Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
Debate in Kansas over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
These pages were updated from March 2020 through June 2020 and do not contain the latest commentary available. To submit arguments for inclusion on this page, email editor@ballotpedia.org. To learn how Ballotpedia decides which arguments to feature, click here.
Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.
These arguments come from a variety of sources, including public officials, journalists, think tanks, economists, scientists, and other stakeholders. We encourage you to share the debates happening in your local community to editor@ballotpedia.org.
This article covers the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Kansas in response to the coronavirus pandemic. You will find the following:
- Debate over the shelter-in-place order
- Debate over school closures
- Debate over religious service restrictions
- Debate over election policy
- Links to coverage of responses to the coronavirus in Kansas
Debate over shelter-in-place orders in Kansas
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the stay-at-home order in Kansas.
-
Governor Laura Kelly (D) (PrattTribune): Governor Laura Kelly released a phased reopening plan and argued that some criteria should be met before the state continued to ease restrictions.
"We’ll continue to re-evaluate Kansas’ disease spread, testing rates, hospitalizations, personal protection equipment availability and other factors before moving from one phase to the next. Science and data will dictate how quickly or how slowly the reopening unfolds." - "Kansas coronavirus update: Officials urge health safety compliance to ease more restrictions," May 7, 2020.
-
Senate President Susan Wagle (R) (U.S. News): Senate President Susan Wagle said Governor Kelly (D) was abusing her emergency powers and argued that the legislature needed to limit her authority.
"Our forefathers created checks and balances on political authority. Uncertainty abounds regarding the governor’s plan to re-open Kansas safely and what she may do in the coming months when the Legislature is not in session. Those issues must be addressed." - "GOP Critic Moves to Curb Kansas Governor's Emergency Power," May 7, 2020.
-
House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer (D) (U.S. News): "Whenever there's an emergency, everybody comes together and gets behind the governor, regardless of the party of the governor. Senator Wagle has kind of changed that tradition. She's decide to make emergencies partisan." - "GOP Critic Moves to Curb Kansas Governor's Emergency Power," May 7, 2020.
Debate over school closures in Kansas
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on school closures in Kansas.
-
Governor Laura Kelly (The Wichita Eagle): Governor Laura Kelly ordered schools to close for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year.
"The reality of this pandemic is that it cannot be controlled statewide if school buildings return to normal operations or if they respond inconsistently within our local communities. Unprecedented circumstances threaten the safety of our students and the professionals who work with them every day." - "Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly orders K-12 schools closed for the rest of academic year," March 17, 2020.
-
State Rep. Michael Capps (R) (The Topeka Capital-Journal): State Rep. Michael Capps said closing schools while continuing to fund the education system was a government bailout.
"The schools are coming to us, because of this virus, and saying it may prevent them from being able to educate our children, fulfilling their one and only obligation to educate our children. The schools are asking us to allow them to waive the required classroom hours, but yet they still want to collect the massive budget that’s encompassing more than 50% of our state budget." - "Kansas coronavirus update: Gov. Laura Kelly closes schools, sending state workers home," March 17, 2020.
Debate over religious service restrictions in Kansas
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on religious service restrictions in Kansas.
-
U.S. District Judge John Broomes (The Washington Times): U.S. District Judge John Broomes ruled that Governor Laura Kelly's order banning gatherings larger than 10 people could not be enforced on religious gatherings if pastors and congregants observed social distancing guidelines.
"Churches and religious activities appear to have been singled out among essential functions for stricter treatment." - "Federal judge blocks Kansas governor's religious gatherings ban," April 19, 2020.
-
Governor Laura Kelly (D) (Fox News): Governor Laura Kelly said her ban on religious gatherings larger than 10 people was necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"This virus has been hard for all of us. As your governor, all I can do is take decisive steps to mitigate the damage, flatten the curve as quickly as possible, and prevent this virus from reaching its full, lethal potential. That’s why all the difficult decisions I’ve made up to this point have been unavoidable, and absolutely crucial. That’s why I’m deeply disappointed that Republican leadership isn’t putting the health and safety of Kansas families first – including our faith communities." - "Kansas governor sues GOP lawmakers who reversed her limits on church gatherings during coronavirus," April 8, 2020.
-
Republican State Reps. Ron Ryckman, Dan Hawkins, and Blaine Finch (The Topeka Capital-Journal): "The question was never whether people should gather in church during these times. The answer to that is clearly no. The question was whether people should be arrested and jailed for going to church. The governor believed they should be. We think that goes too far." - "Kansas coronavirus update: Supreme Court sides with Gov. Laura Kelly in fight over church crowds," April 11, 2020.
-
Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) (Attorney General Derek Schmidt): "The Office of Attorney General strongly encourages all Kansans participating in religious services or activities to voluntarily comply with the new restrictions on religious mass gatherings in order to protect public health. Nevertheless, … we also strongly discourage law enforcement from attempting to enforce the requirements of EO 20-18 as violations of the criminal law. In our view, Kansas statute and the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights each forbid the governor from criminalizing participation in worship gatherings by executive order." - "AG Derek Schmidt: Kansans should comply with Governor’s order limiting religious gatherings during pandemic but cannot be arrested, prosecuted or imprisoned for worshiping," April 8, 2020.
"Coronavirus vs. freedom of religion: Can stay-at-home orders keep you from church?" - The Wichita Eagle, April 9, 2020
Additional reading
Debate over election policy in Kansas
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on election policies in Kansas.
We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.
Click the links below for more on responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Kansas.
- Changes to election dates and procedures
- Statewide stay-at-home order
- Statewide travel restrictions
- Executive orders
- Officials and candidates diagnosed with or quarantined due to coronavirus
- Enacted legislation
- Legislative session changes
- School closures
- Court closures
- Prison inmate release responses
- Rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies
General resources
The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.
Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Education
- World Health Organization
- Trends in Number of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, by State/Territory
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations, Our World in Data (Number of vaccines administered)
- Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker, New York Times (Progress of vaccine trials)
See also
- Ballotpedia: Political responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- State government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021
- Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2022
- Ballotpedia's elections calendar
Footnotes
