TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have condemned New York’s new law protecting abortion rights in a statement that will be sent to every New York legislator and its governor.

The Kansas House on Wednesday approved a resolutiondeclaring that New York’s law “violates the life and well-being of a woman and her unborn child.”

The 85-38 vote came after some Democrats questioned whether the GOP-controlled Legislature was wasting its time. The Kansas Senate approved the resolution last month.

The New York law was designed to codify protections for a woman’s right to obtain an abortion granted by federal courts. Abortion opponents across the nation have argued that it allows abortions up to the moment of birth.

Democratic New York state Sen. Liz Krueger of Manhattan says opponents are “spreading misinformation and falsehoods.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Lee’s Summit, Mo., police officer who led officers on a 100-miles-per-hour vehicle pursuit pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to armed bank robbery, according to the United State’s Attorney’s office.

Richard W. Hagerty, 35, of Independence, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Hagerty was a police officer with the Lee’s Summit Police Department from 2007 to 2016.

Hagerty entered Central Bank of the Midwest, located at 1305 N.W. Arborwalk Blvd. in Lee’s Summit, on Aug. 28, 2018. Hagerty, wearing a camouflage balaclava-style mask that covered part of his face and black gloves, pointed a Glock .40-caliber pistol at a customer and yelled, “Everybody get down on the floor, this is a robbery.” He demanded cash from two tellers, pointing the handgun at them while he was demanding money. Hagerty stole about $7,000 then fled from the bank on foot.

A Lee’s Summit police officer located Hagerty driving a dark gray Mazda on Hook Road and 139th Street shortly after the robbery. When the officer activated his emergency equipment, Hagerty accelerated and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit stretched from Lee’s Summit to Grandview, Mo., in the middle of the day, on busy thoroughfares. Hagerty drove erratically during the pursuit, according to court documents, by reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on those busy roads, passing through school zones, and crossing into oncoming traffic.

After the vehicle was finally stopped, the officer gave verbal instructions for the occupant of the Mazda to exit the vehicle. After a short delay, Hagerty exited through the driver’s side door of the vehicle with his hands raised above his head. The officer immediately recognized Hagerty, who was arrested.

Inside the vehicle, officers saw a large amount of cash on the driver’s seat and the front driver’s and passenger’s floorboard. They also recovered the Glock handgun from the vehicle.

Under federal statutes, Hagerty is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole for armed bank robbery, plus a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, up to life in federal prison, for brandishing the firearm. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The man who won the University of Missouri’s first Nobel Prize is donating the prize money to the university.

George Smith announced Tuesday he will donate the $243,000 prize to support needs-based scholarships for future College of Arts and Science students.

The 78-year-old Smith shared the 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with two other scientists for using a version of evolution to create new proteins that led to a best-selling drug and other products.

The Columbia Missourian reports the University of Missouri System and Missouri campus will also contribute $200,000 to scholarships. Missouri Chancellor Alexander Cartwright set aside an additional $100,000 for scholarships.

Missouri will also match donations made to the Nobel Scholarship during Mizzou Giving Day on Wednesday and Thursday.

By JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — If Kansas’ highest court is going to force state lawmakers to boost public education funding again, some conservative Republicans want something in return, including a say in how the extra money is spent and a voucher program to allow bullied kids to switch to private schools.

A state House committee expects to hold hearings this week on a public-school funding billdrafted by its conservative chairwoman and introduced Tuesday. It’s an alternative to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s proposal for an increase of roughly $90 million in the state’s more than $4 billion a year in education funding.

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled last yearthat the state’s education funding remains inadequate despite increases in recent years. It gave the state’s attorneys until April 15 to report in writing how lawmakers addressed the problem.

“Many of us don’t subscribe to that theory, that if you just add more money and you do the same thing you’ve always done, you’re going to get a different result,” said state Rep. Kristey Williams, a Wichita-area Republican who is the House committee’s chairwoman. “It’s not just how much money you put in. It’s how the money is used.”

The House bill shows that conservative Republicans haven’t given up on a long-standing goal to create a voucher program that would give tax money to parents with students in struggling public schools so they could send their children to other schools, including private ones. In 2014, legislators created a corporate tax credit to encourage contributions to scholarship funds for low-income students.

The new House bill would allow parents of bullied public school students to claim state tax dollars for their local public school as a scholarship for another school.

Williams unveiled the new legislation as the Senate prepared to debate Kelly’s plan this week. Even if the Senate approves the governor’s plan, negotiators for the two chambers are likely to draft the final version of the funding bill. Williams would lead the House’s team, so policy ideas could remain in play.

Such a scenario played out in 2014, when an earlier Supreme Court ruling forced lawmakers to increase education funding. Conservative Republicans used their leverage to strip teachers of guaranteed tenure.

“It’s that same kind of issue,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “It’s a horrible bill.”

The state Supreme Court has issued six rulings in the past five years requiring increases in education funding, saying lawmakers have a duty under the state constitution to provide a suitable education for every child.

A 2018 law phased in a $548 million increase in annual funding by the 2022-23 school year. The court said it was inadequate because it did not account for inflation.

“Just put the money in,” said Mark Desetti, a lobbyist for the state’s largest teachers union, summarizing the view of many educators.

The new House bill would provide $14 million more than Kelly’s plan for schools during the budget year that begins in July, but it would direct much of the new money into programs for students with behavioral or mental health problems and other at-risk kids.

The measure also would require school districts with large cash reserves to burn through some of those reserves instead of relying on state dollars to finance their operations.

And it would strike provisions of the 2018 funding law that promised increases in the state’s basic per-pupil aid to school districts for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a conservative Olathe Republican, said legislators only should make “promises that we can keep.”

The House bill would require the state to post data online about how well students perform and issue an annual “financial accountability” report detailing how districts spent their money — and what they spent on lawsuits against the state.

“We’re all wanting what’s best for kids,” Ryckman said.

But with the Supreme Court’s deadline looming and education groups advocating a narrow school funding bill, it’s not clear how many moderate Republicans will stick with conservative leaders.

“Clean and simple is always my preference,” said Rep. Brenda Dietrich, a moderate Topeka Republican and former school superintendent.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri House panel on Tuesday significantly dialed back legislation that backers contend is aimed at ensuring those accused of rape and sex-based discrimination in college are treated fairly.

House Judiciary Committee members stripped down the bill following pushback from universities and victims-rights advocates, who warned the measure could mean fewer victims report abuse.

The legislation deals with complaints filed under Title IX, a federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in education. The Missouri bill would apply to both public and private colleges and universities.

Republican Rep. Dean Dohrman’s original proposal would have allowed people who report abuse to be sued for filing false complaints, and it also would have allowed university staffers who handle those complaints to be sued.

Committee members cut those provisions from the bill.

“The last thing we want is a victim, a complainant being afraid to come forward because they could get sued personally for bringing a complaint,” said Chairman Rep. David Gregory, a St. Louis Republican who proposed the changes. “If you’re going to bring a complaint in a closed, confidential situation you should not able to be sued for that.”

The legislation still would allow for cross-examination of witnesses, which could mean that victims face questioning. But Gregory’s amendment banned discussion of a complainant’s past sexual history, a change meant to prevent rape victims from being asked irrelevant questions intended to embarrass them.

Gregory also proposed allowing the decision maker to be questioned and kicked off the case if they are biased or have a conflict of interest.

Lawmakers cut a provision that have would have allowed students who were previously disciplined to appeal their cases to the state Administrative Hearing Commission, even if that discipline occurs before the proposed policy takes effect.

The revised bill would allow either party to appeal cases to the commission, but it would only apply to cases that occur after the measure is enacted.

Two of three sitting members on that commission have ties to backers of the bill .

Commissioner Renee Slusher is married to Columbia defense attorney Chris Slusher, who previously testified in favor of the measure and told lawmakers he has represented people facing Title IX allegations. Presiding and Managing Commissioner Audrey Hanson McIntosh is married to lobbyist Richard McIntosh, who is pushing the measure.

Dohrman on Tuesday said they’re “fair-minded jurists who can handle the job.”

The legislation also would require that students be guaranteed the right to be represented by an attorney. It would require that colleges “refrain from using the term ‘survivor’ or any other term that presumes guilt” before a final decision is reached.

House Judiciary Committee members voted to advance Dohrman’s scaled-back bill. A similar proposal is awaiting debate in the Senate.

As of Tuesday, records show at least 23 lobbyists were registered to represent Kingdom Principles, which is backing a group called Missouri Campus Due Process Coalition.

A spokesman for the coalition has confirmed wealthy St. Louis businessman David Steward is financially supporting the coalition. Spokesman Gregg Keller on Tuesday declined to comment further about other donors.

FULTON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman is accused of accidentally killing her boyfriend as they acted out a movie scene involving a gun, only to have the gun go off.

Kalesha Marie Peterson of Fulton is charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of David Dalton.

Peterson called 911 Thursday night and officers found Dalton in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head.

Police say Peterson told investigators that the two were watching a movie and drinking when Dalton suggested they play out a movie scene involving a firearm. Police did not identify the movie.

Peterson is jailed and does not yet have a listed attorney.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Romanian national who used skimming devices on ATMs to steal debit card information has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison without parole.

Federal prosecutors say 24-year-old David Velcu, also known as Luca Antoni, was in the U.S. illegally when he committed the crimes on ATMs in Kansas and Missouri in April 2018.

He was sentenced Monday to three years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $5,904 in restitution.

Velcu pleaded guilty in September to possessing counterfeit unauthorized access devices. He admitted using skimmers and pin cameras at ATMs to capture account numbers and personal identification numbers. He transferred the information to 78 re-encoded magnetic strips on gift cards, and used the information to withdraw money from stolen accounts.