TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican lawmakers are eager to cut taxes because Kansas is flush with cash, but the annual legislative session that opened Monday is shadowed by redistricting, election year-politics and COVID-19.
With GOP supermajorities in both chambers, lawmakers expect to debate what public schools should — and should not — teach students about race and the role of racism in U.S. history. They also are likely to consider tightening election laws during their 90 scheduled days in session.
And legislators are likely to discuss legalizing marijuana for medical use. Kelly and other Democrats support the idea, and some Republicans have warmed to at least a highly regulated version.
Here’s a look at some key issues:
REVENUE SURPLUS FUELS PUSH FOR TAX CUTS
Kelly wants to eliminate the state’s 6.5% sales tax on groceries so that a family buying $200 worth of groceries a week would save $676 a year. Lowering or ending the tax has bipartisan support, and about 100 groups, food pantries, businesses and faith organizations, along with several hundred individuals, sent a letter Monday to lawmakers urging them to eliminate the tax. But lawmakers might consider alternatives, such as lowering the tax on all consumer goods.
The governor also has proposed giving a one-time $250 rebate to Kansas residents who filed state income tax returns last year. GOP leaders have said they prefer ongoing income tax cuts.
Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said other ideas are on the table, too, including lowering taxes on retirees’ Social Security benefits.
Kansas is in strong shape financially, on pace after months of surplus tax collections to end June with about $3 billion in cash reserves.
CRITICAL RACE THEORY ARGUMENT HEATS UP
Tyson wants to require teachers to post lesson plans online that list reading materials. She said her goal is to enable parents to research those materials so they have a chance to voice any objections.
She and other Republicans also expect a debate on banning critical race theory in public schools. They say many parents became alarmed when they monitored online classes earlier in the pandemic.
Critical race theory argues that racism is systemic in the U.S. and its institutions maintain white people’s dominance. However, the term has come to cover broader diversity initiatives that conservatives oppose.
The state school board said last year that critical race theory is not part of Kansas’ academic standards. Kelly has called the issue a “nothing burger” and told The Associated Press it has been “conjured up” by people “who have a track record of being sort of anti-public education.”
Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of Kansas Interfaith Action, said he worries that lawmakers would enable “the most racist parents” to harass teachers and administrators.
