Bill would limit union access to teachers; KanCare to start trial for developmentally disabled; 19 Kansas murderers paroled.
Bill Seeks Equal Kansas Teacher Union Access
A Kansas House committee will hear testimony Monday on legislation that guarantees all teachers' unions equal access to public school employees.
The measure before the House Education Committee is one of several bills introduced this session to clip the wings of existing public employee unions. The bill does not mention the Kansas National Education Association by name. However, it would end the group's exclusive access to teachers, their mailboxes, or places where they're trained, by requiring the same access for similar professional organizations.
The House has already approved a bill that keeps public employee unions from automatically deducting voluntary contributions from member paychecks.
KanCare To Offer Disability Support Services March 1
KanCare will begin offering services to people with developmental disabilities on a trial basis March 1.
19 Kansas Murderers Paroled In Last 3 Years
A review of state Department of Corrections records found that within the past three years 19 Kansas inmates serving life sentences for first-degree murder have been released on parole.
Number Of Homeless Elderly Rising In Wichita
The number of elderly homeless people in Wichita continues to climb.
Sandy Swank of Inter-Faith Ministries says the organization's winter shelter has served 13 people over the age of 62 so far this year, after helping only five in 2012.
In many cases, a spouse has died and left a mountain of debt that overwhelmed the survivor.
Swank says when she started working at Inter-Faith in late 1990, elderly people occasionally came to the shelter but almost always had someone to look after them.
A 2010 study by the Homeless Research Institute projected the number of elderly people who are homeless will increase by one-third nationally by the year 2020.
