County attorney supports two bills
The Leavenworth Times
The county attorney for Leavenworth County recently has testified in support of two pieces of legislation being considered at the Statehouse.
One bill supported by County Attorney Todd Thompson would allow judges to prohibit people who are involuntarily committed for mental health treatment from possessing firearms. The other bill would increase penalties for rioting in correctional facilities.
Thompson calls the bills common sense measures.
Thompson recently testified in favor of House Bill 2095.
As proposed, the law would give a judge the ability to prohibit the possession of a firearm as part of a temporary custody order for the care and treatment of a person who suffers from mental illness. The order would be issued following a hearing.
As cries of no justice, no peace and Black lives matter once again rang out in streets across the country this summer, policymakers were faced with the most intense calls yet to increase racial equity in policing.
Kansas was not immune to those discussions in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis, Minn., police. Protests followed in Topeka, Wichita and scores of other communities, as residents again sought changes in their backyards and across the state.
Whether state legislators will consider advancing aggressive reforms favored by those activists, however, remains unclear. And some changes, like alterations to how police departments are funded, can only be pursued at the local level.
Colorado
SB 20-100 would repeal the death penalty for offenses charged on or after July 1, 2020
Introduced January 14, 2020 and assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. After a public hearing, the bill
PASSED committee on January 27 by a 3-2 vote. After a floor debate, it
PASSED the full Senate on January 30, by a 19-13 vote, with 3 Republicans joining 16 Democrats in supporting the bill and 2 Democrats joining 11 Republicans in opposing.
The bill was introduced in the House and referred to the Judiciary Committee on February 4. After a public hearing, it
PASSED the Judiciary Committee on February 18 by a vote of 6-3. It
PASSED second reading on a voice vote of the full House on February 25. The bill