Help Implement Racial Justice Reforms
SB127 Signed by Gov. Kelly
On May 6th, 2021, the Kansas Legislature amended state laws to allow a driver whose license has been suspended due to non-payment of one or more traffic fine to apply to the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) Driver Solutions office for a Restricted License. Members of the Racial Profiling Advisory Board helped draft and pass these bipartisan amendments and were invited to participate during the July 9th 2021 signing of the bill by Gov. Laura Kelly in Wichita.
Here is a downloadable PDF Summary and the actual SB127 as passed by the 2021 Kansas Legislature and signed by Gov. Kelly.
Legislative & Community Leaders
An effective group of legislative and community leaders worked together to get SB127 signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly. There is still much work to do in 2022 to remove the remaining legal and bureaucratic barriers which prevent Kansans from driving legally.
Racial Profiling Advisory Board of Wichita Chair--Mrs. Sheila Officer spoke at the July 9th, 2021 ceremonial signing of SB127 about the efforts by the Board and other Community advocates dating back to 2004 to pass meaningful racial justice reforms into law by the Kansas Legislature.
Some of the RPAB members who attended the July 9th, 2021 ceremonial signing of SB127. Included are Faith Martin, Sheila Officer, Wanda Cole and Walt Chappell. LaWanda DeShazer also attended.
NAACP members who attended the July 9th, 2021 ceremonial signing of SB127 by Governor Laura Kelly. Walt Chappell and LaWanda DeShazer are members of both the RPAB and NAACP. They worked hard behind the scenes to get this bill passed into law.
Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau provided effective leadership in getting SB127 passed into law. She will be introducing new bills in 2022 to restore driving priviledges for drivers whose license has been revoked plus remove the legal and bureaucratic barriers which prevent Kansas drivers from having their suspended licenses reinstated.
For many years, Senator Mike Petersen, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee has been a strong leader to make sure that Kansans can legally drive. Without his guidance, SB127 would not have passed during the 2021 legislative session.
Representative Nick Hoheisel serves on the House Transportation Committee. His storng support and introduction of key amendments made SB127 much stronger when it passed.
For years, Representative Gail Finney has been one of the strongest advocates for criminal justice reforms in the Kansas Legislature. Her leadership in the House of Representatives was key to getting SB127 passed into law in April 2021.
Sedgwick County Commissioner, Jim Howell formerly served in the Kansas House of Representatives. His years of strong support to help Kansas drivers comply with traffic tickets without having their license suspended has been very effective.
Peter Ninemire is the Director of the Caring Center of Wichita. He has a long history of working behind the scenes to allow Kansans to drive legally.