Chillin' in the Statehouse

The Kansas State Fair is fast approaching, and this year's festivities in Hutchinson will feature two major political debates: Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher in the governor's race and Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton in the U.S. Senate race. Here's where the races stand two months out from Election Day.

It's been a busy several months! So busy that the Chillin' in the Statehouse team struggled to find time to podcast. But we're back and ready to recap the primary election, which featured a constitutional amendment on judicial selection, contested Republican and Democratic primaries for Kansas governor, and Democrats chose their candidate to face Roger Marshall for U.S. Senate.

March Madness is upon us, and not just the basketball kind. A Republican rebellion against House leadership brought the chamber to a halt at a busy time of the legislative session. Meanwhile, the bipartisan ban on student cell phones in schools was signed into law.

With two weeks left in the regular legislative session, Kansas lawmakers have little time to fulfill their campaign promises of property tax relief. Meanwhile, they're also facing significant deficits and are struggling to cut spending enough to balance the budget.

It's been a busy first half of the Kansas legislative session, and even more busy when the Chillin' team also has to cover some happenings outside the Legislature. Then add in some technical difficulties that we hope have been straightened out. Regardless, we're back and ready to talk about the biggest legislative accomplishment so far this year: an anti-transgender bathroom bill that also bans gender marker changes for state identification.

Has it been two weeks or two months? The Kansas 2026 legislative session is off to a fast and busy start. The Chillin' team brings you an update on the first two weeks and says a farewell to Jack, who is leaving to cover Missouri government and politics.

With lawmakers returning to the capital city, it was a busy week at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. The Chillin' team recaps the first week of the 2026 legislative session, including Gov. Laura Kelly's last State of the State address, Kansas Supreme Court oral arguments and more.

The Chillin' team is back, just in time for lawmakers to return to the capital city. The Kansas Legislature's 2026 session starts Jan. 12, and we've got a preview of the biggest items to watch. Also, we've got a recap of the state's subsidy deal for the Kansas City Chiefs to move from Missouri to Kansas.

The Kansas City Chiefs won't make the NFL playoffs this year, but the football team could make a big decision about the future of its stadium. The Chiefs are expected to propose a deal to a group of top Kansas lawmakers for taxpayer subsidies to help build a new stadium on the Kansas side of the metro. The Royals are not expected to have a proposal.

Just in time for your Thanksgiving road trip, the Chillin' in the Statehouse team has another episode. We talk about about Gov. Laura Kelly's lawsuit against Attorney General Kris Kobach, Kobach's charges alleging noncitizen illegal voting, a child care grant by the Kelly administration, and Kansas turkey hunting records.