WASHINGTON — Many U.S. taxpayers in a dozen states for the first time can electronically file their federal returns directly to the Internal Revenue Service for free — but critics insist the new federal benefit is not needed and will even harm both users and states.

More than 50,000 taxpayers in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have so far used the new online IRS Direct File program this tax season, according to the agency.

The free alternative to potentially costly private tax filing software rolled out in mid-March for the 2023 filing season. It is only available for those with W-2 income or simple credits and deductions, like the child tax credit or student loan interest.

The IRS estimates that 19 million taxpayers are eligible to use the new program in advance of the April 15 tax filing deadline.

But opponents argue the government Direct File program is a waste of resources and will snag business from professional tax preparers. They say it will confuse taxpayers who are accustomed to automatically filing their federal and state returns together through private software.

Some states also claim it will cost them revenue and increase what they have to spend on collections from taxpayers who owe money to their states.

The IRS program is purposefully small for now. The agency said in a launch-day release that it’s following “best practices for launching a new technology platform by starting small, making sure it works and then building from there.”

The pilot program “is almost tailor-made for students and young people with simple tax situations,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/commissioner-danny-werfel-1-year-anniversary-speech-the-future-irs-transforming-for-a-digital-world">said</a>&nbsp;in late March, encouraging people to visit the new&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://directfile.irs.gov/">directfile.irs.gov</a>.

The White House is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1772669844615213260?s=20">celebrating</a>&nbsp;the launch as a win for President Joe Biden, who in 2022 along with a Democratic-led Congress authorized its funding to jumpstart the program as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The progressive Economic Security Project&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://economicsecurityproject.org/wp-content/uploads/Full-Report_-The-Impact-of-Direct-File-by-the-Numbers.pdf">estimates</a>&nbsp;that if the program scales up, it could eventually save the average taxpayer up to $160 annually in tax prep costs. Assuming broad public adoption, that could add up to Americans saving $11 billion a year in filing fees and time.

The organization also estimates low-income households could gain up to $12 billion in unclaimed federal tax credits, and that the IRS would see a return on investment of more than $100 per federal dollar spent on the program due to less paperwork and fewer errors.

Roxy Caines, director of the Get It Back campaign, said Direct File could increase tax participation, particularly for low-income households.

“Having an accessible way to file taxes is really important because of the high cost of tax preparation as well as the arduous process. It’s often viewed as intimidating,” said Caines, who runs the financial literacy and tax credit advocacy campaign by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

When Werfel appeared in February before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Republican Chair Jason Smith of Missouri&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://waysandmeans.house.gov/event/hearing-with-commissioner-of-the-internal-revenue-service-daniel-werfel/">described</a>&nbsp;the program as a “scheme the American people didn’t ask for.”

In January, 13 Republican attorneys general sent a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/IRS-Direct-File-Letter-Final.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen opposing “the unnecessary and unconstitutional efforts to empower the Internal Revenue Service with the expansive authority to prepare and file tax returns for all taxpayers.”

“American taxpayers do not want to invite the proverbial fox into the hen house,” wrote the officials, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.

Attorneys general from Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia co-signed it.

The officials wrote that a program for taxpayers to directly file with the IRS at no cost “needlessly threatens” the livelihoods of tax preparers.

“Every year, tens of millions of taxpayers file their taxes for free with help from existing programs or online software. Additionally, millions of Americans work with small businesses in our states to file their taxes at an affordable cost, including both independent tax preparation services and local accountants. They choose to do so because they want an advocate in their corner who will represent their interests against the IRS bureaucracy,” they wrote.

The IRS did not respond to a request for comment about the criticism.

Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, a fiscally conservative organization that advocates for simplifying the tax code, told States Newsroom the project has been “dramatically oversold” and is being piloted in “some very easy places,” including states that don’t collect their own income tax.

Money for the IRS would be better spent on improving customer service, he argues.

“Every single penny they can scrounge up from other places needs to be poured into that effort, right? Now, in our opinion, designing a portal for direct file that is underpowered and is competing with other services is just not a priority,” he said, referring to the 22-year “Free File” arrangement the IRS has had with select private companies.

Today, the vast majority of taxpayers file electronically,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-fiscal-year-2022-data-book-describing-agencys-activities">according</a>&nbsp;to IRS data. Of the 160 million individual federal tax returns that the IRS processed in 2022, 150.6 million, or 94%, were e-filed. Of those, just under 3.3 million used what’s been criticized as an opaque and complicated electronic Free File program.

Free File dates back to the early 2000s, when the idea of e-filing was just budding, and the government had no such program in place.

President George W. Bush’s administration was exploring the possibility of a free direct file portal through the IRS website.

At the time the agency was struggling after failed modernization efforts, and a public-private partnership with the burgeoning tax preparation software companies became an appealing option.

“The tax companies just said, ‘Well, we got a deal for you,’” recalls Nina Olson, who served as the National Taxpayer Advocate for the IRS from 2001 to 2019.

“And at that time, I was very suspect of the deal. I said at the time that they’re going to find themselves in 20 years, that you know, tax companies would pull out and you would have a patchwork of services available to people,” Olson, who now runs the nonprofit Center for Taxpayer Rights, said in an interview with States Newsroom.

What began in 2002 was an agreement between the IRS and a group of&nbsp; private tax prep software companies, under the name Free File Alliance, to offer free federal tax returns to those under a certain income threshold. In 2023, that annual earnings threshold was $79,000 or less.

Taxpayers who earn above that income threshold have the option to complete their federal returns for free, unguided, using fillable PDF tax forms.

The just over two-decade-old program has been scrutinized for not reaching the taxpayers who most need a free filing option and for not providing a better user experience.

A 2019 Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6768599/TIGTA-Free-File-audit.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;described the program as “fraught with complexity and confusion.”

The inspector general found that in 2018 only 2.5 million of the 104 million taxpayers eligible for Free File actually used it.

About 34.5 million of those Free File-eligible taxpayers used one of the alliance companies’ commercial software options, and a likely 14 million of them paid to e-file their federal returns, the report found.

The low number of Free File users likely was because an estimated 9 million eligible taxpayers were unaware that they had to access the Free File software options via the IRS website.

Those who, for example, searched the web and found one of the IRS partner companies’ websites were “not guaranteed a free return filing,” and subsequently susceptible to advertising for potentially costly add-ons like “audit defense,” the report found.

Investigative reporting in 2019 by ProPublica&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free">revealed</a>&nbsp;deliberate tactics to cloud the Free File program by Intuit, maker of TurboTax, one of the Free File Alliance’s largest partners.

Terms between the IRS and Free File Alliance initially included a commitment from the agency to not develop its own free online filing program. In exchange, the partner companies agreed to limit advertising and add-on solicitation on their free file web pages.

In 2019 the IRS&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-reforms-free-file-program-drops-agreement-not-to-compete-with-turbotax">dropped</a>&nbsp;the prohibition on developing its own program. Limits on company marketing and solicitation for add-on products continued as part of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-efile/ninth-memorandum-of-understanding-on-service-standards-and-disputes.pdf">agreement</a>&nbsp;— though Intuit would eventually have to pay for breaking its commitment.

H&amp;R Block and Intuit respectively left the Free File Alliance in 2020 and 2021. Together they served about 70% of eligible Free File taxpayers in 2019, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105236#summary_recommend">report</a>&nbsp;that recommended the IRS develop additional options for taxpayers to file for free.

Acknowledging the opposing viewpoints on whether the IRS should create, or could handle, its own program, the report concluded the agency “should work to manage the risk of taxpayers having fewer options to electronically file their federal taxes for free.”

In 2022, Intuit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.agturbotaxsettlement.com/Portals/0/Document%20Files/Final%20AVC.pdf?ver=ktHm0t4iOO2k2RruoESSLA%3d%3d">settled</a>&nbsp;with attorneys general from across the U.S., agreeing to pay $141 million to Intuit TurboTax customers who ended up buying services that should have been free to them.

Today there are eight companies in the Free File Alliance, with differing income and tax situation criteria. All are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/browse-all-offers/">listed</a>&nbsp;on the IRS website.

Olson said she doesn’t view the IRS Direct File pilot as a competitor to the already existing Free File partnership. Rather, it’s “one more component of a robust tax online taxpayer account,” she said.

“This is what countries do around the world. We’re so far behind,” Olson said. “There’s a response to folks who say ‘The government doesn’t need to do this’ or ‘There’s no interest in this product.’ Regardless of whether there’s interest in the product, it’s a government obligation.”

Among the tens of billions of dollars Congress authorized for the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act, $15 million was earmarked for exploring the possibility of an IRS-run direct federal tax filing system.

Specifically Congress mandated the agency to use the money to survey taxpayers’ wants and needs, obtain a third-party opinion, and report back to lawmakers on the costs to create and run such a program.

In its third-party&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://d1y8sb8igg2f8e.cloudfront.net/documents/Independent-Third-Party-Report-to-Congress-508c.pdf">review</a>, the left-leaning think tank New America assessed that a successful IRS-run Direct File program “depends critically” on whether the agency prioritizes the project and begins with limited testing before building up.

The organization estimated that development, staffing, infrastructure and customer service for a scaled-up platform would cost the IRS annually anywhere from $22 million to $47 million if 1 million taxpayers use a Direct File program, and up to $126 million to $213 million in the event that 25 million taxpayers jump on board.

New America also recommended the IRS consider the importance of customer service, data privacy and taxpayers’ habits of filing federal and state returns all on one platform — one of the main concerns from critics.

Ayushi Roy, deputy director of New America’s New Practice Lab, which led the review, told States Newsroom she’s been talking to taxpayers using the Direct File pilot and “broadly speaking, we’re finding that filers are really landing on either ‘Wow,’ or ‘it didn’t include me for now.’”

The group will conduct its own analysis of the IRS trial run, particularly focusing on the experience for Spanish-speaking filers.

As for taxpayer interest, the IRS&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5788.pdf">found</a>&nbsp;that 72% of survey respondents said they were “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in a free IRS-provided tool to prepare and file federal taxes.

The survey conducted in 2022 by MITRE, a nonprofit that runs federally funded research and development centers, also found that a top reason cited by 46% of those interested is that they would rather give their financial data to the IRS than to a third party.

An October 2023&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-10/2024408002fr.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration took issue with the design of the survey, warning that the interest level may be “overstated” because the survey did not include a “neutral” option for respondents to choose.

However, the largely Democrat- and progressive-aligned international polling firm GQR&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://betterirs.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/283/Better-IRS_Direct-File-State-Polling-Memos.pdf">found</a>&nbsp;in late January through early February that between 92% and 95% of taxpayers across political ideologies and income levels in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas support a free online IRS filing service.

Several state governments already offer free public electronic filing for state income tax returns, including&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/individual-corporate/individual-income-tax-electronic-filing-options/">Alabama</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/iiwebfile.html">Kansas</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revenue.ky.gov/Individual/Pages/Free-Electronic-Filing.aspx">Kentucky</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.revenue.pa.gov/OnlineServices/mypath/Individuals/Pages/PIT.aspx">Pennsylvania</a>, which offer the service regardless of income level. Some states, like&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftb.ca.gov/file/ways-to-file/online/calfile/calfile-qualifications.html">California</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tax.iowa.gov/individual-income-tax-electronic-filing-options">Iowa</a>, have income thresholds for free filing.

Despite the adoption of free public filing in some states, 21 state auditors, comptrollers and treasurers from 18 states sent a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://myfloridacfo.com/docs-sf/cfo-news-libraries/news-documents/2024/irs-direct-file-letter.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;on March 25 to Yellen and Werfel expressing concern about the “serious harm” the IRS Direct File program will cause and urging them to “shut down” the service.

“Taxpayers are not the only parties who will suffer from Direct File. States will suffer too. States will lose out on payments from Direct File taxpayers who owe state taxes but incorrectly assume that Direct File covers federal and state filings.

“States will then have to increase resources dedicated to collection efforts,” wrote the officials from Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

According to the Treasury Department, taxpayers using the IRS Direct File pilot in Arizona, California, Massachusetts or New York are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/inflation-reduction-act/irs-direct-file-service">automatically directed</a>&nbsp;to their state-supported tax filing websites. Those in Washington are sent to that state’s page to claim the Working Families Tax Credit.

The IRS could not provide a more specific figure of how many taxpayers have so far used Direct File, and its latest estimate stands at 50,000. Advocates say they expect to learn updated numbers as soon as a week after federal taxes are due on April 15.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644341985746.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — Many U.S. taxpayers in a dozen states for the first time can electronically file their federal returns directly to the Internal Revenue Service for free — but critics insist the new federal benefit is not needed and will even harm both users and states.More than 50,000 taxpayers in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have so far used the new online IRS Direct File program this tax season, according to the agency.The free alternative to potentially costly private tax filing software rolled out in mid-March for the 2023 filing season. It is only available for those with W-2 income or simple credits and deductions, like the child tax credit or student loan interest.The IRS estimates that 19 million taxpayers are eligible to use the new program in advance of the April 15 tax filing deadline.But opponents argue the government Direct File program is a waste of resources and will snag business from professional tax preparers. They say it will confuse taxpayers who are accustomed to automatically filing their federal and state returns together through private software.Some states also claim it will cost them revenue and increase what they have to spend on collections from taxpayers who owe money to their states.The IRS program is purposefully small for now. The agency said in a launch-day release that it’s following “best practices for launching a new technology platform by starting small, making sure it works and then building from there.”The pilot program “is almost tailor-made for students and young people with simple tax situations,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/commissioner-danny-werfel-1-year-anniversary-speech-the-future-irs-transforming-for-a-digital-world">said</a>&nbsp;in late March, encouraging people to visit the new&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://directfile.irs.gov/">directfile.irs.gov</a>.The White House is&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1772669844615213260?s=20">celebrating</a>&nbsp;the launch as a win for President Joe Biden, who in 2022 along with a Democratic-led Congress authorized its funding to jumpstart the program as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.The progressive Economic Security Project&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://economicsecurityproject.org/wp-content/uploads/Full-Report_-The-Impact-of-Direct-File-by-the-Numbers.pdf">estimates</a>&nbsp;that if the program scales up, it could eventually save the average taxpayer up to $160 annually in tax prep costs. Assuming broad public adoption, that could add up to Americans saving $11 billion a year in filing fees and time.The organization also estimates low-income households could gain up to $12 billion in unclaimed federal tax credits, and that the IRS would see a return on investment of more than $100 per federal dollar spent on the program due to less paperwork and fewer errors.Roxy Caines, director of the Get It Back campaign, said Direct File could increase tax participation, particularly for low-income households.“Having an accessible way to file taxes is really important because of the high cost of tax preparation as well as the arduous process. It’s often viewed as intimidating,” said Caines, who runs the financial literacy and tax credit advocacy campaign by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.<h2>‘Unnecessary and unconstitutional’</h2>But not everyone is on board.When Werfel appeared in February before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Republican Chair Jason Smith of Missouri&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://waysandmeans.house.gov/event/hearing-with-commissioner-of-the-internal-revenue-service-daniel-werfel/">described</a>&nbsp;the program as a “scheme the American people didn’t ask for.”In January, 13 Republican attorneys general sent a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/IRS-Direct-File-Letter-Final.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen opposing “the unnecessary and unconstitutional efforts to empower the Internal Revenue Service with the expansive authority to prepare and file tax returns for all taxpayers.”“American taxpayers do not want to invite the proverbial fox into the hen house,” wrote the officials, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.Attorneys general from Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia co-signed it.The officials wrote that a program for taxpayers to directly file with the IRS at no cost “needlessly threatens” the livelihoods of tax preparers.“Every year, tens of millions of taxpayers file their taxes for free with help from existing programs or online software. Additionally, millions of Americans work with small businesses in our states to file their taxes at an affordable cost, including both independent tax preparation services and local accountants. They choose to do so because they want an advocate in their corner who will represent their interests against the IRS bureaucracy,” they wrote.The IRS did not respond to a request for comment about the criticism.Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, a fiscally conservative organization that advocates for simplifying the tax code, told States Newsroom the project has been “dramatically oversold” and is being piloted in “some very easy places,” including states that don’t collect their own income tax.Money for the IRS would be better spent on improving customer service, he argues.“Every single penny they can scrounge up from other places needs to be poured into that effort, right? Now, in our opinion, designing a portal for direct file that is underpowered and is competing with other services is just not a priority,” he said, referring to the 22-year “Free File” arrangement the IRS has had with select private companies.<h2>So what about Free File?</h2>Today, the vast majority of taxpayers file electronically,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-fiscal-year-2022-data-book-describing-agencys-activities">according</a>&nbsp;to IRS data. Of the 160 million individual federal tax returns that the IRS processed in 2022, 150.6 million, or 94%, were e-filed. Of those, just under 3.3 million used what’s been criticized as an opaque and complicated electronic Free File program.Free File dates back to the early 2000s, when the idea of e-filing was just budding, and the government had no such program in place.President George W. Bush’s administration was exploring the possibility of a free direct file portal through the IRS website.At the time the agency was struggling after failed modernization efforts, and a public-private partnership with the burgeoning tax preparation software companies became an appealing option.“The tax companies just said, ‘Well, we got a deal for you,’” recalls Nina Olson, who served as the National Taxpayer Advocate for the IRS from 2001 to 2019.“And at that time, I was very suspect of the deal. I said at the time that they’re going to find themselves in 20 years, that you know, tax companies would pull out and you would have a patchwork of services available to people,” Olson, who now runs the nonprofit Center for Taxpayer Rights, said in an interview with States Newsroom.What began in 2002 was an agreement between the IRS and a group of&nbsp; private tax prep software companies, under the name Free File Alliance, to offer free federal tax returns to those under a certain income threshold. In 2023, that annual earnings threshold was $79,000 or less.Taxpayers who earn above that income threshold have the option to complete their federal returns for free, unguided, using fillable PDF tax forms.The just over two-decade-old program has been scrutinized for not reaching the taxpayers who most need a free filing option and for not providing a better user experience.A 2019 Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6768599/TIGTA-Free-File-audit.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;described the program as “fraught with complexity and confusion.”The inspector general found that in 2018 only 2.5 million of the 104 million taxpayers eligible for Free File actually used it.About 34.5 million of those Free File-eligible taxpayers used one of the alliance companies’ commercial software options, and a likely 14 million of them paid to e-file their federal returns, the report found.The low number of Free File users likely was because an estimated 9 million eligible taxpayers were unaware that they had to access the Free File software options via the IRS website.Those who, for example, searched the web and found one of the IRS partner companies’ websites were “not guaranteed a free return filing,” and subsequently susceptible to advertising for potentially costly add-ons like “audit defense,” the report found.Investigative reporting in 2019 by ProPublica&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free">revealed</a>&nbsp;deliberate tactics to cloud the Free File program by Intuit, maker of TurboTax, one of the Free File Alliance’s largest partners.Terms between the IRS and Free File Alliance initially included a commitment from the agency to not develop its own free online filing program. In exchange, the partner companies agreed to limit advertising and add-on solicitation on their free file web pages.In 2019 the IRS&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-reforms-free-file-program-drops-agreement-not-to-compete-with-turbotax">dropped</a>&nbsp;the prohibition on developing its own program. Limits on company marketing and solicitation for add-on products continued as part of the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-efile/ninth-memorandum-of-understanding-on-service-standards-and-disputes.pdf">agreement</a>&nbsp;— though Intuit would eventually have to pay for breaking its commitment.H&amp;R Block and Intuit respectively left the Free File Alliance in 2020 and 2021. Together they served about 70% of eligible Free File taxpayers in 2019, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105236#summary_recommend">report</a>&nbsp;that recommended the IRS develop additional options for taxpayers to file for free.Acknowledging the opposing viewpoints on whether the IRS should create, or could handle, its own program, the report concluded the agency “should work to manage the risk of taxpayers having fewer options to electronically file their federal taxes for free.”In 2022, Intuit&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.agturbotaxsettlement.com/Portals/0/Document%20Files/Final%20AVC.pdf?ver=ktHm0t4iOO2k2RruoESSLA%3d%3d">settled</a>&nbsp;with attorneys general from across the U.S., agreeing to pay $141 million to Intuit TurboTax customers who ended up buying services that should have been free to them.Today there are eight companies in the Free File Alliance, with differing income and tax situation criteria. All are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/browse-all-offers/">listed</a>&nbsp;on the IRS website.Olson said she doesn’t view the IRS Direct File pilot as a competitor to the already existing Free File partnership. Rather, it’s “one more component of a robust tax online taxpayer account,” she said.“This is what countries do around the world. We’re so far behind,” Olson said. “There’s a response to folks who say ‘The government doesn’t need to do this’ or ‘There’s no interest in this product.’ Regardless of whether there’s interest in the product, it’s a government obligation.”<h2>Congressional mandate</h2>Among the tens of billions of dollars Congress authorized for the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act, $15 million was earmarked for exploring the possibility of an IRS-run direct federal tax filing system.Specifically Congress mandated the agency to use the money to survey taxpayers’ wants and needs, obtain a third-party opinion, and report back to lawmakers on the costs to create and run such a program.In its third-party&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://d1y8sb8igg2f8e.cloudfront.net/documents/Independent-Third-Party-Report-to-Congress-508c.pdf">review</a>, the left-leaning think tank New America assessed that a successful IRS-run Direct File program “depends critically” on whether the agency prioritizes the project and begins with limited testing before building up.The organization estimated that development, staffing, infrastructure and customer service for a scaled-up platform would cost the IRS annually anywhere from $22 million to $47 million if 1 million taxpayers use a Direct File program, and up to $126 million to $213 million in the event that 25 million taxpayers jump on board.New America also recommended the IRS consider the importance of customer service, data privacy and taxpayers’ habits of filing federal and state returns all on one platform — one of the main concerns from critics.Ayushi Roy, deputy director of New America’s New Practice Lab, which led the review, told States Newsroom she’s been talking to taxpayers using the Direct File pilot and “broadly speaking, we’re finding that filers are really landing on either ‘Wow,’ or ‘it didn’t include me for now.’”The group will conduct its own analysis of the IRS trial run, particularly focusing on the experience for Spanish-speaking filers.As for taxpayer interest, the IRS&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5788.pdf">found</a>&nbsp;that 72% of survey respondents said they were “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in a free IRS-provided tool to prepare and file federal taxes.The survey conducted in 2022 by MITRE, a nonprofit that runs federally funded research and development centers, also found that a top reason cited by 46% of those interested is that they would rather give their financial data to the IRS than to a third party.An October 2023&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-10/2024408002fr.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration took issue with the design of the survey, warning that the interest level may be “overstated” because the survey did not include a “neutral” option for respondents to choose.However, the largely Democrat- and progressive-aligned international polling firm GQR&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://betterirs.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/283/Better-IRS_Direct-File-State-Polling-Memos.pdf">found</a>&nbsp;in late January through early February that between 92% and 95% of taxpayers across political ideologies and income levels in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas support a free online IRS filing service.Several state governments already offer free public electronic filing for state income tax returns, including&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/individual-corporate/individual-income-tax-electronic-filing-options/">Alabama</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/iiwebfile.html">Kansas</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://revenue.ky.gov/Individual/Pages/Free-Electronic-Filing.aspx">Kentucky</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.revenue.pa.gov/OnlineServices/mypath/Individuals/Pages/PIT.aspx">Pennsylvania</a>, which offer the service regardless of income level. Some states, like&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftb.ca.gov/file/ways-to-file/online/calfile/calfile-qualifications.html">California</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tax.iowa.gov/individual-income-tax-electronic-filing-options">Iowa</a>, have income thresholds for free filing.States bite backDespite the adoption of free public filing in some states, 21 state auditors, comptrollers and treasurers from 18 states sent a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://myfloridacfo.com/docs-sf/cfo-news-libraries/news-documents/2024/irs-direct-file-letter.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;on March 25 to Yellen and Werfel expressing concern about the “serious harm” the IRS Direct File program will cause and urging them to “shut down” the service.“Taxpayers are not the only parties who will suffer from Direct File. States will suffer too. States will lose out on payments from Direct File taxpayers who owe state taxes but incorrectly assume that Direct File covers federal and state filings.“States will then have to increase resources dedicated to collection efforts,” wrote the officials from Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.According to the Treasury Department, taxpayers using the IRS Direct File pilot in Arizona, California, Massachusetts or New York are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/inflation-reduction-act/irs-direct-file-service">automatically directed</a>&nbsp;to their state-supported tax filing websites. Those in Washington are sent to that state’s page to claim the Working Families Tax Credit.The IRS could not provide a more specific figure of how many taxpayers have so far used Direct File, and its latest estimate stands at 50,000. Advocates say they expect to learn updated numbers as soon as a week after federal taxes are due on April 15.

IRS is testing a free method to directly file taxes. But not everyone is thrilled

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. came through unlicensed dealers who aren’t required to perform background checks over a five-year period, according to new data released Thursday by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives">Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives</a>.

That represents 54% of the illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, Justice Department officials said. The guns were used in 368 shooting cases, which are harder to investigate because unlicensed dealers aren't required to keep records of their sales that could allow federal agents to trace the weapon back to the original buyer, said ATF Director Steve Dettelbach.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives-crime-5797d08e27b4904c4a6b68d88cf544c1">The report ordered</a>&nbsp;by Attorney General Merrick Garland is the first in-depth analysis of firearm trafficking investigations in more than 20 years. It examined more than 9,700 closed ATF firearm trafficking investigations that began between 2017 and 2021. Firearms trafficking is when guns are purposely moved into the illegal market for a criminal purpose or possession.

The second-highest share of firearm-trafficking cases investigated by ATF was straw purchases, when someone buys a gun for a person who can’t get it legally themselves.

The report also shows that the recipients of trafficked firearms were people who had previously been convicted of a felony in almost 60 percent of the cases in which investigators were able to identify the background of the recipient. Furthermore, trafficked firearms were used to commit additional crimes in almost 25 percent of the cases, Dettelbach said. That includes more than 260 murders and more than 220 attempted murders, according to the report.

“The data shows, therefore, that those who illegally traffic firearms whether its out of a trunk, at a gun show or online are responsible for real violence in this nation,” Dettelbach said. “In short, you can’t illegally help to arm violent people and not be responsible for the violence that follows,” he said.

The report found the average number of guns trafficked per case was 16. People who got them through unlicensed dealers bought 20 weapons on average, compared to 11 guns for straw buyers, according to the report.

The Biden administration has separately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firearms-dealers-biden-background-checks-gun-violence-d53441dc0242c515b6b1478ab27a5dac">proposed a rule</a>&nbsp;that would require thousands more gun sellers to get licensed and run background checks. The Justice Department says it’s aimed at sellers who are in the business of firearm sales, but the proposal quickly drew protest from gun-rights groups who contend it could ensnare regular people who sometimes sell their own guns.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702505915425.png" alt="Photo Aristide Economopoulos&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo Aristide Economopoulos&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 68,000 illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. came through unlicensed dealers who aren’t required to perform background checks over a five-year period, according to new data released Thursday by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives">Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives</a>.That represents 54% of the illegally trafficked firearms in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, Justice Department officials said. The guns were used in 368 shooting cases, which are harder to investigate because unlicensed dealers aren't required to keep records of their sales that could allow federal agents to trace the weapon back to the original buyer, said ATF Director Steve Dettelbach.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bureau-of-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives-crime-5797d08e27b4904c4a6b68d88cf544c1">The report ordered</a>&nbsp;by Attorney General Merrick Garland is the first in-depth analysis of firearm trafficking investigations in more than 20 years. It examined more than 9,700 closed ATF firearm trafficking investigations that began between 2017 and 2021. Firearms trafficking is when guns are purposely moved into the illegal market for a criminal purpose or possession.The second-highest share of firearm-trafficking cases investigated by ATF was straw purchases, when someone buys a gun for a person who can’t get it legally themselves.The report also shows that the recipients of trafficked firearms were people who had previously been convicted of a felony in almost 60 percent of the cases in which investigators were able to identify the background of the recipient. Furthermore, trafficked firearms were used to commit additional crimes in almost 25 percent of the cases, Dettelbach said. That includes more than 260 murders and more than 220 attempted murders, according to the report.“The data shows, therefore, that those who illegally traffic firearms whether its out of a trunk, at a gun show or online are responsible for real violence in this nation,” Dettelbach said. “In short, you can’t illegally help to arm violent people and not be responsible for the violence that follows,” he said.The report found the average number of guns trafficked per case was 16. People who got them through unlicensed dealers bought 20 weapons on average, compared to 11 guns for straw buyers, according to the report.The Biden administration has separately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/firearms-dealers-biden-background-checks-gun-violence-d53441dc0242c515b6b1478ab27a5dac">proposed a rule</a>&nbsp;that would require thousands more gun sellers to get licensed and run background checks. The Justice Department says it’s aimed at sellers who are in the business of firearm sales, but the proposal quickly drew protest from gun-rights groups who contend it could ensnare regular people who sometimes sell their own guns.

Report: 68,000 guns illegally trafficked through unlicensed dealers over 5 years

BARTON COUNTY—Just before 4:30p.m. Saturday Barton Co. Fire District 2, Hoisington and Olmitz departments responded to a report of oil gun barrels on fire at NW 70 Road and NW 30 Avenue, according to a social media report.

 High winds with zero visibility at times made it very difficult in the response, and arriving discovered 3 gun barrels engulfed in fire. Static electricity is believed to be the cause of the ignition.

 Firefighters were on scene for a couple hours as the winds died down and monitoring as the fiberglass barrels burned and melted down until it was safe for them to burn themselves out throughout the night. 

Fire crews were assisted by Barton Co Sheriffs office, Kansas Highway Patrol and Barton Co Dispatch.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712509653140.png" alt="Photo Barton Co. Fire District 2" />
 <figcaption>Photo Barton Co. Fire District 2</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY—Just before 4:30p.m. Saturday Barton Co. Fire District 2, Hoisington and Olmitz departments responded to a report of oil gun barrels on fire at NW 70 Road and NW 30 Avenue, according to a social media report. High winds with zero visibility at times made it very difficult in the response, and arriving discovered 3 gun barrels engulfed in fire. Static electricity is believed to be the cause of the ignition. Firefighters were on scene for a couple hours as the winds died down and monitoring as the fiberglass barrels burned and melted down until it was safe for them to burn themselves out throughout the night. Fire crews were assisted by Barton Co Sheriffs office, Kansas Highway Patrol and Barton Co Dispatch.

Crews fight oil barrel fire during wind storm

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Missouri's execution protocol allows for “surgery without anesthesia” if the typical process of finding a suitable vein to inject the lethal drug doesn't work, lawyers for a death row inmate say in an appeal aimed at sparing his life.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-date-set-brian-dorsey-306c6e0cb8cc344004eb4b7a5ea9a0b4">Brian Dorsey</a>, 52, is scheduled for execution Tuesday for killing his cousin and her husband at their central Missouri home in 2006. His attorneys are seeking clemency from Gov. Mike Parson and have several appeals pending.

A federal court appeal focuses on how Missouri injects the fatal dose of pentobarbital. The written protocol calls for insertion of primary and secondary intravenous lines. But it offers no guidance on how far the execution team can go to find a suitable vein, leaving open the possibility of an invasive “cutdown procedure," Dorsey's attorneys say.

The procedure involves an incision that could be several inches wide and several inches deep. Forceps are used to tear tissue away from a vein that becomes the injection point.

“It's surgery,” said Arin Brenner, a federal public defender and one of the attorneys representing Dorsey. "It would be surgery without anesthesia.”

Brenner said Dorsey faces a higher-than-normal risk of needing a cutdown because he is obese. His veins also might be compromised because he is diabetic and a former IV drug user.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Andrew Bailey didn't comment but referred to the state's response to the appeal.

“Cut-down procedures are rarely, if ever, used under Missouri’s execution protocol,” the response stated. “And in the event that a cut-down procedure were necessary, medical personnel have access to pain relieving medications.”

Medication would be inadequate and if the procedure is necessary, Dorsey should receive a local anesthetic, said Megan Crane, another attorney for him.

“It is extremely painful," Crane said. “Even if given an oral pain relief or an opioid, that will not relieve the pain.”

Lawyers for Dorsey say use of the surgical procedure would violate his constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment, and his right to religious freedom because it would prevent him from having meaningful interaction with his spiritual adviser, including the administration of last rites.

Missouri's execution process is shrouded in secrecy, so it's impossible to know if, or how often, cutdown procedures have been required. No independent observer sees the IV line inserted. The spiritual adviser doesn't enter the room until the preparation is complete. Witnesses sit in dark rooms with curtains drawn until corrections officers open them seconds before the drug is injected.

Attorneys for Dorsey wonder if a cutdown procedure was used in January 2023 when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-state-government-missouri-legal-proceedings-religion-dbc253bef85af688a63a42a836e00028">Amber McLaughlin was executed</a>. It was believed to be the first execution of an openly transgender person in the U.S.

The Rev. Lauren Bennett of St. Louis served as McLaughlin's spiritual adviser. She recalled McLaughlin saying, “Ouch, ouch, ouch. It hurts," but said McLaughlin was unable to explain the cause of her pain before her death.

Issues with the IV have been problematic in executions elsewhere.

In 2014, Oklahoma inmate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executions-oklahoma-00a761ac0ea241a4b89f386bfa841d38">Clayton Lockett</a>&nbsp;was declared dead 43 minutes after his execution began, at times writhing in pain and clenching his teeth through the process. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3adff2e4f63f4f6fa2a7becc6d37967a">state investigation</a>&nbsp;showed that the execution team repeatedly failed to insert an IV line in his arms, jugular vein, foot and subclavian vein in the upper torso, before eventually running a line through a vein in Lockett’s groin.

The review found that Lockett died after the line came loose, and that the deadly chemicals were pumped into the tissue surrounding the injection site instead of directly into his bloodstream. There is no indication in the report that Lockett was ever given an anesthetic.

In 2022, it took more than three hours to execute&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-alabama-executions-forensics-4334707e24158f5fe36607626bc287d4">Joe Nathan James Jr.</a>&nbsp;in Alabama. The state said the process was delayed because of difficulties establishing an IV line. Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor of anesthesiology at Emory University and an expert on lethal injection who witnessed the private autopsy, said he saw “multiple puncture sites on both arms” and two incisions in the middle of the arm, which he said were indications of efforts to perform a cutdown. It's unclear if he received anesthesia.

Messages were left Friday with corrections officials in Oklahoma and Alabama.

Dorsey, formerly of Jefferson City, was convicted of killing his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Ben, on Dec. 23, 2006, at their home near New Bloomfield. Prosecutors said that earlier that day, Dorsey had called Sarah Bonnie seeking to borrow money to pay two drug dealers who were at his apartment.

Dorsey went to the Bonnies’ home that night. After they went to bed, Dorsey took a shotgun from the garage and killed both of them before sexually assaulting Sarah Bonnie’s body, prosecutors said.

Sarah Bonnie’s parents found the bodies the next day. The couple’s 4-year-old daughter was unhurt.

In the clemency petition, 72 current and former state correctional officers asked Parson, a Republican and a former county sheriff, to commute Dorsey’s sentence to life in prison, citing his virtually spotless record of good behavior while in prison.

“The Brian I have known for years could not hurt anyone,” one officer wrote. “The Brian I know does not deserve to be executed.”

A spokesperson said Parson is still reviewing the clemency request.

An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court centers on the $12,000 flat fee for Dorsey's court-appointed trial attorneys. The appeal argues that with the flat fee, his lawyers had a financial incentive to resolve the case quickly. They encouraged Dorsey to plead guilty, but with no demand that prosecutors agree to life in prison instead of the death penalty.

Dorsey's attorneys also argue that the Missouri Department of Corrections' acting director, Trevor Foley, is unqualified to oversee an execution because he has not been confirmed by the Missouri Senate since his appointment in December.

The Attorney General’s Office said in a court filing that acting directors must be allowed to carry out functions or government could be impeded. A state court sided with the Attorney General's Office this week, but Crane said an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court is planned.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702606426537.png" alt="Dorsey photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Dorsey photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Missouri's execution protocol allows for “surgery without anesthesia” if the typical process of finding a suitable vein to inject the lethal drug doesn't work, lawyers for a death row inmate say in an appeal aimed at sparing his life.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-date-set-brian-dorsey-306c6e0cb8cc344004eb4b7a5ea9a0b4">Brian Dorsey</a>, 52, is scheduled for execution Tuesday for killing his cousin and her husband at their central Missouri home in 2006. His attorneys are seeking clemency from Gov. Mike Parson and have several appeals pending.A federal court appeal focuses on how Missouri injects the fatal dose of pentobarbital. The written protocol calls for insertion of primary and secondary intravenous lines. But it offers no guidance on how far the execution team can go to find a suitable vein, leaving open the possibility of an invasive “cutdown procedure," Dorsey's attorneys say.The procedure involves an incision that could be several inches wide and several inches deep. Forceps are used to tear tissue away from a vein that becomes the injection point.“It's surgery,” said Arin Brenner, a federal public defender and one of the attorneys representing Dorsey. "It would be surgery without anesthesia.”Brenner said Dorsey faces a higher-than-normal risk of needing a cutdown because he is obese. His veins also might be compromised because he is diabetic and a former IV drug user.A spokesperson for Attorney General Andrew Bailey didn't comment but referred to the state's response to the appeal.“Cut-down procedures are rarely, if ever, used under Missouri’s execution protocol,” the response stated. “And in the event that a cut-down procedure were necessary, medical personnel have access to pain relieving medications.”Medication would be inadequate and if the procedure is necessary, Dorsey should receive a local anesthetic, said Megan Crane, another attorney for him.“It is extremely painful," Crane said. “Even if given an oral pain relief or an opioid, that will not relieve the pain.”Lawyers for Dorsey say use of the surgical procedure would violate his constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment, and his right to religious freedom because it would prevent him from having meaningful interaction with his spiritual adviser, including the administration of last rites.Missouri's execution process is shrouded in secrecy, so it's impossible to know if, or how often, cutdown procedures have been required. No independent observer sees the IV line inserted. The spiritual adviser doesn't enter the room until the preparation is complete. Witnesses sit in dark rooms with curtains drawn until corrections officers open them seconds before the drug is injected.Attorneys for Dorsey wonder if a cutdown procedure was used in January 2023 when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-state-government-missouri-legal-proceedings-religion-dbc253bef85af688a63a42a836e00028">Amber McLaughlin was executed</a>. It was believed to be the first execution of an openly transgender person in the U.S.The Rev. Lauren Bennett of St. Louis served as McLaughlin's spiritual adviser. She recalled McLaughlin saying, “Ouch, ouch, ouch. It hurts," but said McLaughlin was unable to explain the cause of her pain before her death.Issues with the IV have been problematic in executions elsewhere.In 2014, Oklahoma inmate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/executions-oklahoma-00a761ac0ea241a4b89f386bfa841d38">Clayton Lockett</a>&nbsp;was declared dead 43 minutes after his execution began, at times writhing in pain and clenching his teeth through the process. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3adff2e4f63f4f6fa2a7becc6d37967a">state investigation</a>&nbsp;showed that the execution team repeatedly failed to insert an IV line in his arms, jugular vein, foot and subclavian vein in the upper torso, before eventually running a line through a vein in Lockett’s groin.The review found that Lockett died after the line came loose, and that the deadly chemicals were pumped into the tissue surrounding the injection site instead of directly into his bloodstream. There is no indication in the report that Lockett was ever given an anesthetic.In 2022, it took more than three hours to execute&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-alabama-executions-forensics-4334707e24158f5fe36607626bc287d4">Joe Nathan James Jr.</a>&nbsp;in Alabama. The state said the process was delayed because of difficulties establishing an IV line. Dr. Joel Zivot, a professor of anesthesiology at Emory University and an expert on lethal injection who witnessed the private autopsy, said he saw “multiple puncture sites on both arms” and two incisions in the middle of the arm, which he said were indications of efforts to perform a cutdown. It's unclear if he received anesthesia.Messages were left Friday with corrections officials in Oklahoma and Alabama.Dorsey, formerly of Jefferson City, was convicted of killing his cousin, Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Ben, on Dec. 23, 2006, at their home near New Bloomfield. Prosecutors said that earlier that day, Dorsey had called Sarah Bonnie seeking to borrow money to pay two drug dealers who were at his apartment.Dorsey went to the Bonnies’ home that night. After they went to bed, Dorsey took a shotgun from the garage and killed both of them before sexually assaulting Sarah Bonnie’s body, prosecutors said.Sarah Bonnie’s parents found the bodies the next day. The couple’s 4-year-old daughter was unhurt.In the clemency petition, 72 current and former state correctional officers asked Parson, a Republican and a former county sheriff, to commute Dorsey’s sentence to life in prison, citing his virtually spotless record of good behavior while in prison.“The Brian I have known for years could not hurt anyone,” one officer wrote. “The Brian I know does not deserve to be executed.”A spokesperson said Parson is still reviewing the clemency request.An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court centers on the $12,000 flat fee for Dorsey's court-appointed trial attorneys. The appeal argues that with the flat fee, his lawyers had a financial incentive to resolve the case quickly. They encouraged Dorsey to plead guilty, but with no demand that prosecutors agree to life in prison instead of the death penalty.Dorsey's attorneys also argue that the Missouri Department of Corrections' acting director, Trevor Foley, is unqualified to oversee an execution because he has not been confirmed by the Missouri Senate since his appointment in December.The Attorney General’s Office said in a court filing that acting directors must be allowed to carry out functions or government could be impeded. A state court sided with the Attorney General's Office this week, but Crane said an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court is planned.___

Lawyer: Condemned killer could face 'surgery without anesthesia' if good vein is elusive

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of an apartment fire in Kansas City.

Just after 1:30p.m. Saturday, fire crews&nbsp;responded to a reported apartment fire in the 400 block of NE 103rd in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

First arriving crews reported smoke and fire showing from a two-story apartment.&nbsp; Occupants were not home at the time. Searches came back all clear. Multiple cats were found and taken to a local vet by the owners. Residents of two units are displaced. No injuries were reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712435994714.png" alt="Photos KCFD" />
 <figcaption>Photos KCFD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of an apartment fire in Kansas City.Just after 1:30p.m. Saturday, fire crews&nbsp;responded to a reported apartment fire in the 400 block of NE 103rd in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712436049146.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>First arriving crews reported smoke and fire showing from a two-story apartment.&nbsp; Occupants were not home at the time. Searches came back all clear. Multiple cats were found and taken to a local vet by the owners. Residents of two units are displaced. No injuries were reported.

Multiple cats found in Kansas City apartment fire

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Like a loss in the playoffs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-stadiums-kansas-city-1c6691c928234706ec79ac16161d2576">voter rejection</a>&nbsp;of a stadium tax plan will force the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs to reevaluate their approach.

The defeat Tuesday of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-royals-kansas-city-stadiums-e9605296b85e91699441e4ba10e83212?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">a three-eighths cent sales tax</a>&nbsp;to fund a new downtown Royals ballpark and renovate the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium was almost assuredly not the end of the matter. Other teams and cities have faced similar setbacks, and that hasn't slowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-stadiums-public-funding-nfl-mlb-a81d825286530bb95f227efc99f2e9d3">a wave of stadium construction</a>&nbsp;underway across the U.S.

“The next page in the playbook, if they lose this referendum, would be to threaten to move,” said Brad Humphreys, an economics professor at West Virginia University, who researches sports stadiums.

But that doesn't mean relocation is imminent, or even likely.

Moving to a new stadium within the same region or another state is just one of several options. Teams could tweak their plans and ask voters again. They could build or renovate stadiums without public funds. Or they could avoid a referendum by seeking approval for public subsidies directly from a legislative body such as a city council, county commission or state legislature.

“Usually, team owners just find a new way to get money, and they’ll go the legislative route,” said Geoffrey Propheter, an associate public finance professor at the University of Colorado Denver. “Rarely do team owners just straight up leave.”

From 1990 through 2023, voters cast ballots on 57 stadium and arena proposals across the country, approving 35 and rejecting 22, according to data compiled by Propheter.

In December, Oklahoma City&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-thunder-arena-tax-f1ede25523b793e9f5326b907246d35e">voters overwhelmingly approved</a>&nbsp;a 1% sales tax for six years to help fund a new downtown arena for the NBA’s Thunder that is expected to cost at least $900 million.

But last May, voters in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coyotes-arena-vote-951c07342692c22d80e0674a64b21c93?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">rejected a proposal</a>&nbsp;for a $2.3 billion entertainment district that would have included a new arena for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. The defeat marked the latest seatback for the hockey team, which underwent a 2009 bankruptcy and is currently playing in a 5,000-seat arena shared with Arizona State University.

The Coyotes haven’t given up on the Phoenix area yet. The team is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coyotes-arena-561f0f996d24e322e89daa21f05933e0">looking into bidding</a>&nbsp;on a 95-acre tract in north Phoenix.

Public subsidies for stadiums and arenas often get approved by elected officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stadiums-public-funding-nfl-mlb-70f5054b1e1f6862713ef036cbae2a10">without going on the ballot.</a>

Last year, the Nashville City Council approved $760 million in local bonds to go along with $500 million in state bonds — all to help finance a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-tennessee-titans-new-stadium-83e5e8ef8b41d097fca5a8f16983d46d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">new $2.1 billion football stadium</a>&nbsp;for the Tennessee Titans. There was no public referendum.

Construction also began last year on a new football stadium for the Buffalo Bills that's projected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bills-new-stadium-cost-overruns-9846e00bd063cf2e8b12406af66c6ef9?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">cost more than $1.6 billion.</a>&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kathy-hochul-buffalo-bills-nfl-business-sports-b16413591ee74ffb5a5bd2431d914910?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">total of $850 million</a>&nbsp;is coming from New York and Erie County, with no public referendum.

The proposal from the Royals and Chiefs went to voters because the Missouri Constitution requires a public vote on local taxes. Only voters in Jackson County got a say, because the proposed tax applied only to sales in that county.

Voter approval might not be necessary if the teams can finance their stadiums without a tax. One option is privately financed bonds, but those would still need a funding stream for repayments, said Brent Never, associate public affairs professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

After losing elections, some teams subsequently sidestep voters to get new stadiums.

In 1997, voters in 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties rejected a proposed half-cent sales tax to replace a stadium shared by the MLB’s Pirates and NFL’s Steelers with two separate facilities and to fund a convention center expansion. But the next year, a regional development district approved public financing for the new facilities without going back to voters.

Similar scenarios played out elsewhere in the mid-1990s. When voters in King County, Washington, rejected a tax plan for a Seattle Mariners ballpark, owners threatened to put the team up for sale. Within a month, state lawmakers authorized a new financing plan for a new baseball stadium.

After Wisconsin voters rejected a sports lottery for a new Milwaukee Brewers ballpark, the state legislature authorized a regional sales tax to help pay for it. Last year, Wisconsin's governor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-brewers-american-family-field-repairs-c4a60cddc901fe1d8d5e8a40174837aa">signed a law</a>&nbsp;authorizing an additional $500 million of public aid for stadium renovations, again without a voter referendum.

Teams sometimes bounce back from a stadium election loss to achieve victory with voters.

After Houston voters defeated a new downtown arena for the NBA’s Rockets in 1999, supporters tried again the next year and easily won.

The San Francisco Giants are perhaps the greatest example of electoral persistence.

Voters said “no” to new stadium plans twice in San Francisco, once in Santa Clara County and once in San Jose, before the Giants put forth a privately financed stadium that finally received voter approval for a needed San Francisco zoning change in 1996.

The Oakland A's received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-athletics-move-las-vegas-oakland-manfred-9c517a4bd16e13bd99325a4ebcb5b567?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">MLB approval</a>&nbsp;last year to relocate to Las Vegas, following the path of the NFL's Oakland Raiders who were similarly lured by a new publicly subsidized stadium. But those deals didn't involve public votes.

The NFL's Chargers are the most recent team to move following voter rejection of a stadium referendum. San Diego voters in 2016&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-c7bb774d0ce345bb87e77e300ea758d4">defeated a plan</a>&nbsp;to raise hotel taxes for a new football stadium and to expand a convention center. The Chargers then moved to a new privately financed stadium in Los Angeles, sharing it with the Rams, who relocated from St. Louis.

The NBA's Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002 — later rebranding as the Pelicans — after voters defeated a sweeping plan to fund a new basketball arena, minor league baseball stadium, museums and cultural centers.

But just six months after the team left, the Charlotte City Council approved a plan for a new downtown arena without submitting it to voters. The NBA then awarded Charlotte an expansion team, which later assumed the Hornets name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709665032862.png" alt=" A rendering of the Royals proposed downtown ballpark&nbsp; -courtesy image" />
 <figcaption> A rendering of the Royals proposed downtown ballpark&nbsp; -courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID A. LIEBKANSAS CITY (AP) — Like a loss in the playoffs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-chiefs-stadiums-kansas-city-1c6691c928234706ec79ac16161d2576">voter rejection</a>&nbsp;of a stadium tax plan will force the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs to reevaluate their approach.The defeat Tuesday of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-royals-kansas-city-stadiums-e9605296b85e91699441e4ba10e83212?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">a three-eighths cent sales tax</a>&nbsp;to fund a new downtown Royals ballpark and renovate the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium was almost assuredly not the end of the matter. Other teams and cities have faced similar setbacks, and that hasn't slowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-stadiums-public-funding-nfl-mlb-a81d825286530bb95f227efc99f2e9d3">a wave of stadium construction</a>&nbsp;underway across the U.S.“The next page in the playbook, if they lose this referendum, would be to threaten to move,” said Brad Humphreys, an economics professor at West Virginia University, who researches sports stadiums.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709142006045.jpeg" alt="Arrowhead Stadium- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Arrowhead Stadium- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>But that doesn't mean relocation is imminent, or even likely.Moving to a new stadium within the same region or another state is just one of several options. Teams could tweak their plans and ask voters again. They could build or renovate stadiums without public funds. Or they could avoid a referendum by seeking approval for public subsidies directly from a legislative body such as a city council, county commission or state legislature.“Usually, team owners just find a new way to get money, and they’ll go the legislative route,” said Geoffrey Propheter, an associate public finance professor at the University of Colorado Denver. “Rarely do team owners just straight up leave.”DECADES OF DECISIONSFrom 1990 through 2023, voters cast ballots on 57 stadium and arena proposals across the country, approving 35 and rejecting 22, according to data compiled by Propheter.In December, Oklahoma City&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-city-thunder-arena-tax-f1ede25523b793e9f5326b907246d35e">voters overwhelmingly approved</a>&nbsp;a 1% sales tax for six years to help fund a new downtown arena for the NBA’s Thunder that is expected to cost at least $900 million.But last May, voters in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coyotes-arena-vote-951c07342692c22d80e0674a64b21c93?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">rejected a proposal</a>&nbsp;for a $2.3 billion entertainment district that would have included a new arena for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. The defeat marked the latest seatback for the hockey team, which underwent a 2009 bankruptcy and is currently playing in a 5,000-seat arena shared with Arizona State University.The Coyotes haven’t given up on the Phoenix area yet. The team is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-coyotes-arena-561f0f996d24e322e89daa21f05933e0">looking into bidding</a>&nbsp;on a 95-acre tract in north Phoenix.NO REFERENDUM NEEDEDPublic subsidies for stadiums and arenas often get approved by elected officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stadiums-public-funding-nfl-mlb-70f5054b1e1f6862713ef036cbae2a10">without going on the ballot.</a>Last year, the Nashville City Council approved $760 million in local bonds to go along with $500 million in state bonds — all to help finance a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-tennessee-titans-new-stadium-83e5e8ef8b41d097fca5a8f16983d46d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">new $2.1 billion football stadium</a>&nbsp;for the Tennessee Titans. There was no public referendum.Construction also began last year on a new football stadium for the Buffalo Bills that's projected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bills-new-stadium-cost-overruns-9846e00bd063cf2e8b12406af66c6ef9?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">cost more than $1.6 billion.</a>&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kathy-hochul-buffalo-bills-nfl-business-sports-b16413591ee74ffb5a5bd2431d914910?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">total of $850 million</a>&nbsp;is coming from New York and Erie County, with no public referendum.The proposal from the Royals and Chiefs went to voters because the Missouri Constitution requires a public vote on local taxes. Only voters in Jackson County got a say, because the proposed tax applied only to sales in that county.Voter approval might not be necessary if the teams can finance their stadiums without a tax. One option is privately financed bonds, but those would still need a funding stream for repayments, said Brent Never, associate public affairs professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.MAKING AN END RUNAfter losing elections, some teams subsequently sidestep voters to get new stadiums.In 1997, voters in 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties rejected a proposed half-cent sales tax to replace a stadium shared by the MLB’s Pirates and NFL’s Steelers with two separate facilities and to fund a convention center expansion. But the next year, a regional development district approved public financing for the new facilities without going back to voters.Similar scenarios played out elsewhere in the mid-1990s. When voters in King County, Washington, rejected a tax plan for a Seattle Mariners ballpark, owners threatened to put the team up for sale. Within a month, state lawmakers authorized a new financing plan for a new baseball stadium.After Wisconsin voters rejected a sports lottery for a new Milwaukee Brewers ballpark, the state legislature authorized a regional sales tax to help pay for it. Last year, Wisconsin's governor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-brewers-american-family-field-repairs-c4a60cddc901fe1d8d5e8a40174837aa">signed a law</a>&nbsp;authorizing an additional $500 million of public aid for stadium renovations, again without a voter referendum.TRYING AGAINTeams sometimes bounce back from a stadium election loss to achieve victory with voters.After Houston voters defeated a new downtown arena for the NBA’s Rockets in 1999, supporters tried again the next year and easily won.The San Francisco Giants are perhaps the greatest example of electoral persistence.Voters said “no” to new stadium plans twice in San Francisco, once in Santa Clara County and once in San Jose, before the Giants put forth a privately financed stadium that finally received voter approval for a needed San Francisco zoning change in 1996.MOVING OUTThe Oakland A's received&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-athletics-move-las-vegas-oakland-manfred-9c517a4bd16e13bd99325a4ebcb5b567?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">MLB approval</a>&nbsp;last year to relocate to Las Vegas, following the path of the NFL's Oakland Raiders who were similarly lured by a new publicly subsidized stadium. But those deals didn't involve public votes.The NFL's Chargers are the most recent team to move following voter rejection of a stadium referendum. San Diego voters in 2016&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-c7bb774d0ce345bb87e77e300ea758d4">defeated a plan</a>&nbsp;to raise hotel taxes for a new football stadium and to expand a convention center. The Chargers then moved to a new privately financed stadium in Los Angeles, sharing it with the Rams, who relocated from St. Louis.The NBA's Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002 — later rebranding as the Pelicans — after voters defeated a sweeping plan to fund a new basketball arena, minor league baseball stadium, museums and cultural centers.But just six months after the team left, the Charlotte City Council approved a plan for a new downtown arena without submitting it to voters. The NBA then awarded Charlotte an expansion team, which later assumed the Hornets name.

When voters say 'no' to new stadiums, what do professional sports teams do next?

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Powerball player in Oregon won a jackpot worth more than $1.3 billion on Sunday, ending a winless streak that had stretched more than three months.

The single ticket matched all six numbers drawn to win the jackpot worth $1.326 billion, Powerball said in a statement.

The jackpot has a cash value of $621 million if the winner chooses to take a lump sum rather than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">an annuity</a>&nbsp;paid over 30 years, with an immediate payout followed by 29 annual installments. The prize is subject to federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery winnings.

The winning numbers drawn early Sunday morning were: 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and the red Powerball 9.

Until the latest drawing, no one had won Powerball’s top prize since New Year’s Day, amounting to 41 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, tying a streak set twice before in 2022 and 2021.

The $1.326 billion prize ranks as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-80fcb836622ba8e18883ce778786c1cc">eighth largest in U.S. lottery history</a>. As the prizes grow, the drawings attract more ticket sales and the jackpots subsequently become harder to hit. The game’s long odds for the weekend drawing were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">1 in 292.2 million</a>.

Saturday night’s scheduled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-lottery-delay-ef6c513ad9fc94dd3d07cd9db2e8e22f">drawing was held up</a>&nbsp;and took place in the Florida Lottery studio just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday to enable one of the organizers to complete required procedures before the scheduled time of 10:59 p.m., Powerball said in a statement.

“Powerball game rules require that every single ticket sold nationwide be checked and verified against two different computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn,” the statement said. “This is done to ensure that every ticket sold for the Powerball drawing has been accounted for and has an equal chance to win. Tonight, we have one jurisdiction that needs extra time to complete that pre-draw process.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Powerball player in Oregon won a jackpot worth more than $1.3 billion on Sunday, ending a winless streak that had stretched more than three months.The single ticket matched all six numbers drawn to win the jackpot worth $1.326 billion, Powerball said in a statement.The jackpot has a cash value of $621 million if the winner chooses to take a lump sum rather than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-annuity-vs-cash-0e741f164106c0f4dba89707c5763c99">an annuity</a>&nbsp;paid over 30 years, with an immediate payout followed by 29 annual installments. The prize is subject to federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery winnings.The winning numbers drawn early Sunday morning were: 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and the red Powerball 9.Until the latest drawing, no one had won Powerball’s top prize since New Year’s Day, amounting to 41 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, tying a streak set twice before in 2022 and 2021.The $1.326 billion prize ranks as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-80fcb836622ba8e18883ce778786c1cc">eighth largest in U.S. lottery history</a>. As the prizes grow, the drawings attract more ticket sales and the jackpots subsequently become harder to hit. The game’s long odds for the weekend drawing were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-lottery-us-news-ap-top-news-ia-state-wire-b5572da1e5d74f6e974bea45c707b5cb">1 in 292.2 million</a>.Saturday night’s scheduled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-jackpot-lottery-delay-ef6c513ad9fc94dd3d07cd9db2e8e22f">drawing was held up</a>&nbsp;and took place in the Florida Lottery studio just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday to enable one of the organizers to complete required procedures before the scheduled time of 10:59 p.m., Powerball said in a statement.“Powerball game rules require that every single ticket sold nationwide be checked and verified against two different computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn,” the statement said. “This is done to ensure that every ticket sold for the Powerball drawing has been accounted for and has an equal chance to win. Tonight, we have one jurisdiction that needs extra time to complete that pre-draw process.”

Powerball player wins a $1.3 billion jackpot, ending months without a grand prize

Debate delves into salaries, cancer, border security and professional soccer

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature relied on bipartisan House and Senate majorities to send Gov. Laura Kelly a budget bill that financed 5% to 10% raises for most state employees and sidestepped a separate vote on the 93% raise for legislators recommended by a special commission.

Contents of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb28/">Senate Bill 28</a>, including provisions never before considered by either the House or Senate, would invest $17 million in improving services for people with disabilities, $80 million into rates paid hospital and physicians serving Medicaid patients and $900 million for state transportation projects. It also would allow the state treasurer to invest half the state’s $1.8 billion rainy day fund in an attempt to secure a better return.

The $25 billion bill didn’t include Kelly’s proposal for expansion of eligibility for Medicaid. It also excluded the governor’s call for using part of a massive budget surplus to pay down state government debt.

Rep. Troy Waymaster, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill would spend $900 million less than the budget championed by the governor in January. He said House negotiators held “fairly well” to the House’s positions when contrary to the Senate’s view of the budget. On the House floor, the chairman faced gentle and hostile commentary from representatives assessing details of the spending deal. It passed 78-44.

“We’re spending a lot of money,” said Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita. “We have a spending problem. Overall, we’re spending more money than we can afford.”

On the other side of the Capitol rotunda, Sen. Rick Billinger, GOP chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, outlined the identical package to colleagues. He, too, was hit with praise and complaints about fine print of the budget. And, it was approved 26-12.

Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, said he was disappointed that negotiators put only $23 million into removing 500 people from waiting lists for services provided to Kansans with intellectual and physical disabilities. The two waiting lists contained names of 7,500 people in February, which amounted to a 35% increase over the past five years. The budget bill would place into law a provision forbidding the combined waiting lists from exceeding 6,800.

Olson said the budget mysteriously earmarked $1 million for restoration of an opera house in Manhattan, a last-minute request submitted by one senator and two representatives.

“I’d be ashamed to put something in the budget like an opera house, while there’s kids that need help that are on a waiting list,” Olson said.

Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, said he was perplexed that Billinger and the two other budget negotiators from the Senate didn’t insist on retention of a provision requiring the House and Senate to vote on their substantial salary increase scheduled to be implemented in 2025. The pay hike would be implemented after House and Senate elections in November.

Under the plan proposed by a commission of retired legislators, the 93% increase would be enacted unless rejected by the Legislature. Pyle convinced the Senate to pass an amendment calling for such a vote on the $3.5 million increase in legislative compensation.

“Five percent for state employees. Ninety-three percent for legislators. Something’s wrong there. Something’s very, very wrong. It’s a sad day for Kansas,” Pyle said.

Billinger said it would have been futile to fight for a vote on salary increases for legislators because the House negotiators said that issue was off the table.

The legislation forwarded to the governor would allow for a general 5% pay hike for state government workers, but about 900 state employees with below-market salaries would qualify for a 10% boost in pay.

“I want to emphasize that all employees receive a raise under this plan,” said Billinger, who also indicated he didn’t like the size of pay increase recommended for legislators.

Rep. Linda Featherston, D-Overland Park, had convinced the House to include in the budget $75,000 so state employees enrolled in the state’s health plan would have access to thorough testing for potential breast cancer. Passage of her amendment was hailed as a demonstration of bipartisan cooperation.

During House and Senate negotiations, the tiny sliver of the budget was deleted from the bill.

“This was stripped for some reason,” she said. “Was it politics? Was it special interests? Was it sexism? Was it spite? Was it a complete lack of regard for women’s health care. The fact that we cannot agree that women’s health should be a priority is appalling.”

Helgerson, the Wichita Democrat, said absence of the breast cancer screening money was odd given the conference committee agreed to spend $49,893 for a bus tour by legislators on the House and Senate budget committees.

Waymaster, who led House negotiations on the budget, said removal of the breast cancer funding was tied to the belief a proposal should be included in the next round of contract negotiations on the state health insurance plan. He said he was offended by suggestions the budget item was deleted due to sexism or out of spite.

“If you really know me,” he said, “you would know that my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor. I have two aunts who are breast cancer survivors. So, I actually took a personal offense to some of the comments that were made.”

Billinger, the Senate budget chairman, said he was pleased the bill retained $15.7 million to finance deployment of Kansas National Guard to the southwest border with Mexico.

The provision called on the governor to activate, mobilize and deploy state resources to prevent drug and human trafficking and “other crimes” such as illegal immigration “contributing to an emergency.”

“The Biden administration has encouraged the flow of drugs,” Billinger said. “We’ve got so many drugs coming into Kansas it’s killing our young people.”

Kelly, who reminded legislators recently that she was commander-in-chief of the Kansas National Guard, would have authority to veto that line-item in the budget while still signing the bill. She has not expressed an interest in directing troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.

Earlier in the 2024 legislative session, the House and Senate adopted resolutions to demonstrate support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has battled President Joe Biden on immigration policy.

In other areas of the budget, state lawmakers allocated $28 million to subsidize the 2026 World Cup soccer competition in the Kansas City area. The budget bill included $36 million for aviation hangers at local airports in Salina and Topeka to engage in commercial aircraft repairs.

The budget delivered $4.5 million to cover costs incurred when the Kansas Supreme Court’s computer system was compromised by a ransomware attack that shut down online operations for months. Of the total, $1 million was budgeted to provide one year of credit monitoring services for individuals harmed during the security incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712453442807.png" alt=" Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, said it was shocking House and Senate budget negotiators didn’t retain a provision requiring lawmakers to vote on a plan providing them with a 93% salary increase in 2025 while approving 5% to 10% increases for other state government employees. The House and Senate approved the bill. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, said it was shocking House and Senate budget negotiators didn’t retain a provision requiring lawmakers to vote on a plan providing them with a 93% salary increase in 2025 while approving 5% to 10% increases for other state government employees. The House and Senate approved the bill. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Debate delves into salaries, cancer, border security and professional soccer</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature relied on bipartisan House and Senate majorities to send Gov. Laura Kelly a budget bill that financed 5% to 10% raises for most state employees and sidestepped a separate vote on the 93% raise for legislators recommended by a special commission.Contents of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb28/">Senate Bill 28</a>, including provisions never before considered by either the House or Senate, would invest $17 million in improving services for people with disabilities, $80 million into rates paid hospital and physicians serving Medicaid patients and $900 million for state transportation projects. It also would allow the state treasurer to invest half the state’s $1.8 billion rainy day fund in an attempt to secure a better return.The $25 billion bill didn’t include Kelly’s proposal for expansion of eligibility for Medicaid. It also excluded the governor’s call for using part of a massive budget surplus to pay down state government debt.Rep. Troy Waymaster, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill would spend $900 million less than the budget championed by the governor in January. He said House negotiators held “fairly well” to the House’s positions when contrary to the Senate’s view of the budget. On the House floor, the chairman faced gentle and hostile commentary from representatives assessing details of the spending deal. It passed 78-44.“We’re spending a lot of money,” said Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita. “We have a spending problem. Overall, we’re spending more money than we can afford.”On the other side of the Capitol rotunda, Sen. Rick Billinger, GOP chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, outlined the identical package to colleagues. He, too, was hit with praise and complaints about fine print of the budget. And, it was approved 26-12.Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, said he was disappointed that negotiators put only $23 million into removing 500 people from waiting lists for services provided to Kansans with intellectual and physical disabilities. The two waiting lists contained names of 7,500 people in February, which amounted to a 35% increase over the past five years. The budget bill would place into law a provision forbidding the combined waiting lists from exceeding 6,800.Olson said the budget mysteriously earmarked $1 million for restoration of an opera house in Manhattan, a last-minute request submitted by one senator and two representatives.“I’d be ashamed to put something in the budget like an opera house, while there’s kids that need help that are on a waiting list,” Olson said.<h2>The salary debate</h2>Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, said he was perplexed that Billinger and the two other budget negotiators from the Senate didn’t insist on retention of a provision requiring the House and Senate to vote on their substantial salary increase scheduled to be implemented in 2025. The pay hike would be implemented after House and Senate elections in November.Under the plan proposed by a commission of retired legislators, the 93% increase would be enacted unless rejected by the Legislature. Pyle convinced the Senate to pass an amendment calling for such a vote on the $3.5 million increase in legislative compensation.“Five percent for state employees. Ninety-three percent for legislators. Something’s wrong there. Something’s very, very wrong. It’s a sad day for Kansas,” Pyle said.Billinger said it would have been futile to fight for a vote on salary increases for legislators because the House negotiators said that issue was off the table.The legislation forwarded to the governor would allow for a general 5% pay hike for state government workers, but about 900 state employees with below-market salaries would qualify for a 10% boost in pay.“I want to emphasize that all employees receive a raise under this plan,” said Billinger, who also indicated he didn’t like the size of pay increase recommended for legislators.<h2>Fighting cancer</h2>Rep. Linda Featherston, D-Overland Park, had convinced the House to include in the budget $75,000 so state employees enrolled in the state’s health plan would have access to thorough testing for potential breast cancer. Passage of her amendment was hailed as a demonstration of bipartisan cooperation.During House and Senate negotiations, the tiny sliver of the budget was deleted from the bill.“This was stripped for some reason,” she said. “Was it politics? Was it special interests? Was it sexism? Was it spite? Was it a complete lack of regard for women’s health care. The fact that we cannot agree that women’s health should be a priority is appalling.”Helgerson, the Wichita Democrat, said absence of the breast cancer screening money was odd given the conference committee agreed to spend $49,893 for a bus tour by legislators on the House and Senate budget committees.Waymaster, who led House negotiations on the budget, said removal of the breast cancer funding was tied to the belief a proposal should be included in the next round of contract negotiations on the state health insurance plan. He said he was offended by suggestions the budget item was deleted due to sexism or out of spite.“If you really know me,” he said, “you would know that my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor. I have two aunts who are breast cancer survivors. So, I actually took a personal offense to some of the comments that were made.”<h2>Texas border fight</h2>Billinger, the Senate budget chairman, said he was pleased the bill retained $15.7 million to finance deployment of Kansas National Guard to the southwest border with Mexico.The provision called on the governor to activate, mobilize and deploy state resources to prevent drug and human trafficking and “other crimes” such as illegal immigration “contributing to an emergency.”“The Biden administration has encouraged the flow of drugs,” Billinger said. “We’ve got so many drugs coming into Kansas it’s killing our young people.”Kelly, who reminded legislators recently that she was commander-in-chief of the Kansas National Guard, would have authority to veto that line-item in the budget while still signing the bill. She has not expressed an interest in directing troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.Earlier in the 2024 legislative session, the House and Senate adopted resolutions to demonstrate support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has battled President Joe Biden on immigration policy.In other areas of the budget, state lawmakers allocated $28 million to subsidize the 2026 World Cup soccer competition in the Kansas City area. The budget bill included $36 million for aviation hangers at local airports in Salina and Topeka to engage in commercial aircraft repairs.The budget delivered $4.5 million to cover costs incurred when the Kansas Supreme Court’s computer system was compromised by a ransomware attack that shut down online operations for months. Of the total, $1 million was budgeted to provide one year of credit monitoring services for individuals harmed during the security incident.

GOP-led Kansas Senate, House send new state budget bill to governor

FRANKLIN COUNTY—A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 10p.m. Saturday in Franklin County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Lexus RX driven by&nbsp; Barbara S.&nbsp;Kjergaard, 62, Stilwell, was southbound on Interstate 35 just east of Colorado Road. The car traveled off the roadway to the right and struck the bridge pillar.&nbsp;

EMS transported Kjergaard to Advent Health where she was pronounced deceased. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

FRANKLIN COUNTY—A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 10p.m. Saturday in Franklin County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Lexus RX driven by&nbsp; Barbara S.&nbsp;Kjergaard, 62, Stilwell, was southbound on Interstate 35 just east of Colorado Road. The car traveled off the roadway to the right and struck the bridge pillar.&nbsp;EMS transported Kjergaard to Advent Health where she was pronounced deceased. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dies after car strikes bridge pillar

HARVEY COUNTY— Police captured a wanted Kansas felon Friday night after a vehicle pursuit through Newton and into Sedgwick County.

Late Friday, Newton Police and Harvey County Sheriff’s Office were actively looking for a person wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Felony warrants were issued for the person through Harvey County District Court.

While watching a location the suspect was known to frequent, a Harvey County Sheriff’s Investigator saw a vehicle known to be driven by the suspect leave the location at a high speed. The vehicle was located a short time later, and the suspect refused to stop.

The pursuit traveled from west Newton to east Newton and southbound on Interstate 35. The pursuit made its way to South Kansas Avenue and into Sedgwick County. In Park City, the pursuit went back to Interstate 135 and northbound. Near the 101st Street exit, the suspect vehicle reportedly ran out of gas. The driver, the wanted person from the aggravated assault, was taken into custody. 

Bryan Edward Smith, 34, of Newton, was arrested on the warrant for aggravated assault, felony flee &amp; elude, and a multitude of other traffic and drug offenses. His bond was set at $71,000.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Smith has over a dozen previous convictions that include theft, aggravated assault, burglary, aggravated robbery, arson, flee or attempt to elude, criminal threat and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712415542616.png" alt="Smith has over a dozen convictions that include theft, aggravated assault, burglary, aggravated robbery, arson, flee or attempt to elude, criminal threat and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Smith has over a dozen convictions that include theft, aggravated assault, burglary, aggravated robbery, arson, flee or attempt to elude, criminal threat and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY— Police captured a wanted Kansas felon Friday night after a vehicle pursuit through Newton and into Sedgwick County.Late Friday, Newton Police and Harvey County Sheriff’s Office were actively looking for a person wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Felony warrants were issued for the person through Harvey County District Court.While watching a location the suspect was known to frequent, a Harvey County Sheriff’s Investigator saw a vehicle known to be driven by the suspect leave the location at a high speed. The vehicle was located a short time later, and the suspect refused to stop.The pursuit traveled from west Newton to east Newton and southbound on Interstate 35. The pursuit made its way to South Kansas Avenue and into Sedgwick County. In Park City, the pursuit went back to Interstate 135 and northbound. Near the 101st Street exit, the suspect vehicle reportedly ran out of gas. The driver, the wanted person from the aggravated assault, was taken into custody. Bryan Edward Smith, 34, of Newton, was arrested on the warrant for aggravated assault, felony flee &amp; elude, and a multitude of other traffic and drug offenses. His bond was set at $71,000.&nbsp;&nbsp;Smith has over a dozen previous convictions that include theft, aggravated assault, burglary, aggravated robbery, arson, flee or attempt to elude, criminal threat and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections

Police chase: Wanted Kan. felon's vehicle ran out of gas

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A man was sentenced to 100 months in prison for bank robbery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1712175422320.png" alt="Ruston photo Johnson County" />
 <figcaption>Ruston photo Johnson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A man was sentenced to 100 months in prison for bank robbery.This week, a federal jury convicted Richard Ruston, 54, of Independence, Missouri, for robbing a bank in Shawnee, Kansas, in July 2022.According to court documents, Ruston entered First Interstate Bank on Shawnee Mission Parkway wearing a red bandana covering his face and neck, a dark bandana covering the top of his head, a long-sleeve shirt with a snake-skin pattern, sunglasses, and gloves. He approached a bank teller, lifted his shirt, displayed a firearm in his waistband, and said to her, “Put the money on the counter, do it now, do it now.” Fearing for her safety, the teller complied with the demand. Ruston took the money and fled the scene.The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Shawnee, Kansas Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Merriam, Kansas Police Department, Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, investigated the case.