KS - March 31 2025

Trump Weighs Farmer Aid as Tariffs Loom

Chiefs Eye Stadium Plan by Summer Deadline

Kansas Legislature Wraps Session with Job Reform

Kansas Drivers Must Move Over Under New Law

Severe Storms Forecast for Tuesday Night

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1. Trump Weighs Farmer Aid as Tariffs Loom

Ahead of President Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs across the globe this week, his administration is weighing a new round of emergency aid to farmers, who are likely to be caught in the middle if America’s trading partners retaliate. The early discussions offer a tacit acknowledgment that Mr. Trump’s expansive tariffs could unleash financial devastation throughout the U.S. agricultural industry, a crucial voting base that the president similarly tried to safeguard during his 2018 trade war with China. While the president has not announced any details of an aid package, his advisers have signaled in recent days that he could follow a playbook similar to the one he used in his first term, when he directed billions in payments to farmers who saw their exports to China plummet amid a trade war with Beijing. Such a rescue package ultimately proved expensive, with the government shelling out about $23 billion after China imposed high retaliatory duties on soybean, corn, wheat and other American imports beginning in 2018. That money came from a fund at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a portion of which can be used to respond to emergencies, including trade disputes.
Source: NYT

2. Chiefs Eye Stadium Plan by Summer Deadline

Hunt revealed Monday that the team is “hopeful” that it will have a stadium plan ready to announce “by summer at the latest.” That timeline notably resembles one that Royals owner John Sherman outlined again last week, and there’s a reason for it: The Kansas supercharged STAR bonds incentive expires June 30. Lawmakers could vote to extend their aggressive plan to lure either team across the state line, but the Chiefs aren’t banking on it. The Chiefs are still exploring a renovated GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri, or building a new stadium in Kansas. The latter would likely, though not certainly, include a dome. They believe a domed stadium might give a team that has played in five of the past six Super Bowls the chance to host one instead. And they’re more than guessing on that — they’ve discussed it with the NFL. Whatever option they choose would include a public financing ask.
Source: Kansas City Star

3. Kansas Legislature Wraps Session with Job Reform

Gov. Laura Kelly marked close of the Kansas Legislature’s regular session by signing a bipartisan bill forbidding applicants for about 85% of state government jobs from being rejected solely due to lack of a college degree. Kelly, the second-term Democratic governor, said she previously implemented that standard in executive branch agencies under her jurisdiction. The House and Senate approved Senate Bill 166 to formally emphasize a person’s prior experience or specialized training when determining work readiness for state government jobs. The governor signed a cluster of noncontroversial bills last week as the 2025 Legislature brought the regular session to a close Thursday with a flurry of partisan activity. These pieces of new state law require higher educational institutions to update accreditation policies regularly, allowed dependents of military personnel stationed in Kansas to enroll in school early, voided a discriminatory residential covenant inhibiting a Wichita State University project and expanded college financial aid to Kansas National Guard members and their families. Kelly will have an opportunity to sign or veto additional bills piled on her desk before the Legislature’s scheduled return April 10. House and Senate leadership want to quickly conclude their business for 2025. The goal of GOP leaders has been to tie the hands of Kelly in terms of budget and tax policy, while avoiding a repeat of the 2024 special session devoted to passage of a monumental state income tax cut.
Source: Kansas Reflector

4. Kansas Drivers Must Move Over Under New Law

A new law requires drivers to “move over” and give an additional lane of safety to more motorists. The bill, signed into law March 23, expands the requirement to all stalled vehicles along Kansas roadways, and says when approaching a vehicle with its hazard lights on, drivers must move over to the nonadjacent lane, if possible. “If the driver of the motor vehicle is traveling on a highway that consists of at least two lanes that carry traffic in the same direction of travel as that of the driver’s motor vehicle, the driver shall proceed with due caution and, if possible ... shall change lanes into a lane that is not adjacent to that of the stationary vehicle,” the law reads.
Source: Kansas.com

5. Severe Storms Forecast for Tuesday Night

A Storm Team 12 Weather Alert Day is in place for Tuesday and into the night with the risk of severe storms concentrating over north central, central, and eastern Kansas. Southwest Kansas will have high winds and fire danger. North central Kansas will have the initial storms after 4pm that may have some small hail and high winds and those will move northeast. Meanwhile, farther south there will be an increased chance for severe storms in central and south central Kansas that will come after 7pm. That’s where the chance for hail and a tornado or two will come into consideration. Wichita may have a severe threat between 10pm and 2am Wednesday. Although there will still be a breeze on Wednesday, it will be calming down a bit and highs will be in the 60s and 70s with a return of some sunshine.

Source: KWCH

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Sources

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/us/politics/farmers-bailouts-trump-tariffs.html (NYT)
2. https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mcdowell/article303188406.html (Kansas City Star)
3. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/31/kansas-legislatures-republican-leadership-hustling-to-end-annual-session-in-early-april/ (Kansas Reflector)
4. https://www.kansas.com/news/state/article303016294.html (Kansas.com)
5. https://www.kwch.com/2025/03/31/weather-alert-severe-storms-expected-tuesday/ (KWCH)