Kansas politics: Four things you need to know from Tuesday

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It was a crazy, busy day that started with the breaking news that Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop had been arrested in the early morning hours on Tuesday.

Lots to get caught up on if somehow you missed anything from a day of fast-moving news.

Here’s a roundup of news you may have missed but need to know…

  • Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of drunk driving but was later ordered released when a judge found there was no probable cause for his arrest after he was found going the wrong way on Interstate 70. The Kansas City Star was able to use KHP radio traffic to determine how long Suellentrop’s vehicle had been driving the wrong way on the interstate.
  • The Kansas Legislature passed a new emergency management bill limits the power of the governor, the state health secretary and local public health officers to issue orders. It extends the current COVID-19 emergency declaration to May 28 and declares all current executive orders void after March 31.
  • To the surprise of many, the Kansas House defeated a bill backed by the Senate president that would have required public schools to offer full, in-person learning no later than March 26. The debate over the bill got caught up with the emergency management law, which appeared contradict Senate President Ty Masterson’s bill.
  • A bill prohibiting students whose biological gender is male from competing in interscholastic sports for females advanced out of a committee Tuesday and his headed to the full Senate for consideration.