Republican lawmakers say they have enough signatures to call for the first special legislative session in Kansas history. Speaker Ron Ryckman, House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins and Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch issued a joint statement yesterday announcing that lawmakers would return to Topeka on November 22nd to discuss two bills.

One reportedly would require Kansas employers to grant religious exemptions to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination-mandate. The other would preserve unemployment-benefit eligibility for workers who are fired for failing to meet mandate guidelines.

Salina Representative Clarke Sanders from the 69th District has signed on for the special session and tells KSAL News why he believes they need to meet and codify the exemptions before January.

Lawmakers will return to Topeka on Monday, November 22 with an aim to wrap up the session before Thanksgiving.

“Kansans should not be forced to choose between their personal beliefs and their jobs,” Ryckman said. “It’s clear that federal overreach on a vaccine mandate has placed many working families between a rock and a hard place. We have a duty to protect our citizens.”