KS - April 4 2025

Governor Kelly Vetoes Six Bills in Friday News Dump, Sparks GOP Outrage

Man Charged in Fatal Shooting of Kansas Priest

Wichita Debates Mayor’s Power vs. City Manager

Sen. Moran Pushes $50M for World Cup Infrastructure

Kansas Offers $125,000 for Rural Mural Projects

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1. Governor Kelly Vetoes Six Bills in Friday News Dump, Sparks GOP Outrage

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed six bills Friday afternoon, drawing the ire of Republican leadership who promised veto overrides when the Legislature reconvenes April 10. [she vetoed] Senate Bill 29 addresses the rights of the county or local health officer and others to prohibit gatherings of large groups for reasons of infectious disease. Kelly said House Bill 2217, which expands the scope of the inspector general to audit and investigate all state cash, food or health assistance programs, was unnecessary because a fraud investigations unit already exists within the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Senate Bill 79 bars anyone on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from buying candy and soft drinks with food assistance. House Bill 2291 would create a regulatory relief division within the Attorney General’s Office and established an advisory committee. House Bill 2284 sets written policies to govern procurement of managed care organizations to provide state Medicaid services. House Bill 2033 adds programs and services to approved at-risk educational programs, both Kelly and Woodard saw the bill as getting in the way of the Kansas State Board of Education. The governor allowed House Bill 2101, which prohibits municipalities from adopting and implementing a guaranteed income program, and House Bill 2020, which requires a quarterly report listing the names, addresses and alien registration numbers of certain noncitizens who have been issued a driver’s license, to become law without her signature.
Source: Kansas Reflector

2. Man Charged in Fatal Shooting of Kansas Priest

A 66-year-old man was charged Friday in the fatal shooting of a northeast Kansas priest, court records show. Gary Lee Hermesch, a Nemaha County native, faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of the Rev. Raj “Arul” Balaswamy Carasala, the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, according to a news release from Nemaha County Attorney Brad Lippert. Deputies from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office responded to the shooting at the church’s rectory at 411 Pioneer Street about 2:55 p.m. Thursday and discovered Carasala outside with gunshot wounds, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release Thursday. Carasala was taken to a hospital, where he died. Shortly after the shooting, KBI personnel and sheriff’s deputies arrested Hermesch and booked him into the Nemaha County jail. Hermesch is a resident of Tulsa, but Seneca residents said he grew up, and attended high school, in the area. Seneca, the county seat of Nemaha County, has a population of about 2,100 and is located about an hour’s drive north of Topeka.
Source: Kansas City Star

3. Wichita Debates Mayor’s Power vs. City Manager

Should Wichita’s mayor have more power? Or should an unelected city manager continue to be the city’s most powerful official? As it stands, the mayor is the only official elected citywide. But she has no executive powers and can’t enact her agenda without the support of three other council members, who represent smaller districts. The city manager, who is appointed by the council, prepares the budget, chooses department heads and manages the daily operations of the city government. Any changes in the city’s form of government could have big implications for tax rates, city services and city priorities. Voters would have the final say on any such change in government.
Source: Wichita Eagle

4. Sen. Moran Pushes $50M for World Cup Infrastructure

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas reintroduced federal legislation to set aside $50 million annually for transportation infrastructure projects in support of cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympic Games and 2034 Winter Olympic Games. Moran’s primary interest was a section of the bill earmarking funding to 11 U.S. cities, including Kansas City, selected to host Men’s World Cup competition next year.
Source: Kansas Reflector

5. Kansas Offers $125,000 for Rural Mural Projects

The Kansas Department of Commerce earmarked $125,000 to support new mural projects in cities and towns in rural areas of Kansas in 2025. The agency’s Office of Rural Prosperity set aside the money to continue an initiative aimed at bringing communities together around local history and culture. The office said mural projects have the potential to improve attractiveness of smaller communities while engaging residents and visitors.
Source: Kansas Reflector

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Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/04/04/kansas-governor-vetoes-six-bills-drawing-gop-condemnation-for-friday-news-dump/ (Kansas Reflector)
2. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article303509331.html (Kansas City Star)
3. https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article303451121.html (Wichita Eagle)
4. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/04/04/moran-touts-bipartisan-bill-earmarking-federal-infrastructure-funding-for-world-cup-olympics/ (Kansas Reflector)
5. https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-agency-offers-125000-in-grant-funding-for-public-murals-in-rural-communities/ (Kansas Reflector)