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Wichita Rep. Gail Finney Responds To Concerns Regarding 'Spanking Bill'

Due to the overwhelming response regarding proposed legislation clarifying corporal discipline, Representative Gail Finney of Wichita has released a statement to clarify her proposed bill.

Finney says while parental corporal discipline in Kansas has always been permitted in the state, it's never been defined in Kansas statute.

This omission has left the interpretation to administrative officials in the executive branch, law enforcement personnel, and the judicial branch.

Finney says the bill is intended to give guidance to these officials and serve as a guideline for parents, not to legalize child abuse in Kansas.

Many people have expressed concern over the House Bill 2699.

The bill would allow parents to administer 10 strikes of the open hand palm and that could leave redness and bruising. It would also allow parents to give permission to others to spank their children.

It would continue to ban hitting a child with fists, in the head or body, or with a belt or switch.

Current Kansas law allows spanking that doesn't leave marks.

When she's not out making lattes in her mobile coffee bus Sunflower Espresso, Kate Hutchens is a fill-in host for KMUW. She has worked in broadcast journalism at KFDI, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and at KMUW as Morning Edition host, which she did until March 2017.