Hello ~~first_name~~:
In this issue:
📅 Annual meeting
🎂 Happy birthday to the League
✔️ Take our quick survey
And more!
| Annual Meeting - Officer Elections
Join us for our annual meeting in March. We will kick it off with a keynote address by Dr. Lee Smithson Burd and Pam Kelley, co-founders of Madam President Camp. Members will also vote on the proposed budget and board/officer nominations. Please review the 2023 Annual Report before the meeting.
We will meet in-person at the Johnson County Central Resource Library. You must attend in person and be a member to vote. Guests are also welcome to attend, but will not have voting privileges.
Saturday, March 4 | 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Johnson County Central Resource Library
9875 W 87th St, Overland Park, KS 66212
| | | | This Tuesday, February 14, the League of Women Voters will turn 103! There are two ways to celebrate.
Participate in League Day at the Capitol, sponsored by LWVK. There is no cost, and the schedule is as follows. Please let Janet Milkovich know if you are interested in joining.
- 8:30 a.m. - Registration and check-in
- 9:30-11:00 a.m. - Programs and Speakers
- 11:30-12:30 - Group lunch (if you have not yet registered, you will need to make your own lunch arrangements)
- 12:30-? - Visits to legislators. Make appointments with your legislators in advance.
Or, you can celebrate for the virtual birthday pep rally, sponsored by the National League. This event begins at 10:00 a.m. CT and will be livestreamed on Facebook. Registration is recommended but not required. | | | | As we continue to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we would like to better understand our membership demographics. To help us in this endeavor, we are asking members to complete this anonymous survey. Please take a few minutes to answer our short list of questions by March 6. Thank you in advance!
| | | | This year, the theme of Black History Month is Black Resistance, how "African Americans have resisted historical and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms and police killings since our arrival upon these shores." (the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). The full summary of this month's theme is a "call to everyone, inside and outside the academy, to study the history of Black Americans' responses to establish safe spaces, where Black life can be sustained, fortified, and respected."
Some resources to celebrate Black history include:
- The African American Heritage Trail of Kansas City, MO event list
- Twelve Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Kansas City, from IN Kansas City
- This announcement from the Board of Commissioners of Johnson County
- This blog from the National League
| | | Stay engaged and informed
☕️ Legislative coffees continue
Legislative coffees, presented in partnership with the Johnson County Library, offer an opportunity to hear from local legislators and ask questions. Remaining sessions include:
- Feb. 18, 10:30 a.m. | Lenexa City Center Library | 878 Penrose Lane, Lenexa 66219 | Register here
- Feb. 25, 10:30 a.m. | Bonner Springs Library | 201 N Nettleton Ave, Bonner Springs, 66012 | Register here
- Mar. 11, 10:30 a.m. | Gardner Library | 137 E Shawnee St, Gardner 66030 | Register here
🗣 New public comment rule update
The JoCo Commission updated its recently released rules to allow for public comments via Zoom. However, those comments will not be livestreamed. Read the full update from the Shawnee Mission post.
⚖️ Voter registration litigation update
You may recall the 2021 law that makes it a crime to engage in conduct that could cause someone to believe you are an election worker. LWVJoCo and several other organizations curtailed voter registration initiatives as a result, and filed a lawsuit challenging that law. Read the Kansas Reflectors' summary of oral arguments in that lawsuit, heard earlier this month, here, and watch a recording of the proceedings here.
💧 Water update
The Kansas House Water Committee is considering a new bill that would require groundwater management districts (GMDs) to report information on their spending each year and make plans to conserve the Ogallala Aquifer. In contrast to last year, when a water reform bill had been gutted. This year, there appears to be more support. The committee will likely vote next week. Read the full story from The Kansas Reflector here.
✍🏽 Testimony 101
Loud Light is offering an online skills session targeted at young Kansans who want to learn how to write a fool-proof formal statement for Kansas Legislative hearings. The session is scheduled on Feb. 16, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Learn more here.
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