TOPEKA — With the start of the special session Tuesday afternoon, lawmakers started making fixes in the “Hard-50’ sentencing law. The Kansas House voted 122-0 to approve a bill that fixes the law and sent it to the Senate. Murderers sentenced to the Hard-50 receive a minimum of 50 years in state prison before they’re eligible for parole. However, the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down a similar law in Virginia. That prompted Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Gov. Sam Brownback for a special legislative session to change that part of the law that the high court found to be unconstitutional. The high court ruled that a jury, and not a judge, should hand out the Hard-50. Although this week’s special session was called to change the state’s Hard-50 sentencing law, several politicians, including Brownback, want to throw in other items. Legislative leaders promised that the special session will last only two or three days. However, the Wichita Eagle notes when leader promised the regular session last spring would go n o longer than 80 days, but went 99 days. Brownback wants legislators to approve some of his appointments including a controversial nomination of his own office attorney Caleb Stegall to the court of appeals. One anti-abortion group wants to use the special session to pass tougher limits on abortion. One group that won’t likely get their wish – a group of Wichita-area Democratic legislators who want to force Secretary of State Kris Kobach to stop sitting on nearly 13,000 new voter registrations.
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 4 p.m.
