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Here are a few ways Gov. Laura Kelly has brought major change to Kansas politics

Stories by Kansas City Star journalists, with AI summarization

Critics and supporters have argued that Gov. Laura Kelly’s tenure has brought major shifts in policies affecting the lives of Kansans.

The end of the state sales tax on groceries puts more money back in families’ pockets, a move strongly tied to Kelly’s advocacy. Piloting a deal with Fiserv secured a major economic boost, ushering thousands of high-paying jobs into Johnson County.

Disability services have also seen progress, with new funding aimed at shortening the waitlist for Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Meanwhile, compromises on property tax relief and changes to childcare regulations show both the possibilities and limits of bipartisan governance under Kelly’s administration.

NO. 1: WHAT NEW LAWS START IN 2025 IN KANSAS? NO MORE FOOD TAX, LAWMAKER RAISES & MORE

Some of the 111 bills passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2024 will become law on New Year’s Day along with a number of provisions approved in previous years. | Published January 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly holds a small axe on Monday during an event at Dillons in Topeka. Kelly is calling on lawmakers to eliminate the state sales tax on food, among the highest in the nation. By Jonathan Shorman

NO. 2: KANSAS GOV. LAURA KELLY AXED THE TAX ON GROCERIES. WILL SHE GET CREDIT FROM THE GOP? | OPINION

The Democratic governor prioritized ending grocery taxes since her 2018 campaign, achieving it despite Republican opposition. | Opinion | Published January 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joel Mathis

NO. 3: KANSANS NEED PROPERTY TAX RELIEF. HERE’S HOW TO DO IT AND FULLY FUND OUR SCHOOLS, TOO | OPINION

The tax burden is tilted against single homeowners and those with lower incomes. There’s a fairer way. | Opinion | Published January 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Shirley Christian

By Justin Paget

NO. 4: KANSANS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES HAVE A NEW CHANCE FOR HELP | OPINION

Momentum is building in Topeka to solve the crisis that has more than 4,300 people’s lives on hold waiting for assistance. | Opinion | Published February 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Whit Downing

NO. 5: WE SATANISTS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO USE THE KANSAS CAPITOL, JUST LIKE CATHOLIC PROTESTERS | OPINION

Gov. Laura Kelly’s office denied the Satanic Grotto its legal permit to use the rotunda for a Black Mass. The church intends to do it anyway. | Opinion | Published March 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michael Stewart

By Evert Nelson

NO. 6: KANSAS WILL VOTE ON ELECTING STATE SUPREME COURT. IT’S AN OPENING FOR ABORTION OPPONENTS

Kansas voters will decide in August 2026 whether to approve a constitutional amendment to elect state Supreme Court justices. | Published March 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jonathan Shorman Matthew Kelly

Mail-in ballot envelopes at the Johnson County Election Office in Olathe. By Jill Toyoshiba

NO. 7: KANSAS TO ELIMINATE 3-DAY GRACE PERIOD FOR MAIL-IN BALLOTS AFTER GOP OVERRIDES GOV. KELLY

If one more House Republican had voted with Democrats, Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto would have been sustained. | Published March 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Alecia Patrick holds a photograph of her deceased daughter, Ava Olivia Patrick, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Overland Park. The loss of Patrick’s daughter at an in-home daycare led her to advocate for the passing of Lexie’s Law in 2010, a Kansas law that strengthened child care regulations. By Dominick Williams

NO. 8: PARENTS & ADVOCATES SAY CHILD CARE REGULATIONS SAVE LIVES. KANSAS WANTS THEM ROLLED BACK

Gov. Laura Kelly wants to establish the Kansas Office of Early Childhood. She’s cutting deals with Republicans who want to expand unregulated child care. | Published April 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Among the many churches, and bars, in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood is St John the Baptist Catholic Church on N. 4th St and Barnett Ave. By Shelly Yang

NO. 9: SHE WAS COUNTING ON KANSAS’ PROMISED PROPERTY TAX RELIEF. GOP FIGHTING FOILED IT

“We wanted more this year, as everyone did. But we’ve got to come to an agreement on how to get there,” one Republican state senator said. | Published April 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Matthew Kelly

Vacant land sits is seen along Nall Avenue from about 115th Street (top right) to 119th Street, (top left) near the Aspira Campus in Overland Park on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2024. The campus includes several five story parking garages. By Tammy Ljungblad

NO. 10: KANSAS UNVEILS MYSTERY COMPANY GETTING HISTORIC PERKS FOR JOBS IN JOHNSON COUNTY

Fintech company Fiserv will be moving into the former Sprint campus in Overland Park, bringing high-paying jobs in exchange for major state incentives as part of a deal dubbed Project Turtle. | Published April 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Taylor O’Connor

NO. 11: DEMOCRATS TO PUMP CASH INTO RED STATES: A REVIVAL STRATEGY | OPINION

The 50 State Strategy aims to sway rural voters in Kansas and Missouri. | Opinion | Published April 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joel Mathis

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.