning Wednesday, June 13th. The project will involve single lane and occasional ramp closurs Sunday-Friday nights from 6:30 pm to 7:30 am, plus extended work hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Speed limits in the work zone will be reduced to 50 miles per hour. The work is part of T-Works, an $8-billion, 10-year project approved by the 2010 Kansas legislature.

Imagine if you had to develop a plan every ten years that might make it harder for you to keep you job. That's what has Kansas legislators mired in debate these final days of the 2012 legislative session. Every ten years, Article 10 of the Kansas Constitution requires the state to redraw political districts based on population changes in the most recent U.S. Census report. This affects the boundaries for the U.S. Congressional districts in Kansas, the state legislature, and the Kansas Board of Education.

They're meant to keep victims safe, and now the Kansas Legislature is looking at making changes to how long protection-from-abuse orders are good for. House Bill 2613 , which is expected to make it to the governor's desk, would create the possibility of "lifetime protection" Click Here to Read the Bill "I can't begin to tell you, unless I have my paper in front of me, the injustices that my daughter and...

A committee in the Kansas legislature is now looking at a bill on whether immunizations should be required for children in Kansas. House Bill 2094 would add a parent's personal beliefs to the list of childhood immunization exemptions. The current list of exemptions includes children who are medically fragile, home schooled or belong to a religious group that opposes them. During a hearing in the House Health and Human Services Committee Wednesday, representatives of the group Kansans for Vaccine Rights told lawmakers why they support the measure.

Getting drunk drivers off the road is one of the main missions for the Kansas Highway Patrol. "We spend a great deal of time in that area," said LT David Hundley with the Kansas Highway Patrol. That's why when the latest numbers of alcohol related fatalities came out, they were surprised. "Obviously it's frustrating for us being as how it's one of our largest focuses," Hundley said. While nationally, the number drunk driving fatalities fell almost 5% in 2010, they actually increased in Kansas by about 36% and according to Federal Transportation officials that's the Country's second biggest increase behind New York.