Legislators have heard testimony from Democratic lawmakers pushing for Kansas to join a handful of states observing a day honoring Native Americans instead of Christopher Columbus, but it's not clear the bill will get a vote. The House Federal and State Affairs Committee on Tuesday listened to remarks from three lawmakers who said Kansas needs Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day. Committee Chair John Barker, an Abilene Republican, told reporters he doesn't know whether he will hold a committee vote on the bill. Without one, the bill would stall as it has in previous years.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday that falls on the second Monday of October each year.
The UN has designated August 9 as Indigenous Peoples Day.
