Category: Kansas state government
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Kansas slips in Tax Foundation business tax climate index
Based on five components of taxation important to business, Kansas ranks twenty-second among the states, two positions lower than last year.
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In Kansas, resolving school district spending variances could yield savings
Large variances in spending among school districts show that efficiency efforts driven by the Legislature could easily yield hundreds of millions in savings, writes Dave Trabert of Kansas Policy Institute.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Sin taxes, and what the Kansas Legislature doesn’t want you to know
Sin taxes, and what the Kansas Legislature doesn’t want you to know.
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STAR bonds in Kansas
The Kansas STAR bonds program provides a mechanism for spending by autopilot, without specific appropriation by the legislature.
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Industrial revenue bonds in Kansas
Industrial Revenue Bonds are a mechanism that Kansas cities and counties use to allow companies to avoid paying property and sales taxes.
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Community improvement districts in Kansas
In Kansas Community Improvement Districts, merchants charge additional sales tax for the benefit of the property owners, instead of the general public.
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Kansas must get serious about spending
As Kansas struggles to balance the budget for this year and the next, the state needs to prepare for future budgets by resolving the problem of spending.
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As lawmakers, Kansas judges should be selected democratically
While many believe that judges should not “legislate from the bench,” the reality is that lawmaking is a judicial function. In a democracy, lawmakers should be elected under the principle of “one person, one vote.” But Kansas, which uses the Missouri Plan for judicial selection to its highest court, violates this principle.
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Kansas spring elections should be moved
Moving spring elections to fall of even-numbered years would produce more votes on local offices like city council and school board.
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Kansas legislative resources
Citizens who want to be informed of the happenings of the Kansas Legislature have these resources available.
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Availability of testimony in the Kansas Legislature
Despite having a website with the capability, only about one-third of standing committees in the Kansas Legislature are providing written testimony online.
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Transparency in the Kansas House of Representatives: Some success
Last week the Kansas House of Representatives took votes on several amendments to its rules regarding transparency and understandability of the legislative process. Of the three most important amendments, two passed.