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Deadline Marks The End For Many Bills In The Kansas Legislature

Stephen Koranda
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KPR/File Photo

Lawmakers are taking a long weekend after working hard last week to beat a legislative deadline known as "turnaround." As Stephen Koranda reports, when they return on Wednesday, they’ll have fewer issues to consider.

Most bills had to have passed one chamber in the Kansas Legislature by the end of last week or they are dead for the session. That means many bills are done for this year. But, bills from certain legislative committees are exempt, for example budget bills remain alive and well.

There are ways for lawmakers to get around the rules. For example, a bill could go through what’s known as a “gut-and-go.” That’s where lawmakers take a bill that survived the deadline, pull out the contents and replace them with a different bill that didn’t make the cut.

So even though lots of bills died at the end of last week, some of them could rise again if it’s something lawmakers really want.

Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.