April 18, 2025

Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act, SB 9, prohibits foreign adversaries from purchasing property within 100 miles of a military installation and any foreign adversary ownership of non-residential real property purchased prior to July 1, 2025, will have to register with the Attorney General’s office.  The bill would also require Kansas government agencies to purchase American-made or allied-made drones or drone technology.  The bill didn’t go as far as some of us would like, but it is much better than not doing anything to block China and others from infiltrating Kansas even more.  SB 9 passed the Senate 38 to 1.  I voted Yes.  The Governor signed it into law.

Conservation Districts funding caps will be doubled in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 and the States’s matching funding will also double, limited to $50,000 per district because SB 39 became law.  Conservation districts were established in 1937 after the Dust Bowl.  The districts are local units of government within a county for conservation of soil, water, and other natural resources.  County commissioners may levy a property tax to provide additional funding for the operation of a conservation district.  This did not change in SB 39.  The bill passed the Senate unanimously.  

Web-based Insurance Verification will be allowed as CCR 42 will be law.  There were several provisions in CCR 42, but the main provision was establishing the Kansas Real Time Motor Vehicle Insurance Verification Act, putting insurance data in an online centralized system allowing for easy verification of insurance.  I understand the convenience of a web-based centralized system and I also understand the vulnerabilities of this type of system.  Do you remember what happened last year with the Kansas Judicial centralized system?  It was hacked and down for several weeks, so I did not support CCR 42.  However, it passed because convenience was the priority, not data security.  It passed 39 to 1.

Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission name will be changed to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission.  We need to be strengthening the Commission’s role, not weakening it.  HB 2206 passed the Senate 32 to 8, and the Governor signed it into law.  I voted no.

Special Elections will only be held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, or on the same day as a general, or primary election (November or August) as HB 2022 is now law.  Currently, special elections and mail ballot elections (such as for school bonds or special sales taxes) can occur at any time, creating waste for the taxpayer and causing confusion for voters.  HB 2022 makes it simple and will save counties hundreds of thousands of dollars in special elections.  During testimony, we heard Sedgewick County spent over $136,000 on one special election.  I supported this legislation.  It passed the Senate 29 to 11 and was signed into law.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.

NEWS

Pleasanton PD makes drug arrest during domestic call

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  On July 24 officers with the Pleasanton Police Department responded to a call for an ongoing domestic issue at 605 E. 5th Street in Cabin 3 with the assistance of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. During the ensuing investigation, it was found that the... [More]

Commissioners review departmental budgets

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SEKMHC budget cut   During the July 28 meeting, the Linn County Commissioners reviewed several departmental budgets. Discussions began with Linn County Sheriff James Akes. Sheriff Akes explained to commissioners that initially he had budgeted extra hours to cover... [More]

Wisdom appointed Pleasanton Fire Chief

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Following the resignation of Jimmy Watts as Pleasanton Fire Chief after last week’s council meeting, the Pleasanton Council appointed Jeff Wisdom as the new chief of the city fire department. Wisdom took the podium Monday night and said he’d spoken to the fire fighters... [More]

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PLEASANTON WEATHER

SPORTS

Pleasanton trapshooting team shows grit at National Championship

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Eight members of the Pleasanton Trapshooting Team traveled to Mason, Mich., last week to compete in the USA Clay Target League National Championship. Five members participated in the team event, and all eight competed individually. The team was among 264 qualified teams competing... [More]

Blue Mound softball earns second place at Crest

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The Blue Mound girls’ coach pitch team 1 places second at the TRL girls’ coach pitch tournament at Colony. The tournament took place from July 7 to July 9.

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COMMUNITY

Knowing and preventing kids sports injuries

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School is about to begin and so are school sports. Kids of all ages, from elementary to high school enjoy competitive team sports but injuries happen in all of them. This article will focus on the types of injuries kids can get from playing sports and more importantly what kids,... [More]

4H Style Revue and Performing Arts set for July 26

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The 2025 4-H Style Revue and Performing Arts Show will again be a pre-fair event, held on Saturday, July 26, at the First Baptist Church in Mound City. The event is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. 4-Hers enrolled in the Style Revue project will be modeling their... [More]

Benefit dinner and auction July 26

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Trumbley recipient of proceeds   On July 26, the 4H Building will be the site of a benefit dinner and silent auction in honor of Megan Trumbley who is currently battling cancer. Megan is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments and the benefit is being held... [More]

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