KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A sixteen-year-old boy was supposed to pick up his two younger brothers last week when he rang the doorbell of the wrong Kansas City, Missouri, house. A man came to the door and shot Ralph Yarl in the head -- then shot him again after he fell to the ground.

Yarl stumbled to one house, then another, and then a third before anyone helped the Black teen, who was released from the hospital Sunday and is recovering at home. Now community leaders, Democratic lawmakers and an attorney for Yarl’s family are demanding justice and questioning whether race played a role in the shooting.

Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said his office is working with police to quickly review the case and determine if the homeowner should be charged. He did not address whether race was a factor in the shooting; the Kansas City police chief said that, so far, race does not appear to be a factor.

<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/nf36y-cover-medical-expenses">Click here to view</a>&nbsp;the the GoFundMe to assist the family

“We understand how frustrating this has been, but we can assure the public that the system is working,” Thompson said in a statement. “As with any serious case submitted to our office, we will approach this case in an objective and impartial manner.”

At a news conference on Sunday, Police Chief Stacey Graves said the shooter was taken into custody Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold but released after consultation with the prosecutor’s office. The firearm used was found at the home, she said.

Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, said in a statement Monday that the homeowner should immediately be arrested for what he called a “heinous and hate-filled crime.”

“The state of Missouri, specifically the Kansas City metropolitan area, remains one of the most unsafe locations for Black people in the country,” Howard said.

The shooting happened Thursday night in a middle class neighborhood in north Kansas City. Yarl was sent to pick up his twin younger brothers. He didn't have a phone with him and went to the wrong block, his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay medical bills. By Monday afternoon, $1.4 million had been raised from 37,000 donations.

Spoonmore wrote that Yarl pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell.

“The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head,” Spoonmore wrote. When Yarl fell to the ground, “the man shot him again.”

Spoonmore wrote that Yarl ran to three different homes "before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up.”

Yarl is a bass clarinetist who earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention and who plays several instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Kansas City, Spoonmore wrote.

A statement from the North Kansas City School District described Yarl as “an excellent student and talented musician. He maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college level courses. While he loves science and hopes to pursue that career path, his passion is music.”

Crump told The Associated Press that Yarl is “like the child you would want to call your own.”

Yarl was released from the hospital Sunday and is recovering at home, his father, Paul Yarl, told the Kansas City Star. Spoonmore said Yarl is “doing well physically” but has a lot of trauma to overcome emotionally.

“He is our miracle,” she said. “We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most Black boys are not alive to get another chance."

Police have not identified the shooter or his race, though Crump said the family provided information indicating he was white. He did not elaborate. Information that officials have now does not point to race as a factor in the shooting, according to Graves, but that remains under investigation.

By Monday afternoon, the home where the shooting happened had been vandalized. Black spray-paint on the side of the house showed a heart with “16” in the middle. Another showed what appeared to be Yarl's initials with “16” below the letters. Eggs splattered the front windows and the door.

The shooting has caught the attention of national figures.

“Let’s be for justice, which is a continuum,” Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., wrote on Twiter. "That means the man who did this should be charged AND we need to work for the legislative and heart change to prevent these tragedies.”

“His name is #RalphYarl and I'm sick and tired of this feeling ... my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head,” actress Halle Berry tweeted.

Graves said investigators will consider whether the suspect was protected by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trayvon-martin-florida-homicide-gun-politics-3907568281565b8cc191fcc66aadf318">“Stand Your Ground”</a>&nbsp;laws, which allow for the use of deadly force in self-defense. Missouri is among around 30 states with such laws.

“These laws breed a society of violence and fear while providing cover for those who harm, maim and kill others,” state Rep. Marlene Terry, a St. Louis Democrat who chairs the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement.

Democratic House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said Missouri's lenient gun laws have created an us-versus-them mentality and "too often, Black lives suffer the most from this fear-driven, shoot-first culture.”

A message seeking comment from Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a staunch gun rights supporters, wasn’t immediately returned.

Because of the teen’s injuries, Graves said, police haven’t been able to get a victim statement. Crump, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trayvon-martin-death-of-george-floyd-florida-race-and-ethnicity-michael-brown-96d01a255bebe5762a9bf356768a5e5c">represented families</a>&nbsp;in several high-profile cases, including those of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Trayvon-Martin-death-10-years-later-c68f12130b2992d9c1ba31ec1a398cdd">Trayvon Martin</a>, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, called it “asinine” that charges have to wait for an interview with Yarl.

“We all believe that if the roles were reversed and this was a Black citizen who shot a 16-year-old for merely ringing his doorbell, they would have arrested him, and he wouldn’t have slept in his bed that night,” Crump said.

Prosecutions of shootings cases in which the defendants claimed self-defense have seen mixed results.

Martin was walking home from a convenience store in February 2012 in Sanford, Florida, when he was killed by George Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense and was later acquitted during a jury trial. Martin’s death helped lead to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In Michigan,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-crime-shootings-michigan-detroit-4495fe92a5c152ab707f74bcc6cb2f04">Ted Wafer</a>&nbsp;is serving a 17-year prison sentence in the 2013 death of Renisha McBride in suburban Detroit. The 19-year-old Black woman was on the porch of Wafer's home when he shot her. Wafer is white. Prosecutors speculated that McBride, who was drunk and had crashed her car hours earlier, might have been confused when she arrived on Wafer’s porch.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681755199173.png" alt="Protests Sunday in support of Ralph Yarl -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Protests Sunday in support of Ralph Yarl -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A sixteen-year-old boy was supposed to pick up his two younger brothers last week when he rang the doorbell of the wrong Kansas City, Missouri, house. A man came to the door and shot Ralph Yarl in the head -- then shot him again after he fell to the ground.Yarl stumbled to one house, then another, and then a third before anyone helped the Black teen, who was released from the hospital Sunday and is recovering at home. Now community leaders, Democratic lawmakers and an attorney for Yarl’s family are demanding justice and questioning whether race played a role in the shooting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681726215314.png" alt="Yarl-photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Yarl-photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said his office is working with police to quickly review the case and determine if the homeowner should be charged. He did not address whether race was a factor in the shooting; the Kansas City police chief said that, so far, race does not appear to be a factor.<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/nf36y-cover-medical-expenses">Click here to view</a>&nbsp;the the GoFundMe to assist the family“We understand how frustrating this has been, but we can assure the public that the system is working,” Thompson said in a statement. “As with any serious case submitted to our office, we will approach this case in an objective and impartial manner.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Chief Graves spoke with media regarding updates in the case involving the juvenile who was shot Thursday night. <a href="https://t.co/ZTHPbwWcto">pic.twitter.com/ZTHPbwWcto</a>&mdash; kcpolice (@kcpolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/kcpolice/status/1647716769073860608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At a news conference on Sunday, Police Chief Stacey Graves said the shooter was taken into custody Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold but released after consultation with the prosecutor’s office. The firearm used was found at the home, she said.Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, said in a statement Monday that the homeowner should immediately be arrested for what he called a “heinous and hate-filled crime.”“The state of Missouri, specifically the Kansas City metropolitan area, remains one of the most unsafe locations for Black people in the country,” Howard said.The shooting happened Thursday night in a middle class neighborhood in north Kansas City. Yarl was sent to pick up his twin younger brothers. He didn't have a phone with him and went to the wrong block, his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help pay medical bills. By Monday afternoon, $1.4 million had been raised from 37,000 donations.Spoonmore wrote that Yarl pulled into the driveway and rang the doorbell.“The man in the home opened the door, looked my nephew in the eye, and shot him in the head,” Spoonmore wrote. When Yarl fell to the ground, “the man shot him again.”Spoonmore wrote that Yarl ran to three different homes "before someone finally agreed to help him after he was told to lie on the ground with his hands up.”Yarl is a bass clarinetist who earned Missouri All-State Band honorable mention and who plays several instruments in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Kansas City, Spoonmore wrote.A statement from the North Kansas City School District described Yarl as “an excellent student and talented musician. He maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college level courses. While he loves science and hopes to pursue that career path, his passion is music.”Crump told The Associated Press that Yarl is “like the child you would want to call your own.”Yarl was released from the hospital Sunday and is recovering at home, his father, Paul Yarl, told the Kansas City Star. Spoonmore said Yarl is “doing well physically” but has a lot of trauma to overcome emotionally.“He is our miracle,” she said. “We have heard these types of stories many times, and unfortunately, most Black boys are not alive to get another chance."Police have not identified the shooter or his race, though Crump said the family provided information indicating he was white. He did not elaborate. Information that officials have now does not point to race as a factor in the shooting, according to Graves, but that remains under investigation.By Monday afternoon, the home where the shooting happened had been vandalized. Black spray-paint on the side of the house showed a heart with “16” in the middle. Another showed what appeared to be Yarl's initials with “16” below the letters. Eggs splattered the front windows and the door.The shooting has caught the attention of national figures.“Let’s be for justice, which is a continuum,” Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., wrote on Twiter. "That means the man who did this should be charged AND we need to work for the legislative and heart change to prevent these tragedies.”“His name is #RalphYarl and I'm sick and tired of this feeling ... my heart completely broke when I learned this precious 16-year-old, who accidentally rang the door of the wrong address in an attempt to pick up his siblings, was shot in the head,” actress Halle Berry tweeted.Graves said investigators will consider whether the suspect was protected by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trayvon-martin-florida-homicide-gun-politics-3907568281565b8cc191fcc66aadf318">“Stand Your Ground”</a>&nbsp;laws, which allow for the use of deadly force in self-defense. Missouri is among around 30 states with such laws.“These laws breed a society of violence and fear while providing cover for those who harm, maim and kill others,” state Rep. Marlene Terry, a St. Louis Democrat who chairs the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement.Democratic House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said Missouri's lenient gun laws have created an us-versus-them mentality and "too often, Black lives suffer the most from this fear-driven, shoot-first culture.”A message seeking comment from Republican Gov. Mike Parson, a staunch gun rights supporters, wasn’t immediately returned.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Like many, I am heartbroken and angered by the recent shooting of a child in our community who simply came to a doorstep to pick up his younger siblings. This never should have happened.&mdash; Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1647735414898270208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Because of the teen’s injuries, Graves said, police haven’t been able to get a victim statement. Crump, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trayvon-martin-death-of-george-floyd-florida-race-and-ethnicity-michael-brown-96d01a255bebe5762a9bf356768a5e5c">represented families</a>&nbsp;in several high-profile cases, including those of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Trayvon-Martin-death-10-years-later-c68f12130b2992d9c1ba31ec1a398cdd">Trayvon Martin</a>, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, called it “asinine” that charges have to wait for an interview with Yarl.“We all believe that if the roles were reversed and this was a Black citizen who shot a 16-year-old for merely ringing his doorbell, they would have arrested him, and he wouldn’t have slept in his bed that night,” Crump said.Prosecutions of shootings cases in which the defendants claimed self-defense have seen mixed results.Martin was walking home from a convenience store in February 2012 in Sanford, Florida, when he was killed by George Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense and was later acquitted during a jury trial. Martin’s death helped lead to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.In Michigan,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-crime-shootings-michigan-detroit-4495fe92a5c152ab707f74bcc6cb2f04">Ted Wafer</a>&nbsp;is serving a 17-year prison sentence in the 2013 death of Renisha McBride in suburban Detroit. The 19-year-old Black woman was on the porch of Wafer's home when he shot her. Wafer is white. Prosecutors speculated that McBride, who was drunk and had crashed her car hours earlier, might have been confused when she arrived on Wafer’s porch.------------

🎥 Black teen shot by KC homeowner is out of the hospital

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday upheld former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's second-degree murder conviction in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">killing of George Floyd</a>, and his 22 1/2-year sentence remains in place.

Chauvin's attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-legal-proceedings-minnesota-minneapolis-c048e42279647ce6e28258df06028d8a">had asked the appeals court</a>&nbsp;to throw out the ex-officer’s convictions for a long list of reasons, including the massive pretrial publicity. He also argued that legal and procedural errors deprived Chauvin of a fair trial. But the three-judge panel sided with prosecutors who said Chauvin got a fair trial and just sentence.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-minneapolis-police-reform-d109eb0d3094119ddbcb560676467f19">Floyd died on May 25, 2020</a>, after Chauvin, who is white, used his knee to pin the Black man’s neck to the ground for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death touched off protests around the world, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.

“Police officers undoubtedly have a challenging, difficult, and sometimes dangerous job. However, no one is above the law," Appeals Judge Peter Reyes wrote for the panel. "When they commit a crime, they must be held accountable just as those individuals that they lawfully apprehend. The law only permits police officers to use reasonable force when effecting a lawful arrest. Chauvin crossed that line here when he used unreasonable force on Floyd.”

Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrman, argued on appeal that the trial judge should have moved the case out of Minneapolis because of extensive pretrial publicity and unprecedented security precautions due to fears of violence.

“The primary issue on this appeal is whether a criminal defendant can get a fair trial consistent with constitutional requirements in a courthouse surrounded by concrete block, barbed wire, two armored personnel carriers, and a squad of National Guard troops, all of which or whom are there for one purpose: in the event that the jury acquits the defendant,” Mohrman said in oral arguments in January.

But Neal Katyal, a special attorney for the state, argued that Chauvin got “one of the most transparent and thorough trials in our nation’s history."

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin later pleaded guilty&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-george-floyd-minneapolis-race-and-ethnicity-st-paul-a8b12b1e3e0fedc1270c659e3428134e">to a separate federal civil rights charge</a>&nbsp;and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which he is now serving in Arizona concurrent with his state sentence.

“Judge Cahill managed this trial with enormous care, and even if Chauvin could identify some minor fault, any error is harmless,” Katyal said. “The evidence of Chauvin’s guilt was captured on video for the world to see.”

Mohrman argued that the pretrial publicity was the most extensive of any trial in Minnesota history, and that the judge should have moved the trial and sequestered the jury. He said the publicity and the riots, the city’s $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family announced during jury selection, the unrest over a police killing of a Black man in a Minneapolis suburb during jury selection, and the sealing off of the courthouse, were just some of the factors prejudicing Chauvin’s chance of a fair trial.

His appeal also focused on one juror who participated in a civil rights event commemorating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, a few months after Floyd’s death. Only after the trial did the juror reveal that he had been there.

But the appeals court ruled that Cahill did not abuse his discretion in deciding those issues.

The appeals court declined to address whether it was legally permissible to convict Chauvin of third-degree murder. The defense said a 2021 Minnesota Supreme Court decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-shootings-police-minnesota-minneapolis-2d406f6b94f00eb48ecedbc958000026">in a different police killing</a>&nbsp;case that clarified the definition of that crime meant the law no longer fit the facts of Floyd's killing. But the appeals court noted that the trial judge never formally adjudicated that conviction nor did he sentence Chauvin on that count.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619012623324.png" alt="Derek Chauvin's booking photo following the verdict- Minnesota Dpt. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Derek Chauvin's booking photo following the verdict- Minnesota Dpt. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday upheld former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's second-degree murder conviction in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">killing of George Floyd</a>, and his 22 1/2-year sentence remains in place.Chauvin's attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-legal-proceedings-minnesota-minneapolis-c048e42279647ce6e28258df06028d8a">had asked the appeals court</a>&nbsp;to throw out the ex-officer’s convictions for a long list of reasons, including the massive pretrial publicity. He also argued that legal and procedural errors deprived Chauvin of a fair trial. But the three-judge panel sided with prosecutors who said Chauvin got a fair trial and just sentence.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-minneapolis-police-reform-d109eb0d3094119ddbcb560676467f19">Floyd died on May 25, 2020</a>, after Chauvin, who is white, used his knee to pin the Black man’s neck to the ground for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death touched off protests around the world, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.“Police officers undoubtedly have a challenging, difficult, and sometimes dangerous job. However, no one is above the law," Appeals Judge Peter Reyes wrote for the panel. "When they commit a crime, they must be held accountable just as those individuals that they lawfully apprehend. The law only permits police officers to use reasonable force when effecting a lawful arrest. Chauvin crossed that line here when he used unreasonable force on Floyd.”Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrman, argued on appeal that the trial judge should have moved the case out of Minneapolis because of extensive pretrial publicity and unprecedented security precautions due to fears of violence.“The primary issue on this appeal is whether a criminal defendant can get a fair trial consistent with constitutional requirements in a courthouse surrounded by concrete block, barbed wire, two armored personnel carriers, and a squad of National Guard troops, all of which or whom are there for one purpose: in the event that the jury acquits the defendant,” Mohrman said in oral arguments in January.But Neal Katyal, a special attorney for the state, argued that Chauvin got “one of the most transparent and thorough trials in our nation’s history."Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin later pleaded guilty&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-george-floyd-minneapolis-race-and-ethnicity-st-paul-a8b12b1e3e0fedc1270c659e3428134e">to a separate federal civil rights charge</a>&nbsp;and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which he is now serving in Arizona concurrent with his state sentence.“Judge Cahill managed this trial with enormous care, and even if Chauvin could identify some minor fault, any error is harmless,” Katyal said. “The evidence of Chauvin’s guilt was captured on video for the world to see.”Mohrman argued that the pretrial publicity was the most extensive of any trial in Minnesota history, and that the judge should have moved the trial and sequestered the jury. He said the publicity and the riots, the city’s $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family announced during jury selection, the unrest over a police killing of a Black man in a Minneapolis suburb during jury selection, and the sealing off of the courthouse, were just some of the factors prejudicing Chauvin’s chance of a fair trial.His appeal also focused on one juror who participated in a civil rights event commemorating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, a few months after Floyd’s death. Only after the trial did the juror reveal that he had been there.But the appeals court ruled that Cahill did not abuse his discretion in deciding those issues.The appeals court declined to address whether it was legally permissible to convict Chauvin of third-degree murder. The defense said a 2021 Minnesota Supreme Court decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-shootings-police-minnesota-minneapolis-2d406f6b94f00eb48ecedbc958000026">in a different police killing</a>&nbsp;case that clarified the definition of that crime meant the law no longer fit the facts of Floyd's killing. But the appeals court noted that the trial judge never formally adjudicated that conviction nor did he sentence Chauvin on that count.

Chauvin murder conviction upheld in George Floyd killing

2023 SENATE SCENE WEEK THIRTEEN – 1st&nbsp;Adjournment

Senate Highlights – Weekly overview April 17

This was the last week of legislative activity before VETO session.&nbsp; Early Friday morning, the Senate gaveled out for adjournment and will reconvene on April 26th.&nbsp; When we return, the legislature will consider any items the governor has vetoed and complete its work on the budget and any other remaining bills.&nbsp; The wrap-up period is expected to not last long, but work remains on a few topics.

The Senate voted on numerous conference committee reports and also debated bills on the Senate Floor.&nbsp; A conference committee is a small, bipartisan, and bicameral committee that works to smooth out the differences between the House and Senate’s version of a similar bill.&nbsp; Once the conference committee reaches a compromise, the negotiated bill is sent to both the House and Senate for a final vote before advancing to the governor’s desk.&nbsp; Within ten days after passage, a bill must be signed by the presiding officers of each chamber, the chief clerk of the House and the secretary of the Senate, and be presented to the governor for approval.&nbsp; The governor has ten days after receipt of the bill to act on it.&nbsp; If the governor does not act on it during the ten-day period, the bill automatically becomes law without the governor’s signature.&nbsp; Most bills passed by the Legislature are approved by the governor.&nbsp; However, the governor may veto a bill by refusing to sign it and returning it to the chamber in which the bill originated, together with a statement of the reasons for the veto.&nbsp; In appropriation bills only, the governor may veto some items (line-item) and approve the others by signing the bill.&nbsp; However, should the governor veto a bill, the Legislature, by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, may override (overturn) the governor's veto and the bill will be enacted into law without the governor’s signature.&nbsp; Once the bill becomes a law, whether by the governor’s approval or a legislative override, it is filed with the Secretary of State.

<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2238/" target="_blank">HB 2238</a>&nbsp;– will create the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act to require student athletes to compete in gender-specific sports based upon the student’s biological gender.&nbsp; The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act will now become law. The Kansas Senate on April 5th&nbsp;followed in the footsteps of the Kansas House (vote of 84-40) in voting to override the veto of HB 2238 by Governor Kelly.&nbsp;HB&nbsp;2238 passed 28-12.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2184/" target="_blank">HB 2184</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp; The Senate and House both passed their budget for the year.&nbsp; This budget bill, HB&nbsp;2184, makes appropriations to various state agencies for fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028.&nbsp; The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 24-12 and the House by a vote of 79-44.&nbsp; The budget will now be presented to the governor for consideration. It is important to note that HB 2184 does not contain K-12 education funding, so it only represents about 50% of state expenditures.&nbsp; The education funding will be taken care of in the omnibus budget during veto session.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a>I voted yes.</a>

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb169/" target="_blank">House Sub. for SB 169</a>&nbsp;- Both chambers passed their major tax legislation, SB 169, late last week.&nbsp; The bill makes various changes to income, sales, and property tax law.&nbsp; Specifically, the bill replaces current individual income tax brackets with a single rate of 5.15 percent.&nbsp; The bill also expands the exemption of Social Security income and provides for annual standard deduction increases by a cost-of-living adjustment.&nbsp; The bill accelerates the elimination of state sales tax on food to January 1, 2024, lowers the corporate tax rate by 1% and also increases the amount of the appraised value of residential property exempt from the statewide uniform 20-mill school finance levy to $60,000 (from the current $40,000).&nbsp; The bill passed the Senate 24-13 and the House 85-38 and is also under consideration by the Governor.&nbsp;&nbsp;House Sub. for SB 169 heads to the governor.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/scr1611/" target="_blank">SCR 1611</a>&nbsp;if adopted by a two-thirds majority of each chamber of the Kansas Legislature and approved by voters, would amend the Kansas Constitution to generally limit, for property tax purposes, the valuation growth of any real property to 4 percent per year.&nbsp; The limit would not apply when the property (among other exemptions) includes new construction or when improvements have been made, title to the property is transferred, changed, or conveyed to another person.&nbsp;&nbsp;SCR 1611 passed 28-11.&nbsp; If it passes the House, it will go to the voters for approval.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2138/" target="_blank">Senate Sub. for HB 2138</a>&nbsp;would require school district boards of education to adopt a policy regarding separate overnight accommodations for students of each biological sex during school district sponsored travel and provide for administrative review by the State Board of Education of resolutions adopted by school district boards to permanently close a school building.&nbsp; Senate Sub. for HB&nbsp;2138 passed 28-10.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2039/" target="_blank">HB 2039</a>&nbsp;would require the Secretary of Wildlife and Parks or the Secretary’s designee to issue a free permanent hunting and fishing license to any person residing in the state upon providing proof to the Secretary that such person is a disabled veteran.&nbsp; The bill also would designate the Lehigh Portland Trails in Allen County as Lehigh Portland State Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2039 passed 35-5.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb116/" target="_blank">House Sub. for SB 116</a>&nbsp;would amend the Personal and Family Protection Act to remove certain fees paid by persons who have applied for a concealed carry license (CCL) or who are seeking renewal of such license, specifying no such fees would be required to be paid except to cover the cost of taking fingerprints.&nbsp;&nbsp;House Sub. for SB 116 passed 27-10.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2264/" target="_blank">HB 2264</a>&nbsp;would amend the Woman’s-Right-to-Know Act to add a notification requirement about reversal of abortion options with certain medications and amend the definition of abortion.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2264 passed 26-11.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb209/" target="_blank">SB 209</a>&nbsp;would change the deadline for all advance voting ballots to be received by the county election officer from the third day following the date of the election to 7:00 p.m. on the date of the election.&nbsp;SB 209 passed 23-14.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/scr1603/" target="_blank">SCR 1603</a>&nbsp;states the Kansas Legislature urges&nbsp;the President of the United States to restore energy independence in the United States.&nbsp;&nbsp;SCR 1603 passed 29-10.&nbsp; Having also passed the house, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2100/" target="_blank">HB 2100</a>,&nbsp;would create the Kansas Public Investments and Contracts Protection Act and would amend law governing the Kansas Public Employees Retirement Fund (Trust Fund) and investment standards to prohibit state agencies and other political subdivisions from giving preferential treatment to or discriminating against companies based on environmental, social, or governance (ESG) criteria.&nbsp;HB 2100 passed 27-12.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb217/" target="_blank">SB 217</a>&nbsp;would amend law regarding the use of electronic tracking systems (air tags) to target a person’s location, movement, or travel patterns and the timeframes of protective orders.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB&nbsp;217 passed 37-0. Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb180/" target="_blank">SB 180</a>&nbsp;would establish the Women’s Bill of Rights and provide a meaning of biological sex for purposes of statutory construction.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 180 passed 28-12.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2350/" target="_blank">HB 2350</a>&nbsp;would create the crimes of human smuggling and aggravated human smuggling, provide for criminal penalties, and make these provisions supplemental to the Kansas Criminal Code.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2350 passed 36-2.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb26/" target="_blank">SB 26</a>&nbsp;would create the Kansas Child Mutilation Prevention Act (Act).&nbsp; The bill would allow an individual who had gender reassignment service performed as a child to bring a civil cause of action under the Act against the physician who performed such service.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 26 passed 23-12.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the Governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2020/" target="_blank">HB 2020</a>&nbsp;would amend law pertaining to the employment classification of drivers for motor carriers and transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2020 passed 28-12. Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2298/" target="_blank">HB 2298</a>&nbsp;would designate two portions of highways in honor of deceased Kansans:

The Officer Donald Burton Gamblin Jr Memorial Highway would be the portion of I-435 in Johnson County and The Robert Lessen Memorial Highway would be the portion of US-69 in Crawford County.&nbsp;HB 2298 passed 40-0. Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2147/" target="_blank">HB 2147</a>&nbsp;would create and amend law to change procedures regarding purchase of a vehicle that had been towed.&nbsp; It also would amend the Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways to add law to prohibit counterfeit airbags and to amend law to authorize certain ground effect lighting on vehicles.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2147 passed 40-0. Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2059/" target="_blank">HB 2059</a>&nbsp;would amend various provisions of the Kansas Liquor Control Act, Kansas Cereal Malt Beverage Act, and Club and Drinking Establishment Act concerning remittance of gallonage taxes, samples, Sunday sales, the food sales requirement, and common consumption areas.&nbsp; The bill would also permit food establishments to allow dogs in outside areas on the premises.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2059 passed 34-6. Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2346/" target="_blank">HB 2346</a>&nbsp;would authorize “Back the Blue” and City of Topeka distinctive license plates and permit, on and after January 1, 2025, any distinctive license plate to also be a personalized plate.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2346 passed 40-0.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb66/" target="_blank">SB 66</a>&nbsp; would enact the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact.&nbsp; In addition, the bill would require state licensing bodies to provide paper-based and verified electronic credentials to all credential holders, and to also utilize a centralized electronic credential data management system.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 66 passed 37-3.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb132/" target="_blank">SB 132</a>&nbsp;would authorize a Buffalo Soldier license plate for use on a vehicle.&nbsp; The bill would allow the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum to authorize the organization’s logo to be affixed on these license plates.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 132 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb44/" target="_blank">SB 44</a>&nbsp;would enact the Kansas Financial Institutions Information Security Act.&nbsp; Covered entities under the act would be required to set standards for developing and maintaining safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of customer information.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 44 passed the Senate 36-4.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2335/" target="_blank">HB 2335</a>&nbsp;would authorize the Rail Service Improvement Fund to be used for qualified track maintenance and would increase transfers from the State Highway Fund (SHF) to the Rail Service Improvement Fund from $5.0 million to $10.0 million annually, starting July 1, 2023.&nbsp; Continuing law authorizes use of these funds for financing, acquisition, or rehabilitation of railroad and rolling stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2335 passed 35-2. &nbsp;Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2279/" target="_blank">HB 2279</a>&nbsp;would add sections to the Kansas Groundwater Management District Act to require groundwater management districts to submit annual reports to the Legislature and conservation and stabilization action plans to the Chief Engineer, Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture.&nbsp; The bill would be part of and supplemental to the Kansas Groundwater Management Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2279 passed 34-6.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb44/" target="_blank">SB 44</a>&nbsp;would enact the Kansas Financial Institutions Information Security Act.&nbsp; The bill would designate covered entities, define terms, outline requirements for covered entities, and provide for responsibilities of the State Bank Commissioner under the Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 44 passed 36-4.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb119/" target="_blank">SB 119</a>&nbsp;would clarify the definition of “insurance company,” add certain legal entities to the definition of “person,”; make the annual update to risk-based capital (RBC) and other technical corrections and reconciling changes in the Insurance Code.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 119 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2090/" target="_blank">HB 2090</a>&nbsp;would make several changes to the Insurance Code to decrease the premium tax rate assessed for certain surplus lines business, modify reporting and fee requirements relating to prepaid service plans, and amend the Uniform Insurance Agents Licensure Act and the Public Adjusters Licensing Act to allow the Commissioner of Insurance to set certain fees lower than the established statutory maximum amounts and also amend fingerprinting criteria for resident agents.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2090 passed 37-3.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2015/" target="_blank">HB 2015</a>&nbsp;- would modify the law governing court-ordered infectious disease testing.&nbsp; Current law allows the head of an agency or head of an entity that employs certain persons to petition a court to apply for a court-ordered infectious disease test of another person when an employee is exposed to the transmission of bodily fluids of another person during the course of their work.&nbsp; Employees within the scope of this law include corrections officers, emergency services staff, juvenile correctional facility staff, and law enforcement employees.&nbsp; The bill would allow a designee of the head of an agency or head of an entity to apply for such court-ordered testing. The bill would also make technical changes to ensure consistency in statutory phrasing.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB&nbsp;2015 passed 32-8.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2216/" target="_blank">HB 2216</a>&nbsp;contains important criminal justice reform.&nbsp; It would remove, for a first-time offender, the mandatory term of imprisonment for driving with a driver’s license that was canceled, suspended, or revoked for failure to appear in response to a traffic citation or failure to pay fines or otherwise comply with a traffic citation.&nbsp; Convictions for the offense would be subject to a mandatory fine of at least $100.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2216 passed 34-6.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2065/" target="_blank">HB 2065</a>&nbsp;would modify law governing name changes during a divorce to allow the court to change a spouse’s name to a name other than the spouse’s former name at the request of the spouse and to give the court jurisdiction to make such a change at or after the time the decree of divorce becomes final.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2065 passed 39-1.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2131/" target="_blank">HB 2131</a>&nbsp;would create law concerning the mission of the Judicial Council and amend law related to Judicial Council funds.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2131 passed 37-3.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2130/" target="_blank">HB 2130</a>&nbsp;would amend law in the Kansas Probate Code concerning: certain dollar amount limits and thresholds referenced in the Code; transfer-on-death deeds; publication of notice of probate hearings and sales of probate real estate; and filing of wills in court.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2130 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2093/" target="_blank">HB 2093</a>&nbsp;would establish the Group-funded Pools Refund Fund and eliminate assessments paid by municipal group-funded liability pools and group-funded workers’ compensation pools; amend provisions pertaining to premium taxes paid by municipal group funded liability pools and group-funded workers’ compensation pools; and amend law requiring certain municipalities to pay for the premiums for the continuation of insurance coverage under COBRA for the surviving spouse and eligible dependent children of a firefighter who dies in the line of duty.&nbsp; The bill would also make technical changes.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2093 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2302/" target="_blank">Senate Sub. for HB 2302</a>&nbsp;would establish funding for the State Water Plan and water infrastructure projects, create the Water Technical Assistance Fund and the Water Projects Grant Fund, authorize the Kansas Water Office to provide grants and adopt rules and regulations to establish criteria for grants, update reporting requirements for the Kansas Water Authority, and make technical amendments.&nbsp; Senate Sub. for HB 2302 passed 38-1.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2014/" target="_blank">HB 2014</a>&nbsp;would modify the Boiler Safety Act and emergency medical services (EMS) statutes relating to certain job qualifications and position descriptions.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2014 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2336/" target="_blank">HB 2336</a>&nbsp;would amend law pertaining to the issuance of general obligation bonds by airport authorities enacted under the Surplus Property and Public Airport Authority Act.&nbsp; The bill would further specify any issuance of bonds subject to approval by a board of county commissioners could be petitioned by qualified electors of the county to be submitted to a general election in the manner provided for in continuing law.&nbsp; The bill would also limit the costs applying to the thresholds from the total project costs to the construction costs of the project.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2336 passed 31-7.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb17/" target="_blank">SB 17</a>&nbsp;would update the designation of and references to the Kansas Rural Housing Incentive District Act to the Kansas Reinvestment Housing Incentive District Act and would create certain housing projects criteria in designated cities with a population of 60,000 or more.&nbsp;SB 17 passed 31-9.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb85/" target="_blank">SB 85</a>&nbsp;would enact the Kansas Travel Insurance Act as part of the Kansas Insurance Act and remove the requirement that the Kansas State Employees Health Care Commission offer as a benefit the option to purchase long-term care insurance and indemnity insurance.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;SB 85 passed 36-4.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb42/" target="_blank">House Sub. for SB 42</a>&nbsp;would exempt a rural emergency hospital licensed under the Rural Emergency Hospital Act from an assessment imposed on hospital providers as part of the Health Care Access Improvement Program.&nbsp; The bill would also require members of a hospital board to be qualified electors of either the county where the hospital is located or any county adjacent to such county and require a member living in an adjacent county to own real property within the taxing district of the hospital.&nbsp; The bill would require a majority of the members of the hospital board to be residents of the county in which the hospital is located.&nbsp;&nbsp;House Sub. for SB 42 passed 38-1.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb221/" target="_blank">SB 221</a>&nbsp;is a comprehensive bill brought to the legislature by the Secretary of State aimed at cleaning up our election laws with a focus on ensuring our laws are consistent throughout statutes and clear for election officials at both the state and county level. It amends several provisions of law related to elections and would amend law on election-related subjects including procedures for write-in candidates for certain elected offices, election administration, qualifications for office, dates and deadlines, notices, certain election crimes, and equipment.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 221 passed 30-6.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2058/" target="_blank">Senate Sub. for HB 2058</a>&nbsp;would amend law to authorize any gaming compact concerning sports wagering to include provisions governing sports wagering outside the boundaries of Indian lands.&nbsp;&nbsp;Senate Sub. for HB 2058 passed 26-13.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2170/" target="_blank">Senate Sub. for HB 2170</a>&nbsp;would create the Donor Intent Protection Act, which would provide legal recourse to an individual charitable donor when the donor’s gift restrictions are not followed by the recipient charitable organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;Senate Sub. for HB 2170 passed 37-3.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2196/" target="_blank">HB 2196</a>&nbsp;would authorize the affiliation of certain persons employed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks into the Kansas Police and Firemen’s (KP&amp;F) Retirement System on July 1, 2023, and would expand the defined membership of the Deferred Retirement Option Program to include any member of KP&amp;F who is eligible to participate in DROP.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2196 passed 32-6.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2094/" target="_blank">HB 2094</a>&nbsp;would continue the existing statutory requirement that parents cooperate with child support services administered by the Department for Children and Families (DCF) as a condition of receiving a child care subsidy and maintain the periods of ineligibility for a child care subsidy for non-cooperation.&nbsp; The bill would also amend law pertaining to eligibility requirements for the food assistance program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) to require work registrants ages 50 through 59 without dependents who are not exempt under federal law to participate in an employment and training program.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2094 passed 26-12.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2234/" target="_blank">HB 2234</a>&nbsp;would enact the Kansas Film and Digital Media Production Development.&nbsp; The Act would create a sales tax exemption and nonrefundable income tax credits for qualifying film production activities and establish educational and economic development programs to incentivize and promote the growth of film and digital media production and industry in Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2234 passed 32-6.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2292/" target="_blank">HB 2292</a>&nbsp;would create the Kansas Apprenticeship Act, which would establish a tax credit and grant incentive programs for apprenticeships and create a matching grant program within the Department of Commerce to provide grants to eligible institutions of higher education based on the number of engineering program graduates of the institution.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2292 passed 32-6.&nbsp;&nbsp;Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2019/" target="_blank">HB 2019</a>&nbsp;would add requirements for reporting significant cybersecurity incidents by entities maintaining personal information provided by the State or using information systems operated by the State.&nbsp;HB 2019 passed 38-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2024/" target="_blank">HB 2024</a>&nbsp;would amend the Revised Kansas Code for Care of Children relating to the Newborn Infant Protection Act to provide an alternate means to legally surrender an infant pursuant to the Act; to create a program within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for the training of and payment for Child Abuse Review and Evaluation (CARE) providers who conduct CARE exams; and would enact the Representative Gail Finney Memorial Foster Care Bill of Rights to enumerate and codify in statute the rights of children in need of care in the child welfare system (foster youth) and the rights of foster parents and kinship caregivers.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2024 passed 36-1.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb243/" target="_blank">SB 243</a>&nbsp;would create law concerning requirements and procedures for a person having legal custody of a minor to enter into a settlement agreement without court approval on behalf of the minor when the settlement is less than a net amount of $25,000.&nbsp;SB 243 passed 38-0.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb244/" target="_blank">House Sub. for SB 244</a>&nbsp;would create a new section of law and substantially update various articles of the Kansas General Corporation Code.&nbsp; The bill would also amend various provisions concerning Secretary of State business filings, reports, and fees in the Code and the Kansas Revised Limited Liability Company Act; Business Entity Transactions Act; the Business Entity Standard Treatment Act; Kansas Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act; and the Kansas Uniform Partnership Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;House Sub. for SB 244 passed 28-8.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb75/" target="_blank">SB 75</a>&nbsp;would amend law governing the rate of legal interest for civil tort actions where prejudgment interest is awarded.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 75 passed 38-0.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb189/" target="_blank">SB 189</a>&nbsp;would amend law regarding file and information sharing by law enforcement agencies regarding applicants for employment.&nbsp; The bill would require each applicant who has submitted an application for a law enforcement officer position to execute a written waiver that authorizes disclosure of an applicant’s previous employment records to the hiring agency when such applicant has submitted an application for a law enforcement officer position with another state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB&nbsp;189 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb123/" target="_blank">SB 123</a>&nbsp;would create the Kansas Adult Learner Grant Act (Adult Learner Act) and a workforce retention incentive tax credit; establish the Career and Technical Education Credential and Transition Incentive for Employment Success Act; address the residency status of veterans, their spouses, and dependents regarding postsecondary tuition and fees; and amend the Kansas Promise Scholarship Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 123 passed 35-2.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb228/" target="_blank">SB 228</a>&nbsp;would update language in Article 19 of Chapter 19 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated concerning county jails.&nbsp; The bill would also create law concerning reimbursement of costs when a person is confined in a county jail awaiting examination, evaluation, or treatment for competency to stand trial under the Kansas Code of Criminal Procedure.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 228 passed 33-3.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a></a><a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2060/" target="_blank">Senate Sub. for HB 2060</a>&nbsp;would make various technical changes to statutes, including changes to law relating to the Drivers’ Training School License Act.&nbsp; The bill would also amend law relating to the State Medical Student Loan Program and the Medical Residency Bridging Program (loan programs), and would establish an obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) medical loan repayment program.&nbsp; Additionally, the bill would authorize several items that qualified students must be provided reasonable access to under the AO-K to Work Program.&nbsp; Similarly, the bill would amend law to include individuals who receive a high school equivalency (HSE) credential, or who are pursuing an HSE credential, in the calculation of and subsequent distribution of performance-based payments for community colleges and technical colleges.&nbsp;&nbsp;Senate Sub. for HB 2060 passed 32-3.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2002/" target="_blank">HB 2002</a>&nbsp;would create two sales tax exemptions, authorize additional sales tax authority for Grant and Dickinson counties, make various changes to property tax law, and establish a requirement for filing the release of tax warrants by the Secretary of Revenue.&nbsp;&nbsp;HB 2002 passed 37-0.&nbsp;&nbsp;I voted yes.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb229/" target="_blank">House Sub. for SB 229</a>&nbsp;addresses this issue by establishing a nine-member Legislative Compensation Commission and requires the Commission to study compensation, salary, and retirement benefits of legislative members; make recommendations on legislator retirement benefits; and set compensation and salary rates for legislators.&nbsp; Also, beginning January 1, 2025, and subject to appropriations, the bill would establish compensation rates for certain state officials, judges, and certain elected district attorneys that would be equal to a percentage of the salaries for a U.S. congressional member, a U.S. district judge, or a district judge.&nbsp;&nbsp;House Sub. for SB 229 passed 25-8. Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb205/" target="_blank">SB 205</a>&nbsp;would amend law concerning water rights, the establishment of multi-year flex accounts, and participation in a water bank.&nbsp; The bill would require the Chief Engineer, Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture, to approve a complete application for the establishment of a multi-year flex account.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 205 passed 40-0.&nbsp; Having also passed the House, it heads to the governor.&nbsp; I voted yes.

Full texts of the bills and supplemental notes as well as the Final Action vote on these measures can be found at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/" target="_blank">www.kslegislature.org</a>.&nbsp;

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Please email me at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a>&nbsp;or call 785-243-3325 at my office in Concordia with questions or concerns during the break.

Senator Elaine Bowers Kansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E 300 SW 10th St. Topeka, KS 66612 <a href="mailto:elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov" target="_blank">elaine.bowers@senate.ks.gov</a> 785-296-7389 <a href="https://elainebowers.com/" target="_blank">https://elainebowers.com/</a> <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/">www.kslegislature.org</a>

Elaine Bowers, R-Concordia, is senator of the 36th District in Kansas, which includes:

* Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne, Ottawa, Republic, Rooks, Russell, Smith and Washington Counties * Marshall County: Cities: Blue Rapids, Marysville, Oketo and Waterville; Townships: Blue Rapids, Blue Rapids City, Cottage Hill, Elm Creek, Herkimer, Logan, Marysville, Oketo, Walnut and Waterville * Phillips County: Cities: Agra, Glade, Kirwin and Phillipsburg; Townships: Arcade, Bow Creek, Crystal Deer Creek, Freedom, Glenwood, Greenwood, Kirwin, Phillipsburg, Plum, Rushville, Solomon(part), Sumner, Valley and Walnut

BOWERS: Senate Scene Week 13

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris this weekend urged Americans to take action during “a critical point in our nation’s history” as thousands of protesters demonstrated across the country against new limits to abortion rights making their way through the courts.

Saturday’s nationwide rallies were sparked by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">U.S. Supreme Court’s actions</a>&nbsp;the day before, when the high court intervened to delay rule changes that would have limited the way the abortion drug mifepristone could be used and dispensed. The limits were paused while the court reviews the case more thoroughly.

Harris made a surprise stop in Los Angeles at one of the rallies, where she called the latest upheaval over abortion rights a further incursion by conservatives into myriad “fundamental rights” many Americans thought they had.

“And so this is a moment that history will show required each of us — based on our collective love of our country — to stand up, and fight for, and protect our ideals. That’s what this moment is,” she said Saturday, speaking to several hundred demonstrators from the steps of City Hall. “When you attack the rights of women in America, you are attacking America.”

Some of the protesters voiced their anger at the steps of the nation's high court, which took Friday's action at the request of the federal Justice Department. The agency&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">asked the high court</a>&nbsp;to lift restrictions on mifepristone imposed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">an appellate court</a>&nbsp;in Texas earlier in the week. The decision by the appellate court reduced the window of time when the drug could be used and prevented the drug from being dispensed by mail.

Critics of the Texas and appellate court decisions, including pharmaceutical companies, viewed the courts’ actions as a dangerous intrusion into the authority of the FDA, which regulates how medications are sold and used in the United States.

Demonstrators in New York City stood behind a sign with a four-letter expletive directed at Texas, where a federal judge set off the latest salvo in the battle over abortion. They held signs urging the government to defend medication abortions.

But the crowd was modest, attracting a little more than 100 people outside the picturesque public library along Fifth Avenue.

Still, the demonstrators attracted looks from passersby along the busy thoroughfare, some briefly joining the group to lend their voices.

“It can be hard to get people out, because people are being bombarded with all kinds of assaults on their bodies and people are tired and poor,” said Viva Ruiz, who said she helped organize the rally.

“The news cycle is so fast that when one thing happens something terrible happens the next day. So it’s hard to sustain the momentum or the energy for people to be on the streets,” Ruiz said.

With few exceptions, many of the rallies — organized under the banner of a group calling itself “Bigger than Roe” — were held in smaller cities.

Since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">last year's reversal</a>&nbsp;of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized the right to an abortion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-mifepristone-states-lawsuits-ac6dc09c0dd66a146d3ddfde061fc1a6">more than a dozen states</a>&nbsp;have effectively outlawed abortion, while additional states have moved to further tighten abortion laws.

On Thursday, the GOP-dominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-desantis-07c1543fe28b6c09e777bec58de7640f">Florida Legislature</a>&nbsp;moved to became the latest state to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Restrictions on the delivery and use of mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen to end a pregnancy, would be a further blow to abortion rights advocates. The other drug, misoprostol, can be used on its own, but doing so is less effective than using both drugs in combination.

When mifepristone was initially approved, the FDA limited its use to up to seven weeks of pregnancy. It also required three in-person office visits: the first to administer mifepristone, the next to administer the second drug, misoprostol, and the third to address any complications.

If the appeals court’s action stands, those would again be the terms under which mifepristone could be dispensed.

States that support abortion rights, including California and New York,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-states-stockpiling-abortion-pills-mifepristone-bab172f4037eb73fe90142ba28c23cc0">have begun stockpiling</a>&nbsp;misoprostol to assure their states have adequate supplies. Washington state is among those stockpiling a supply of mifepristone or its generic form. And Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the administration is dedicating $1 million to help providers contracted with the Department of Public Health buy additional quantities of mifepristone.

More than 5.6 million women in the U.S. had used mifepristone as of June 2022, according to the FDA. In that period, the agency received 4,200 reports of complications in women, or less than one-tenth of 1% of women who took the drug.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris this weekend urged Americans to take action during “a critical point in our nation’s history” as thousands of protesters demonstrated across the country against new limits to abortion rights making their way through the courts.Saturday’s nationwide rallies were sparked by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">U.S. Supreme Court’s actions</a>&nbsp;the day before, when the high court intervened to delay rule changes that would have limited the way the abortion drug mifepristone could be used and dispensed. The limits were paused while the court reviews the case more thoroughly.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We march today to keep abortion safe and legal — and to protect a women’s right to choose. Honored to have <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> in Los Angeles standing with us for the fight of our lives. <a href="https://t.co/i4YOj4q1uz">pic.twitter.com/i4YOj4q1uz</a>&mdash; Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorOfLA/status/1647395820487192578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Harris made a surprise stop in Los Angeles at one of the rallies, where she called the latest upheaval over abortion rights a further incursion by conservatives into myriad “fundamental rights” many Americans thought they had.“And so this is a moment that history will show required each of us — based on our collective love of our country — to stand up, and fight for, and protect our ideals. That’s what this moment is,” she said Saturday, speaking to several hundred demonstrators from the steps of City Hall. “When you attack the rights of women in America, you are attacking America.”Some of the protesters voiced their anger at the steps of the nation's high court, which took Friday's action at the request of the federal Justice Department. The agency&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">asked the high court</a>&nbsp;to lift restrictions on mifepristone imposed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">an appellate court</a>&nbsp;in Texas earlier in the week. The decision by the appellate court reduced the window of time when the drug could be used and prevented the drug from being dispensed by mail.Critics of the Texas and appellate court decisions, including pharmaceutical companies, viewed the courts’ actions as a dangerous intrusion into the authority of the FDA, which regulates how medications are sold and used in the United States.Demonstrators in New York City stood behind a sign with a four-letter expletive directed at Texas, where a federal judge set off the latest salvo in the battle over abortion. They held signs urging the government to defend medication abortions.But the crowd was modest, attracting a little more than 100 people outside the picturesque public library along Fifth Avenue.Still, the demonstrators attracted looks from passersby along the busy thoroughfare, some briefly joining the group to lend their voices.“It can be hard to get people out, because people are being bombarded with all kinds of assaults on their bodies and people are tired and poor,” said Viva Ruiz, who said she helped organize the rally.“The news cycle is so fast that when one thing happens something terrible happens the next day. So it’s hard to sustain the momentum or the energy for people to be on the streets,” Ruiz said.With few exceptions, many of the rallies — organized under the banner of a group calling itself “Bigger than Roe” — were held in smaller cities.Since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">last year's reversal</a>&nbsp;of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized the right to an abortion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-mifepristone-states-lawsuits-ac6dc09c0dd66a146d3ddfde061fc1a6">more than a dozen states</a>&nbsp;have effectively outlawed abortion, while additional states have moved to further tighten abortion laws.On Thursday, the GOP-dominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-desantis-07c1543fe28b6c09e777bec58de7640f">Florida Legislature</a>&nbsp;moved to became the latest state to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.Restrictions on the delivery and use of mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen to end a pregnancy, would be a further blow to abortion rights advocates. The other drug, misoprostol, can be used on its own, but doing so is less effective than using both drugs in combination.When mifepristone was initially approved, the FDA limited its use to up to seven weeks of pregnancy. It also required three in-person office visits: the first to administer mifepristone, the next to administer the second drug, misoprostol, and the third to address any complications.If the appeals court’s action stands, those would again be the terms under which mifepristone could be dispensed.States that support abortion rights, including California and New York,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-states-stockpiling-abortion-pills-mifepristone-bab172f4037eb73fe90142ba28c23cc0">have begun stockpiling</a>&nbsp;misoprostol to assure their states have adequate supplies. Washington state is among those stockpiling a supply of mifepristone or its generic form. And Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the administration is dedicating $1 million to help providers contracted with the Department of Public Health buy additional quantities of mifepristone.More than 5.6 million women in the U.S. had used mifepristone as of June 2022, according to the FDA. In that period, the agency received 4,200 reports of complications in women, or less than one-tenth of 1% of women who took the drug.

Vice President rallies as high court eyes abortion pill rules

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident during a law enforcement pursuit just before 2:30a.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Wichita Police 2019 Dodge Charger driven by Officer Nathaniel A. Denshaw, 32, Wichita, was westbound on Kellogg at Greenwich engaged in a pursuit.

The driver failed to yield at a stop light and struck a northbound 2017 Ford Fusion driven by Brianna N. Coon, 22, Augusta.

EMS transported officer, Coon, and a passenger in the Ford identified as Cameron A. Tadayon, 22, Wichita, to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Authorities have not released details on what prompted the chase or additional information.&nbsp;&nbsp;

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident during a law enforcement pursuit just before 2:30a.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Wichita Police 2019 Dodge Charger driven by Officer Nathaniel A. Denshaw, 32, Wichita, was westbound on Kellogg at Greenwich engaged in a pursuit.The driver failed to yield at a stop light and struck a northbound 2017 Ford Fusion driven by Brianna N. Coon, 22, Augusta.EMS transported officer, Coon, and a passenger in the Ford identified as Cameron A. Tadayon, 22, Wichita, to a local hospital for treatment of serious injuries. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.Authorities have not released details on what prompted the chase or additional information.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Crash during pursuit injures Kansas officer, 2 others

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The investigation into the shooting by a homeowner of a Black teenager who went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers includes questions about whether it was racially motivated, authorities in Kansas City said.

Police are quickly preparing evidence for prosecutors in Thursday's shooting, Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday at a news conference at police headquarters.

“I want everyone to know that I am listening,” Graves said, “and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.”

The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article274380535.html">reported</a>&nbsp;the 16-year-old, whom family members have identified online as Ralph Yarl, was hospitalized Thursday night after he was shot while trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend's house. Police said he went to the wrong house and was shot there.

Officials would not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where his injuries were. Police initially said Yarl was stable but had a life-threatening injury. His current condition has not been released, other than that he is stable.

Police have not identified the shooter or his race, though civil rights attorney Ben Crump told The Star the shooter appears to be white. Information that officials have now does not point to the shooting being racially motivated, but Graves said that aspect also remains under investigation.

Investigators also will consider whether or not the suspect was protected by “Stand Your Ground” laws, Graves said.

Yarl was meant to pick up his brothers from a friend’s house on 115th Terrace. He ended up ringing the doorbell at a home on 115th Street, Faith Spoonmore, the teen’s aunt, wrote online.

A man opened the door, saw Yarl and shot him in the head. When Yarl fell to the ground, the man shot him again. Yarl got up and ran from the property, but he had to ask at three different homes before someone helped him, Spoonmore wrote.

Kansas City police officers said they responded around 10 p.m.

Graves said Sunday that the homeowner was taken into custody Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold. While searching the scene for evidence, detectives found the firearm used. Law enforcement released the suspect pending further investigation after consulting with the Clay County prosecutor’s office.

Missouri law allows a person to be held up to 24 hours for a felony investigation. At that point, the person must be released or arrested and formally charged. In order to arrest someone, law enforcement needs a formal victim statement, forensic evidence and other information for a case file to be completed, Graves said.

Because of the teen’s injuries, Graves said, police haven’t been able to get a victim statement.

Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the news conference, said police understand the community’s concern that the shooting could be racially motivated. Some members of the police department attended Sunday’s protest in the neighborhood where the shooting took place to listen to community concerns, he said.

“This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalized or diminished in any way. This is something that is getting the full attention of the Kansas City Police Department," Lucas said.

Crump told The Star on Sunday that the family has retained his Florida-based law firm.

“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification," Crump said. “This guy should be charged.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trayvon-martin-death-of-george-floyd-florida-race-and-ethnicity-michael-brown-96d01a255bebe5762a9bf356768a5e5c">Crump has represented families</a>&nbsp;in several high-profile cases, including those of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

Crump said the homeowner initially shot the teen in the head and then a second time after the boy fell to the ground. The family also has retained Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney who previously represented the family of Cameron Lamb, who was fatally shot by Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere in 2019.

Crump said that judging by what he was told by the teen’s family, the shooter is white.

“It is inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play,” he said.

Even though Yarl "is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally,” Spoonmore wrote in a GoFundMe she started to raise money for Yarl’s medical bills and other expenses.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681726215314.png" alt="Yarl-photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Yarl-photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The investigation into the shooting by a homeowner of a Black teenager who went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers includes questions about whether it was racially motivated, authorities in Kansas City said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Chief Graves spoke with media regarding updates in the case involving the juvenile who was shot Thursday night. <a href="https://t.co/ZTHPbwWcto">pic.twitter.com/ZTHPbwWcto</a>&mdash; kcpolice (@kcpolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/kcpolice/status/1647716769073860608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Police are quickly preparing evidence for prosecutors in Thursday's shooting, Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday at a news conference at police headquarters.“I want everyone to know that I am listening,” Graves said, “and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community.”<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/nf36y-cover-medical-expenses">Click here to view</a>&nbsp;the the GoFundMe to assist the familyThe Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article274380535.html">reported</a>&nbsp;the 16-year-old, whom family members have identified online as Ralph Yarl, was hospitalized Thursday night after he was shot while trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend's house. Police said he went to the wrong house and was shot there.Officials would not confirm the number of times the homeowner shot the victim or where his injuries were. Police initially said Yarl was stable but had a life-threatening injury. His current condition has not been released, other than that he is stable.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Like many, I am heartbroken and angered by the recent shooting of a child in our community who simply came to a doorstep to pick up his younger siblings. This never should have happened.&mdash; Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1647735414898270208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Police have not identified the shooter or his race, though civil rights attorney Ben Crump told The Star the shooter appears to be white. Information that officials have now does not point to the shooting being racially motivated, but Graves said that aspect also remains under investigation.Investigators also will consider whether or not the suspect was protected by “Stand Your Ground” laws, Graves said.Yarl was meant to pick up his brothers from a friend’s house on 115th Terrace. He ended up ringing the doorbell at a home on 115th Street, Faith Spoonmore, the teen’s aunt, wrote online.A man opened the door, saw Yarl and shot him in the head. When Yarl fell to the ground, the man shot him again. Yarl got up and ran from the property, but he had to ask at three different homes before someone helped him, Spoonmore wrote.Kansas City police officers said they responded around 10 p.m.Graves said Sunday that the homeowner was taken into custody Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold. While searching the scene for evidence, detectives found the firearm used. Law enforcement released the suspect pending further investigation after consulting with the Clay County prosecutor’s office.Missouri law allows a person to be held up to 24 hours for a felony investigation. At that point, the person must be released or arrested and formally charged. In order to arrest someone, law enforcement needs a formal victim statement, forensic evidence and other information for a case file to be completed, Graves said.Because of the teen’s injuries, Graves said, police haven’t been able to get a victim statement.Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the news conference, said police understand the community’s concern that the shooting could be racially motivated. Some members of the police department attended Sunday’s protest in the neighborhood where the shooting took place to listen to community concerns, he said.“This is not something that has been dismissed, marginalized or diminished in any way. This is something that is getting the full attention of the Kansas City Police Department," Lucas said.Crump told The Star on Sunday that the family has retained his Florida-based law firm.“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification," Crump said. “This guy should be charged.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trayvon-martin-death-of-george-floyd-florida-race-and-ethnicity-michael-brown-96d01a255bebe5762a9bf356768a5e5c">Crump has represented families</a>&nbsp;in several high-profile cases, including those of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.Crump said the homeowner initially shot the teen in the head and then a second time after the boy fell to the ground. The family also has retained Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney who previously represented the family of Cameron Lamb, who was fatally shot by Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere in 2019.Crump said that judging by what he was told by the teen’s family, the shooter is white.“It is inescapable not to acknowledge the racial dynamics at play,” he said.Even though Yarl "is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally,” Spoonmore wrote in a GoFundMe she started to raise money for Yarl’s medical bills and other expenses.----------

🎥Homeowner shoots, injures Black teen who went to wrong house

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from Russian missile strikes on eastern Ukraine's city of Sloviansk rose to 11 as rescue crews tried to reach people trapped in the rubble of an apartment building, Ukrainian authorities said.

Ukraine's air force said the country would soon have weapons with which to try to prevent attacks like the one on Friday. The delivery of the Patriot air defense system&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-b90ce5a55b1f6b820d03da96612b3796">promised by the U.S.</a>&nbsp;was expected in Ukraine sometime after Easter, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.

The primarily Orthodox Christian country observed Easter on Sunday. Speaking Saturday on Ukrainian state TV, Ihnat declined to give a precise timeline for the arrival of the defensive missile system but said the public would know “as soon as the first Russian aircraft is shot down.”

A group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-patriot-missiles-fort-sill-8afb4a17cae52cb19428c5a5adcacb7f">completed their training</a>&nbsp;last month at Fort Sill, a U.S. Army post in Oklahoma, and returned to Europe to learn more about using the defensive missile system to track and shoot down enemy aircraft.

Officials said at the time that the Ukrainians would then go back to their country with a Patriot missile battery, which typically includes six mobile launchers, a mobile radar, a power generator and an engagement control center.

Germany and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-politics-netherlands-government-united-states-03128d7faeb04340cc8a1421cf6ae42e">the Netherlands</a>&nbsp;also have pledged to provide a Patriot system each to Ukraine. In addition, a SAMP/T anti-missile system pledged by France and Italy “should enter Ukraine in the near future,” Ihnat said this week.

The Ukrainian military is looking to beef up its ability to intercept missiles as it prepares for an expected spring counter-offensive to retake Russian-occupied areas of the country. Although more than a year of fighting has depleted weapons supplies on both sides, Russian forces have intensified their 8 1/2-month campaign to seize the city of Bakhmut, the focus of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-bakhmut-3036cdd95c89ae2df31ded0ba80bb7c8">the war's longest battle</a>&nbsp;so far.

Bakhmut and Sloviansk are located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) apart in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province.

Rescue teams in Sloviansk recovered the bodies of two people from under the rubble of a house hit in Friday's missile strikes, according to the State Emergency Service. They also searched Saturday for five people who remained in the wreckage of the apartment building, as well as the residents of three units who were reported missing, Vadym Liakh, the head of the local government, said.

Separately, a 48-year-old woman and her 28-year-old daughter died Saturday after Russian forces shelled a neighborhood of the city of Kherson, the regional administration said on Telegram. The southern port city was occupied by Russian forces in the early months of the war, but Ukrainian forces regained control of it in November, one of the most notable battlefield defeats for Moscow.

A new law&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-draft-mobilization-conscription-notices-bf18ad64dd08c9d11aab2e222cabfee9">signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;on Friday that allows military offices to send draft notices electronically instead of delivering them in person is part of Russia’s preparation for a protracted war in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in a Saturday morning assessment.

According to British intelligence, a “unified registry of individuals eligible for military service” will be digitally linked to other government services, allowing Russian authorities to “punish draft-dodgers by automatically limiting employment rights and restricting foreign travel.”

Since the law does not come into force until later in the year, the U.K. Defense Ministry said the e-notices do not automatically point to a “major new wave of enforced mobilization” but rather form part of a “longer-term approach to provide personnel as Russia anticipates a lengthy conflict in Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, 52,000 young Russian men already have received draft orders as part of the country's regular spring call-up, and 21,000 of them qualified for military service, Col. Andrey Biryukov, who is in charge of mobilization, said Saturday.

Biryukov addressed concerns that the new electronic conscription law presaged a broader mobilization of reservists, like one Putin ordered in September.

“I’d like to stress that all army deferrals for citizens will still be valid. And e-draft orders will not be mailed in bulk,” Biryukov said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673396092973.png" alt="-Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>-Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from Russian missile strikes on eastern Ukraine's city of Sloviansk rose to 11 as rescue crews tried to reach people trapped in the rubble of an apartment building, Ukrainian authorities said.Ukraine's air force said the country would soon have weapons with which to try to prevent attacks like the one on Friday. The delivery of the Patriot air defense system&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-b90ce5a55b1f6b820d03da96612b3796">promised by the U.S.</a>&nbsp;was expected in Ukraine sometime after Easter, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.The primarily Orthodox Christian country observed Easter on Sunday. Speaking Saturday on Ukrainian state TV, Ihnat declined to give a precise timeline for the arrival of the defensive missile system but said the public would know “as soon as the first Russian aircraft is shot down.”A group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-patriot-missiles-fort-sill-8afb4a17cae52cb19428c5a5adcacb7f">completed their training</a>&nbsp;last month at Fort Sill, a U.S. Army post in Oklahoma, and returned to Europe to learn more about using the defensive missile system to track and shoot down enemy aircraft.Officials said at the time that the Ukrainians would then go back to their country with a Patriot missile battery, which typically includes six mobile launchers, a mobile radar, a power generator and an engagement control center.Germany and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-politics-netherlands-government-united-states-03128d7faeb04340cc8a1421cf6ae42e">the Netherlands</a>&nbsp;also have pledged to provide a Patriot system each to Ukraine. In addition, a SAMP/T anti-missile system pledged by France and Italy “should enter Ukraine in the near future,” Ihnat said this week.The Ukrainian military is looking to beef up its ability to intercept missiles as it prepares for an expected spring counter-offensive to retake Russian-occupied areas of the country. Although more than a year of fighting has depleted weapons supplies on both sides, Russian forces have intensified their 8 1/2-month campaign to seize the city of Bakhmut, the focus of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-bakhmut-3036cdd95c89ae2df31ded0ba80bb7c8">the war's longest battle</a>&nbsp;so far.Bakhmut and Sloviansk are located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) apart in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province.Rescue teams in Sloviansk recovered the bodies of two people from under the rubble of a house hit in Friday's missile strikes, according to the State Emergency Service. They also searched Saturday for five people who remained in the wreckage of the apartment building, as well as the residents of three units who were reported missing, Vadym Liakh, the head of the local government, said.Separately, a 48-year-old woman and her 28-year-old daughter died Saturday after Russian forces shelled a neighborhood of the city of Kherson, the regional administration said on Telegram. The southern port city was occupied by Russian forces in the early months of the war, but Ukrainian forces regained control of it in November, one of the most notable battlefield defeats for Moscow.A new law&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-draft-mobilization-conscription-notices-bf18ad64dd08c9d11aab2e222cabfee9">signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;on Friday that allows military offices to send draft notices electronically instead of delivering them in person is part of Russia’s preparation for a protracted war in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in a Saturday morning assessment.According to British intelligence, a “unified registry of individuals eligible for military service” will be digitally linked to other government services, allowing Russian authorities to “punish draft-dodgers by automatically limiting employment rights and restricting foreign travel.”Since the law does not come into force until later in the year, the U.K. Defense Ministry said the e-notices do not automatically point to a “major new wave of enforced mobilization” but rather form part of a “longer-term approach to provide personnel as Russia anticipates a lengthy conflict in Ukraine.”Meanwhile, 52,000 young Russian men already have received draft orders as part of the country's regular spring call-up, and 21,000 of them qualified for military service, Col. Andrey Biryukov, who is in charge of mobilization, said Saturday.Biryukov addressed concerns that the new electronic conscription law presaged a broader mobilization of reservists, like one Putin ordered in September.“I’d like to stress that all army deferrals for citizens will still be valid. And e-draft orders will not be mailed in bulk,” Biryukov said.

Ukraine anxious for US missile system after latest Russian strike

ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 8p.m. Saturday in Atchison.

According to Police Chief Mike Wilson, a Toyota Tacoma driven by Bryan Barraza, 23, Atchison, turned westbound into the 1400 Block of Country Club Road.

The pickup left the roadway on the south side and struck a residence. EMS transported Barraza was to a hospital for treatment of injuries. The accident remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681652399050.png" alt="photo Atchison Police" />
 <figcaption>photo Atchison Police</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 8p.m. Saturday in Atchison.According to Police Chief Mike Wilson, a Toyota Tacoma driven by Bryan Barraza, 23, Atchison, turned westbound into the 1400 Block of Country Club Road.The pickup left the roadway on the south side and struck a residence. EMS transported Barraza was to a hospital for treatment of injuries. The accident remains under investigation.

Kansas man hospitalized after pickup crash into home

SEDGWICK COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 12:30a.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.

A Pontiac G6 driven by 18-year-old Madison Dahl of Haysville was northbound in the 1200 Block of Seneca from Harry in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.&nbsp; The driver lost control shortly after crossing the railroad tracks and collided with a tree.

Dahl was trapped in the vehicle. Wichita Fire Department personnel&nbsp; extricated her and transported her to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased, according to Macy.

EMS also transported a 19-year-old male passenger to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

This is the fifth fatality crash in 2023 and the fifth traffic fatality.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 12:30a.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.A Pontiac G6 driven by 18-year-old Madison Dahl of Haysville was northbound in the 1200 Block of Seneca from Harry in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.&nbsp; The driver lost control shortly after crossing the railroad tracks and collided with a tree.Dahl was trapped in the vehicle. Wichita Fire Department personnel&nbsp; extricated her and transported her to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased, according to Macy.EMS also transported a 19-year-old male passenger to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.This is the fifth fatality crash in 2023 and the fifth traffic fatality.