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Feb. 25, 2021Topeka, Kan. |  By: AP

Kansas lawmakers consider speedy trials, emergency response


TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas lawmakers are moving ahead with two measures that are a response to issues arising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One measure considered Wednesday is designed to help courts and prosecutors deal with a backlog of criminal cases. Another is a proposal to limit state and local officials' power in setting restrictions in future pandemics.

The House gave first-round approval to a bill that would suspend until May 2024 a law that sets deadlines for criminal trials to protect defendants' constitutional right to a speedy resolution of their cases.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had a hearing on a bill rewriting the state's emergency management laws.