By Austin Fisher

TOPEKA — Rep. Brett Hildabrand (R-Shawnee) reiterated his support on Tuesday to define fantasy sports contests as games of skill rather than lotteries.

Identical bills in House and Senate committees would define playing in fantasy sports as games of skill rather than gambling. Last August the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission wrote on its website that private fantasy sports are illegal because they meet the criteria of gambling.

“If a fantasy sports league has a buy in and gives a prize, then all three elements of an illegal lottery are satisfied,” the commission wrote.

Illegal gambling, including any lottery that is not regulated by the commission, is a class B misdemeanor in Kansas that can result in up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Fantasy league players select a team of real athletes and gain points for how the players perform in actual games. Some fantasy league players pay for advice, research, and analysis to inform their choices while others win through their own knowledge and individual commitment to the league.

Fantasy sports providers can offer cash prizes to league winners based on entry fees. The legislation focuses on leagues that award cash prizes whether or not the prize is based on entry fees.

Hildabrand said the vast majority of players do not know that they’re on the wrong side of the law.

“The commission has said that they do not have any intent to prosecute those participating, however, I consider myself a rule of law person,” Hildabrand said. “I believe that if we have rules and laws in statute that they should count for something. They should either be enforced or they should not be a policy to begin with.”

Sen. Tom Holland (D-Baldwin City) said he considers Texas Hold ‘em to be a game of skill, and asked Hildabrand if the bill would pave the way for similar games to slip out of the definition of gambling.

“I suppose that is a possibility,” Hildabrand said. “But this legislation specifically calls out fantasy sports. So any other activity would still be classified as gambling.”

Jeremy Kudon, a lawyer for the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), said almost 40 million Americans including nearly 500,000 Kansans play some form of fantasy sports.

“They do so because fantasy sports are a form of entertainment that allows players to have a deeper appreciation for the sports that they love,” Kudon said.

The FSTA estimates that players in the United States and Canada spent $1.7 billion on league fees in 2014.

Derek Hein, a lobbyist for the FSTA, said the bill clarifies state law to match the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 that defines fantasy sports as a “game of skill.”

“We believe that the Kansans who are currently participating in fantasy sports should be permitted to do so without concern about legality of the contests that they enjoy,” Hein said.

The committee took no action on the bill but it might be up for more work next Thursday.

Austin Fisher is a University of Kansas senior from Lawrence majoring in journalism.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee has approved a proposed ban on a procedure described by abortion opponents as dismembering a fetus.

But the Federal and State Affairs Committee’s voice vote Wednesday to advance the measure came after abortion rights supporters on the panel forced anti-abortion lawmakers to vote down a broader proposal.

The alternative would have banned most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected early in pregnancy.

The bill advanced by the committee outlaws the dilation and evacuation procedure and prohibit doctors from using forceps or similar instruments on a fetus to remove it from the womb in pieces.

The National Right to Life Committee drafted the measure as model legislation for states. It and some anti-abortion groups want to avoid broader measures th

————

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee is preparing to debate a proposed ban on an abortion procedure targeted by a national group and described as dismembering a fetus.

The Federal and State Affairs Committee was expected to vote Wednesday on whether to send a bill imposing the ban to the full House for further debate.

The measure passed the Senate last month.

The bill outlaws the dilation and evacuation procedure and redefines it as “dismemberment abortion.” Doctors could not use forceps or similar instruments on a fetus to remove it from the womb in pieces.

Abortion rights supporters say it’s sometimes the safest procedure for a woman.

The National Right to Life Committee drafted the measure as model legislation for states.

The procedure is used in about 8 percent of Kansas abortions.

MANHATTAN. – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating the shooting death of a man. According to a media release, at 2:10 a.m. on Tuesday, officers with the Riley County Police Department were dispatched to report of  a shooting with injury. This incident was ultimately determined to have taken place on Skyway Drive near the intersection of East Riley Ave. just outside of Ogden, Kansas.

Police found that Casey Lindley, 27, of Ogden, Kansas had suffered an apparent gunshot wound and was in need of emergency medical attention. He was transported and then life-flighted to a medical care facility in Topeka, Kansas where he later died of his injuries.

Police continue to investigate the matter and have identified a person of interest. No arrests have been made.

Detectives with the Riley County Police Department are asking that anyone with information about this investigation contact the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777. By using this service tipsters can remain anonymous and could qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran’s (R-Kan.) bipartisan legislation to make sure disabled veterans who work for the federal government can get the medical care they need unanimously passed out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Sen. Moran’s Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act (S. 242), which he introduced along with Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in January, would provide first-year federal workers who have service-related disabilities with sick leave to use specifically for medical visits. Service-disabled veterans would no longer have to make the hard decision between receiving care and taking unpaid leave after they start their new job.

“Service-disabled veterans who have served our nation with duty and honor deserve peace of mind when transitioning into the federal workforce and civilian life,” Sen. Moran, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee said. “The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act will help make sure certain veterans can pursue a career in the federal government and support their families while also addressing their medical treatment needs. I am pleased that it will now move to the full Senate for consideration.”

Currently, first-year government workers accrue four hours of sick leave each pay period, forcing many veterans with disabilities to take unpaid leave because they have not built up the necessary leave time.

The bill supports first-year federal employees with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.

Sen. Moran’s bill is supported by The American Legion, the American Federation of Government Employees, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the National Treasury Employees Union, among others.

The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act is available online HERE. Similar legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

By Alex Smith

Twice as many Kansans and Missourians signed up for health insurance this year under the Affordable Care Act compared with the first enrollment period last year, new figures released Tuesday show. More than 250,000 Missourians and nearly 100,000 Kansans selected plans on the federal insurance exchange, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Those counts reflect enrollment numbers for the period from Nov. 15, 2014, through Feb. 15, 2015, and includes additional special enrollment activity through Feb. 22.

Overall, nearly 11.7 million people nationwide signed up for coverage through healthcare.gov or through exchanges operated by the states, HHS said.

Neither Kansas nor Missouri set up their own exchanges, or insurance marketplaces, so residents had to sign up through the healthcare.gov platform. Only 14 states operate their own exchanges. About 52 percent of Kansas and Missouri enrollees were new, the data show. The rest re-enrolled. Eighty percent of Kansas enrollees and 88 percent of Missouri enrollees received federal subsidies in the form of tax credits to help pay for their insurance, HHS said.

As was the case in nearly every state, older consumers accounted for the biggest single group of enrollees. People age 55-64 made up 25 percent of those who signed up in Kansas and Missouri.

The average monthly premium in Kansas was $301, HHS said, falling to $90 after tax credits. In Missouri, the average premium was $363, falling to $82 after tax credits. About 11 percent of Latinos and 17 percent of African Americans selected plans, unchanged from the first enrollment period. HHS cautioned those figures probably underrepresent the actual numbers because nearly a third of enrollees did not identify their race or ethnicity.

Though the official open enrollment is over, HHS has created a special open enrollment extension to help consumers who were confused about the deadlines and tax penalties for failing to obtain coverage. The so-called extra enrollment period lasts through April 30.

 

Alex Smith is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office has identified the body of a woman found in a field over the weekend.

The sheriff’s office identified the woman as 22-year-old Karissa Warren of Kansas City, Kansas. Her body was discovered Sunday in rural Leavenworth County, and her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Investigators have said they believe Warren’s body was in the field for less than 24 hours. Authorities haven’t said whether they believe Warren was killed in the field or if her body was disposed of there.

Warren’s family say they don’t know who would want to hurt her or why, but her cousin notes Warren was a witness to her boyfriend’s killing.

Anyone with information about Warren’s death is asked to contact authorities.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has filed a federal lawsuit to block plans by the Quapaw Tribe in northeast Oklahoma to expand a casino across the state line.

The lawsuit filed by Schmidt this week challenges a decision in November by the National Indian Gaming Commission to clear the way for casino games on 124 acres in Cherokee County in southeast Kansas.

Schmidt contends the commission exceeded its legal authority.

A spokesman said the commission hasn’t seen the lawsuit.

The tribe bought the land in 2006 for a parking lot for its Downstream Casino Resort across the state line. It later asked the federal government to allow gambling there and wants to expand its casino.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Lottery is reviewing three applications for a state-owned casino in the area.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The new president of the Kansas Farm Bureau says the state needs to rebalance its tax structure in the wake of revenue shortfalls created by massive income tax cuts enacted last year.

Rich Felts says he worries property taxes may still take the brunt of tax hikes in the waning days of the legislative session as lawmakers struggle to fill the budget hole. For years, Kansas had “a three-legged stool” of income, sales and property taxes that worked.

But Felts stresses that is only his personal opinion because his grassroots organization didn’t take a position on the income tax cuts when members met last December. Its members didn’t realize the extent of the shortfall.

He says a lot of people were in denial then, including Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 51 Senators in expressing concern for a new proposal that would severely limit access to M855 rifle ammunition, which is primarily used for sporting purposes. This class of ammunition is protected from prohibition under a 1986 Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act exemption. The framework, proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), would set arbitrary guidelines for determining whether certain ammunition meets the 1986 law’s “sporting purposes” exemption. As a result, this could result in limited access to rifle ammunition long considered to be primarily used for activities such as target shooting and hunting.

“Most troubling about the ATF’s proposal is how it intends to judge the ‘likely use’ of M855 ammunition,” Sen. Moran said. “The ATF has proposed a blatantly subjective test that will undoubtedly provide them with the results they are looking for to confirm their biases – with no consideration of how this popular sporting ammo is actually used by law-abiding Americans, including many sportsmen and women in Kansas. The ATF’s framework is nothing more than a tool for increased gun restrictions that bypass Congress. I am proud to join Senator Grassley in signing this letter, and I will continue to support Second Amendment freedoms of all Americans.”

In a letter to ATF Director Todd Jones, the senators charge that the new framework defies the intent of Congress when it passed the 1986 law. They also question ATF’s authority to establish such a framework and express concern for its impact on Second Amendment rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

“Second Amendment rights require not only access to firearms but to bullets. If law-abiding gun owners cannot obtain rifle ammunition, or face substantial difficulty in finding ammunition available and at reasonable prices because government entities are banning such ammunition, then the Second Amendment is at risk,” the senators wrote.

A signed copy of the letter is available here.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 44-year-old southeast Kansas man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Jimmy Lee Riddle was sentenced this week after being convicted in January.

The Kansas attorney general’s office says Riddle’s conviction was the result of investigations by Baxter Springs police, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of investigation.

Authorities have said the Baxter Springs man was making the drug in 2013.

Riddle’s lawyer, Candace Gayoso, was not immediately available for comment on the sentencing.